The Tensi Diaries

I've decided to keep a little journal here of my baby (who's not quite a baby) Tensi!
I got him a week ago. According to the pet shop he's a year old, but had never been handled! And had never eaten anything but crickets! So I'm still getting him used to being handled, but luckily he's never done anything more than puff his beard at me

His tail looks like it was probably nipped as a hatchling, and he's missing a toenail on his back leg, but he's my sweetie all the same C:

As you can see, he has some veggies in his food dish, but I couldn't get him to eat anything but crickets until last Saturday! He's my first beardie, so I was a little paranoid about getting everything right - this forum was a huge help! He originally had ground walnut as a substrate, but as soon as I heard it was bad for him I took it out and replaced it with reptile carpet. His nails get caught in it sometimes though... I want to replace it with some tile (I've seen some cool setups in the enclosure section!) so that will be Tensi's next upgrade.

I'm using a 100 watt Repti Basking Spot Lamp bulb for the warm half of his tank, and a 5.0 Reptisun UVB compact fluorescent bulb for his uv light. I read on the forum after I had his tank set up that a 10 is better though! Should I swap it out or just wait til it's time to get a new bulb? I also have a 60 watt ceramic bulb that only gives off heat to keep him warm at night since my roommates prefer it to be a little cooler in our apartment.

Here's another picture of him from above!

He loves blackberries, but hates getting his head touched (thus the purple stain on his lips that I can't wipe off in the bath without him getting upset). He likes scratches under the chin though!
Anyways, I hope to help Tensi live a happy healthy life, and I look forward to the day he finally gets used to human contact! I'll post more pictures and update this journal as things happen!

 

[Tensi]

Thank you for all the welcomes and well wishes!

I gave Tensi a bath in some warm water last night after someone mentioned he looked a little dehydrated

Unfortunately I don't have a tub, only a shower, so he has to make due with the sink
Usually when I give him a bath, he'll just sullenly sit there, since I imagine he'd never had a bath before I got him. But this time he scurried and splashed around!
I tried making ripples in the water to encourage him to drink it, and dripped some water onto his nose, but he didn't seem too interested in drinking

After about ten minutes, it seemed like he was getting bored and wanted to come out, because he began trying to climb out of the sink, with some difficulty, seeing as it's a lot more slippery than the terrain he's used to!

So I bundled him up and dried him off (which he seems to enjoy, oddly enough)

And put him back into his tank to bask (after which he promptly decided to make a mess of his leftover greens from dinner)

 

[sweetiepie9]

He's getting for comfy, you can tell. All my dragons love to be wrapped in their towels, I could make a lineup of dragons burrito'd in their towels (that's the term we've come up with) & they'd all stay there!
Every day is going to be different with Tensi, he'll get more comfy as you stay to the same routine, he'll realize that he's got a forever home now & can relax.

 

[Tensi]

Ahaha, I love your term! Burrito'd sounds so adorable!

And I've noticed he's become a lot more interested in what's happening outside of his tank, which I hope means he's getting more comfortable! He turns to see who's coming in when I open the door to my room now, and he's started to bask in the spot closest to where I sit! I can also hand feed him banana slices (which has become a favourite for him, which is unfortunate since I can only give him very small amounts due to the phosphorus level!)
I've been nipped quite a few times while hand feeding him though! :lol:

I'm not gonna lie, after seeing your beardies, and beardies such as Darla, Papaya, and Pineapple, I was a little worried that Tensi wasn't as bright. After reading their threads I learned about all the different morphs, which is really cool!
I'd never even seen a beardie a different colour than brown before joining this forum, so I love seeing them all

 

[Scrammy]

Awww...love tbe burrito!!! Im a burrito master.. I work in a NICU so i can burrito anything.. Any size... Lol

 

[Tensi]

I had some time between classes, and Tensi appeared to be trying to escape, so I decided to clear some space on my floor and let him loose!

At first he sat still (aside from scratching behind his 'ears' like a dog - not sure what that behaviour meant haha)
But as soon as he realized he was free to roam, he began to run around and explore!

His old tank was a 20 gallon (which I upgraded a couple days after), since I was expecting to get a baby, not an adult, and apparently still had a cricket in it. His first order of business was to run over and try to get it. I decided to help a fella out, and put him inside to gobble it up before letting him loose again.

He decided he was quite interested in my backpack

There he goes!

He then found a balloon and bumped it with his nose, causing it to bounce off the wall then back at him, scaring the poor guy :lol:

I went over to take a picture of him, but it seems he loves having his picture taken!
As soon as he saw me with the camera he scurried on over

This experience has taught me first hand about curiousness causing sand to impact dragons! Tensi licked everything he came across - from a box to the floor, from a pair of jeans to the wall. I can definitely see why people are completely against loose substrates!

 

[Scrammy]

Whats on his nose? How cute. I lost a baby earlier this year due to impaction from sand... That along with too big crix and meal worms... All bad advice from a combination of 5 different pet stores in the area. Thats what brought me here. Sand = very big no no!!

 

[Tensi]

Whats on his nose? How cute. I lost a baby earlier this year due to impaction from sand... That along with too big crix and meal worms... All bad advice from a combination of 5 different pet stores in the area. Thats what brought me here. Sand = very big no no!!

It's blackberry juice! He loves them, but always makes a huge mess haha. He gets it all over his face, and even got it all over the side of his tank once. He's still not all that used to contact though, so it can be a little tricky to clean it off - his face is an area he's especially not fond of being touched.

And oh no, I'm sorry about your loss! I've actually gotten the same bad advice from pet stores about mealworms and substrate - I'm so glad I came across this forum, or who knows how Tensi would be doing right now? Since he's my first beardie, I probably wouldn't have even known about impactation until it happened and I searched up what was wrong with him! And I can't imagine how scary that would have been Everyone here is so knowledgeable and helpful, and since I'm currently working towards becoming a vet, I hope I can pass on that knowledge so people can learn what's right for their dragons

 

[sweetiepie9]

Thanks for the pictures, it's so great that he's getting more comfy in your room & in wondering. I agree, now that you've seen how they lick to determine their environment, it's not hard to imagine how licking any loose substrate can cause issues with digestion.

Scrammy, I'm so sorry to hear about your loss, it's always hard to lose a beloved pet, but you're right, sand is a bit no-no. Pet shops just sell what they have, they don't necessarily now what a dragon really needs. I've only come across a few pet shops that actually take the time to make sure dragons gets when they need so they stay in good health until sold.

Tensi is getting alot more relaxed with you, isn't it great & I so loved the blackberry juice pic. You'll have to get him used to baths, that's how I wash off stuff on their faces. It's alot easier then trying to clean off their snouts/mouths with a cloth, none of mine like that either!

You're going to be a vet? Well you'll be very knowledgeable about beardies by the time you graduate. You'll be an exotic vet, and they're very needed everywhere. I'm very lucky to have a great vet, she's been taking care of my babies since 2006 and knows them all. If she's not sure of something she'll do her research and come back with a good answer. I've been very lucky to have found her & she's so much less expensive than other vets, too.

So keep us updated, love your posts!

If you want to check out alot of colourful beardies, check out PhotoExpressions. There are lots of colourful beardies there! Introductions is another place full of pictures.

 

[Tensi]

Went to the pet shop today, and unfortunately they didn't have the uv bulb that was suggested to me. I'll check a couple more shops and if nobody has it, I guess I'll be buying it online

I did, however, get some superworms! Tensi's not so great with his aim, so he hit his head on the food bowl, but he managed to gobble them down quite well It was a little gross to hear the crunch they made when he ate them, but he really seemed to enjoy them, so if he's happy so am I

To answer Sweetiepie, I definitely agree! When I originally had Tensi on ground walnut (before I found this forum), I never saw him lick up any of his substrate, but no doubt he was getting some when he ate his crickets. And seeing how he licked everything when I let him explore, it's likely he licked up some when I wasn't looking. I'm just glad he didn't seem to have any harm from it!

And yes, hopefully I will be! I've never thought about what type of vet I want to be but exotics seems like a really cool field!

And I'll have to take a look at those photos!

Tensi's glass dancing again, so I'll end this update here and give him another chance to explore

 

[Tensi]

Gave Tensi another bath tonight, since his face was so messy
And something happened that made me really happy! He let me wash his face! He tolerated me wiping his chin for a bit, but eventually got sick of it. But still, that's such an improvement from getting so upset from any contact with his face
He also licked some water up when I dripped it on his nose, and it seems like he's getting used to the ideas of baths

 

[sweetiepie9]

Now that is good news, soon he'll be snuggling on your shoulder for hours!

 

[Hemilover77]

Welcome! Beautiful dragon you have and what a cute name Tensi. You have certainly come to the right place. I doubt there is another place in the world that has so many people in one place that love their beardies as much as here. I have learned so much! And I do have to say with SweetiePie on your side you have no worries. She has helped me more than I can even tell you. So helpful and a total Sweetie and true to the name of her loved beardie! Such a great lady.

I am so glad you found your little dragon, I am currently on my first beardie as well, finally got everything right and now she is growing like a weed. I do have to share my own advice: the snuggling. At night time, I turn the lights off in the living room and get my little Hemi out, lay her on my chest, then I go set on the couch to watch TV which is the only light I have on to start off. In just a minute she does a little butt wiggle and straight to sleep. It is the cutest thing ever! And then when I am ready for bed, I wrap her up in her little blankie, she never moves a muscle and then just as if she was a newborn baby I carry her back to her tank and lay her down. Next morning she is always right there in the same place.

I was told in the beginning to let her get adjusted and to not pet her much from the pet store. You will get both answers on here probably, but a very knowledgeable breeder told me to handle her and love her and she felt like it would really speed up the bonding process. She was right, it works. And just like Sweetiepie said soon he will be on your shoulder watching every step you make. You will soon see that he would rather be out with you, and when you do have him and and you go to put him back in his tank and he hangs on for dear life like, please don't leave me it will break your heart!

As most people here proudly wear their title of BEARDIE SLAVE, we all are devoted and crazy in love with these sweet spirits. Congrats on your new baby, can't wait to see updates! Thanks for sharing your story.

 

[Tensi]

Now that is good news, soon he'll be snuggling on your shoulder for hours!

I hope so! I'm excited for that!

And thanks for the welcome, Hemilover! I'm glad you like him - I certainly do
And yes, so many people have helped me out, it's so nice to be able to get tips and advice from so many people

I'll try out your advice! Hopefully it'll help him adjust to people better

Also I see from your signature you have a savannah cat! They're so cool - are they as friendly as people claim? I know my friend really wants one hahaha

 

[Tensi]

This morning I let Tensi sit on my shoulder while I prepared a dandelion green salad for him
He was fairly calm, but he did open his mouth once when I looked at him. I put a small dandelion green in his mouth and he munched it up, completely forgetting he was about to puff his beard at me

Tonight I decided to add a big stick to Tensi's tank (after cleaning it up, of course) and do a little rearranging. I was taking a look at the enclosures and do it yourself sections of the forum, and got inspired to make a really cool tank for Tensi! I sketched out an idea including a hammock, a second layer for him to climb on, and tile flooring, and I'll hopefully recruit my stepdad to help me get it done when I go home for the winter break. His tank is a breeder, so his second layer won't be able to be very high up, but maybe that's better anyways in case he takes a tumble. I took all of his furniture out to do the rearranging, and figured I may as well give him a big dinner of crickets and superworms while the tank was clear. When I first got Tensi, he was in a 20 gallon, because I was planning on getting a baby, and he had a lot of trouble chasing his food(I got his new tank a couple days later). Now his tank is double the size, and he can run around as much as he pleases! It was nice seeing him chase his food with such ease

Here's a picture of Tensi basking on his new stick after a huge dinner! He climbed right up on it when I put him back in, so I guess he likes it!

I tried to get a picture of his cute 'beer belly', but it was no use, he was simply having too much fun running after the crickets

This weekends goal is to get those carpets all cleaned up!

 

[Tensi]

Today Tensi's been lying in the same spot all day, and is a shade lighter than usual. He's awake and alert, so I'm not sure if this is brumation, him just being a lazy butt, or something else. He hasn't shown any interest in his daily salad, but this might be because of his huge dinner last night.

We'll see, I guess!