Vacation issue????

[t4bluebird]

Ok I want to get a baby beardie its around 8 weeks old. I know they require constant attention but I will be gone for a week at the end of August and well I dont think the beardie can be left alone. What can I do? No one around me knows how to care for a dragon can I leave a lot of food there for it to eat and water and put it on timers? Thats what Im doing for my 6 yr old beardie. Dunno any suggestions?

 

[renich]

Unfortunately, a baby that young cannot be left unattended. I would try and educate the folks who you can rely on to take care of him for you while you are away or find a vet/clinic who does care, but you may run into relo stress.

You may want to see if they can hold your beardie until you return.

Good luck!

 

[t4bluebird]

thanks

 

[Craiger]

If you're like any of us, you're probably wanting to get it right away. But what if you waited 'til after your vacation? I know that would mean another 8 to 10 weeks of waiting, but maybe it could be a good scenario and allow you to do some additional homework in the meantime. You wouldn't have to be sitting idle the whole time. We could help you get your enclosure set up and your temps stabilized in the meantime. Then, when you do bring it home, everything's set up and ready for it.

 

[Craiger]

Just realized you have a 6-year-old beardie....so I guess there wouldn't be too much homework you'd have to do. Unless, that is, you have never had a baby beardie. Their needs are a bit different than an adult.

 

[t4bluebird]

LOL yeh I have done my homework this site helps a lot But the HUGE issue is the breeder is ready to sell now he is selling the beardie for 60 under store pricing and its a sandfire/orange german giant its a beautiful beardie. Ones like this run around 200 so I dont think he is willing to hold the lil guy for me. I dont know Im going to ask him if he can pet sit while Im gone for the week He lives in the same town my flight leaves and I can pick the beardie up when I come in. I dunno Ill keep my fingers crossed.

 

[renich]

That would be great if he would care for him while you are away....why is he selling him so cheap?

 

[Craiger]

LOL yeh I have done my homework this site helps a lot But the HUGE issue is the breeder is ready to sell now he is selling the beardie for 60 under store pricing and its a sandfire/orange german giant its a beautiful beardie. Ones like this run around 200 so I dont think he is willing to hold the lil guy for me. I dont know Im going to ask him if he can pet sit while Im gone for the week He lives in the same town my flight leaves and I can pick the beardie up when I come in. I dunno Ill keep my fingers crossed.

Ooh...I DEFINITELY understand that! Good luck on the beardie sitting issue.

 

[t4bluebird]

thanks I remembered here in NY we are graced with an association called R.A.R.E a rescue group but as a member they will board your lizard for a small fee for electric and food. I contacted them and they said no problem so Im getting the lil guy friday night and His tank is setup Just have to watch temps now so we will see. Man what a pain it is though setting a new tank up. Im so happy I am getting this guy at 60 dollars none the less I mean his parents are beautiful and the lil one is very very beautiful with red racing stripes and orange/brown tiger stripes down the sides !!!!! but do they really eat 75 crix a day to me that seems a lil on the dangerous side?

 

[Pogie]

do they really eat 75 crix a day to me that seems a lil on the dangerous side?

It varies between dragons, but 50-120 is what you can expect.
Just remember when you get him he may suffer a little relocation stress which may cause him to have a low appetite. Dont let it fool you. Once he is settled.... Its crickets away

 

[t4bluebird]

wow I hope my pet store can let me buy bulk cheaply lol. Ill have to post pics of him about a week after he arrives. I dont know if its a he or a she but Im a guy so natural tendencies make me say he.

 

[staylor]

Yes they eat that many. When Piggy was in her growth spurt she would eat 120+ crickets a day. Now that her growing has slowed she is only eating about 50 a day but she is now 10 months old. You can order your crickets online for WAYYYYYY less then the pet stores. I average $19-22+shipping/1,000 crickets depending on where I have to order them from. If you need help on getting a set up for that many crickets let us know and we can help get that set up.

 

[t4bluebird]

Yeah I have no idea how to keep that many crickets but ill def look into shipping them in. what would you keep that many in?

 

[staylor]

many keep them in a plastic bin with a hole cut out for ventilation. I found that for 2000 1/2 inch crickets a 10 gallon with a screen top works best. I feed them collard greens and do not put water in, they get their water from the thick stem of the collard leaf. I like to keep out foods with high water content b/c it raises the humidity too much and kills them. Here is the set up I had before I switched to a 10 gallon with screen lid:

this is a 50 gallon bin but an 18 gallon bin works just fine. I just had this big one b/c my neighbor threw it away and it was in perfect condition.

To attach the screen just take a knife and cut a big hole in the top. use hot glue to attach the screen, and I put clear tape 4inches below the inside edge of the bin to keep the crickets from climbing out. If you are keeping them outside let me know b/c there are a few other things you will have to do.

 

[beardie_love]

but do they really eat 75 crix a day to me that seems a lil on the dangerous side?

As Monique (Pogie) said, it's different with each dragon. Mine never ate more than 50 crickets a day.

If your little dude eats less than 50 a day, I wouldn't suggest buying more than 1000 crickets at a time, unless you're willing to keep up with the constant cleaning, since crickets smell real nasty if you don't clean the cricket home every 3 ish days. That's just my opinion.

For something to keep the crickets in, I'd just use a glass tank. But, put a strip of clear tape around the inside of the tank so that the crickets can't climb out and it would be less of a hassle and less escapes. And still, have a well-ventilated top. A bin as Sandra (staylor) suggested would work okay too, but I'd find one that they can't climb up the sides. But again, you could always still use the tape trick. Oh and make sure to provide 'furniture' for the crickets, such as toilet paper tubes, egg cartons, etc. Otherwise the crickets may eat each other (as well as if you don't provide food for them).

I found that for 2000 1/2 inch crickets a 10 gallon with a screen top works best.

Really? I've had about 1000 crickets in my 20 gallon tank and I thought that was a lot.

 

[corrine]

Breeding dubia roaches is a great way to save money on feeders too. It costs a litttle bit to get it going but once you do you won't have to buy feeders anymore.

 

[t4bluebird]

yeh but i dont think anyone in my neighborhood would be happy about me breeding roaches and seeing how my kid has a HUGE mouth they would find out and well there go his friends. Ill stick with 1000 crixs online and put them in a spare tank I have in the basement its not humid down there and stays cool.

 

[staylor]

I put 3-4 egg crates and 2 toilet paper tubes in there for climbing space. I would not put that many full grown crickets in a 10 gallon.

 

[t4bluebird]

ok by the time my lil guy can eat full grown crix i wont need to buy them by the thousands anyway.