Thursday, 14-Dec-00
Should I clip my BD's nails. Thay are getting very long. I have always cliped my birds nails, and I didn't know if I should do the same with my BD. -Posted by Michael
Reply By Mark: In the wild Dragons will climb trees, rocks or fence posts, all of which will help 'file' their nails.
In general, nail trimming is best left to vets, but if you are familiar with cutting bird's nails then BDs are not much different. Just remember not to trim them too short or they will bleed and you run the risk of infection. Also, it make it difficult for the animal to climb.
Any bleeding should be treated immediately, I've found Neosporin to be good for this.
Thursday, 14-Dec-00
Is 110 to 115 to hot for a baby bd. I am going to buy one in a day or so and want the cage to be setup right. -Posted by Bob
Reply By Mark:
Bob,
Maximum basking temps for baby BDs should be around 105. 110 is too high.
Glad to see someone taking time to prepare the cage before bringing the Dragon home. It greatly reduces the stress to them.
Don't be too surprised if the animal doesn't eat much during the first week or so. The change in environment does tend to stress them.
Reply By Stephanie: What size tank do you have? If you put him in a 10 gallon, then keep the temps in the basking area around 100. They rely on high heat to help them digest properly. Best of luck to you and your new dragon!! Let us know if you need any more help!!
Reply by Bob: I have a 20L with 2 big pieces of sandblasted grape vine and a big rock cave. It looks crampt, I work at a local petstore so I can get a bigger tank if I need to after the holidays for cheap. Will this work for now.
Reply by Mark: Bob,
for a juvenile this will work fine. You will find that the baby grows quickly, reaching 6 to 8 inches in just a few months. You might want to consider a 55 gal (or 100 if you can get them cheap enough) for your next purchase. Just make sure that it's 24" or higher, as they love to climb.
Wednesday, 13-Dec-00
Hey, one of my BD's has stopped eating the commercial stuff and is now basically only eating crickets....also he doesnt seem to want as many greens either....i will try again tomorrow...but what do u think -Post Unknown
Reply by Scott: Well.. I am a firm believer that commericial foods should not be the main staple of their diet. While.. I do know many that only feed prepared foods... I don't like that idea. However.. I do feed mine ZooMed Adult Maintance Formula... but.. would never take the crickets or greens away for good!
Reply by Unknown: well yeah, me niether crickets are their main diet, but i offer commercial food everyday(rep cal D) juvenile formulated....one of them stopped eating it...i put it in there so if i didnt feed them enough or they were still hungry they could eat it.
Reply by Michael: I think that most BD's don't eat commercial foods either. Both of mine do not either. Just keep on putting the veggies in his tank, and eventually, he will probably start eating them again.
Reply by Stephanie: Personally I won't be feeding my dragons that commercial food. You mean the pellets right? Well, I just dont see the point in feeding them that. Feeding them veggies in the morning and then crickets and more veggies at night is what I do and they get all the nutrition they need from that. I love watching them chase the crickets around and I would hate to take that away from them. Keep feeding the veggies every day. Yours will start eating them soon I bet!!
Reply by Scott: I got them eating the commercial foods for one main reason. I can judge about how much they eat at a time.. and can prepare a good amount when I go away. It is nice to know.. that if I go away.. there is enough food :)
Monday, 11-Dec-00
Hi
After reading about beardies, and planning for a while, I finally went ahead and bought a hatchling which I was assured was feeding properly on 1/4" crickets. It's enclosure is set up according to what I have read, and the temperature is at the recommended levels. My questions are these: Is it normal for a Dragon to not eat for a while after being placed in a new enclosure? Mine has shown no interest in the crickets. Additionally, it sees it's reflection in the glass of the and show no interest in anything else...could this be causing it not to eat? I sure would appreciate any thoughts on this. Thanks. -Posted by Mike
Reply by Drake: if you just got him and placed him in a new tank he/she might be a little stressed. so watch to see if he/she gets use to the tank if not u might want to take it to a vet because young bd are usually very hungry (as far as the ones I have seen any way)
Reply by Mark: Rebekah had a similar problem. The move to a new home will most likely have caused stress. This is normal and to be expected. It usually lessens after a week or som, as the animal becomes accustomed to its new environment.
Make sure basking temps are around 105 degrees (young Dragons need higher temps to aid digestion) and offer food and water as usual.
Reply by Scott: You said you got a hatchling? I wouldn't feed the 1/4" crickets. Maybe try some pin head crickets (these you can usually only find at local petstores.. Petco or similar places.. won't have them)
Stress might also do it. It is not odd for a dragon not to eat for even over a week when just moved into a new home.
Whoa.. wind gusts just made it up to over 50 mph here.. so.. I gotta go and move my car to a better parking spot.. so.. gotta cut this short.. just keep offering.. don't be discouraged. If you get worried about the beardies health.. (looks way to skinny.. or you are just wondering) it never hurts to go to a vet.
Reply by Stephanie: I agree with scott...go to pinhead crickets. Hatchlings are usually very hungry and they do grow rather fast if they are in good health. A general rule is...make sure the crickets are the size of the space between their eyes. Anything bigger will impact them. Keep him toasty warm with a basking spot of about 100 degrees and make sure he has a climbing branch to get close to the heat source. He will need to be able to regulate his body temp so have several levels of basking sights so he doesnt get too hot. Let us know how he is doing!! And congrats on joining the rest of us beardie lovers!! I think we are in a class all on our own..dont ya think??
Reply by Mike: Thanks to you folks who offered suggestions and thoughts. Just to update: After settling in, my beardie is now eating voraciously.
