New beardie owner with concerns

[xp29]

I was also thinking of using wrapping paper or laminate with double sided tape. I purchased cloth from Amazon and I’ll put it on the inside of the terrarium because when I put card board on the outside I could still see a reflection and my beardie would puff up and pounce on the glass.
Another question for you guys @KarrieRee @NickAVD @xp29 @Sue E.
How do you feed crickets and clean up afterwards? I spent close to an hour going through everything and removing all of my decor and flooring to find a bunch of hidden crickets and catching them was very difficult. Any recommendations? I want to stop buying crickets all together now and get Dubia roaches or Calci worms only. Crickets are an absolute headache

I agree with @KarrieRee, offer them to your beardie in another container like a clear tote.
I wasn't meaning use the cardboard ect on the outside. I was suggesting cutting it to fit snuggly on the inside.
you could also purchase the premade foam inserts if you find them to fit your habitat. They actually look pretty nice.

 

[AHBD]

Can I leave crickets in the terrarium during the day and remove them in the evening? It’s to much to move the decor and remove the crickets twice a day. Especially if I put in 30-50 each time. These things are so fast

Hi there, just chiming in as you're getting lots of advice. People mean well but no dragon should eat 30-50 or more insects a day. That's the old power feeding method that keeps a dragon stuffed and growing way too fast. Those huge amounts of food can lead to gout, joint problems, liver, kidney and even hear failure, shortening their lives. Plus you have to spend Soooo much money on this unhealthy feeding style.Just feed your baby about 5 appropriate sized insects twice a day, let the dragon grow slowly and naturally. Also offer shredded greens like kale, collards, mustard, turnip, etc. I've raised many dragons. My boy is going to be 13 next month and is lean and active.

 

[Sue E.]

Can you try the small dubia roaches? Give them to her in a dish with smooth sides..they are fast but cant climb smooth surfaces. A couple at a time...as soon as she eats those, put in a couple more. But get that tube uvb set up and running and make sure shes about 9" to 11 inches under it if the uvb fixture is on top of the screen. If you can, mount it under the screen with heat resistant zip ties or picture wire...then her distance can be 12 to 15 inches away from the light. A raised basking piece right under the center of the uvb light will take care of this. You can measure your distance with a

Can I leave crickets in the terrarium during the day and remove them in the evening? It’s to much to move the decor and remove the crickets twice a day. Especially if I put in 30-50 each time. These things are so fast

Oh dont put in all 30 at once! If your dragon is a baby, feed 3 times a day. Offer only as many as they can eat in 5 to 10 minutes...might be 10, might be more, sometimes less. A juvenile can eat twice a day. If you have to leave and go to work, you can leave some in the tank but I wouldnt leave 30 in there. Be warned though, they try to slip under your mat and then they die there so make sure your mat is tight to the bottom of the cage. You can also tong feed them to your dragon if you prefer. Im so glad Kai is over eating crickets and wont touch them! Silkworms and phoenix worms/calciworms are nice and slow.

I was also thinking of using wrapping paper or laminate with double sided tape. I purchased cloth from Amazon and I’ll put it on the inside of the terrarium because when I put card board on the outside I could still see a reflection and my beardie would puff up and pounce on the glass.
Another question for you guys @KarrieRee @NickAVD @xp29 @Sue E.
How do you feed crickets and clean up afterwards? I spent close to an hour going through everything and removing all of my decor and flooring to find a bunch of hidden crickets and catching them was very difficult. Any recommendations? I want to stop buying crickets all together now and get Dubia roaches or Calci worms only. Crickets are an absolute headache

The roaches hide too but they cant climb smooth sided containers so feed in a dish and you should be good. They wont bite the dragon so you can leave in any that do escape and they dont stink! Worms are slooww and you will always find them. Hornworms bite but you should NOT be feeding them anyway. The others are safe. Best staple worm is the silkworm...you can feed those everyday but they are expensive and very very hard to find (at least around here...ice fishermen buy them all up sigh!). Phoenix worms/calciworms are good and so are mealworms. Calcium dust ALL your bugs and worms (put in a bag with just a teeny pinch of calcium powder without D3 and shake.) Superworms are good too for adult and subadult dragons but dont feed more than once a week or so...they are fatty. I am SO glad Kai is bored of crickets and wont eat them anymore...I HATED crickets!

 

[NickAVD]

I was also thinking of using wrapping paper or laminate with double sided tape. I purchased cloth from Amazon and I’ll put it on the inside of the terrarium because when I put card board on the outside I could still see a reflection and my beardie would puff up and pounce on the glass.
Another question for you guys @KarrieRee @NickAVD @xp29 @Sue E.
How do you feed crickets and clean up afterwards? I spent close to an hour going through everything and removing all of my decor and flooring to find a bunch of hidden crickets and catching them was very difficult. Any recommendations? I want to stop buying crickets all together now and get Dubia roaches or Calci worms only. Crickets are an absolute headache

I don't feed crickets now, they are too small for an adult dragon, they are difficult to keep and they are a strong allergen for me. But when Foxy was little, I fed him crickets in a separate plastic container. This is convenient because you don't have to catch crickets from the terrarium, disassembling all the decor.

 

[Mushu1]

Here’s an update to my terrarium and lighting
@Sue E. @KarrieRee

 

[KarrieRee]

Here’s an update to my terrarium and lighting
@Sue E. @KarrieRee

You want a piece of basking decor directly under the UVB approx 8-10 inches for a screen that is wide hole type which it looks to be - you did get digital probe thermometers correct? I see stick ons in the tank which are good for ambient temps

 

[AHBD]

It looks nice, you put a lot of thought in to it. I see that your baby is REALLY tiny. I hatched and raised many clutches in my home and so I can speak on raising tiny ones. I hope that yours will be O.K because at his size being shipped from a breeder to the store can be a strike against them, and so can the lack of proper care being given at the store. So your little guy has a couple strilkes against him but hopefully he will be O.K.
A giant tank is O.K IF the baby is healthy. Use an eyedropper for water every day. The large bowl of veg is unnecessary, just a bit of shredded greens.

When I was raising babies I used large plastic totes, I'll attach a picture. For the first few weeks the floor was bare . I had about 6-8 in one large tote. The bare floor made it very easy to watch the crickets when I threw them in and the babies got them quickly. A little tip to make the crickets slower was to put them in a jar with a pinch of calcium powder, shake them up pretty hard [ to make the crickets dazed and wobbly ] and then throw them in. Roaches in a bowl are fine if your little guy notices them, but he's in a giant, confusing cage much different from where he's used to. Here is an easy set up for the first few weeks. There are 7 little ones in here.

 

[Mushu1]

You want a piece of basking decor directly under the UVB approx 8-10 inches for a screen that is wide hole type which it looks to be - you did get digital probe thermometers correct? I see stick ons in the tank which are good for ambient temps

IR temp gun

 

[KarrieRee]

IR temp gun

IR temp guns are good but your most accurate are digital probe thermometers- found at PetSmart or Petco Zoo Med makes them

 

[Mushu1]

It looks nice, you put a lot of thought in to it. I see that your baby is REALLY tiny. I hatched and raised many clutches in my home and so I can speak on raising tiny ones. I hope that yours will be O.K because at his size being shipped from a breeder to the store can be a strike against them, and so can the lack of proper care being given at the store. So your little guy has a couple strilkes against him but hopefully he will be O.K.
A giant tank is O.K IF the baby is healthy. Use an eyedropper for water every day. The large bowl of veg is unnecessary, just a bit of shredded greens.

When I was raising babies I used large plastic totes, I'll attach a picture. For the first few weeks the floor was bare . I had about 6-8 in one large tote. The bare floor made it very easy to watch the crickets when I threw them in and the babies got them quickly. A little tip to make the crickets slower was to put them in a jar with a pinch of calcium powder, shake them up pretty hard [ to make the crickets dazed and wobbly ] and then throw them in. Roaches in a bowl are fine if your little guy notices them, but he's in a giant, confusing cage much different from where he's used to. Here is an easy set up for the first few weeks. There are 7 little ones in here.

View attachment 96571

What are the survival rates? I really don’t want to return her. If I move her to a clear container for feeding will it stress and confuse her?

 

[AHBD]

Well it depends on so many things. Every store has a supplier that ships the babies, so there's that. If it's a healthy hatchling and the parent dragons were healthy [ mostly the mother of course ] or was not fed properly, given the right lighting, supplements, etc all come in to play. Were the babies at the store healthy, active moving a lot ?
Putting the baby in a different container to feed it you will only know if it's a success if you try. So give it a try but ony drop 1-2 bugs in as Sue mentioned. If baby eats those , add 1-2 more. If you put too many in at once it can overwhelm baby. You could even do that way by putting the small plastic container in the enclosure the first time. Give it a try !

 

[Mushu1]

Well it depends on so many things. Every store has a supplier that ships the babies, so there's that. If it's a healthy hatchling and the parent dragons were healthy [ mostly the mother of course ] or was not fed properly, given the right lighting, supplements, etc all come in to play. Were the babies at the store healthy, active moving a lot ?
Putting the baby in a different container to feed it you will only know if it's a success if you try. So give it a try but ony drop 1-2 bugs in as Sue mentioned. If baby eats those , add 1-2 more. If you put too many in at once it can overwhelm baby. You could even do that way by putting the small plastic container in the enclosure the first time. Give it a try !

She has been more active over time. She likes to explore her home and chase crickets. Now her new favorite is the hammock in the pic. She puffed up her beard once while being held. She has waved her arm a lot and likes to stretch her legs and pancake

 

[Sue E.]

She has been more active over time. She likes to explore her home and chase crickets. Now her new favorite is the hammock in the pic. She puffed up her beard once while being held. She has waved her arm a lot and likes to stretch her legs and pancake

Oh Mooshu, sorry but please take out the hammock! I dont know why they even sell those things! She can get a toe stuck in it and lose a claw or even a toe. Sorry again dont mean to scare you. Maybe a bridge or basking platform thing about the same height for her? Waving her arm means she is being submissive to you. Mine has never done that...he is dominant and top dragon haha. I got one head bob once when I came in the room too fast and he didnt recognize me. Head bob means this is my terrority...or Im upset about something, or I want to mate lol! Great that she is exploring!

 

[Sue E.]

She has been more active over time. She likes to explore her home and chase crickets. Now her new favorite is the hammock in the pic. She puffed up her beard once while being held. She has waved her arm a lot and likes to stretch her legs and pancake

Oh Mooshu, sorry but please take out the hammock! I dont know why they even sell those things! She can get a toe stuck in it and lose a claw or even a toe. Sorry again dont mean to scare you. Maybe a bridge or basking platform thing about the same height for her? Waving her arm means she is being submissive to youMine has never done that...he is dominant and top dragon haha. I got one head bob once when I came in the room too fast and he didnt recognize me. Head bob means this is my terrority...or Im upset about something, or I want to mate lol! Great that she is exploring!

She has been more active over time. She likes to explore her home and chase crickets. Now her new favorite is the hammock in the pic. She puffed up her beard once while being held. She has waved her arm a lot and likes to stretch her legs and pancake

Just thought youd like to see a pic of Kai when we got him and now...same tree, for reference lol. We got him from Petsmart a year ago.

 

[Mushu1]

Oh Mooshu, sorry but please take out the hammock! I dont know why they even sell those things! She can get a toe stuck in it and lose a claw or even a toe. Sorry again dont mean to scare you. Maybe a bridge or basking platform thing about the same height for her? Waving her arm means she is being submissive to youMine has never done that...he is dominant and top dragon haha. I got one head bob once when I came in the room too fast and he didnt recognize me. Head bob means this is my terrority...or Im upset about something, or I want to mate lol! Great that she is exploring!

Just thought youd like to see a pic of Kai when we got him and now...same tree, for reference lol. We got him from Petsmart a year ago.

I tried putting her in a plastic container with a few crickets. She only ate one then kept trying to run through the container not knowing it’s a solid thing she can’t walk through. So far she’s only eaten one cricket today. Nothing else. Do you have any links or pics of what I can get instead of the hammock? Thank you. Wow your beardie has grown!