New beardies, confused about contradicting proper care.

[goat199]

Sorry for the many post, but its just a bit overwhelming. Here is an update. I ordered 2000 small crickets, they wont be here til Tuesday. Can they live off vegis and just a few crickets a day for 5 more days? I am separating them.
sorry for so many questions.

 

[Nasubi77]

http://lllreptile.com/ has good prices. Their crickets aren't as healthy as ones from say https://www.reptilefood.com/reptilefood/default.asp or some of the other sites mentioned, but they're okay. 1000 is 19.99 including shipping, and that's .02 per bug. If you find them cheaper at the pet store, as long as they have the right size, go ahead and get them there.

Crickets are the cheapest feeder, especially when you breed your own. Crickets are easy enough to breed, but roaches are much easier and cleaner and less smelly, so you might want to look into that. There's lots of threads on the different types of roaches in the Feeders forum.

So, while you're waiting for your online crix, can you go to the pet store and buy a few to hold you over? They won't starve to death on just a few a day for a few days, but they are at a critical point in their growth and I'd hate to deprive them of good nutrition at this point. If you absolutely can't get any crix for 5 days, you might want to supplement their diet with some chicken baby food to get some protein in them for the next few days.

I want to be 100% supportive so I say this with the best of intentions...you may seriously want to consider returning one of them to the store or giving it up for adoption. I understand that you didn't realize what expenses you were getting into when you got not one, but TWO baby beardies. I know as well as anyone what it's like to be on an extremely tight budget, but if you KNOW that you don't have the money to properly care for an animal, do what's best for the animal and let it go to a home that can give it what it needs.
However, you might go through your budget and find out what sacrifices you can make to be able to keep them both. Like, not eating fast food or pizza every weekend, or giving up smoking, or whatever it is that you do that chips away at your budget. I would say that most of us here have sacrificed something in our lives so we can give our dragons the very best!
So evaluate the situation with an open and honest mind and do what needs to be done. I wish you the very best.

 

[cheese]

um depending where you are located mulberry farms is a good site and average cricket price every where is about $20. you do need a different tank the heat lamps still won't work but you do have tons of good information from everyone

 

[goat199]

That may be a great idea, til then, what does it mean when they raise their arms? and when they open their mouth while basking.
I suppose I will now need to know about taking care of crickets, how big should the container be? or i guess pointing me to a good guide would be great .

 

[Nasubi77]

That may be a great idea, til then, what does it mean when they raise their arms? and when they open their mouth while basking.

Do they "wave" when they raise their arm? It's called armwaving and is a sign of submission. Is there only one of them doing it? Sounds like they are already showing signs of their hierarchy. I'd separate ASAP or the growth and health of the submissive one will start to suffer.
The open mouth is called "gaping" and it a way to regulate heat, similar to a dog panting. Nothing to be concerned about if they do it every now and then, but if they constantly gape as they bask, the basking spot may be a tad too hot. If that's the case, move the light far enough away to take a couple degrees off the temp and see if they seem more comfortable.

I suppose I will now need to know about taking care of crickets, how big should the container be? or i guess pointing me to a good guide would be great .

Eek, for 2000 crix, I'm going to guess about a 50qt sterilite container. Maybe even bigger....I think I used to keep 1000 in a 36 qt. You can get the sterilites at a Roses or Dollar General for probably less than $10. Cut a big square out of the lid (tin snips work great for this) and use hot glue to glue down a screen (if you know someone in construction, see if you can get a scrap piece. Ask your hardware/home improvement stores if they have any scrap. If not, you can buy a piece from those stores for not too much). Keep the crix in there with the egg crates that come with them. Add more egg crates if you have them, or at least a couple paper towel tubes. Keep them hydrated with a damp sponge (which you should rinse out every day or it gets icky) or the cricket watering gel you can get from the pet store. You can gut load them with pet store bought gutloader, or I just used to feed them the veggies that my dragon didn't eat that day.
When you want to feed your dragon, just pick up one of the paper towel tubes and shake it into the bag where you will dust them.

Search the "Feeder" forums for cricket care. You'll find tons of info that goes a little more in depth. It's been so long since I had crickets I've forgotten what it's like!

 

[goat199]

Thank you very much,
That is about all the info i need I have been having problems with I can think of. just this last one i was wondering.
When I soak the one in the water, he is very light after, almost pale. is this bad?

 

[Nasubi77]

Thank you very much,
That is about all the info i need I have been having problems with I can think of. just this last one i was wondering.
When I soak the one in the water, he is very light after, almost pale. is this bad?

Nope, not bad! Beardies color shades change depending on their mood, their lighting, their temps. Amber's best colors are right after her bath.

You need to post up some pics of your babies!