Terrified Newb!

[MsCivvy]

Hello Everyone!!

I just got my three month old beardie yesterday, and I am the most paranoid Lizard mother ever!!!! haha.. Names for the beardie are still up in the air cause he hasnt been sexed.. However Ive decided on Paskel for a boy or Olive for a girl.

I find the site really hard to navigate (but I always do when its a new forum!) and Im scared to ask repeat questions that have already been asked..
(for example, why wont my beardie eat? He ate like 5 crickets today, and thats it, i put him in a tupperware contair thing to eat, and all he does is try to get out

My name is Catt by the way, I was refered here by Susan when she kindly refered me via Yahoo Questions
I was looking at some of the pictures you guys posted of your beardies and I lovveeee them I cant wait til hes (hoping for a boy!) bigger

(last question, should i buy one of his brothers? are they ok alone, or better off with a sibling?

 

[MAK]

sometimes they just dont like to be in different containers and just want out. If it wont eat outside its viv then I suggest feeding it things that will stay put in a dish, like reptiworms, superworms, wax worms, even dubia. My beardie has the same problem and I feed it dubia inside its viv. They are in a plastic dish that I rigged up and its just high enough that they cant climb out. You dont want to feed crix in the viv tho, they will get into every nook and just cause problems for your beardie. Oh and its best if they are alone.

 

[dc1105]

Hes probably not eating because hes stressed since you just moved him into a new home. Just give him a couple of days and he'll be a fine little active guy, and thats good hes trying to get out that means hes active! what i did for my beardie was i put 10 crickets in the tub ( they cant get out of a tub ) and let my bearded dragon in the tub WITHOUT WATER!!! and he ran over and ate them Also i woudent suggest getting another one. if hes a male there going to fight for dominace and if its a female there gonna mate. There better off alone. Goodluck and welcome

 

[MsCivvy]

Thanks for the info . And the Welcomes I was gonna run out tomorrow and grab him a little buddy. Glad I asked first, I don't want any babies, or fights!

I really hate the crickets! And would love to feed him something that will stay in the dish, but can I do that regularly? I heard crickets are best for them. I don't mind trying to give him some once I'm home from work and can watch to see if he eats them, but before work, I don't like leaving them in the tank (which I think is also a no no?). I went out tonight and bought the separate container to feed him (he hated it). And a container to give him his lil baths in. I know he won't mind the water, he runs though his water dish like it aint no thang.. Hehe..

 

[dc1105]

are you feeding him salad? he dosent eat just crickets he eats salad too! heres a list of salad they can eat:
http://www.blackninjakitty.com/herps/care/troystuttlegreeniglist.htm

Just don't give him any iceburg lettuse! it can cause runny poo and basically has no nurtients in it
Also just because they get salad dosent mean he dosent have to eat crickets , he still need protine from crickets. You dust the crickets in calcium powder you can buy at a local pet store and let your beardie eat as many crickets as he can for 15 mins 1 hour after his lights are turned on and 2 hours befor there off. Don't worry tho when they turn into adults i just give mine as many crickets for 10 mins in the morning thats it. Never leave crickets in a tank they will eat your beardie. You can aslo try getting worms like meal worms , super worms etc , do a little research on what they can and can't eat. Also don't be worried if he dosent eat the salad. Most young beardies wont but dont worry he knows theres food and he wont starve himself. Also mist the salad befor you leave and when you come home so it stays freash and replace it everyday. the ratio for food is salad/insects and for babys it should be 30/70 and for adults its 70/30. Sorry for being all over the place just as im writing this im like OH! and..etc ahah

 

[MsCivvy]

are you feeding him salad? he dosent eat just crickets he eats salad too! heres a list of salad they can eat:
http://www.blackninjakitty.com/herps/care/troystuttlegreeniglist.htm

Just don't give him any iceburg lettuse! it can cause runny poo and basically has no nurtients in it
Also just because they get salad dosent mean he dosent have to eat crickets , he still need protine from crickets. You dust the crickets in calcium powder you can buy at a local pet store and let your beardie eat as many crickets as he can for 15 mins 1 hour after his lights are turned on and 2 hours befor there off. Don't worry tho when they turn into adults i just give mine as many crickets for 10 mins in the morning thats it. Never leave crickets in a tank they will eat your beardie. You can aslo try getting worms like meal worms , super worms etc , do a little research on what they can and can't eat. Also don't be worried if he dosent eat the salad. Most young beardies wont but dont worry he knows theres food and he wont starve himself. Also mist the salad befor you leave and when you come home so it stays freash and replace it everyday. the ratio for food is salad/insects and for babys it should be 30/70 and for adults its 70/30. Sorry for being all over the place just as im writing this im like OH! and..etc ahah

hahaha.. Its all good that its all over the place I appriciate all the help He's eating more now, and hes becoming a lil fatty! haha.. I love how big his belly gets after he eats He actually is eating the veggies i put out quite regularly.. I feed him right before I go to work, within the 15 minute range, so hes stuck with veggies til I get home between 4 and 5.. PLUS, every time I pick him to handle him, I put him back pretty much on top of the greens, and he always stops to have a nibble

One thing Im confused about his how often to dust? Someone told me 2 times a week, then tonight at the pet store, he said every second feeding, which is like once a day?! I also have two differnt powders.. one is multi vitamin by exo terrras, and the other one is Repcal phosphorus free calcium with vit.d3.. Does he need both of these? How often to I dust?

ALSO, the guy I got him from, he said he kept his "hot side" of the tank at 80 degrees.. Which I know is really low... but now I find Paskel is ALWAYS on the cool side of the tank.. hanging out in the trees/leaves I have in the tank..

Depending on the weather.. My "hot side" averages between 95 and 100.. (I cant seem to get it any higher!, i used the 100 watt bulb) and the "cool side" is between 85 and 90 degrees.. (the cage size is 24x18x18, so i find it pretty hard to have a big difference in the temps) I just bought a new tank tonight, 36x18x15, i pick it up in a few days, so hopefully that will sort that problem out.. Luckily trees/fake greens i have in there are close to the uvb bulb so hes atleast getting that while hes hanging out in the trees..

NOW whos all over the place? haha.. yep.. Thats me!

 

[cmh3988]

Glad he’s eating more Are you still just doing crickets for the staple (besides the salad)? If you’re sick of them or want to try something new, I would suggest Reptiworms. I’ve had my little one for a little over a month now and he LOVES the Reptis (plus I can leave them in the cage in a tapered bowl for him throughout the day without worrying about them nibbling on him – he was on crix as a staple only at first too). I think most people here would tell you not to do mealworms or waxworms as a staple (mealies can cause impaction and don’t have a good nutrient value and waxworms should only be used for a treat along with supplements). Also, not superworms unless he's over a certain length/width. A lot of people use dubia roaches too, but I've not tried those yet.

With crix only as a staple, I think it’s dust with calcium 5x a week and vitamins twice a week. If you switch to another staple, it might be different with the calcium, but the same with vitamins. (I know you don’t have to dust the reptis with calcium because they have enough as is).

I’m still new to most of this so I can’t tell you why he likes the cool side better, but I was having a hard time getting the hot side temps over 100 (115 max) with my 100 watt bulb—I think it’s because of having the air on. I got a 150 watt bulb on a dimmer switch and that has helped me a lot. Just be sure you’re taking the temp with a gun or a digital probe so he’s not too hot. I would think he’d need to be on the hot side at least part of the time to help with digestion.

Have you posted any pics of the little guy anywhere yet?

 

[MsCivvy]

I did upload a pic under guest photos? I think? Haha.. I'd like to have a pic as my profile pic, or have a tag under my posts but I have nooooo idea how to do that! Haha.

So, I shouldn't use mealies or wax or superworms as a staple (assuming staple means a regular meal?). I've never heard of reptiworms, ill have to call pets unlimited tomorrow to see if they have any they probably don't! I'm not a fan of that store I might try to start ordering online..

I'm on my cell phone right now, but I am gonna try and log into the computer and attempt to attach some pics of Paskel

 

[im2tired2dance]

I thought that feeding them crickets for a staple was like feeding a human popcorn. No nutrients except for what you dust them with? Am I wrong? I give my beardies superworms as their staple, romaine lettuce, and 2 times a week crickets with the calcium. Should I be doing this different? They are huge for their age, and healthy. I was told to offer the egg bearing female a pinky, but all she did was kill it, so no calcium there. Now that she has eggs, I have been feeding her the regular diet, and crickets every other day for the added calcium. Should I be doing something more?

 

[cmh3988]

If you go to the 'user control panel' and then the 'profile' tab there is a place to upload an 'avatar' from your computer. It just has to be in the size requirements. That would be your profile pic.

To get the pics in the post, you have to upload them first to an online program (I use photobucket.com - it's free - just create an account). Once you have uploaded your pics there, they will display with several boxes with links at the bottom. Copy the 'img' code box link and post it in the box in here where you type the text.

Right - 'staple' is the main food they are eating. I doubt pet stores would have Reptiworms. I get them online at Reptiworms.com. They are actually the worm version of a fly larvae and several online places sell them under different names (same fly larvae) -- Reptiworms is the brand name that this company markets under. I haven't tried any of the others (and I'm not trying to market the Reptis in any way lol, they're just the first staple I tried besides crix and my dragon really likes them). They're a bit pricey but you don't have to worry about parasites or feeding your dragon in a separate cage like you do with the crix.

 

[nunny666]

Ime using locusts.and dubia roaches with the odd few calci worms for staple at the mo.i dust with calci powder evey day apart from wed and sat ,on these days I dust with vitamin powder,mine dosnt really enjoy crickets,

 

[nunny666]

Think ime right in saying calci worms are the same as repti worms