New owner trying to start out right.

[kayanarka]

 

[KarrieRee]

Just keep offering food and I would use the BSFL on top of the salads. As long as hes eating as stated your good. If he stops eating there is a issue. When hes acclimated he should be eating round 15 dubias per feeding depending on how many BSFL you feed him.

 

[kayanarka]

Loose substrate and mealworms are not a good idea--- too much risk for impaction on both accounts -- they lick everything and the exoskeleton on meal worms are too harsh on babies stomachs. Hes going thru relocation stress so you need to give him time to adjust to the tank and surroundings. As long as hes eating a little for now hes good as he adjusts to his tank and surroundings his appetite will come. The vet visit is too soon and will cause more stress on him. Make sure the surface basking temps are good and his UVB that is extremely important. He also needs to stay hydrated please drop water on his nose to see if he will lick dragons will not eat if they are dehydrated.

Thanks. Another person says I was irresponsible not taking him to the vet when I got him, your saying irresponsible taking him to the vet so soon.

I picked up this book:

The author suggests a vet visit early on to check for parasites before it is too late. It sounds like a good idea even if it adds a little stress. Of course I have no idea if the vet will even have a spot for me to come in for another 2 months.

The book also suggest that play sand is not an impaction risk, calcium based sand IS an impaction risk because calcium sand can clump i side the lizzard. This sand is Australian sand from the lizards natural habitat, I feel like he should survive a grain or two. When he licks it, he does not pick it up into his mouth. The book also says mealworms are ok for anything but a recent hatchling. He is not being given many mealworms, just a few in the veggies to create movement. I do have BSFL on the way which I will use instead once it shows up.

This book seems a little more researched, and includes two doctors in the list of authors. This book agrees with you that babies should not be kept on a sand substrate, and also agrees that mealworms are a bad idea, but because of the high phosphate content.

If you have any books or links to actual scientific research to back up the sand or mealworm concerns I would love to see it. I would not count blogs or internet articles unless by a doctor, biologist, or published author. There are just too many myths on the internet that tend to turn into being accepted as fact.

 

[KarrieRee]

Thanks. Another person says I was irresponsible not taking him to the vet when I got him, your saying irresponsible taking him to the vet so soon.

I picked up this book:
View attachment 72906
The author suggests a vet visit early on to check for parasites before it is too late. It sounds like a good idea even if it adds a little stress. Of course I have no idea if the vet will even have a spot for me to come in for another 2 months.

The book also suggest that play sand is not an impaction risk, calcium based sand IS an impaction risk because calcium sand can clump i side the lizzard. This sand is Australian sand from the lizards natural habitat, I feel like he should survive a grain or two. When he licks it, he does not pick it up into his mouth. The book also says mealworms are ok for anything but a recent hatchling. He is not being given many mealworms, just a few in the veggies to create movement. I do have BSFL on the way which I will use instead once it shows up.

If you have any books or links to actual scientific research to back up the sand or mealworm concerns I would love to see it. I would not count blogs or internet articles unless by a doctor, biologist, or published author. There are just too many myths on the internet that tend to turn into being accepted as fact.

I really hope to find a few more books. I would love to find a book written by someone who did a doctorate on bearded dragons. I am anxious to do more research on this little guy.

There has been too many posts on this forum w/ dragons getting impacted w/ meal worms and sand - any loose substrate - I am only saying and warning about consequences. I guess I would rather not take the risk but that is up to you. Most on here do not recommend vet visits so soon unless they are really sick. Again that is up to you. I didnt take my dragons into the vet till they were a year old. And with that I am saying fecals were brought in no enemas were given.

Beware of vets giving enemas to your dragon | Beardie ER

Just a warning about this because there are at times very bad reactions afterwards including beardie dying within a day to a week . Some vets give an enema when a dragon is going in to brumation and not pooing during this time, not recognizing that beardies rarely poo during their " sleepy "...

www.beardeddragon.org

 

[kayanarka]

There has been too many posts on this forum w/ dragons getting impacted w/ meal worms and sand - any loose substrate - I am only saying and warning about consequences. I guess I would rather not take the risk but that is up to you. Most on here do not recommend vet visits so soon unless they are really sick. Again that is up to you. I didnt take my dragons into the vet till they were a year old. And with that I am saying fecals were brought in no enemas were given.

Beware of vets giving enemas to your dragon | Beardie ER

Just a warning about this because there are at times very bad reactions afterwards including beardie dying within a day to a week . Some vets give an enema when a dragon is going in to brumation and not pooing during this time, not recognizing that beardies rarely poo during their " sleepy "...

www.beardeddragon.org

Thank you, and I do appreciate the advice. I am just trying to sort through the overload of infor.ation, so.e of which is at times conflicting. The Bearded Dragon Manual clearly states meal worms are bad for the phosphorus reason, others state impaction risk, others say they are just too fatty. Yet a very successful breader posts a youtube video saying he has had 0 issues feeding mealworms in ten years of breeding.

Im sure the petshops use mealworms for money saving and ease of cleaning enclosures. I have taken alll the advice I received here and on other forums. I have obtained the better foods, small crickets and baby Dubai Beetles. I ordered live BSFL. I am using fresh veggies from the charts in the books. Obtained the proper lighting and have a quality temp controller with dual metal probes. I can not thank everyone enough for getting me started right.

The sand I will keep a very close watch on. If I see it ending up in the food bowl I will bag it and save it for when he gets older. So far, when he licks it, it does not stick to his tongue. I may just pull it out next week to stay on the safe side.

 

[xp29]

You don't have to actually take him into the vet. Just collect a sample of his poop in a sealed container, a zip lock baggy, an asprin bottle(i would rinse throughly first) ect. They want it within 24 hours of the bowel movement. This will save your beardie the stress of the vet visit. They just float the poo in a solution and look at it under a microscope, so unless your beardie poops for them it would be a wasted trip anyways. And like Karrieree said NO ENEMAS. they end in tragedy more often than not, they should be a last ditch effort on a beardie thats in dire straights, not a routine part of a check up.

 

[kayanarka]

You don't have to actually take him into the vet. Just collect a sample of his poop in a sealed container, a zip lock baggy, an asprin bottle(i would rinse throughly first) ect. They want it within 24 hours of the bowel movement. This will save your beardie the stress of the vet visit. They just float the poo in a solution and look at it under a microscope, so unless your beardie poops for them it would be a wasted trip anyways. And like Karrieree said NO ENEMAS. they end in tragedy more often than not, they should be a last ditch effort on a beardie thats in dire straights, not a routine part of a check up.

I have a microscope, I wonder if I could check it myself.

 

[KarrieRee]

I have a microscope, I wonder if I could check it myself.

All dragons have some parasites. It is when they get out of control that they need to be medicated. Certain vets will not medicate unless the count is real high. The way to tell if they do have parasites is the poop will become really runny and smell so bad it will make you leave the room. Also if the count is real high they wont eat and can become lethargic. You dont want to medicate your dragon unless its necessary. My dragon tested for parasites last fecal but the vet said they were not high enough to medicate. The basking temps and the UVB will help the dragon keep control over the parasites from getting out of control.

 

[Rocky2022]

Best of luck with your beardie- I want to chime in and say that you are getting advice from reputable people here on this site. I see that you have been through a challenging situation so far and I understand the stress of a new beardie (just not that small). This is a community full of knowledgeable people from various experience and backgrounds. Search around, read stories- while it's great to do your research (I do it all of the time), it's this site that has given me the most hands on experience. You can check feedback for yourself and also see consistency, I was just speaking with @KarrieRee about this the other day. @xp29 is going to have as much love for your dragon as you are ...this isn't a biased opinion, I am telling you from my own experience as a new beardie parent. Follow their advice, ask questions and search this site. You'll always get conflicting information but here we laugh together, cry together (okay maybe just me) but we definitely love our beardies together and want to see your beardie thrive. Best of luck.
As you have a baby, it's very vulnerable....to be honest, that's why I got a beardie just a little older but even at 5 months, it was a critical time. You are at a critical time during your beardie's journey so know we are here and I am rooting for you!

(Note: there are other awesome people on this site, as needed, I am sure they will be tagged in to support you or they will join the discussion)

 

[xp29]

Thank you for the kind words Rocky.

 

[xp29]

To answer you question yes you can check it yourself. This is a link to a site with info on the subject.

Welcome rioreptiles.com - Hostmonster.com

 

[kayanarka]

He ate a small and a large cricket at his last feeding tonight. He did not like to spend much time in the feeding bin. He did eat each time he went in, and basked in between feedings.



I heard back from the vet already. I will have to ask if she wants to see him or just have a sample.

I also ordered a fecal float test kit. My microscope connects to the computer so I may be able to share the results.

 

[xp29]

Thats cool. Drache613 (Tracie) is a vet tech if you can do that i bet she could give you pointers.

 

[kayanarka]

We are on the way to the veterinarian now. She suggested we bring the lizard so we are. I am also bringing a stool sample from this morning. I will update with the results He ate 8 crickets today before 1pm, so his appetite is pretty good now.

The Vet game him a clean bill of health. She has to send the stool sample out for evaluation, so I have to wait to see results. My test kit arrived so I will check the next stool myself. The vet offered to put him over a light to check sex but I was nervous to have him leave the room lol so I passed on the sexing. We will find out what it is when it is older.

 

[Jjurovaty]

Mine always Iiked these alot, they're small and you can mix in with anything else you're trying to get them to eat.