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]

I would of got her there and then if my stupid apartment could handle the electric!!

Funny you mention that. I do give her live crickets once a month so she can hunt and she really enjoys it. I have tried keeping crickets but fail every time. I have no idea why I had a great set up with water and gel food etc and the next day all 300 of them were dead!!! So now I give frozen and occasionally live.

I have also tried with silk works ans super worms and roaches but each one gives her really bad diarrhea! I had to eliminate all foods and introduce one by one over a week (which was hell) and yes it came down to other bugs strange huh?

Here is my question to you which I forgot to ask yesterday. Now she has a mix of vitamin and calcium powder and it is about to run out. The new place we were at yesterday had an array of different things so I wanted to ask you this. Can I give her calcium in a spray form on her crickets and how many times a week should she have calcium? and a powder multi vitamin put on her veg how many times a week.

I have found this a very varied answered question so I am quite sure you are the person to ask

Thank you very much

 

[sweetiepie9]

I'm sorry she doesn't do well with other worms or roaches, they're so good for them. But if they cause her runny poops, then not for her, for sure. I'd say get her fresh crickets once a week so she can fun after them, but just 75 at a time so just for a few days. There is cricket food that you buy for them that gives them what they need to stay alive. I only get crickets for my crested gecko (luckily, as I hate the darned things). My dragons eat super worms and roaches and they're not affected by them, luckily.

As for calcium and vit/min. I give mine liquid but not on their food, I feed them by syringe. 0.1 cc per 100g of weight, so she'd get .5 cc 3 times a week. But you can get the food spray & spray 3 meals per week for her & that would work just as well. The vit/min is once a week. Because I get that in liquid form as well, they all get .2 cc per week. So I'd stick with powder and dust 1 feeding per week for her. That's what she should stay with for the rest of her life.

Maybe you could try just roaches once a week to see if it still bothers her. They're very good for dragons.

 

[tengu1]

Interesting!

So to clarify spray form calcium on crickets 3 times a week and powder vitamin/mineral once a week on veg

So, calcium is most important I take it? This is one area of the bearded beauty I need to brush up on for sure.

I will try the roach again, they were baby roachs.

Right now she is sulking with me for cleaning up her business.... whats that?? getting the monster stink eye!!! I had to move her tail as she was thinking "hmmm I think I will just lay my tail in all this and make sure the human can't tidy up"

Thank you very much for the vitamin/mineral/calcium advice

 

[sweetiepie9]

You can spray her salad or bugs, just make sure it's 3x a week. Calcium is the most important thing that they need. It keeps their bones strong and helps their internal organs function as well. I've been rescuing dragons for 9 years and have had a few dragons that had no calcium at all their first year or two, no UVB lights either and their bones were soft or misshapen, just tragic as they don't tend to live long either.

The vit/min is also important as they don't get all in their food. But now that she's over a year old, once a week is fine. They don't need alot of vit/min to be healthy.

That's so funny about her poop, it's as if she's possessive about it :lol: :roll: Having to move her tail to clean it up & getting the stink eye, I'm still laughing. They are so funny.

I was on the lazy boy earlier today, with Leo on my lap & Castiel on the ramp. So Castiel did all the bobbing to Nathaniel and Gabriel (the 3 boys' tanks are side by side with partitions blocking their view, so can't see each other unless on the living room floor). After Castiel was done bobbing the other 2, and all the furniture, plus the TV, he got back on the ramp & just stared at me. I actually fell asleep for awhile & he stared at me the whole time. Leo was also staring at me, he was on my lap while I was sleeping. So they do keep their eyes on us, for sure. It's as if they're just fascinated about these huge warm blooded lizards that care for them. They are so funny in the way they perceive us.

 

[tengu1]

hahahahhahahahha there are hilarious! Right now she is half on and half off her hammock and her eye is half closed but staring at me!!! LOL I would love to know what they are thinking!!

That is so funny they were staring at you the whole time!!! hahahahaha LOL at that.

I actually changed her UV lamp yesterday as it was exactly 6 months! I am all over the care for her. I am told I spoil her too much (true, but you cannot spoil a dragon too much) even though they give you the stink eye in return for all your love and care!!!!

I have definitely seen a difference in her since Autumn has rolled in. As you said they sleep more and eat less (well not eating less) and shes finished all her shed which is great

Ahhhhhh funny girl!! talk soon

 

[sweetiepie9]

Glad to hear her shed is finished, hopefully until the spring. Mine aren't shedding right now but there was a time in the summer when they were ALL shedding, so I had 5 grumpy dragons at the same time.

It would be wonderful to know what they were thinking, can you imagine the conversations? Boggles the mind :lol:

 

[tengu1]

Hello there!

So today I went back to the wonderful new pet/reptile shop and got the calcium spray and vit/mineral. I just used the calcium with her crickets and she ate as normal so that was good.

I was lucky enough to watch the feeding of the babies and red dragons at the shop and they were hanging off the ledge of the glass to eat. I thought Tengu doesn't do that and I soon realized why! They are fed a piece of leaf and must be per hour or something, I am not sure but basically they are hungry.

They did let me hold the red dragon though and it was a male and instantly he started bobbing his head! Never have I seen it before and wow how different the males are to females!! Males seem to have a bigger head as well I noticed.

5 grumpy shedding male dragons..... give that a miss!

 

[sweetiepie9]

Yes, I have 4 males and they have a great time bobbing, black bearding and sometimes even stomping their feet, especially in the spring, it's called Spring Fever, as it's mating time and they're looking for males. The females (if there are males in the house) will do a slow bob back at any male they see and that means they're ready to breed. It's really interesting to watch the interaction.

When I put one of the boys out, they will spend alot of time bobbing at each other, with full puffed out black beards. Females don't tend to black beard as much, mostly when they're in pain. You probably won't see much of that (just the stink eye LOL) as she's a single dragon. When I had my first dragon, Sweetie Pie, and I adopted Lonzo (he was 5 at the time and Sweetie Pie was 2) he just loved seeing her, he would bob and blow out his beard as big as it would go and she would brown beard (her beard never turned black, just dark brown) back, slow bobbing and trying her best to get out of her tank. She wanted him in the worst way and so did he. She's no longer with me, she passed away of pneumonia in Dec/11 and Lonzo lived to a great age, 11 1/2 and passed away last Nov/14. I still miss them both.

So yes, males are much different, they aren't always bigger than females but most are. They can be aggresive towards each other for sure and they will rush a female to mate any day of the year, but mine are all snuggle buddies, all the time. They can bob me, too, which is funny :lol: because all I do is love them, feed them and take care of them.

Gabriel was funny this afternoon. Castiel and Nathaniel both had their times out, then I let Gabriel out. He went right to the worm bin and stood up, so I guess he was hungry. I fed him 6 worms and he just gobbled them all up. He won't eat on his own (no idea why) so I have to feed him and don't always remember, so it was good that he reminded me My days seem to fuse together, I almost forgot my mom's 80th birthday on Friday when I called her! So it's not unusual that I forget to feed the dragons that need feeding. Nathaniel is another one that has to be fed, at least for now, I'm hoping he'll start to eat on his own soon. Castiel & Cierra eat out of dishes on their own, but Leo also needs to be fed. Guess it's time to put up a feeding calendar so I can remember which days they need to be fed :mrgreen:

It's fun to watch dragons at a pet shop, if they're well taken care of. The first thing to know about babies is they are always hungry. I don't think they get fed enough in pet store.

 

[tengu1]

Bobbing beasts!!!

So funny!! I think it would be fun to have a male actually

Right now my green princess is happily basking under her light looking quite pleased with herself :lol:

Here is a quick query, when I stroke her back which I always do first there is no problem but when I stroke her head sometimes she closes her eyes for a few seconds.... what is that? making sure its okay or just a normal reaction?

Anyway, he ran to his worm bin!! Hilarious!! they amaze me when it comes to food. This morning I was eating a banana and Tengu was just staring at it I eventually gave in to the beardie stare and gave her a little and she gulped it down! Don't you just love the way their pupil goes tiny before food! LOL reminds me of a cameras aperture (which is a great way to describe aperture)

hahahahahahahha yesterday was the "attempt to trim her nails day" was she into it I hear you ask........... NO! LOL so an epic failed attempt! I think I will do it next time she is in the pink prison. OH! you don't know the pink prison do you..... it is her pet carrier, it is pink and it has gaps which are like bars. She is put in there when it is epic tank clean out time and she hates it!!! WEll getting better actually but usually she hangs her claws out like a prisoner and her nose usually follows hahahhahahahhahaha its very funny! at that point I can usually trim those knife like claws!

Pictures coming soon!

 

[sweetiepie9]

Yes, mine make me laugh daily, it's so fun to see all the interaction.

I'm lucky with mine but I wait until they're sleepy before doing their nails. I think they're due again soon.

So she has a pink prison, too funny, and getting used to it, that's good.

As for stroking her head and eyes closed, normal reaction, it's like a cat purring, they're happy with the stroking. Mine do it, too.

Will be looking forward to pictures!

 

[tengu1]

Interesting you say about waiting until sleepy. I noticed with Tengu that when she is sleepy she is more on guard and if I try anything she is much quicker to be telling me to **`*`*off. LOL

Shes active this morning and just chowed down some veg. ooooooooooooooohhhhh it is weigh day! Actually it was yesterday and I forgot! Give me a minute.... okay so shes 495g today


Now she is sitting on her helllo Kitty fleece below a camp light and all i can see is her head above my laptop! hhhhhahahahahhahahha very cute!!! I am trying to give her more time out of the tank and give her a warm place so if she does run off she knows where to get warm (especially if I cant get her from under the sofa!! She does seem to enjoy it under the light though.

Talk soon

 

[sweetiepie9]

I'm glad she's getting more outside time. The light is a good idea to warm her up on her travels. I had trouble getting dragons out from under the sofa, too, so I took off the legs. I rarely have people come over because I have reptiles, so that worked out for me.

I'm sorry she's not so easily distracted when she's sleepy, all of mine are. I have Castiel with me & he's sleeping in the beardie bed I set up beside me. Last night Cierra slept with me, today she's back in her hide. Nathaniel is also back in his hide, not sure how long those two will sleep, they've been sleeping about 2 months now.

Wow, 495g! She's getting to be a good weight!

 

[tengu1]

beardie bed cute!

After I mailed that last post she decided to unload her business on the hello kitty fleece :shock: :shock: I couldn't believe it!!!

Now she is back in her tank and quite black all over today not sure why. Temps are good so hmmmmmmmm.

Yes, 495g! I am looking forward to her being over 500g I must admit. I need to measure her as well, I will do that later. Yes the clamp light is very useful. It was original for photography but it's now for her as I can clamp it and twist it to any angle. She seems to like sitting under it looking about. I think she will jump off t after a few more turns.

She seems to take ages before she will let her guard down. When the hammock was first placed in her tank she looked at it like "WT@" is that??? She hid under it for a week, then placed one claw on it for a few days and one day she just jumped like a bungy jump onto it! LOL and now she sleeps on it and uses it for a look out place 80% of the time! LOL very cute!

You say they have been sleeping for two months!! WOW thats really mind boggling. I have read up about brumation and it is very cool the way their instincts are so strong.

I really look forward to getting another beardie. Would you recommend a male for her to "play" with or another female? Obviously they would be in separate tanks but putting them together at "release time" is okay? I guess this is a big separate topic.

 

[sweetiepie9]

It all depends on their reaction together. I wouldn't recommend a male, as he'd just jump on her & mate, it's all they want to do when there is a female in the house. My old male Leo can be with my female Cierra but they're the only 2 that can be together. The 3 younger males all thing of her as something to mate with. Dragons don't make "friends". Sometimes siblings (female) will get along together, but usually only if they've been together from birth. So as long as you take all this into consideration.

When Sweetie Pie was alive I had 2 other female dragons, Issy (Isabella) and Angel. Angel couldn't be out with the other two because she was too fiesty, always thought herself to be the Queen Dragon, even though Sweetie was the Queen, and just wanted to fight. Issy and Sweetie could be out together because Issy knew that Sweetie was the Queen Dragon and reacted to her as such, was very subordinate to her and that worked but they could never be alone together. I had to be right there to make sure there was no fighting. There is always a dominance issue with dragons, no matter what anyone else says. Alot of people think that dragons can live together but they really can't. It's more rare that normal for them to get along together.

So get another dragon because you want one, not because you think Tengu would want a friend. From the sounds of it, she's very much the Queen Dragon in your home and probably wouldn't take well to another dragon infringing on "her" territory. Even though I have 5 dragons, they are all out separately for outside time. I have them because I want them, not because they want each other in the same household :mrgreen:

 

[tengu1]

Ahhhhhhhhhhh okay that is very interesting!

She is definitely the queen dragon of the house!! LOL

So even though the dragons are out at separate times and cant see each other can they sense there is another dragon there or not?

That is very good to know, thank you for that.