Mandatory Introduction.

[LAME]

Greetings new forum,

I've been the proud owner of two beardies now for a little over half a year, so I decided it was about time to join a forum dedicated to the bearded dragon.
I've been a keeper of aliens (praying mantids) for 3 years and now branching into reptiles.

Located in illinois.
-LAME.

 

[Eavlynn]

Welcome to the forum! Tons of good info and good people here. We love sharing stories about our dragons, and pictures are a must! You can post pictures of your mantids in the other pets category. I think they are beautiful little creatures and would love to see yours

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[LAME]

Welcome to the forum! Tons of good info and good people here. We love sharing stories about our dragons, and pictures are a must! You can post pictures of your mantids in the other pets category. I think they are beautiful little creatures and would love to see yours

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Thanks, will do.

 

[RaeAnn]

Welcome [emoji4]


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[Hdrydr31]

Welcome to the forum and to beardies they are great!! A few of us put together info for new comers you'll find the link below some of our comments lots of great info..
Look forward to seeing pictures. I have 2 a 1 1/2 female Izzy, 10 month male Simon

 

[Stacia Law]

I have recently become the proud grandparent of Sailor Jerry. My son was unable to have him where he was going to school. He is about 4.5 years old. He stopped eating when he moved here. I did take him to the vet. She said to bathe him everyday and syringe feed him till this passes. I know nothing about these little guys, but am quickly becoming enamored of them. It looks like this forum is very valuable for advice!
Thank you!
Stacia and Jerry

 

[RaeAnn]

I have recently become the proud grandparent of Sailor Jerry. My son was unable to have him where he was going to school. He is about 4.5 years old. He stopped eating when he moved here. I did take him to the vet. She said to bathe him everyday and syringe feed him till this passes. I know nothing about these little guys, but am quickly becoming enamored of them. It looks like this forum is very valuable for advice!
Thank you!
Stacia and JerryView attachment 15472 View attachment 15472

He's absolutely beautiful and props to you for taking him in and keeping him in the family
This forum has some great people that are always so helpful so if you have any questions or concerns don't hesitate to ask.
Until than, if you would like to you are welcome to share a picture of his enclosure as well as some info about his diet and we can all come together and help you make any necessary tweaks that may need to be made.
Welcome to the forum, looking forward to hearing more about your guy [emoji4]


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[Canicke]

howdy. like raeann said - info about his housing may help us. also, too - sometimes these guys will go through what one of our members used to call "moving sickness" - it just takes em a little bit of time to adjust to new surroundings. they are hardy creatures. how long have you had him ?

 

[Stacia Law]

Wow! Thank you both! I have made a paste out of gourmet bearded dragon food-pellets, dried worms and I added some bok choy and a pinch of calcium. I soak him for about 10 minutes @ about 2:00 in the afternoon. I then take him outside for about 45 minutes. I have an enclosure I put him in so he can soak up the sun freely. When he starts getting active, I give him the paste with an altered oral syringe. He then goes back in to his outside enclosure, runs around and usually poops. His inside enclosure is next to a window. I have a UVB light and a ceramic heat emitter above. The bottom temp runs 65 in the morning to 85 during the day. The upper level measures 70 in the morning to about 90-95 in the afternoon. I have also added a blockout curtain to the window for night time since our evenings are getting much cooler. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you-
Stacia & Jerry

 

[Stacia Law]

howdy. like raeann said - info about his housing may help us. also, too - sometimes these guys will go through what one of our members used to call "moving sickness" - it just takes em a little bit of time to adjust to new surroundings. they are hardy creatures. how long have you had him ?

Hi! I have only had him a couple of months. When he was with my son, they were in a humid coastal climate. My climate is hot and dry, soon to be very cold. I am still playing with different lights/heat emitters because our climate is changing

 

[RaeAnn]

Overall things sounds and look really good. The fact that your outside temperatures are allowing you to have him in an outside enclosure for now is excellent! Nothing beats natural UVB rays.

I will be completely honest with you and state that after a few months he should be settled in enough to no longer be refusing food due to relocation stress. Another user may see an area to offer advice in as I'm not the most experienced on here. But it is most likely something very simple that can be easily fixed. Is he able to get direct sunlight when he is outside?


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[Canicke]

couple of thoughts - you might consider moving the viv away from the outside window - glass can intensify heat : it may get TOO hot for him! If it gets below 65 use the heat emitter 24/7. eating and pooping are good. running around is good. it sounds like you're on the right track. I would suggest offering him greens daily - let him decide to eat them. if you continue to syringe feed him, he may get to expect that ! Please - do not use bok choy as a staple green - it is considered a "goitrogen" - not a good thing all the time. spinach and cabbage fall into this category, also. why do you soak him daily? It is a myth that they absorb water through their vent. He's a cutie ! It's a learning process - enjoy the journey

 

[PatsyB]

@LAME Welcome from another Illinoisan! Sorry your introductory post got overtaken, but that sometimes happens on a forum. I think praying mantises are so interesting, I've never seen one in person though.

@Stacia Law A couple of things, you want their tank to mimic natural lighting as much as possible so during the day you want bright natural looking light. A white basking light should be used during the day to get his basking temperature 95-100 degrees. At night when his tank temp drops below 65 degrees, that is when you use the CHE. They need a temperature drop at night to regulate their temps but they also need it completely dark at night. The best option for a UVB bulb is a strip tube style bulb. The compact fluorescents are okay for a temporary set up and coil bulbs are just horrible. They hurt their eyes and they don't put enough UVB out.

Another serious thing I noticed is the humidity. Humidity should be no higher than 40 percent. Anything higher will cause bacteria spores to grow and he could potentially get a bacterial skin infection or an upper respiratory infection.

At the bottom of my comment there is a link to some general basic information that a few of us put together. It can be real helpful.

 

[LAME]

Haha, no it's all good.

 

[Hdrydr31]

welcome and that's awesome that you took him in .. just keep offering different bugs and greens.. I would ditto what patsyb has posted...also I would suggest trimming his nails and take a look at the link below some of our comments for additional info that you will find helpful..