Tengu's great adventures

Hello all!

So, now my BD is 16 months old and she is at 42cm long and 355g. We believe she is fully grown and would like some advice on feeding.

Currently she gets fresh salad every day and 20 L size crickets once a day. Should we now start decreasing the amount of crickets? She LOVES them of course and salad is like a "Do I have to eat it?"

So any advice at the age she is at etc?

Thank you in advance

 

[tengu1]

Cute! Tengu parks her behind on her onxy egg, it is funny!

5 hours of UVB.... cool I thought it was more so good to know!

Actually Tengu is the same. She has one eye open and one eye closed while basking/sleeping. It is like she is thinking brumate or not to brumate.....

Well I let her out as she was freaking and she had a good look around and then settled on my legs for about 30 minutes and then climbed down and went under my sofa which led her to the kitchen and when I found her she was ready for sleep! SO WEIRD!!!!

Well I will let her out when she wants and let her have two hours and that's her lot!

Thanks for that!

 

[sweetiepie9]

Two hours is a great amount of roam time. And the 5 hours is the absolute minimum if it can't be avoided. Mine get 9 hours - roam time, which is between 1-2 hours, so they're good.

 

[tengu1]

Yes, she always gets 12 -13 hours of UV so take 1 - 2 away for roam time wont harm her.

I weighed her today and she has lost 14 gram in a month. Is this the winter effect type thing? Past two days she hasn't touched crickets or silk worms. veg yes, protein no. I hope she will today, she is a strange girl!!

Thank you

 

[sweetiepie9]

Yes, it is the winter slow down, they just don't seem to want to eat alot. Even mine are the same. But she's got enough weight on her that she can make it up in the early spring (which is not that far away) when she gets her normal appetite again. They're so affected by the weather. I've been through it so often that I just make sure they get nice and fat by late fall, then don't worry about it.

It's all you can do. Unless her poops are stinky and she has parasites. Try her weight again in 2 weeks, if you find she's losing too much, then a vet visit might be in order with a fecal. You know her better than anyone else.

 

[tengu1]

Hello!

So she just had her hour out and sat under her lamp shaped like a pancake! She didn't wander about today.

gave her some crickets but still no. What should I do about calcium if shes not taking the crickets? She seems very interested in my lunch!! She is pressed against the glass watching me with it!

It is so funny I may grab my camera!

 

[sweetiepie9]

Wonder if she thinks she should be eating human food? :lol: Wouldn't surprise me "if you're eating that Dad, then I should be allowed to eat it, too" They can be so funny alot of the time.

I don't know what else to tell you about eating but I know what you can do about calcium. Check your local pet shop (you said there was a reptile shop, right?) and see if they have Zilla liquid calcium food spray, it's what I use for calcium for my dragons. I give them .1 ml per 100g of weight by syringe, you'd give her that 3x a week. Then I also got liquid vitamins and minerals, any type will do, and I give mine .2 ml per week. They've both got very long expiry dates and are a good thing to introduce if she won't eat bugs. That's how I started using the liquid instead of the powder because mine were going through the same thing. I've been using it sucessfully for 4 years now and my dragons do great on it.

So that's the only way I know of to get calcium & vit/min into dragons that won't eat regularly. I loved it so much, found it so easy to get into them, that I stopped using powders completely. But still, it's good to have on hand, just in case. I'm not sure if they carry it in Japan, if they don't, then you can make calcium powder into a liquid by adding hot water, just enough to a 1/2 tsp ro make it liquid and measure it in a 1 ml syringe, again .1 ml per 100g of weight. But the liquid would be easier if it's available. It's also available online thru a good company in the States but not sure if it would be feasible to order online, may be way too expensive. So check the reptile shop instead and if they don't carry it, maybe they can order it for you. Either way, let me know, k?

 

[tengu1]

I have calcium food spray. I got it after you told me about it last time.

Main question is how on earth can you measure .1 of it? Lol it seems impossible

Right now she is still stood up pressed against the glass. I may let her out again. weird girl!!

 

[sweetiepie9]

So you need to get a 1 ml syringe (you can get one at any vet, doesn't have to be exotic vet) and you put the syringe in the food spray and pull up the plunger until you get .5, as she's 500g, right? Then you have to figure out how to get it into her mouth. What I do is put a drop on their noses until they lick, if it doesn't work the first time, add more calcium in the syringe and try again. It becomes easier to do as time goes on. Have you ever given her medicine by syringe? If not, this will be a new experience but that's how you do it. I get mine to open their mouths by inserting my nail between their front lips, putting a drop on there and as they start licking, depress the plunger of the syringe gently so they drink drop by drop until it's all gone. I've become an expert but it took awhile. Don't for get I've been rescuing dragons for 9 years and my first dragon, Sweetiepie, wouldn't eat for almost a year, so I had to syringe feed her baby food for that year until she got onto crickets again. Plus most of mine had meds of one sort or another.

So good luck, it's the only way I know to make sure they get their calcium as they're supposed to when they go through these sorts of periods in their lives.

 

[tengu1]

So......

I have a syringe that has 1ml markings so I took it to 1/2 of 1 ml. She is actually very good at syringe drinking as that's how I give her water. When she see it she knows it is water time so no problems there, I am also pretty good at that LOL.

VERY interesting thing is just now with the calcium she obviously thought it was water and her pupils went tiny!!! maybe she was thirsty?? Cant see why as she drinks from the bath which she had yesterday. So I put a drop on her nose and she licked it up and the rest of the calcium, maybe a bit dripped down her chin but that's fine and then she drank about 5 ml of water. I also noticed she has shedding around her mouth, must be annoying and maybe painful. WOW learning all the time with her!

All of her tail is turning colour now and around her mouth and chin are flaking. Shedding is a real bad experience for them I believe. Well she looks happy under the light out of the tank right now. She a sudden change of "I HATE BATH, I HATE BEING OUT OF TANK" to Bath... okay and I WANT OUT" LOL

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh the HUGE iguana sold ：（very sad about that, I really wanted him. I hope the new onwers treat him exceptionally well. He is soooooooooooooo huge he needs a monster tank so I really hope they dont get the one in the shop for him. It is very Japanese to copy the shop.

 

[sweetiepie9]

I'm so glad she drank her calcium down, so remember 3x a week unless she gets to eating again, or you might want to continue giving her the liquid if she takes it down to well. Space out the 3x a week as well but same days so you don't forget. That's what I do.

I'm sorry the iguana sold, maybe they'll just let him free roam so he doesn't need a tank. But guess that only works if he lives in California where they gets sunshine most of the year. And yes, he'll need a bit tank. I have a friend who has an iguana, just a juvie though as they take 3-4 years to mature to full growth. His tank is huge, I'll have to check on how big, exactly.

Yes, they change alot in their first 2 years and they change in surprising ways :mrgreen: Enough to drive us all crazy :lol:

 

[tengu1]

Hi there

So again today no cricket eating and wanted out all the time. I let her out and she sat happily on her basking area. Later on I let her out again and she hid in dark area and went to sleep! I am a little worried she wants to brumate but tank is too hot or she is confused with what to do etc? possible?

Tank temps are perfect so.........

Strange on. I wish I could ask her!!

 

[sweetiepie9]

Mine hide when they are done with time out and go to sleep, it's what they do. You're just wondering because it's winter, so read the Brumation article under Care Sheets and Articles and it will help you understand different parts of brumation. It's drives me nuts every single winter because it's different every since winter.

As for her eating, if you're worried, then it's time to get some baby food squash and baby food chicken, mix together 2 tbsp squash to 1 tbsp chicken and get a large syringe from a vet or pharmacy (5 ml) and feed her by syringe. That's only if she's losing too much weight. Don't forget that slow down time really drastically reduces their wanting food. I wouldn't worry until she's down at least 60g, then baby food. Don't forget, they always make up the food intake in the spring. I've gone through this for 9 winters now and I still get confused as to what they want to do.

Keep me posted.

 

[tengu1]

Wow you really are a wealth of knowledge!!

Very good to know that they hide when done with time out (didn't know that)

Food wise shes only lost 14g in a month so I am not too worried yet, I guess it is winter slow down and shedding!! She is always shedding!

Last night she slept under the lamp and looked sad as but this morning she was wide awake, head up bright eyed and wanted out straight away! She tried to run under my bed but thats a no go area as i would never get her out!! LOL

So now she is in her tank watching me from her hammock. Vet day tomorrow so get her checked for parasites and then I will know she is okay.

This is my first winter with her so yeh I guess I have no idea with the change it brings.

Thank you very much for the baby food "recipe" I will keep that one for sure! I will drip her some calcium today as it is Wednesday (I give Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Keep you updated!

Thank you once again

 

[sweetiepie9]

Anything I've learned I always love to pass along. I still get puzzled over their behaviour during the winter months, but I've learned not to freak out, after 9 winters that is. Cierra is still brumating and she went down at the beginning of Sept. I've never known a dragon to brumate that early and she still goes back into her hide after her bath and supplements every Sunday. I sure wish she'd wake up for good.

They change all the time, they change their minds all the time, too. I went to work for the first time in 3 1/2 mo today, I put Nathaniel in his tank at 12:30p when I left and the look he gave me was of surprise "Mom, it's too early, what are you doing, why am I going back into my tank?!?" It was just too funny and I felt guilty :roll: Oh they know how to do that to us, don't they :lol:

 

[tengu1]

Beginning of September...wow!!

:lol: :lol: :lol: I can imagine that look!! Great news going back to work, I bet it was odd! I wonder if your boys were angry at you?

I just came back from the shops and princess had a party in her tank!! Thermonetor across the tank, hammock down, veg EVERYWHERE and she was stadning up against the glass! The look was "mmmmmmmm and...?" now shes on her hammock with big beady eye watching everything. Amazing reptiles really. Oh still on protein strike! I may try her with live and see if it perks her up.