Caring for Rosie the college bearded dragon

[Amber_Rosewood]

Hello, so I thought I may as well join a forum after agreeing to take care of Rosie the college 'pet' for Easter. I have been completing her duties on the husbandry plan but could do with some tips. I am studying a diploma in animal management but would appreciate the help. How often should I give baths? How many stools a day/week is normal for an adult female, is her whiteish foot just a shed sign? How many locusts to feed a day or week? What's the ideal basking temperature? Any other tips you guys can offer?
-Amber

 

[Gerald Smith]

I’m a new owner but I’ll answer what I can. It can be bathed 1-2x a week. Basking temp should be around 90-105 degrees for an adult. I believe the whitish skin is shed but could be something else post a pic and maybe someone can identify it.

 

[Future’s Mom]

How often should I give baths? You can’t “overdo” baths, so don’t worry about overbathing. Depending on Rosie’s age and whether she is shedding or not, she should soak 2x per week (dragons get their hydration through absorption). If she is shedding, It’s also a good idea to mist her at least once a day to help the process along.
How many stools a day/week is normal for an adult female? It depends on how much she is eating and her metabolism. She should poop every 1-3 days.
is her whiteish foot just a shed sign? Yep! The soaks will help with her shed. Heads up that she may seem lethargic or sad - that is typical for a shedding dragon.
How many locusts to feed a day or week? Depends on her age. How old is she? Are you also offering staple greens daily?

 

[Amber_Rosewood]

How often should I give baths? You can’t “overdo” baths, so don’t worry about overbathing. Depending on Rosie’s age and whether she is shedding or not, she should soak 2x per week (dragons get their hydration through absorption). If she is shedding, It’s also a good idea to mist her at least once a day to help the process along.
How many stools a day/week is normal for an adult female? It depends on how much she is eating and her metabolism. She should poop every 1-3 days.
is her whiteish foot just a shed sign? Yep! The soaks will help with her shed. Heads up that she may seem lethargic or sad - that is typical for a shedding dragon.
How many locusts to feed a day or week? Depends on her age. How old is she? Are you also offering staple greens daily?

Hey! Yeah I offer her fresh fruit/veg and greens every day (I follow the RSPCA guidelines for this) although she never eats it, the only time she does is when offered by tweezers and I'm lucky enough that she takes it. Her age I'm unsure of, definitely over a year. She is 36cm long female. I currently mist one a day and bath 2 to 3 times a week.

 

[Future’s Mom]

I had to giggle when you said she only takes it when you feed from tweezers. Dragons are funny like that - they are terribly messy eaters and also tend to be somewhat picky. Are you offering the greens before the insects? If the dragon sees she’s going to get insects, she will have no interest in her salad - live food is just way more fun! I’d try offering Rosie a variety of staple greens, veggies, and staple fruit for treats. Dragons LOVE raspberries and blackberries - if you mix tiny pieces in with her salad she will eat the greens to get to the berries. This list tells you everything you need to know about fruits & veggies:
http://blackninjakitty.com/herps/care/troystuttlegreeniglist.htm
Our beardie prefers mustard greens, dandelion greens, green beans, and he love love loves peas. We roll the peas around and he likes how they move. Another trick is putting small butter worms or Phoenix worms on top of the salad ( kind of like croutons) to entice her. If nothing works, I’d stop feeding insects for a bit and she will get desperate and eat her greens. It’s important for her to eat salads at her age!

Bearded Dragons are very social, and they genuinely enjoy human companionship. Rosie may just want you to hand feed her. You can try doing her feedings with tweezers each time to see if that warms her up to eating and feeling more comfortable.

 

[Future’s Mom]

Oh, forgot to mention your doing awesome with the bathing/misting - keep it up

 

[Amber_Rosewood]

I had to giggle when you said she only takes it when you feed from tweezers. Dragons are funny like that - they are terribly messy eaters and also tend to be somewhat picky. Are you offering the greens before the insects? If the dragon sees she’s going to get insects, she will have no interest in her salad - live food is just way more fun! I’d try offering Rosie a variety of staple greens, veggies, and staple fruit for treats. Dragons LOVE raspberries and blackberries - if you mix tiny pieces in with her salad she will eat the greens to get to the berries. This list tells you everything you need to know about fruits & veggies:
http://blackninjakitty.com/herps/care/troystuttlegreeniglist.htm
Our beardie prefers mustard greens, dandelion greens, green beans, and he love love loves peas. We roll the peas around and he likes how they move. Another trick is putting small butter worms or Phoenix worms on top of the salad ( kind of like croutons) to entice her. If nothing works, I’d stop feeding insects for a bit and she will get desperate and eat her greens. It’s important for her to eat salads at her age!

Bearded Dragons are very social, and they genuinely enjoy human companionship. Rosie may just want you to hand feed her. You can try doing her feedings with tweezers each time to see if that warms her up to eating and feeling more comfortable.

Thanks! I'll tell my college lecturer that! She took a piece of tomato (treat) and pepper today. Her salad is in her tank 24/7 and replaced daily, she doesn't mind once it's in her mouth, she also won't eat the locusts except when on tweezers . Poor Rosie was solely fed on wax worms when she was younger so yeah she's incredibly picky