parodyofagirl
Hatchling Member
First, I would like to introduce Quincy an active outgoing beardie "tween" who was about 3.5 inches from nose to vent and 8.5 inches in length when he was purchased 12 days ago. My boyfriend originally wanted an iguana, but changed his mind when he learned about bearded dragons. Quincy is named after the iguana in the Foxtrot comics. We're not sure if Quincy is male or female, but we're pretty sure Quincy is an 'alpha.' He puts on beard displays when he can see his reflection and has actually tried to attack it on a couple of occasions. Since I don't want him to hurt himself, I normally take him out and let him run around for a while under close supervision when this happens.
Out of all the little beardies in the huge tank with him, Quincy was the only one with his whole tail and all of his fingers and toes that was actively running around (the others were sunning themselves under a lamp and watching my boyfriend suspiciously). Quincy's red/orange tail caught my boyfriend's eye, but it was his curious playful demeanor and the way he watched my boyfriend intently that captured his heart. It seemed more like Quincy picked him rather than the other way around.
The store sold him to us as a regular beardie, but it turns out that his brownish skin colour is really because he was about to shed! From what I can tell (he hasn't shed completely yet), Quincy is actually yellow, pastel green, khaki, green, and brown. Right now his tail is red/orange and I'm looking forward to seeing what color it really is when he finishes shedding.
I also want to thank all of you for the educational information that is posted in these forums. It has been a more than a great help when I have had questions about Quincy...it actually saved him from becoming seriously ill. When we initially purchased Quincy we did not purchase the correct type of bulb. Initially we had one of the mercury vapor spot UVA/UVB lights but he hated it. When we replaced it with a coil UV bulb he became much more active and seemed happier.
Then, about 5 days ago he became lethargic and I noticed a couple of times during the day that his hind legs and toes would begin trembling and stop. I became upset originally thinking he was impacted or sick b/c I had fed him little mealworms the day before instead of crickets. (Something I now know he should not have until he is older.) When I used google to search the internet, I found the answer late at night on your website. The UV coil bulb was not the proper bulb for a bearded dragon. My boyfriend (who is working on a doctorate in chemistry) did not believe me until I mentioned a good point that the post made: a light with UVB output should appear bluish (UVB is short wavelength light radiation and would appear towards the blue end of the visual spectrum.) Our coil bulb was a funny pinkish orange color. Quincy was showing the first sign of either a vitamin deficiency or MBD. I felt absolutely terrible knowing that this could have been prevented.
The next day I took Quincy outside for close to an hour and stroked his head and back out in the warm Florida sun while he basked sitting on my knee. When my boyfriend was finished with class for the day we went to another pet store and bought one of the tube UVB lights. We made sure that it was the proper spectrum and when we turned on the bulb it glowed blue. Quincy is much happier now albeit still a little lethargic (I'm attributing that to his shedding) and I have not seen any trembling for the past two days. I'm also taking him outside every day to get some sun just in case the bulb is not enough.
Once again, I want to thank all of you for the informative advice that you provide. It has saved Quincy's health and ensured that he will grow up to be a happy, healthy beardie!
I do have some questions that have been rattling around in my head, and I would appreciate any advice/insight you can give.
When you say "don't feed a beardie anything larger than the space between their eyes," is that the length or the width of the food item? Also, which space? Is it the span across the head from eyeball to eyeball, or is it the measure of the little flat part in between? For crickets I've been using the span from eyeball to eyeball as a measure of the length, and the little flat part in between as a measure of the cricket's width. Anything bigger is currently being released outside.
For a beardie of Quincy's size should I be trying to feed him 2 or 3 times a day? He has not been very interested in (chasing his) food since he began shedding and will only eat right now when I hold the crickets in front of him. When he does not want anymore, he backs away. He eats about 15-20 small crickets at meal one, and maybe 10 at his next sitting. The crickets are between 1cm and about 3/4in long. I'm concerned he is not eating enough. Although he is pooping regularly and doesn't seem to be having any problems with his digestion.
He will not eat any greens other than some sort of lettuce (which I have stopped giving him because it did not agree with him). When I try to be sneaky and mix up the foods he likes with the ones he does not, he will actually go so far as to violently toss around what he does not like to find what he does. If I gutload some crickets only on greens, will this be sufficient? If not, how else can I provide the nutrients he needs? I know he likes applesauce, carrots (given sparingly), romaine and hibiscus flowers if he is in the mood. Should I just puree everything together and try to get him to enjoy his greens with his applesauce?
What kind of cereal do you recommend providing to crickets? What nutritional content should I be looking for, and what vitamins if any (besides A) should I try to provide only sparingly?
Why isn't citrus recommended for beardies?
Is it normal for my beardie's colors to change throughout the day? There are times when his yellows are more vibrant and times when the greens or browns are more apparent. It seems to be related to warmth or level of activity, but it seems a little unusual.
Once again, I wholeheartedly thank everyone who provides information on this site for the betterment of beardies everywhere. Quincy sends his thanks and appreciation as well!
Quincy and I are looking forward to meeting all of you here and making new friends.
Out of all the little beardies in the huge tank with him, Quincy was the only one with his whole tail and all of his fingers and toes that was actively running around (the others were sunning themselves under a lamp and watching my boyfriend suspiciously). Quincy's red/orange tail caught my boyfriend's eye, but it was his curious playful demeanor and the way he watched my boyfriend intently that captured his heart. It seemed more like Quincy picked him rather than the other way around.
The store sold him to us as a regular beardie, but it turns out that his brownish skin colour is really because he was about to shed! From what I can tell (he hasn't shed completely yet), Quincy is actually yellow, pastel green, khaki, green, and brown. Right now his tail is red/orange and I'm looking forward to seeing what color it really is when he finishes shedding.
I also want to thank all of you for the educational information that is posted in these forums. It has been a more than a great help when I have had questions about Quincy...it actually saved him from becoming seriously ill. When we initially purchased Quincy we did not purchase the correct type of bulb. Initially we had one of the mercury vapor spot UVA/UVB lights but he hated it. When we replaced it with a coil UV bulb he became much more active and seemed happier.
Then, about 5 days ago he became lethargic and I noticed a couple of times during the day that his hind legs and toes would begin trembling and stop. I became upset originally thinking he was impacted or sick b/c I had fed him little mealworms the day before instead of crickets. (Something I now know he should not have until he is older.) When I used google to search the internet, I found the answer late at night on your website. The UV coil bulb was not the proper bulb for a bearded dragon. My boyfriend (who is working on a doctorate in chemistry) did not believe me until I mentioned a good point that the post made: a light with UVB output should appear bluish (UVB is short wavelength light radiation and would appear towards the blue end of the visual spectrum.) Our coil bulb was a funny pinkish orange color. Quincy was showing the first sign of either a vitamin deficiency or MBD. I felt absolutely terrible knowing that this could have been prevented.
The next day I took Quincy outside for close to an hour and stroked his head and back out in the warm Florida sun while he basked sitting on my knee. When my boyfriend was finished with class for the day we went to another pet store and bought one of the tube UVB lights. We made sure that it was the proper spectrum and when we turned on the bulb it glowed blue. Quincy is much happier now albeit still a little lethargic (I'm attributing that to his shedding) and I have not seen any trembling for the past two days. I'm also taking him outside every day to get some sun just in case the bulb is not enough.
Once again, I want to thank all of you for the informative advice that you provide. It has saved Quincy's health and ensured that he will grow up to be a happy, healthy beardie!
I do have some questions that have been rattling around in my head, and I would appreciate any advice/insight you can give.
When you say "don't feed a beardie anything larger than the space between their eyes," is that the length or the width of the food item? Also, which space? Is it the span across the head from eyeball to eyeball, or is it the measure of the little flat part in between? For crickets I've been using the span from eyeball to eyeball as a measure of the length, and the little flat part in between as a measure of the cricket's width. Anything bigger is currently being released outside.
For a beardie of Quincy's size should I be trying to feed him 2 or 3 times a day? He has not been very interested in (chasing his) food since he began shedding and will only eat right now when I hold the crickets in front of him. When he does not want anymore, he backs away. He eats about 15-20 small crickets at meal one, and maybe 10 at his next sitting. The crickets are between 1cm and about 3/4in long. I'm concerned he is not eating enough. Although he is pooping regularly and doesn't seem to be having any problems with his digestion.
He will not eat any greens other than some sort of lettuce (which I have stopped giving him because it did not agree with him). When I try to be sneaky and mix up the foods he likes with the ones he does not, he will actually go so far as to violently toss around what he does not like to find what he does. If I gutload some crickets only on greens, will this be sufficient? If not, how else can I provide the nutrients he needs? I know he likes applesauce, carrots (given sparingly), romaine and hibiscus flowers if he is in the mood. Should I just puree everything together and try to get him to enjoy his greens with his applesauce?
What kind of cereal do you recommend providing to crickets? What nutritional content should I be looking for, and what vitamins if any (besides A) should I try to provide only sparingly?
Why isn't citrus recommended for beardies?
Is it normal for my beardie's colors to change throughout the day? There are times when his yellows are more vibrant and times when the greens or browns are more apparent. It seems to be related to warmth or level of activity, but it seems a little unusual.
Once again, I wholeheartedly thank everyone who provides information on this site for the betterment of beardies everywhere. Quincy sends his thanks and appreciation as well!
Quincy and I are looking forward to meeting all of you here and making new friends.
They're awesome creatures. I'm glad you were able to find the help you needed on this site and I hope your dragon continues to feel better.
