New owner, very anxious, many questions!

[Sheila3300]

I just got my first reptile pet, my beardie 3 days ago. Everything makes me anxious. The first two days he pooped and seemed to eat a bit, was very active, but I left him alone to go to work yesterday, and he did not poo or eat much, as well did not come out of his cave very much.
Eventually the beardie will be coming to my classroom, so the reptile guy said he is okay on superworms and no crickets (but I am worried he is not happy with this diet, should I give it time?). I also thought about getting dried dusted crickets, any thoughts?
Lastly, I am nervous about getting him to socialize and be comfortable with me before introducing him to my class. How do I do that, I picked him up both first days I had him, but yesterday I tried to just lay my hand down for him to get used to me? He came close and then ran. I am not sure what I am doing, and there are so many different ideas out there. I get a bit nervous when trying to pick him up because he runs, once I have him, I am fine. What do I do???
Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[CooperDragon]

The advice you've gotten in the other thread is good. You'll want an IR temp gun or a digital thermometer with a probe to get accurate temperature readings. Shoot for 100-110 in the basking area on top of that log. The cool side near the food dishes should be about 75-80 or so. Having a proper temperature gradient will likely help him with basking and overall health. You can use an adjustable lamp stand to change the height of the basking lamp to adjust temps as needed. Having a good tube style UVB light is also a good idea. You'll want a nice even spread of UVB across the basking area rather than an intense narrow cone that the compact bulbs provide.

I'd avoid superworms with a little guy because they can be tough for them to properly digest. If you want to avoid crickets and dubia roaches, a better bet would be soft worms like Phoenix Worms or silk worms (or both!). Variety is good for their diet. I don't like the dried bugs because they don't have the moisture that live bugs have. They rely on their food as a primary source of hydration so offering dry food can be detrimental, especially if they go without baths or water drops on their nose for supplemental hydration.

It can take a little while for them to settle in to a new place. Give him a week or so and be gentile around him. Approach from the front, slowly. Support all hands and feet if you pick him up because they don't like to feel unstable. Try holding him in the evenings and just let him sit on your chest. He'll likely fall asleep if he's comfortable. That helps them get used to you as being safe. They are also very curious so if you can provide a safe place for him to roam around (supervised) he may like to have some time to explore outside of the tank. Ease into all of this though. As I said sometimes they can take a week or two to adjust. It depends on their individual personality.

 

[Sheila3300]

Thank you so much for your response.
I went and got him butterworms for this week, will get others for next week. I got the temp gauge and will take the temps tonight as well.
I decided to change the sand over the holidays, when I have time to get tile. Except I am worried about where he will sleep, on the cold tile? He sleeps in his cave, not sure if I can put down some bedding.
Last night was the first night I interacted with him more than just holding in my hand for a few minutes. I picked him up and let him walk all over my arms and chest, then he did the same to my husband (constantly petting him while he was moving). After that I put him on my stomach, he climbed half on my hand, half stomach and went to sleep. OMG it was the cutest thing ever, I was so happy.
Thank you for your advice, it has been very reassuring and helpful.

 

[CooperDragon]

I like it when they fall asleep like that. I usually let my guys fall asleep on my chest and would put them to bed when I went to bed. They will sometimes sleep on the tile. Sometimes on their basking log. They aren't too picky. You can put some fleece down on the tile for sleeping on if you want to.

 

[Sheila3300]

Thank you.
If I may ask one more question? I made a new post about this, but thought I could ask.
I want to play with him a bit more, I know he is still new, but he is full of energy when I get home from work. He wants to crawl all over me, but I am afraid that he will jump off and run. When I tried to put him down on a table to play, he bolted and I had to catch him before he got off the table.
what can I do to play with him, but not be worried about him running away. I do not have a dragon proof room right now, and I am afraid he will go under the furniture and I wont be able to find or catch him.
Thanks.

 

[CooperDragon]

The little guys do love to run around and explore. They are curious and I like to encourage them to roam around and learn as much as possible. It needs to be done in a safe area though. They do love to jump so they need to be supervised. They don't have great judgement when it comes to height (I've had them jump from the top of my head before) so be prepared to catch them. They tend to bunch up and wiggle a bit as they're getting ready to jump so keep an eye out for that and it'll give you a bit of a head start. If you're worried about not being able to find him, you could try tying a length of brightly colored yarn to his tail or just above his legs so he has a bright trail. It will be tougher for him to go missing that way. I haven't used this myself but others have done it with success. I just let my guys roam and eventually learned their favorite hiding spots so it wasn't a problem (Dundee liked sitting on the Atari under the TV stand because it was dark and cozy - that's the photo in my signature). Both of my guys also really enjoyed sitting in the window and looking outside. They'd sit there for hours if I'd let them. I usually put them in the window for 30 min or so and would put them back in the tank when they got cold.

 

[Sheila3300]

Thank you CooperDragon. I think I may try the leash idea, but until I get one I will let him run all over my arms until he gets tired. I don't have a place where he can sit by a window, not yet, no sills big enough. I am sure he will find a nice spot he will love to chill on soon enough.
PS. I love that you still have an Atari!

 

[CooperDragon]

That will do for now. A lot of folks build their own leashes out of parachute cord. The kind that go around their waist seems to be less intrusive than the ones that go across their chest.

The Atari is fun to have! I play dig-dug and frogger a lot. There's a NES on the shelf above it =).

 

[Sheila3300]

I actually just ordered a leash from 'The Worm Lady'. Hers go around their hind legs and hips, and will adjust as he grows. I got one that is 15 feet long, that way he can wander at home and in my classroom.
ps. I loved Bubble Bobble when I was a kid (not sure if it was Atari).

 

[CooperDragon]

That should work out nicely. I knew she was a good source for feeders but didn't realize she makes leashes too. I remember Bubble Bobble. I don't have it, but it's an NES game.

 

[Sheila3300]

I just found out about the leashes, will be delivered on Friday. Will let you know how it works out.