New Dragon

[njdragon]

Hey everybody,

I'm about to get a new baby dragon and was lookin for some opinions/comments on my plans. I had a BD a few years ago that i got when he was 9-12 months old. I did fine raising him, but unfortunately i had to give him to a family friend due to living situations. Now i'm finally ready to bring another one into my life . So i've been planning for a couple weeks and was looking for some input to see if i can improve since i've never started with a baby before. So here's my list.


-40gal. tank. Will be partitioned for approx.3 months and then upgraded when he/she is full size.
-Both light fixtures
-Substrate, will probably start with newspaper or paper towels, then move to repti carpet/shelf liner at approx 3 mos.
-Food bowl- for greens
-Water bottle. For misting greens and my baby.
-Cricket habitat. Including food, water cubes(or the like), and housing(toilet paper rolls)
-Some sort of basking spot. Log, fake tree stump thing (depending on what i like)
-Supplements. Repti-cal one feeding per day, and a multi-vitamin once a week.


Anything else you guys can think of?

 

[luvthydragon]

Hello there and Welcome

I am still learning a lot with my new baby BD....So I don't have that much experience. You could probably teach me a thing or two. The one thing I don't see on your list is a temp guage - I have read that the dial ones can be off by alot so try to get a temp gun or a probe style. The one I have I got at Walmart and cost $12.00. I have a picture if you need one...just let me know.

Take care and good luck with your new baby.

 

[njdragon]

Crap! i knew i was forgetting things lol. The cage that i'm getting back is already set up with "cold and hot" side thermometers, but i'm probably going to get a digital just to be on the safe side, since it will be a baby.

 

[njdragon]

Forgot to mention we also have 2 cats. The new BD and the cats will obviously be seperated for quite a while, but how long did evryone else wait to introduce your BD to your cats? and what can i do to make the introduction easier?

 

[njdragon]

Just ordered my translucent female from bloodbankdragons. I will have her around wed. of next week!!! Cant wait. I'll post pics ASAP.

 

[njdragon]

so i've barely gotten any replies and i kinda just want someone to talk to since i'm bored at work for ~5 hours of the day lol so i'm gonna fill out the questionaire and hope for some replies. i had my last BD for a ~2years but it's been around 3 since i had to give him away so i know i'm not perfect and could still use advice.

How old is your dragon? Will be 6 weeks when i get him
How long have you had your dragon? haven't yet
How long is your dragon? don't know yet
What is the sex of your dragon? will be female
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? 40 gallon, will be bigger when i have $/space to do so
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? will be tile
Do you use UVB lights? repti glo 10.0
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? ...
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)? ...
How old is your UVB bulb? new
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? Approx 6"
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? yes. not sure yet, will be adjusted until i have the perfect temp
What are the basking temps? ...
What is the cool side temp? ...
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? had stick on, but just got a temp gun
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? On the surface closest to the lamp
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? no
What do you feed your dragon? crickets and salad for a few months, then will switch to roaches
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? will feed morning ( around 7, after the temps get to normal)- 1pm- and around 6 pm this is while she is younger, will adjust with age.
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? Yes
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? RepCal once a day, vitamins once a week.
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? Don't know yet, but i sure as **** hope so
Do you bath your dragon? How often? Yes i will, probably once or twice a week.
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? I plan on misting every morning
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? no
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? I will when she arrives

 

[Catalyst]

Sounds good The only question you didn't answer was whether your UVB bulb is the flourescent tube or a compact/coil bulb. The compact/coil bulbs have problems and should be avoided. For that matter, the reptiglo 10.0 had problems and I'm not sure if they've been fixed yet. If you can, its best to stick with the ReptiSUN 10.0 since that's been well tested and is a great, reliable bulb. If the reptiGLO is all you can find in your area I beleive any potential problems can be prevented by making sure you pair the bulb with a bright light. You can find more information about that bulb over in the enclosures section of this site.

Best of luck with the new dragon Babies are a lot of fun!

 

[njdragon]

I actually meant reptisun 10.0 and i know about the compacts, it will def. not be one of those.

 

[fresnowitte]

:wave: Welcome to BD.org!

Bloodbankdragons has very sweeeet looking babies. :wink:
Can't wait to see some pic's when you get your baby.

Again Welcome To The Site!

Barbara

 

[njdragon]

And i finally introduce....... Animal Just got him today, and started sheddign his legs about 2 hours ago.

The pictures don't do him justice, the colors are so much better in person. And sorry about the blurry pics, i'm gonna get some better ones tomorrow.

 

[njdragon]

And i updated the list.

How old is your dragon? Around 5 weeks
How long have you had your dragon? 12 hours
How long is your dragon? About 8"
What is the sex of your dragon? Male (or at least i'm pretending lol)
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? 40 gallon, will be bigger when i have $/space to do so
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? Paper towel, but will be tile by the end of the weekend
Do you use UVB lights? yes
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? Fluorescent tube
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)? Reptisun 10.0
How old is your UVB bulb? 1 day
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? Approx 6"
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? yes. Reptisun 100w
What are the basking temps? 120 hot side( will be perfect once i get the fake rock shelf (styrophome)
What is the cool side temp? 95, but will be cooler, i have the tank seperated for a few weeks, once i open the tank up
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? Laser gun
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? On his favorite spots.
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? no
What do you feed your dragon? crickets and greens for a few months, then will switch to roaches
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? will feed morning ( around 7, after the temps get to normal)- 1pm- and around 6 pm this is while she is younger, will adjust with age.
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? Yes
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? RepCal once a day, vitamins once a week.
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? Hasn't yet, but it's only been 12 hours
Do you bath your dragon? How often? Yes i will, probably once or twice a week.
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? I plan on misting every morning
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? no
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? Have an appointment for next week