Hello Everyone!

[NickG1987]

Hi guys, and gals! I am a first time beardie owner. I just purchased Gojira three days ago. It has not been as easy as the man at the pet store made it out to seem. He hooked me up with Gojira, and a pre-made kit he said was "totally sweet." It was not totally sweet, it was totally shi*. I won't go into many details here, but I already highly recommend people away from Zilla products already. Anyway, the first three days have been somewhat interesting. The first day he ate 11 1/4" crickets, the guy said he might not eat much the first few days due to stress, so I was hopeful. The second day, he didn't eat ANYTHING, which I'm not going to lie, scared the crap out of me. He was laying totally flat, not moving much at all which also concerned me. A quick 2-hour search on the internet turned up that he might be cold, I went to the store and bought a 75w intense heat bulb and put it in, 5 minutes later, up running around proudly sticking his head in the air soakin' up that heat. He still wouldn't eat anything, and hadn't gone poo, which still left me concerned. Today, day three, I could only get him to eat ONE cricket, so I checked on the interwebs and came across wax worms, usually a treat apparently, but loaded with all the good stuff he is refusing to take in, another trip to the store and the guy said even if I could get him to eat one it would be like he ate quite a few crickets. I did get him to eat just one which relieved me some, and he finally went poo which totally relieved me, because at this point I was concerned about possible impaction after feasting on 11 crickets and not going until this point. So, at this point, my story is over, I'm not trying to start a blog here. lol. But If anyone has an advice or questions they think could help this whole thing go a little smoother, perhaps some hidden secrets or tricks, I would greatly appreciate it. Also, I have attached a couple of pictures to see Gojira, he's a total camera hog! I know he is young but I have no idea what kind of beardie he is, so if anyone could point me in a direction I would appreciate that too. Thanks guys!!

 

[PatsyB]

Welcome to the forum!

Unfortunately, those pre made kits look pretty but they have a whole lot of what you don't need. Zilla products aren't all bad, you just have to buy them individually as you need them and mix and match with other brands.

With your 75w bulb, make sure your temps in the basking spot are around 110 degrees. Make sure you have a UVB bulb (preferably a fluorecent T5 or T8 type bulb). Even though he ate real good the first day there still is a chance he will not eat much the days after. He's still settling in and the first day was fun but now it's going to start to sink in that "oh, i'm going to stay here" and he is going to take some time to adjust.

 

[Elemental Dragon Lord]

Welcome to your new addiction. Everything you wrote has happened to alot of people, yes even I was caught off guard despite reading a ton of articles on dragons. Then something new happens and you are 15 miles down the road thinking your dragon is dieing and he just had gas.

 

[SpikeDragon714]

Have you tried soaking him yet? If he is impacted or dehydrated that will help. So will spritzing him every once in a while. They can't detect still water but if you soak or spritz them, it will get them drinking. We also bought that kit for our first beardie and wound up using less than half of it! Lol! Oh well, live and learn! I have found some great Zilla products though so don't discount them all! The other thing I would mention is a lot of times when you bring them home from the pet store they can have parasites and need some vet care to get rid of them so you might consider a trip to your local herp vet. He's a cute little guy! Good luck!