questions about my new beardie!!!!!!

[amaldari]

Hello all!
I just purchased a beardie from Petsmart about a week ago. They say he is 5-8 months old, but are not too sure. I have him in a 20 gal tank with correct lighting/heat. This is my first lizard ever and I just want to make sure im doing everything right! I am feeding him only small crickets as of right now. A few waxworms a week, but mostly crickets. He wont eat the carrots i put out for him yesterday and I am going to try greens later today. I do have a few questions that i can not seem to find an answer to:
-How often should i feed him?? (read 2 times a day, also read 4 times a day)
-when i do dump crickets, he will only eat 2-3 and thats only on occasion. most of the time he will just let them crawl all over him and do nothing about it.
-how soon after i turn on his day lights can i feed him??? (i leave for work at 715 and turn his day light on at 7, but he seems stubborn and sleepy and wont go near the crickets.
**the next available time i have to feed him is at 1 pm!! ** and i feel thats too long of a time inbetween feedings
also, i try to have one on one time with him out of the cage for at least an hour a day, but he prefers to be inside his tank hiding. is there anything i can do to help this???
If anyone could answer any of these questions as soon as possible that would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[allusiontoanillusion]

First of all, congrats on the new pal! You're definitely in for an interesting journey. Beardies from Petsmart are usually MUCH younger than 5-8 months so if you could post a picture of the little dude (or at least tell us how long he is) that'd be helpful in terms of figuring out how to take care of him.

If he's as young as I think he probably is, feeding him three times a day is your best bet. If it's only been a week, he's probably still experiencing some relocation stress so just give him some time and I'm sure he'll be eating you out of house and home soon. If you're just dumping in a bunch of crickets at once, it might be overwhelming him. Try dumping in a few at a time and when he's done with those, dump a few more in. Considering he's probably younger than you were told, it's not at all uncommon for him to not touch his greens. Just keep offering them and eventually he'll take a nibble.

My guy isn't a morning person either. Beardies need to warm up in the morning before they're really ready to do much of anything, let alone catch a meal. I advise getting a timer for the lights (can be picked up at any home improvement store or Amazon) and setting it so it comes on at around 6am (and stays on for about 15 hours). That'll give him an hour to warm up and then you can feed him before you head off to work.

The most important thing is to be patient with him. Everything, including you, is entirely new to him and you are way bigger than he is. Eventually he'll learn that you're not so bad and come to trust you. The best time to handle him is right before his bed time, when he's sleepy and calmer. He'll be much less likely to freak out then. If he seems especially skittish, just spend time near his tank and talk to him softly. Once he gets used to you, he'll calm down quite a bit.

 

[amaldari]

Here is a photo!! I would say anywhere from 6-8 in.

 

[amaldari]

here is a better one for length!

 

[allusiontoanillusion]

I would say anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 months. Definitely a baby, no question about that. What's the little dude's name?

 

[amaldari]

wow i am so shocked. i thought he was at least 6 months. does this mean i should change his feeding pattern/substance. and his name is grom!

 

[CooperDragon]

I agree, he's still a little guy with that round head. He should be getting 2-3 bug meals per day, 10min or so all he wants. He needs lots of protein to support growth spurts.

 

[amaldari]

thanks you guys are the best!!
he ate around 5 smalls at 9 this morning and then about 18 at 8pm. should i shoot for feeding at 7a 3pm and 8pm?? i don't want to underfeed him but when i tried the 3x a day he barely ate. i read that he should be given time to get hungry then eat large amounts less often. is that true?

 

[Gormagon]

thanks you guys are the best!!
he ate around 5 smalls at 9 this morning and then about 18 at 8pm. should i shoot for feeding at 7a 3pm and 8pm?? i don't want to underfeed him but when i tried the 3x a day he barely ate. i read that he should be given time to get hungry then eat large amounts less often. is that true?

Not sure about that but, you do need to feed him earlier to allow him 2 hours to bask and digest his food before lights out.
Cute little feller!

 

[amaldari]

sweet thanks!
sorry for asking all these questions but when will i know he is about to shed? my plan is to bathe weekly but are there any tips for when he does shed

 

[BruceLarryOzzie]

Baths will help with the sheds. They get super crabby when shedding. Especially when their head sheds. I mist my guys with water when their heads are shedding. It seems to make less agitated.

Just don't pull off the shed. It will come off all by itself. Soaking him in the bath and pay special attention to the tail and toes to make sure he does not get any stuck shed.
Cute baby.

 

[amaldari]

thank you!! when will he start to really grow a noticeable amount ?

 

[BruceLarryOzzie]

Every time he sheds, it means he is growing. I have seen people put them up next to a ruler after every shed. Some folks track growth on a spread sheet.

 

[amaldari]

that's a great idea ! i had his lights come on an hour earlier like you said and he ate about 14 this morning!!! everything is finally working out ! next step is getting him more comfortable with me when i hold him!

 

[allusiontoanillusion]

Glad he ate more! When he's getting ready to shed, his skin will look much duller and he'll generally be crankier than normal. If it's a big shed, he might even have less of an appetite than usual. He's a real cutie!