Once upon a Vitti (Update and Pictures 7-15)

I decided to make my own thread to share happenings of my little beardie Vitti. I got her on March 7 2010 and despite a rough start I've grown very attached to my little "Master." Shes a joy to have but still having a bit of a hard time adjusting. Anyways on with the pictures!

This is when I first got her, basking proudly on her log

Here she is again, but taking a bask against the bottom of her log

Vitti decided that she would like to attempt art by using my tablet

After a long nights sleep Vitti pops out from under the newspaper to say good morning

Vitti enjoys her first salad with mustard and collard greens

 

[Ostrommaysi]

I've been unable to get more good pictures of Vitti as she has slipped back into a funk. After researching on this site I find that her Megaray Bulb may be hurting her eyes as I find that more ans more she will close the left one as she basks on her log. As a side effect she has become more lazy and not as active so I have unplugged the megaray. I will wait a few days to gauge how well her eyes are doing. If they get better I'm gonna call Megaray and ask for a replacement bulb as it must be bad. Its a 100w self ballisted flood light and I keep it roughly 17-18 inches from her basking spot. The Temp at her basking spot has barely been 100 so I do not understand why it would be causing her so much grief. (For anybody who has read my emergency thread, she has a rough start with me with a Zilla UV lamp)

I've also noticed she has been an extremely dull color and since she has shed her nose and tail I figured it was normal but she has been dull for about a week now how long exactly is she supposed to be like this. Most of the day she will bask on her log, look around and stay a darkened color. It also seems like her nose is burned but the part of her head that gets the brunt of the light the most is the part above her eyes. Though I'm considering I might be overlooking the fact that the nose has been shed and the rest of the head is dull due to shedding.

She still has an extremely healthy appetite, poops regularly if not a bit watery and I give her baths almost everyday. I don't have the money to take her to the vet, I've spent obscene amount replacing bulbs, buying carriers for the crickets, on her food as she eats crickets like a woman possessed and other supplies. I have a very limited budget as it is and have had to actually pass up buying a book for college so that she can have what she needs but I cannot seem to get a break. I was hoping the Megaray would fix the problems I had with her other bad lights.

Also out of curiosity, I've gotten Flukers High calcium cricket feed and calcium fortified cricket quencher, would I still need to dust the crickets with the calcium dust I have?

 

[Sadona]

Aw sorry about little Vitti. I hope you get a good bulb for her...just keep giving her baths and maybe the strange skin on her head might peel off. I recommend passing on the calcium food for crickets...I heard too much calcium in a crickets diet can be fatal (anybody correct me if I'm wrong here...I heard about that on this board :dontknow: ). I would just keep doing the dusting.
It would also probably be a good idea to bring her to the vet, but only if you really think she needs it. Maybe sell a few things to get the money? A good idea is used games if your a gamer- I had to sell a few to Gamestop to earn enough money for Cinder's tank decor once.
I hope the new bulb fixes her sluggishness...Reptisun is a great brand for UVB lights, it gives my beardie lots of energy and color. They are very cheap online, about 19 dollars for the Reptisun 10.0.

 

[Ostrommaysi]

Thanks I think I will go with the Reptisun you mentioned.

I always have problems with my crickets dying even when I don't feed them calcium gutloaders. I'm so sick of crickets all together. How old should she be to feed her dubia roaches? I'd save a ton having my own colony

 

[Sadona]

So far, I have lost about 5 crickets from natural deaths since last week (I have 50 of them) and about another 5 because my beardie didn't eat all of the ones I dusted, and I think they sufficated from too much calcium. I feed mine a mixture of dry rolled oats ( regular quaker oatmeal, no sweeteners) and dog food. I grind everything up in a food processor. As for moisture, I give them two or three baby carrots every few days. A wet potato cut in half would work too. I keep them in a 10 gallon tank.
As long as you her nymphs, I think about a month old. The person I adopted my Cinder from fed him dubia nymphs before I got him, and he is about 7 weeks old. I only feed him crickets and phoenix worms because my mother will not allow roaches in the house. I say if you have the money, go for a colony!

 

[Ostrommaysi]

Some of the problem may be that I'm still feeding her lil crickets. Shes roughly 2 months old but they die so easily. I think they will do better once I can move to bigger ones and I think the bigger ones width wise would fit between her eyes. They just die all the time. If I buy 50 I'm lucky to be able to give her 40.

I just want what is best for her but I'm struggling financially to catch up with the mistakes I made off the get go

 

[Ostrommaysi]

Vitti has been progressing nicely, shes grown so much since I've gotten her and I don't think I've ever had such a sweet and docile animal before. Shes so gentle and loving, she brings me so much joy to have her in my life. Currently I'm putting together a 72g home for her. I plan to have tiling as well as branches in addition to other stuff. I hope to have gotten all the parts for it within the next month or two. I don't have anything to accurately measure her but I'm gonna gestimate shes a good 9 or 10 inches now.

First off I've not had much luck with the Megaray I got for her. Its not to say its a bad light but due to the fact it hangs so far above the cage I don't think shes making any use of it. She will climb up on her log and get so dark in color. This is opposed to a small 50w Sunglo UV bulb I got her that lays right on the wiring and shines on her. I've noticed her colors are much brighter under the sunglo. Ultimately I plan to get ReptiSun for her as I hear good things about it.

Also the other day while feeding her she exhibited some behavior that was cracking me up. I have a cricket keeper with those long black feeding tubes. Typically Ill put the tube into her enclosure and shake it to release crickets till shes no longer hungry. Well this particular day she had taken to snatching them right off the end of the tube. Realizing there was no more I moved the tube in a circular motion that had the open end moving in a mid air circle to try and get crickets out. Before I know it Vitti was circling her head in tune with the feeder with her tongue out. What was reminiscent of a dazed cartoon character with their tongue hanging out I couldn't help but bursting into laughter. There was a cricket just inside and she was trying to get it. I wish I could've gotten it on video

Now for all of you Photo Addicts:

Vitti Giving off some sexy leg : 4-15-2010

Time for bed! Please turn off the light. 4-15-2010

 

[healthybeardie]

She is a darling! Love her sexy legs. How many crickets does she eat in a day? Have you tried any other feeders yet? Keep the pictures coming!!

 

[Ostrommaysi]

She is a darling! Love her sexy legs. How many crickets does she eat in a day? Have you tried any other feeders yet? Keep the pictures coming!!

She will and quite easily might I add, scarf down 30-50 crickets a day. She has no shortage of appetite. I plan to start a Dubia roach colony soon in effort to save money and I hear good things about them

I plan to take her to a vet as soon as I can spare the cash. Her droppings have been like mucus and usually excreted with a lot of liquid. Something is wrong with her and Im not sure what so I'm hoping the vet can help out. Doesn't stop her from getting around or eating like a champ though.

 

[healthybeardie]

Keep us posted. I have noticed sometimes Luther's poo is mucusy looking too. He eats the same amount of crickets anywhere from 30-60/day plus collards. Hope Vitti is okay!

 

[Livey]

Vitti is such a darling! the sexy leg picture is just awesome!

 

[Ostrommaysi]

Thank you! She means everything to me.

I noticed that without greens her poop goes back to being much less watery. (I ran out and had to wait a few days till I got paid) Makes me curious if something with the veggies is causing all the extra liquid in her excretions.

But her colors have been brighter then ever under the Sunglo lamp which leads me to believe the Megaray just isn't doing her any good.

 

[Ostrommaysi]

Ok so life with my friend over here in OK hasn't been working out and I'm forced to move back to South Carolina. Its going to be a good two day, 16 to 20 hour trip split amongst the two days. Normally this wouldn't be a problem but I have Vitti to worry about and as such have to plan accordingly. It will be a small U Haul truck and she will be forced to sit between me and my bro who flew out to help me. I'm aware there will be stress on top of the fact she decided now was the best time to start shedding. I'd love to wait till after she's done shedding but this is simply not an option as lets just say my former friend is being a ... fool.Anyways I plan to get a smaller viv or carrier to take her the way with a towel or washcloths on the bottom to make it more comfortable. I've given her baths the last few days straight just to make sure shes hydrated as much as possible and also made sure shes had vitamins too. We will keep the cabin of the truck as warm as possible.

I was wondering if there was anything else I can do that might make the trip a bit more bearable for her either in the truck or in the hotel for the evening. Stress is inevitable but I'd like try and ease it. If you all have any suggestions, since I know some of you have probably traveled with your beardie, might be able to help me bring my lil girl safely to her destination

 

[sweetiepie9]

We've always wrapped our beardies up in soft towels before putting them in a padded box, but we've never travelled as you'll be, you'll hear from more experienced slaves who move beardies on long trips. I just wanted to wish you luck and your baby will be fine. I think there's a ferret holder that's all padded that you could use. Just have a few blankies to wrap her up in. GOOD LUCK on your move, I hope everything goes really well. Don't forget to update once you're moved

Deb & my zoo

 

[Sadona]

Wow Vitti has gotten big! I'm glad she is doing well.
Good luck on your voyage back to South Carolina. I'm sure Vitti will be fine with you by her side the whole way!
I would wrap her up in a blankie that she is familiar with, or any stuffed animal that she seems to like. Anything to comfort her. Also, plug in her lights as soon as you get to the hotel and put a towel over her container if she can see through it (if you think she would rather be able to see whats going on, then don't bother with this) Make sure you have lots of wormies or crickets by the ready. You staying stress free will have a big impact on her. I have found that not only beardies, but all animals can sense emotion very easily. Cinder always seems dark colored and just bleh on the days I am upset. The days I am happy and cheerful, his colors are bright and he is very active.
If anything, enjoy the trip...maybe even think of it as a vacation with your best beardie buddy!

 

[Ostrommaysi]

So we have reached our destination here in South Carolina after a trip of three days. The trip was two long days and one short with Vitti, my brother and I crammed into a small 10 footer Uhaul. It was mostly cloudy the three days but on the final day the sun poked out enough to let Vitti enjoy her first taste of the big UV bulb in the sky. I had her in a rather small carrier with a towel on the bottom for comfort folded in such a way that she could crawl into if she needed to hide. Each night I'd bring her viv into a hotel and let her eat some crickets and baby food. Not many hotels like pets so Im glad the ones we did find that allowed them did not see the crickets.

Despite a ton of concerns with her being on the verge of shedding and the trip being to much for her it actually went remarkably smooth. I held her carrier in my lap the entire way. When we stopped I'd prop the carrier up on the dash and she seemed amused at all the big creatures that would move on by. (Big Rigs) Despite my best wishes she waited each of the three days to poop in her carrier forcing me to deal with her stinky stuff while she cozed on the blanket. When she did get some sun I don't think she particularly enjoyed it as all the good rays were blocked by the glass and the bright sun was too much for her eyes.

Upon arriving home I had the entire carpet of her slave's room, and coincidentally her roam room as we have cats, swept and shampooed so it would be nice and clean for her. I finally managed to get her a Repti-Sun 10.0 Bulb and a Zoo med 100W daylight bulb for her viv. The idea was to hope she took to them better then her Megaray and all the bulbs before it. While she does seems worlds more attentive and healthy she still retains a dark color when basking. I'm begging to accept the fact she just might be a dark basking beardie. Two days after she settled in here she began her shedding process and when she was done my lord was she such a vivid orange. The pictures I will show barely convey how orange she gets now at her brightest. (Which is usually during bathtime, sleep time or run around like a lizard possessed time) If you could only see her before and after in person you'd swear she wasn't the same beardie.

I have windows 7 so the desktop can switch between backgrounds at regular intervals. A early picture came up of her in her bath, a clear sterilite container of her laying right near the logo. I noticed how the logo pretty much took up the same space as her body. (Minus head and tail) The Sterilite logo is less then two inches long. It was taken on March 15th of this year and she was about 6 or 7 inches long in total at the time. Now she is closing in on 13 inches and I can hardly believe my lil girl was once that small.

A bit ago I had a heating pad on low under her viv on the same side her log is, which is where she sleeps. I turned it on so she could be warm figuring it would be better then being cold. Unfortunately a while later I noticed her propped up as if standing with her eyes closed. Apparently the heating pad ran a bit warm and her poor belly was very warm so it musta been uncomfortable for her and she stood up to cool off. She wasn't burned or anything but I feel so extremely bad and held her for a while and let her sleep in my hand while she cooled off. The heating pad had never gotten so warm before and needless to say it will never be used again. Seems no matter what I do something always goes wrong. Anyways... SOME PICTURES! (Sorry none of the trip my camera was dead and packed away)

After the trip on the cusp of her shedding. Hard to tell but shes mostly a tan and brown here. "Hey don't take that picture I'm undressing!"

This picture was taken to try and show how orange she is now but it horribly fails. Note that she had a stubborn bit of skin on her head, a bath took care of it. She really has a hard time keeping her salad in her bowl. Here she is seemingly plopped down on her hide because shes a spoiled little girl and like eating the crickets right of the edge of the dusting bag as I let them run out.