my new Beardie Pepper

[NewBeardieOwner421]

I have included the url to view my new beardie her name is pepper
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k114/smorrow91/pepper_zpsustabzcw.jpg

 

[MsCarter]

Pepper is adorable! Congratulations on your new beardie. If you have any questions or concerns at all please don't hesitate to ask

 

[NewBeardieOwner421]

Thank you very much. I'm hoping she finds her appetite soon. But she seems alert and healthy and happy. Today was the first day she let me handle her.

 

[MsCarter]

It takes time for them to over come relocation stress and begin acting like their true selves. Once she's completely settled in she will eat much more and begin bonding with you more as well. At her size she's still a tiny growing baby. I would offer her 3 insect meal everyday and a salad as well. She may refuse the salad but it's good to go ahead and introduce her to them asap so that she can become more familiar with it.

Right now she's getting use to her new home so it's perfectly normal for her to eat very little. Just continue to offer it and she will eventually come around

 

[NewBeardieOwner421]

thank you very much its appreciated. pepper and i are doing very good this morning i woke up to her staring at me waiting for me to wake up to say good morning. a little concerned though she wasnt really interested in catching her breakfast this morning but rather just chased it around the tank so i removed the crickets thinking that she just wasn't hungry. how long do beardies take to adjust to their new home. i hear they can be very stubborn at times when it comes to eating as well

 

[MsCarter]

I'm glad to hear you two are doing well, sounds like she's bonding to you quickly.
It can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. You may have already mentioned it but how long have you had her?
The fact that she will chase them is a good sign and shows that she is a healthy active young beardie. Was she able to catch them and just didn't want to eat them? Some babies struggle catching crickets sometimes and if that happens you can find a way to help her out a little. If your comfortable doing so you can try hand feeding her. I would give her a couple of hours to warm up in the mornings then offer the first protein meal. If she refuses it that's ok, try again in a couple more hours

 

[NewBeardieOwner421]

i have had her for i would say about 3 or 4 days. shes very active always looking around and moving about. she does catch them and eat them but i think this morning maybe she just wasnt warm enough yet. i try not disturbing her too much and i would like to be able to hand feed her i have held the crickets in front her and she doesnt want them hand fed i think she enjoys hunting them. i have to change her substrate tonight as she is on vitasand and thats not the best for her i have learned so i will be changing that tonight when i get home. she does eat so im glad she is getting food i just want to make sure she is getting enough. i always remove the crickets after about 10 minutes as i know they will nip at beardies.

 

[MsCarter]

I'm sorry I'm just now replying it's been a busy month for me.
I hope all is well with your baby. At the time of your post you had only had her a few days so it was perfectly normal for to not eat as much during that time. Most go through a period of relocation stress where it can take a few days- a few weeks to settle in. I'm assuming she's eating like a little champ by now?

As far as the 10 min rule goes that is fine. I personally let babies eat as much as they want with no limits and start applying the 10min limit once they become juvenile/adult sized. Every beardie is different and just like us each one may become full quicker for that reason it's impossible to give an exact number of insects a beardie should eat. I'd say as long as she's eating anywhere between 20-100 insects a day she should be just fine. More importantly, as long as she is pooping regularly, gaining weight and not losing, and looks healthy than you know she's eating plenty.

It's also great that she wants to hunt. It's good for her and keeps her active. I have a very lazy spoiled dragon that expects me to hand feed her every time she eats lol. I try very hard to encourage her to get a little exercise.

 

[NewBeardieOwner421]

I appreciate your post but Pepper passed away a few hours after I made that post she was very ill. I have since purchased a new beardie and he is happy and healthy.

 

[MsCarter]

I am so sorry to hear that. It may have only been a short time but atleast she spent her final days with someone that cared about her and tried to give her a good life.

I'm glad to hear your new baby is in good health and doing great.