Say Hi to Mushu!

[Vengeil]

Hi im a 15 year old in new jersey. I got this little guy for christmas. His name is mushu, any of you who have seen mulan will understand ;D

Right now he's about 4 weeks old. He seems pretty small. I'd guess 6 inches head to tail. Is this normal? I hope so. Ill list off some stuff im using.

I have him in a 10 gallon cage for a short period. I'm using a 150 watt basking bulb and a 75 watt UVB bulb. the temperature inside is about 104. I'm using green reptile carpet. How often should i replace it? How old does he have to be for me to use sand? I always make sure there is water in his cage and give him baths often.

As for food, we started off giving him little tiny crickets. But at one point petsmart ran out of those and we had to use medium size crickets. He seemed to handle them fine and we have been using those ever since. During feeding, i shake and bake the crickets with some Rep Cal Phosphorus free calcium with D3. I am unsure of how many to feed him a day because he seems to always want more. Mind, these crickets are about the space between his eyes or a little smaller. How many should i give him a day? Ive been giving him 2 or 3 for 3 meals a day, he eats them immediately.

As for veggies and fruits, ive tried some carrots and apples. He didnt seem to want much of those. I was thinking about spinach is that okay for it? Any other food suggestions?

At one point, he seemed a little sick. He didnt eat much for about 4 days. After that he went right back to normal. He was still pooping normally. I dont think it was too big of a concern he looks okay now.

One last thing im wondering is this odd thing he does sometimes. He will see the side of the clear cage, and he will run up and claw at it. I think he is seeing his reflection moving and tries to go to it. He sometimes runs around the glass clawing at his reflection for a few seconds. Any suggestions about that?

Also, we were planning to just go ahead and buy a 50 gallon cage for him soon. Is that fine?

Sorry i asked so many questions, lol. I dont have much of a clue and mushu deserves the best..

 

[komode]

Hey Vengeil! :wave:

I'm a newbie too and I find this site amazingly helpful with evrything and anything you need to know. I will let others answer the bulk of questions you have (as my knowledge is still limited) but I was directed to a great info sheet on feeding and diet. Great to print out and keep on the fridge. http://www.beautifuldragons.503extreme.com/Nutrition.html - I hope that works, I'm a bit computer illiterate as well and don't know how to do the paste and sticky thing!

Our tank is approx 82 x 40 x 40cms but we will upgrade him to a larger tank when he is about 12-18months. I've been told a 3-4 foot tank would be good.

Good luck with your little fella, mine is 10 days old and very cute! :love5:

 

[wigglesworth]

Hi mushu

they can eat spinich but have heard they shouldn't eat too much of it, the care sheet didn't explain why tho

wigglesworth seems to like broccoli, he didn't seem to taken with carrots or apple. We trying a number of things, apparently while they little veg only 30% of their diet, insects

by the sound of it mushu isa similar size to wiggles we not really sure how old he is (well he could be a she, will be a while before can definately tell)

u gut loading the crickets?
u can feed them veg and so mushu should get the vit and stuff from veg via the crickets

Good Luck

 

[Dogitude]

you need a abigger tank and to feed him more crickets he needs to eat as much crickets as it takes him to eat in 15 mintutes .I feed mine green any kind so im not sure about spinach.

 

[Vengeil]

what is gut loading? basically i have a cricket cage with 4 tubes. i take the tube out dump a few into a bag. i put in some calcium + Vit D3 powder and shake them up. then i put the crickets into mushu's cage

 

[wigglesworth]

gut loading is feeding the crickets stuff so that the beardie gets the benefits

we feed the crickets calcium stuff and veg it means the crickets have loads of good stuff inside of them

you don't have to dust and gut load with calcium we do anyway

i suggested it because if mushu doesn't seem to like veg he/she can still get the nutrients it provides if the veg is feedto the crickets

 

[Catalyst]

I have him in a 10 gallon cage for a short period. I'm using a 150 watt basking bulb and a 75 watt UVB bulb. the temperature inside is about 104. I'm using green reptile carpet. How often should i replace it? How old does he have to be for me to use sand? I always make sure there is water in his cage and give him baths often.

The 10g will work for a short time but it's hard to keep the temps right in there plus your guy is going to outgrow it pretty quickly. As an adult he's going to need 6-8 square feet of floor space and a minimum tank depth f 18 inches - this works out to a 75g tank or larger. Or you can save some money an build a new enclosure yourself.

What's the name and number printed on the UV bulb? Some of them are great (reptisun 10.0 is best) and some are complete junk (anything ESU).

With the reptile carpet you should wash it after your dragon poops on it, so you'll want to have a couple of pieces available so there's a clean one available while the other one is being washed. Sand is inadviseable until your dragon is nearer to adulthood and a capable hunter. Stay away from the petstore sands (calcisand, vitasand) because they can actually be dangerous for your dragon, whatever age he is. If you do decide to use sand go with washed and sifted children's playsand. Or you can stay with something solid - I use textured ceramic tiles in my guy's tank and love them They're very easy to keep clean, look great, pose no risk of impaction, and help to keep my dragon's nails trimmed down.

If you notice that he doesn't drink from his water bowl you can actually take that out of his tank entirely since otherwise it just becomes a germ collection point. He'll get enough water in his system through being misted daily and his regular baths.

As for food, we started off giving him little tiny crickets. But at one point petsmart ran out of those and we had to use medium size crickets. He seemed to handle them fine and we have been using those ever since. During feeding, i shake and bake the crickets with some Rep Cal Phosphorus free calcium with D3. I am unsure of how many to feed him a day because he seems to always want more. Mind, these crickets are about the space between his eyes or a little smaller. How many should i give him a day? Ive been giving him 2 or 3 for 3 meals a day, he eats them immediately.

You want to make sure that any crickets you feed him are no longer than the space between his eyes otherwise their outer skeleton could block up his intestines and cause some nasty health problems. You want to feed him 2 or 3 times a day, as many as he'll eat in 10-15 minutes - young dragons won't overeat so basically let him have as many as it takes until he's full and not interested in them any more. As he grows this can be upwards of 60-100 crickets a day. You'll want to find a good source online to order from in bulk because its much cheaper that way than going to the petstore all the time.
You should dust the crickets with the calcium one feeding a day, 5x a week. Then you'll want to dust them one feeding a day the other 2x a week with Repcal Herptivite.

As for veggies and fruits, ive tried some carrots and apples. He didnt seem to want much of those. I was thinking about spinach is that okay for it? Any other food suggestions?

Its not unusual for young dragons not to be too interested in any food that doesn't wiggle or jump. But its important to put some greens out everyday so that they're exposed to it and can eat it as they want. A helpful chart showing which foods are okay for dragons how often can be found at http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html.

One last thing im wondering is this odd thing he does sometimes. He will see the side of the clear cage, and he will run up and claw at it. I think he is seeing his reflection moving and tries to go to it. He sometimes runs around the glass clawing at his reflection for a few seconds. Any suggestions about that?

This is completely normal - it's called glass dancing Dragons do it in response to their reflection and sometimes as a way of showing you they want to come out of their tank.

Feel free to ask all the questions you have, we're always happy to talk dragons

 

[specialk'sdragon]

Catalyst pretty well nailed everything you need to be doing, but I just wanted to chime in to second him on the number of crickets Mushu needs to be eating each day. A lot of new beardie owners think it must be a typo when they read "60-100 crickets a day." It's NOT! Young beardies eat loads and loads of crickets, most at LEAST 30 a day, so just feed and feed until Mushu loses interest. And it's important to stick with the smaller crickets even if he eats the larger ones, because he'll keep eating until the impaction becomes serious and this can be deadly to such a small dragon.

Ordering online can keep the crickets cheaper, and if you look at caresheets or in the feeding section of this webiste, you can get advice on how to keep the crickets healthy so that you can order large amounts at a time, and also tips on where to order them the cheapest. If you can find a dealer near you, that can be helpful because fewer will die en route in delivery. If you don't have your own income (being as you're 15), let your parents know that he will slow down his cricket eating at around a year old.

Oh, also, you can get large numbers of crickets inexpensively from local reptile shows. These are often held once a month at various locations around the country; just do a search on google for "reptile shows" and include large cities or state names in your area. Being in NJ, surely you will be able to find something nearby. I know there is a big Repticon show coming up in the area in February -- you could order online to get you by until then and then go to this show. Besides getting crickets, you'll also get to see hundreds or thousands of interesting snakes, reptiles, etc. -- most pet keepers love going to these things.

As for spinach, the general advice is to stay away from it because it can prevent the absorption of calcium in dragons. My beardie loves collard greens and kale as staple greens -- these are inexpensive and easy to find. The list Calypso gave you should also point you in the right direction to keep the diet varied.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

 

[Vengeil]

I upgraded to a 20 gallon cage now. It looks like a mansion for the little guy.

The nighttime bulb says Exo Terra Night Glo moonlight lamp 75W. is that a good UV bulb?

In response to your gutload answer, i got this jar of stuff called Orange Cube...its supposed to provide the crickets with water, food, and vitamins. So far ive just been shaking the crickets i give him together with calcium powder every time i give him food. i guess thats wrong? u said just once a day. or do you mean dust ALL the crickets? i just dust the ones i give to him at that meal

How do you suggest washing the carpet? My mom is an anal cleanaphobe. She is petrified by anything cricket or beardie. just in a sink?

As for food, i still cant believe you guys are saying 60-100 crickets a day! thats so much. how will that many crickets even fit in this cricket cage they would have to be piled on top of each other! Mind you, the crickets ive been giving him probably have 8 times the volume of the tiny crickets sold at petsmart. I suppose i'll have to start ordering the little crickets online now. Can you give me a good cheap safe site link? How many should i order and how often to maximize productivity? i dont have incredible amounts of money to spend

one last thing I bought some red mustard leaves these are okay right?

thanks

 

[reptidad397]

I get my crickets on line at LLLreptile.com they are fairly good priced and i get serious quantities 5000 per month for $65.00 delivered how ever 100 is around $17.00. i get them in 2 to 3 days and the most i have had dead in a shipment of 5000 was like less that 50. also spinach is not good as it binds with the calcium in their diet and makes it pass with out being asorbed.

 

[Vengeil]

I just looked at one of the cricket sites. They are selling in like packs of 1000 crickets. assuming mushu eats 30 3/8ths of an inch crickets a day, it will take a little more than a month for him to finish it. Wont all the crickets die by then? i dont understand how to keep the crickets alive for a whole month together in the little 5" by 8" by 6" cage with 4 tubes i have them in

 

[reptidad397]

I keep my crickets in a 45 gallon rubermaid tote with 3inch holes cut into that have been screened with metal mesh with tons of eggcrates riped into 4inch pieces for extra standing room i also have kept 1000 in to a 17 gallon tote fitted the same way

 

[Vengeil]

dude, there is no way i can get a 45 gallon thing for crickets. theres no room or anything. the one i have is probably around 4 or 5 gallons

 

[specialk'sdragon]

For crickets, I use an under-the-bed type plastic rubbermaid box with tons of small holes drilled in the top and sides. Throw a bunch of egg crates in it and it works fine, keeps 1000 crickets alive for a month with relatively little loss. Very important to drill the holes though, and of course, to make sure they are not large enough that the crickets can escape.

You can also just use a 10 gallon aquarium, filled with egg crates, for up to 1000 crickets. You can get one for around $10 at most pet stores, and a five dollar screen lid.

Look around at a lot of websites for ordering your crickets. Prices vary, and they are usually half the price if you can get to a reptile show. Also, try to find a supplier near you so they won't be in shipment any longer than necessary -- this will reduce the number lost on the way.

 

[reptidad397]

i only have a 45 gallon because of the quantity i have to keep on hand because i have so many herptiles the small keeper you have that is 5 by 6 by 8 is only around 1 to 1.5 gallons i have the same size now i just use that one to gut load about 75 at a time 24 hours before feeding how ever to keep large quantitys of crickets alive for long periods of time you have to dedicate some space. I have also ordered from millbrook cricket farms and they sell smaller quantities of 500 you could keep 500 in your old 10 gallon with a screen lid.