amelia the dragon

ohh_kristina · 10-01-03, 11:21 AM

This is Amelia. She was sold to me as a hypo bearded dragon. Her parents are definately hypos..but she doesn't look like they do..will she change over time? I've had her since June, and she hatched in May. She is a little on the small side, and doesn't really eat much (about 10 crickets a day, and a few mouthfuls of greens). I have taken her to the vet and the fecals were clean, so nothing is wrong there. I guess she's just growing a little slower than the norm. She doesn't like to be held, but has gotten over gaping at me (thankfully). I'm hoping that once she grows a bit, I'll be able to hold her and interact with her a little more.

Edit- I forgot to add that she has only shed one time while in my care.

Big Mike · 10-01-03, 12:13 PM

Cute little girl you have there. She does not look starved to me. What size cricket are you feeding her? Maybe she would eat more if they were smaller. It's recommended that you feed crickets that are smaller than the space between their eyes. You could try other prey food. There are lots of worms that are safe for beardies in moderate amounts. You may hear otherwise but I'd stay away from feeding meal worms though. Silkworms are supposed to be very nutritious. Keep trying and make sure she gets her supplemental calcium and nutrients, make sure she is drinking too.

She looks pretty good to me. Beardies are sometimes said to "grow into" their colors. If both the parents are hypo, there is a great chance that she will look like them.

I had a little beardie that would eat very little and he did not grow much at all for more than a month. I hand fed him a liquefied food with a syringe for a while and now he is doing great. Yours looks a lot healthier than mine did so I don't think you need to do this.

ohh_kristina · 10-01-03, 12:45 PM

I have tried silkworms and she wasn't interested in them. She eats medium crickets, which aren't bigger than the space between her eyes. I have tried leaving crickets in her enclosure for longer than the usual 15 minutes, but she won't eat them either way. She only eats about 5 to 10 crickets a day.

drewlowe · 10-01-03, 12:59 PM

She is such a little cutie!!!

You could try butterworms, small grasshoppers (even though you might wait till she's a little older for that unless you can get them small enough). What kind of greens are you feeding her??? Also Rep-cal bearded dragon pellets are good.

I give my babies and adults a huge variety of different foods but everyday the get thier food pellets. And 3 times a week i supplement them with rep-cal calcium no phospherous and herptivitamin with a 6:1 ratio.

On the handling try to work with her about 15 mins a day. Try to approch her on her level (as in try to pick her up from her level or lower). I know most cages open from the top so it will be a little dificult.

Good luck if you have any other questions feel free to ask.

Jamie

ohh_kristina · 10-01-03, 01:03 PM

I feed her mustard greens and sometimes I chop up a little bit of kale and mix it in with the greens. I will try butterworms, though. Thanks!

eyespy · 10-01-03, 01:07 PM

How hot is her basking temp? Sometimes just bumping things up a few degrees can really increase their appetite. I've had some hatchlings that needed their basking temp as high as 118 degrees.

She's a definite cutie and her colors might lighten up as she gets older.

ohh_kristina · 10-01-03, 01:08 PM

Her basking temp is only 96 right now, but I will up it to 100. thanks!

eyespy · 10-01-03, 01:36 PM

Beardies need a core body temp of 103 in order to digest their food so I'd raise it at least that high. Adults with lots of dense bone tussue and a good amount of body fat can achieve a good core temp with exposure to quality UVB lighting at lower temps but juveniles usually need the heat to come directly from their environment.