This was kind of thrust upon me...

[diegothediggy]

Wow wot a story. Well dobe u for bein a hero. It give uba great feeling saving an animal u shud b real proud of ur self. Ur viv looks great well it does now hehe. Bearies r such loving pets they like to b stoked and they r just the best. Ifelt the same way u did with crix they horrible i wnt feed them to my beardies coz they can bite so if she/he dnt eat them all u have to pik them bak out b4 lights off. Patsy has give u loadsa gud info there just take ur time to read up. I use hoppers (locus) for my beardies the easu to keep dnt make noise and cnt bite the worde they can do is jump a little an as for a bug goes i think they look rather cute. As for ur lighting tgey need day and nite just like us. I have my lights set on timers so thry go off and in the same time each day. If u worried bout mites u can take a poop sample ro ur local vet n they will check it for u. The glass dancing is normal mine so this wen they want out. Keep us updated and gud luck to both of ya.

 

[still_crimson]

I will look into that. I have moved the uvb strip light to sit diagonally across the top of the cage, as I don't have room any other way to get it close to the daylight. I also made the driftwood sit up a bit higher and moved the lamp almost directly over where the beardie is basking. I am still running the day and night light at the same time. Right now cage temp is reading at around 80 degrees, but therm is suction cupped to the back of the tank and the dome is sitting in the middle, so surely his basking spot is quite a bit warmer than that. My local pet shop is actually closed today so I have to wait until tomorrow. I left the heat lamp on last night to be safe. Still alive. I have tried sexing it and based off of pictures I think it's a girl. There's one tiny bulge directly in the middle at the base of the tail. I gave fresh lettuce and shredded carrot this morning but she hasn't touched it yet, she's been basking instead. Last night after I got off of here she scratched her head twice with her hind legs and then rubbed her head on the driftwood once or twice. I read this may mean she is getting ready to shed. The problem is I don't know what her normal color is because I haven't seen her before, so I don't know if it's that or not. I am also a bit confused as what to do. I have read that she should be misted but confused as to how much and how often, and I have also read not to do that because it can cause a respitory infection. I don't think the water in the bowl is enough for her to completely immerse herself if she tries. I didn't want to put too much in because I read they can drown.

 

[still_crimson]

Thank you diego. I know there's a vet that does the guinea pigs I'm taking in this weekend, I need to call and see about bearded dragons.

 

[still_crimson]

I remember Patsy that you said they are regulating their temperature when they open their mouths. I did some more reading on that and it said that they do that when they reach their ideal temperature so they don't overheat. Until I can get back to the store for a diff. bulb and digital thermometer, would that then be an indicator that the basking spot is sufficient in temp? She had her mouth open for a bit again. Her breathing isn't labored so I don't think she has a respatory infection.

 

[diegothediggy]

Yeh lazy beardies gape when they nice n warm n cnt b bothered movin. Hehe Diegos a gaper Boris a mover hehe

 

[PatsyB]

Yep, sounds like she'd doing real good! You are doing everything right

As far as the scratching goes and the head rubbing, those are classic signs of shedding. It could also be water in her ear but I doubt that is the case. When they get ready to shed, their skin in spots will have like a white sheath over it. I say in spots because they don't shed their whole body at once. One week it could be the tail, next week a leg, next week head. When they are that small they shed all the time so it's really hard to tell what color they really are sometimes. I personally don't mist my beardies. I give them warm water baths every couple of days or so. Maybe more if they look like they are having a miserable shed.

 

[still_crimson]

OK. What is the humidity at in your beardie cage? Mine is at about 20% according to the gauge. And how long do you let them soak for and how warm should the water be? And with frequency, you said every couple of days, is this just when they are shedding or an ongoing thing?

 

[PatsyB]

My humidity 20-30 degrees. The water should be like the temp you would use for a baby, not too cold but not too hot. I do the wrist test. Dexter (my older one) gets baths a few times a week because she will only poop in the bath! She's strange, she refuses to go in her tank. Luci on the other hand will go where ever he feels like so I give him a bath at least once a week. Twice if he looks like he needs a soak. Dexter will drink water out of a bowl on her own, Luci doesn't so if I think he looks a little dehydrated I'll soak him. I would say I probably leave them in the water for about 30 min. Dexter likes to play in the water, Luci not so much.

Oh and I forgot, one bump is a girl! Congrats!

 

[still_crimson]

Thank you. I think I am going to name her Sachi. It's Japanese for "Girl child of bliss". And if I'm wrong and it's too early to tell then he will have a she name. lol. Should I be worried she hasn't touched her veggies yet?

 

[PatsyB]

Sachi is a real pretty name!

I named both mine before we knew what sex they were. Now we have a girl named Dexter and a boy named Luci. We finally adjusted to calling Dexter "she" but we are having a real hard time calling Luci "he".

 

[still_crimson]

Lol. I still really like the names!

 

[still_crimson]

The thermometer is now reading closer to 9o but as discussed it's not right under the light. Sachi is opening her mouth more frequently. Maybe it will be ok with the bulbs I have? She's a couple inches closer to the light now. If it gets too warm will they move? Or will they stay and bask regardless?

 

[still_crimson]

I'm guessing it wasn't reading this high last night because the lights weren't on as long as they have been for today.

 

[PatsyB]

Yep, she'll move if she gets too hot.

 

[still_crimson]

Good. Okay well I have laundry and room rearranging to do for the piggies that are coming Saturday. My laptop is on the kitchen table next to Sachi. It's hard to get motivated. I just want to sit and watch her.

 

[PatsyB]

I was going to ask you if you were just sitting there watching her! It is hard to tear your eyes away from them. I am always late for work because I'm always going back for one more peek!

 

[still_crimson]

LOL

 

[diegothediggy]

Wen u say lettuce its not iceberg is it that no gud for beardies? As for the salad i wudnr worry to much she only young yet she will cum rnd

 

[still_crimson]

Well I had Sachi out for a little bit. Definitely more active than yesterday. She sat still for about two minutes and then tried to take off exploring the couch. I put her in a tub of shallow warm water and she was ok for a bit as I dripped some water over her back, and then freaked out so I took her out for a bit and then returned her for a bit to make sure she was getting wet enough to help with shedding. She freaked out again so I took her out. I just got done feeding her baby crickets. I dusted them and she scarfed down 11. She could have probably kept going but I stopped there because I only bought 2 dozen yesterday and about 7 of them died, so I wanted to make sure I have a few left for tomorrow. I'm sure it's more than she's had for quite a while though and am glad to see her eating so actively. I am going to go back and buy more tomorrow. I have probably the smallest critter keeper they make and am wondering how many crickets I can keep in there so I don't have to run to the town next town every two days. I have the blue gut load gel in there and put a little bit of water in the bottom to keep it hydrated plus pellet cricket food. I don't know why so many died but am wondering if that's normal or maybe because they were in my car for quite a while after I purchased them in their little baggie because I had to run around and get the screen lid fixed and then get my daughter from school and then get bleach to sterilize Sachi's cage, etc before I had a chance to stop at home and drop them off. Also this cage carpet is a pain in the butt for feeding crickets! It doesn't lay flat so a couple kept getting under the carpet, so I had to keep lifting it up and hold while I put Sachi on the glass bottom to eat. At least she's eating though! And taking the reptile cave out made it much easier, cuz they tried hiding in there. How many baby crickets do dragons this small normally eat in one setting? I have no idea how much to stock up on.

 

[still_crimson]

Also, she was only about out for about 10 minutes before she started to feel cold, prior to warm bath. Is this normal because she is so little or could that be indicating a problem?