*New beardie owner* Introducing Leonard!

[vencho]

Hello fellow beardie owners! Not only am I new to this site, I am also new to owning a beardie. I have done tonss of research before my fiance and I finally purchased our little guy (or girl). I am really hoping he is a guy because we named him Leonard! Well...if Leonard turns out to be a girl, then he can be Lucy! :laughhard: He is about 7 weeks old and 6 inches from head to tail. I believe he is still adjusting to his new home since he hasn't been eating much. He only eats about 10 crickets a day, and I am a little concerned. Is it okay that he isn't eating as many crickets as he is supposed to be eating? Is there any other way he can get his protein? Another thing, I am not sure if he has officially made me his slave, but he tends to poop when I am with him rather than just in his tank. Not sure if that is normal or not, or if he is still not adjusted. The temps are all what they are supposed to be and I have been using a temp gun to make sure. It has been 2 weeks now that he has been in his new home. He is very comfortable around the two of us, he doesn't struggle when we take him out of his tank, and he is always very light with no stress lines on him. Anyways, here are some pictures of our new baby!

This is his home, the head statue thing is an inside joke..my sister and I saw it and it resembles my fiance, who has been upset he hasn't been able to spend as much time as I have with him, so we decided to put it in his tank! :lol:

 

[zebraflavencs]

Awwe Leonard/lucy is so sweet and tiny ! golly i forgot how small mine were until now

How many "meals' are you offering daily ? babies that small really need spaced out meals so they can digest and eat again.

The viv looks good ! Even that statue

Janie.

 

[vencho]

We try to feed him at 9am, 2pm and 7pm. Lights are on a timer and go on at 8am and go off at 10pm. He only eats like 5 crickets in the 9am feeding, a couple to none at the 2pm feeding and 5 at the 7pm feeding. We keep a fresh supply of veggies throughout the day that he also munches on occasionally

 

[zebraflavencs]

Well that is on the mark... What size are these crix ? They need to be no longer than the distance between his/her eyes.
Janie.

Oh, what is the basking temps, and what uvb are you using ?

 

[vencho]

Basking temp ranges from 100-105, doesn't seem to get higher than 105... the cooler side is 85. I am using the ReptiSun 10.0 tube since that is what everyone recommends here! :mrgreen: Yeah the crickets are not bigger than the space between his eyes, infact lately I have been finding some escapees bouncing around the house. I am terrified of bugs, and I am trying to adjust to it, but it is hard! I know for a fact that I will be needing to purchase a deeper container to keep these things in! I think Leonard is actually enjoying watching me run away from the food he is not eating!

 

[zebraflavencs]

Well that only leaves one thing...... You have an individual ! If after a month and he hasn't picked up on eating more, then we can worry.
Janie.

*can see you in mind's eye chasing crix and Leonard watching , laughing....*

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Hello and Welcome, thanks for sharing!!!! Cutie you have there..........

 

[vencho]

Thanks! I think im going to order some phoenix worms to see if he likes them, maybe that will get him eating! Its just super expensive where I am

Oh well! As long as he will be healthy I don't mind

 

[rachelnmelsmom]

What a cutie! Hopefully, "he" will start eating soon! Our little gal loves Phoenix Worms and although they are a bit more expensive, at least I don't deal with as many crickets (we continue to offer crickets so she doesn't loose interest in in case there should be a shortage of PW in my area.) A suggestion I found on this site was to give them a bath prior to playtime so hopefully they will poop then and not in the house or on you.

 

[vencho]

Thanks! If anyone is still reading this post, may I ask if anyone knows of a CANADIAN store that may sell collard or mustard greens. I see that is what everyone recommends as a staple, but I haven't been able to find ANY stores that sell it. I am in Vancouver, BC. You will not believe how many stores I have been to! :x If I still can't find it, what would be another alternative for their staple green that I can find more easily in stores? I haven't been able to find anything that is colour coded green on the beautifuldragons list!

As for the pooping on mommy, I do give him a bath right before playtime... but he still seems to love doing it!

I just smushed Leonard's favorite tree by dropping his food bowl on it by mistake, he doesn't look too pleased about it! :shock:

 

[rachelnmelsmom]

Here is an awesome list of things you can feed your beardie (as well as, things NOT to feed him.)

http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

 

[fresnowitte]

Hello & Welcome to BD.org!

Leonard is adorable thanks for sharing the pic's.


You could PM one of these 2 ladies about your greens question they are in Canada.
Deborah memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=11887
Sandi memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=8369

 

[vencho]

Thanks Barbara! I have PM'd Deborah as she lives pretty close to me But after I posted that, I did manage to find endive which is on the beautiful dragon list in green, so yay

 

[fresnowitte]

Your welcome....I'd remembered Deborah mentioning having difficulty finding certain greens awhile back figured she'd know...glad you found some greens...the list at beautifuldragons comes in very handy...heck I just used it yesterday to check on a fruit to see if it was okay to treat my beardies with...you'd think I'd have it memorized by now. :lol:

 

[bbschempf]

Welcome to the community! a great place for all your beardie needs, everyone here will be more then happy to help you with any of your questions or concerns. my beardie always love to poop on me or momy but i have been reading that it is a sign of comfort, believe it or not it means he likes you. like rpeviously posted a nice warm bath will usually clear the bowels for my little guys. dont wory about eating, he will be eating your cricket supply dry soon enough (it could jsut be reloaction stress or he could be going through a shed soon) as long as you get a poop at least every other day he should be eating enough. if your not already i would suggest using a separate feeding tank so that he knows that when he goes in there he has 15 mins to fill his belly, he will start to learn his little routine, and give you some sort of a sign when he is done pigging out. PW are great and much cleaner then crickets, i deffinatly suggest them