I cleaned out the enclosure today. I fed Booster and Lolly first, then cleared out everything. I was a bit concerned about whether or not we would have enough crickets for the Dragons over the long weekend, so I wanted to check if I could reclaim any that had wandered behind the rock wall display at the back of the enclosure. It was a good opportunity to take everything out and make sure it all got a wipe down or shake out where required. Lolly and Booster were in the tote tray and were both pretty flighty, but I gave them a cuddle on the way back in to make them feel better.
I think I managed to relcaim about a dozen or more crickets hiding out the back. Adding those to the ones I already knew about, I think we have the long weekend covered. If this was not the case I was going to pick some more up when I went to check on Lizzy tomorrow. I think we'll be right though.
Lizzy Puff
Food: NA
Toilet: NA
Behaviour: Lizzy is still at Reptiles Inc. getting some TLC. I will contact them tomorrow to check on her.
Booster
Food: None witnessed.
Toilet: Yes
Behaviour: Didn't witness Booster eating anything today. He seems active enough and I am starting to see him hunt around a bit in a similar way to Lolly, so he still seems fine enough. I saw some more waving today which is always interesting.
I saw some sandy colourouration in Booster today, which makes me wonder if he might have a little Central Bearded Dragon in her. Lolly is much darker by comparison and her markings are quite different as well.
Lolly
Food: 4-6 crickets
Toilet: Yes
Behaviour: Lolly is going from strength to strength. She has been eating well, chasing down crickets at every opportunity. I even caught her having a go at some carrot that I have put in their with the Dragons to get them used to it. She is another one that likes to run away when I try to handle her, but, is happy to be safely held when I have her.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Dragon Diary - 30/03/2010
Lizzy Puff
Food: NA
Toilet: NA
Behaviour: As JT mentioned yesterday, Lizzy is off at the Reptile Store getting some expert TLC. I will be checking in on her progress on Thursday. I was quite hopeful after my trip in as Sarah (the staff member I have been dealing with) was very positive about Lizzy's health. She said that while it was a concern that Lizzy hadn't been eating, she was still in a good state. A good indicator was that when the container she was in was moved, her head tracked (moved) to maintain her line of sight. This is a sign that her sense of her centre of gravity was still intact. This is one of the first things to go when a baby Dragon is in trouble.
We'll see how Lizzy is on Thursday. Who knows we may end up with Three Dragons at the end of it all!
I just wanted to add here that Reptiles Inc. where we got our Dragons and supplies have been fantastic. Their advice and support throughout the experience has been amazing! So if you are in the Canberra region (or beyond) they are well worth a look. The private collection on display is fantastic too.
Booster
Food: none witnessed in the last day or so, but confident that he has been sneaking a cricket or two while we're out.
Toilet: Yes
Behaviour: Booster has been getting used to Lolly in the enclosure with him. He appears to be taking a relatively submissive posture towards her (we're thinking of Lolly as a her for now). In gerneal he seems quite normal and happy enough. He doesn't take to being handled and certainly won't go for food if I pick him up and place him on the floor of the enclosure as I put the crickets in. He tends to want to feed on the sly and chase the odd cricket down while we are either out or he thinks we're not watching. Who'd of thought there were cheeky Dragons!
Lolly
Food: 5-7 crickets over 2 days
Toilet: Yes
Behaviour: Lolly is settling in really well. Like Booster she is a little reluctant to be handled. Once she is held though, she is quiet enough. JT held her for the first time this evening and was really chuffed. Her colourings are much darker that either Lizzy or Booster making her easy to pick.
I put some crickets in the enclosure yesterday shortly after I put Lolly in and she was very happy to snap a couple up. Again today, after I put her on the floor and popped some crickets in, she went straight at them grabbing 2 quickly. She chased down at least one more roaming cricket shortly after too. So she appears to be feeding quite well.
Lolly likes to sit atop the highest perch in the enclosure. From what I have read, this is a sign of dominance. The senior Dragon will always look to take the best basking spot, which, is usually the highest point. I never saw Booster as a dominant one, he continues to hand wave, towards Lolly now. Funny how Lolly has just slotted in apparantly happy as Larry as they say. I suspect that one day we will find out that Lolly is the boy and Booster is the girl. Won't that be a fun day :-).
Food: NA
Toilet: NA
Behaviour: As JT mentioned yesterday, Lizzy is off at the Reptile Store getting some expert TLC. I will be checking in on her progress on Thursday. I was quite hopeful after my trip in as Sarah (the staff member I have been dealing with) was very positive about Lizzy's health. She said that while it was a concern that Lizzy hadn't been eating, she was still in a good state. A good indicator was that when the container she was in was moved, her head tracked (moved) to maintain her line of sight. This is a sign that her sense of her centre of gravity was still intact. This is one of the first things to go when a baby Dragon is in trouble.
We'll see how Lizzy is on Thursday. Who knows we may end up with Three Dragons at the end of it all!
I just wanted to add here that Reptiles Inc. where we got our Dragons and supplies have been fantastic. Their advice and support throughout the experience has been amazing! So if you are in the Canberra region (or beyond) they are well worth a look. The private collection on display is fantastic too.
Booster
Food: none witnessed in the last day or so, but confident that he has been sneaking a cricket or two while we're out.
Toilet: Yes
Behaviour: Booster has been getting used to Lolly in the enclosure with him. He appears to be taking a relatively submissive posture towards her (we're thinking of Lolly as a her for now). In gerneal he seems quite normal and happy enough. He doesn't take to being handled and certainly won't go for food if I pick him up and place him on the floor of the enclosure as I put the crickets in. He tends to want to feed on the sly and chase the odd cricket down while we are either out or he thinks we're not watching. Who'd of thought there were cheeky Dragons!
Lolly
Food: 5-7 crickets over 2 days
Toilet: Yes
Behaviour: Lolly is settling in really well. Like Booster she is a little reluctant to be handled. Once she is held though, she is quiet enough. JT held her for the first time this evening and was really chuffed. Her colourings are much darker that either Lizzy or Booster making her easy to pick.
I put some crickets in the enclosure yesterday shortly after I put Lolly in and she was very happy to snap a couple up. Again today, after I put her on the floor and popped some crickets in, she went straight at them grabbing 2 quickly. She chased down at least one more roaming cricket shortly after too. So she appears to be feeding quite well.
Lolly likes to sit atop the highest perch in the enclosure. From what I have read, this is a sign of dominance. The senior Dragon will always look to take the best basking spot, which, is usually the highest point. I never saw Booster as a dominant one, he continues to hand wave, towards Lolly now. Funny how Lolly has just slotted in apparantly happy as Larry as they say. I suspect that one day we will find out that Lolly is the boy and Booster is the girl. Won't that be a fun day :-).
Monday, March 29, 2010
JT's Update
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| Our newest Dragon Lolly |
Booster is going very well. We don't see him eat much, but, he is getting bigger so he must be eating.
Lolly has been eating a bit this afternoon. It was my idea to call her Lolly.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Dragon Diary - 28/03/2010
Lizzy Puff
Food: None
Toilet: No
Behaviour: All Lizzy wants to do is sleep pretty much. I picked her up and tried feeding her outside the enclosure today. She didn't feel warm enough and didn't look like she had the energy to move. I'll take her to the reptile store tomorrow to see if there is anything they can do for her. I don't hold out much hope.
Booster
Food: 1 cricket witnessed (I suspect there were more)
Toilet: not that I saw
Behaviour: I saw Booster go after a cricket climbing on the back wall of the enclosure today, which, was quite encouraging. I also saw him on the hunt later in the day and even take a bath in the water dish! So hopefully he is learning that there is a good water supply in there with him. He is starting to like the spray of water that I give them every day too. So I feel like he is getting fluids.
I took Booster out of the enclousre and put him in the tote tray again today. He's too stressed by being in there and by me in general to eat any of the crickets I put in there with him. I am hopeful that as time passes I will be able to feed him in there. That way at least I will be confident of what he is eating. I saw a good video of someone feeding their Dragon in a similar way yesterday. Here is a link to the video on YouTube - Feeding Video. A kid and his Dragon. Aint it sweet :-).
Food: None
Toilet: No
Behaviour: All Lizzy wants to do is sleep pretty much. I picked her up and tried feeding her outside the enclosure today. She didn't feel warm enough and didn't look like she had the energy to move. I'll take her to the reptile store tomorrow to see if there is anything they can do for her. I don't hold out much hope.
Booster
Food: 1 cricket witnessed (I suspect there were more)
Toilet: not that I saw
Behaviour: I saw Booster go after a cricket climbing on the back wall of the enclosure today, which, was quite encouraging. I also saw him on the hunt later in the day and even take a bath in the water dish! So hopefully he is learning that there is a good water supply in there with him. He is starting to like the spray of water that I give them every day too. So I feel like he is getting fluids.
I took Booster out of the enclousre and put him in the tote tray again today. He's too stressed by being in there and by me in general to eat any of the crickets I put in there with him. I am hopeful that as time passes I will be able to feed him in there. That way at least I will be confident of what he is eating. I saw a good video of someone feeding their Dragon in a similar way yesterday. Here is a link to the video on YouTube - Feeding Video. A kid and his Dragon. Aint it sweet :-).
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Dragon Diary - 27/03/2010
I've updated the site with a new template and background image. Depending on the size of your monitor, you should see Booster's head looking at you on the left. If you scroll down the page a bit, past the links on the right, you will see Lizzy sneaking alook through the lighter white background as well. I am still getting the hang of things, but, I am pretty happy with the progress of the blog so far.
Lizzy Puff
Food: None witnessed
Toilet: No
Behaviour: Lizzy is looking lethargic and not interested in food at all. If I don't see her eat anything tomorrow, I will be taking her to see the people at the reptile store to get some advice. They said to bring her in if I was concerned and I am now. With all the reading I have been doing about Bearded Dragons in the last few days, despite conflicting information from time to time, not eating is never a good sign....
Booster
Food: 3 or 4 witnessed (suspect a couple more)
Toilet: Yes
Behaviour: Booster seems to be energetic enough. I have seen him chase down a couple of crickets that were roaming in the tank a couple of times today. He seems pretty casual about it, but, it is pleasing to seem him at least interested in food. His belly looks to be a healthy size without being big.
After doing a bit of reading as I said earlier, I am wondering if Booster is actually the girl! Hand waving is reported to be a submissive gesture by female Bearded Dragons or less dominant males according to one site I read (read more here). Also if you look at the picture at the top right of this page of the two Dragons basking, Booster is underneath and to the right, if you look at his\her head, it looks, to me at least, to be a little less pointed front to back than Lizzy. This is an indicator of being a female as well. It's still very early, so I could easily be wrong. Time will tell.
Lizzy Puff
Food: None witnessed
Toilet: No
Behaviour: Lizzy is looking lethargic and not interested in food at all. If I don't see her eat anything tomorrow, I will be taking her to see the people at the reptile store to get some advice. They said to bring her in if I was concerned and I am now. With all the reading I have been doing about Bearded Dragons in the last few days, despite conflicting information from time to time, not eating is never a good sign....
Booster
Food: 3 or 4 witnessed (suspect a couple more)
Toilet: Yes
Behaviour: Booster seems to be energetic enough. I have seen him chase down a couple of crickets that were roaming in the tank a couple of times today. He seems pretty casual about it, but, it is pleasing to seem him at least interested in food. His belly looks to be a healthy size without being big.
After doing a bit of reading as I said earlier, I am wondering if Booster is actually the girl! Hand waving is reported to be a submissive gesture by female Bearded Dragons or less dominant males according to one site I read (read more here). Also if you look at the picture at the top right of this page of the two Dragons basking, Booster is underneath and to the right, if you look at his\her head, it looks, to me at least, to be a little less pointed front to back than Lizzy. This is an indicator of being a female as well. It's still very early, so I could easily be wrong. Time will tell.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Dragon Diary - 26/03/2010
Lizzy Puff
Food: 1:00pm, 5:45pm - none witnessed
Toilet: Unknown
Behaviour: Lizzy still seems happy enough. I haven't seen her eat anything in two days, but, I think she must have had something, at least I hope she has. I rang the reptile shop today to ask some more advice. They suggested that I take Booster out of the enclosure and attempt to feed Lizzy while he was out of sight in case he has been dominant enough to put Lizzy off eating while he is around. Lizzy still chose not to eat.
I managed to weigh Lizzy today. She is only 6 grams. Mind you, Booster is only 8 grams so there is not that much in it yet really. I hope I can see her eat tomorrow.
Booster
Food: 1:00pm - 3 crickets, 5:45pm - none.
Toilet: Unknown
Behaviour: On the advice of the reptile store, I took Booster out of the enclosure while I tried to give Lizzy some room to move and confidence to eat. I put him in a large plastic tote tray. You can picture something you might store clothes in under your bed (which is what I used to do with this one). A bit of newspaper on the bottom and we were in business. I put a cricket in there with him, just in case he might have a shot at it.
He was very nervous while in the make shift enclosure. This was not helped by the excitement of offspring number 2 (my other daughter who is 2 years old). She was happily waving to booster and loudly greeting him "HELLO BOOSTA" about 5 cms from his head and wondering why he kept running away :-). Needless to say he was not interested in eating any crickets while that was going on.
I had a crack at weighing and measuring Booster. I put a ruler in the tote tray with him and my best estimate is that he is between 15-16cm. An adult male Eastern Bearded Dragon will grow up to 60cm. So he has a way to go yet. I'm not sure how heavy they get, I'll see what I can dig up on that one, but, at the moment, Booster is 8 grams according to the kitchen scales.
Food: 1:00pm, 5:45pm - none witnessed
Toilet: Unknown
Behaviour: Lizzy still seems happy enough. I haven't seen her eat anything in two days, but, I think she must have had something, at least I hope she has. I rang the reptile shop today to ask some more advice. They suggested that I take Booster out of the enclosure and attempt to feed Lizzy while he was out of sight in case he has been dominant enough to put Lizzy off eating while he is around. Lizzy still chose not to eat.
I managed to weigh Lizzy today. She is only 6 grams. Mind you, Booster is only 8 grams so there is not that much in it yet really. I hope I can see her eat tomorrow.
Booster
Food: 1:00pm - 3 crickets, 5:45pm - none.
Toilet: Unknown
Behaviour: On the advice of the reptile store, I took Booster out of the enclosure while I tried to give Lizzy some room to move and confidence to eat. I put him in a large plastic tote tray. You can picture something you might store clothes in under your bed (which is what I used to do with this one). A bit of newspaper on the bottom and we were in business. I put a cricket in there with him, just in case he might have a shot at it.
He was very nervous while in the make shift enclosure. This was not helped by the excitement of offspring number 2 (my other daughter who is 2 years old). She was happily waving to booster and loudly greeting him "HELLO BOOSTA" about 5 cms from his head and wondering why he kept running away :-). Needless to say he was not interested in eating any crickets while that was going on.
I had a crack at weighing and measuring Booster. I put a ruler in the tote tray with him and my best estimate is that he is between 15-16cm. An adult male Eastern Bearded Dragon will grow up to 60cm. So he has a way to go yet. I'm not sure how heavy they get, I'll see what I can dig up on that one, but, at the moment, Booster is 8 grams according to the kitchen scales.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Dragon Diary - 25/03/2010
Lizzy Puff
Food: 5:00 pm - none seen
Toilet: probably
Behaviour:
Not very interested in food when offered. Really enjoyed the water spray that I did today. From the reading I have been doing, young dragons drink droplets of water off plants (dew etc). To simulate this, you can use a trigger action spray bottle to spray them and their surrounds with water. I have done this for the last few days. Lizzy will sit and lick the water off her face. I have even seen her lick water off a nearby leaf. I also put Lizzy in the water bowl and she drank a bit from there.
I am a bit concerned that Lizzy is too thin. When we got home from dinner tonight though, her belly looked a bit fuller, so she may have grabbed a quiet cricked while we were out.
Booster
Food: 5:00 pm - 1 cricket witnessed
Toilet: probably
Behaviour:
Booster is still very nervous about being handled, so I am minimising it where possible. He too was not fussed with food tonight, but, I did seem him take a crack and eat one cricket at least. I am thinking of ringing the reptile store tomorrow and asking if there are some slower moving critters that these guys might eat. Maybe mealworms are suitable. At least then I wouldn't have little creatures other than the dragons roaming the enclosure!
Food: 5:00 pm - none seen
Toilet: probably
Behaviour:
Not very interested in food when offered. Really enjoyed the water spray that I did today. From the reading I have been doing, young dragons drink droplets of water off plants (dew etc). To simulate this, you can use a trigger action spray bottle to spray them and their surrounds with water. I have done this for the last few days. Lizzy will sit and lick the water off her face. I have even seen her lick water off a nearby leaf. I also put Lizzy in the water bowl and she drank a bit from there.
I am a bit concerned that Lizzy is too thin. When we got home from dinner tonight though, her belly looked a bit fuller, so she may have grabbed a quiet cricked while we were out.
Booster
Food: 5:00 pm - 1 cricket witnessed
Toilet: probably
Behaviour:
Booster is still very nervous about being handled, so I am minimising it where possible. He too was not fussed with food tonight, but, I did seem him take a crack and eat one cricket at least. I am thinking of ringing the reptile store tomorrow and asking if there are some slower moving critters that these guys might eat. Maybe mealworms are suitable. At least then I wouldn't have little creatures other than the dragons roaming the enclosure!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Trial and Error
I ducked into the Reptile Store where Lizzy and Booster came from this afternoon on my way home from work. I wanted to ask a few questions about how we have been going about looking after our Dragons. I have been a little concerned that they have been appearing to only want to eat about every other day for example.The main thing to come out of my visit was temperature. I have read different things here and there, but, the main conclusion that I have come to is that 35C is about where I need to be under the heat lamp. I have a MicroClimate B1 Thermostat connected to the lamp the regulates the power to the bulb based on a sensor probe. From what I have learned today, I think I have had the sensor probe mounted too closely to the bulb and therefore the temperature has not been getting high enough. I also have a digital thermometer that has two probes. One probe I have mounted near to the heat bulb, the other at the other end of the enclosure. In this way I can have a good idea of the heat gradient accross the tank. Prior to moving the probe of the thermostat the temperature I was seeing at the warm end was about 31C. I am now seeing over 33C next to the lamp. So I believe that we are probably hitting the mark now.
As an indicator of this Booster was back head bobbing and hand waving this afternoon.I tried getting some photos, the best of shown here. They are not crash hot, but, I hope to get some better ones soon.
Dragon Diary - 24/03/2010
Lizzy Puff
Food: 2:30pm - 1 cricket (so far).
Toilet: Yes
Behaviour:
After adjusting the heat lamp set up (see general post later today) I saw Lizzy spot a cricket in a bush fair on the other side of the tank, race over and snaffle it up. It's the only thing I saw her eat, but, is a very encouraging sign. There are other crickets in the enclosure, so I am hoping that she will go for a couple of those, even if I don't see it first hand.
Last night Lizzy went to sleep hanging between two dangling vines suspended half way up the enclosure. She seems to like sleeping in the weirdest positions.
Booster
Food: 2:30pm - 3 crickets.
Toilet: Yes
Behaviour:
Booster is still quite nervous about being handled and flighty when I go near him. I was pleased to see him snap up 3 crickets when I sat back a bit. He even chase a couple of them down. I am hoping the temperature adjustments I am trying will work well for him too!
Booster looked like the king of the world when he went to sleep last night. He was poised atop the highest perch in the enclosure, chin resting comfortably in the nook of a branch.
Food: 2:30pm - 1 cricket (so far).
Toilet: Yes
Behaviour:
After adjusting the heat lamp set up (see general post later today) I saw Lizzy spot a cricket in a bush fair on the other side of the tank, race over and snaffle it up. It's the only thing I saw her eat, but, is a very encouraging sign. There are other crickets in the enclosure, so I am hoping that she will go for a couple of those, even if I don't see it first hand.
Last night Lizzy went to sleep hanging between two dangling vines suspended half way up the enclosure. She seems to like sleeping in the weirdest positions.
Booster
Food: 2:30pm - 3 crickets.
Toilet: Yes
Behaviour:
Booster is still quite nervous about being handled and flighty when I go near him. I was pleased to see him snap up 3 crickets when I sat back a bit. He even chase a couple of them down. I am hoping the temperature adjustments I am trying will work well for him too!
Booster looked like the king of the world when he went to sleep last night. He was poised atop the highest perch in the enclosure, chin resting comfortably in the nook of a branch.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Dragon Diary - 23/03/2010
Lizzy Puff
Food: None witnessed (dusted) 5:00pm
Toilet: Probably
Behaviour: Lizzy seems happy enough. But, not really ineterested in her food. I held 1 cricket in front of her that she took a pot shot at, but, she missed and then wasn't interested. I am going to do some research and maybe ring the store tomorrow just to check on the way we are doing things.
Booster
Food: 1 dusted cricket witnessed.
Toilet: Unsure
Behaviour: Not really interested in food again today. I did see him snaffle 1 cricket. But then was not interested in any others. I feel a bit like I am making a home for crickets as well as the Dragons at the moment! I might see if they will take crickets that are not dusted with Calcuim and vitamins tomorrow. See if that makes a difference.
Food: None witnessed (dusted) 5:00pm
Toilet: Probably
Behaviour: Lizzy seems happy enough. But, not really ineterested in her food. I held 1 cricket in front of her that she took a pot shot at, but, she missed and then wasn't interested. I am going to do some research and maybe ring the store tomorrow just to check on the way we are doing things.
Booster
Food: 1 dusted cricket witnessed.
Toilet: Unsure
Behaviour: Not really interested in food again today. I did see him snaffle 1 cricket. But then was not interested in any others. I feel a bit like I am making a home for crickets as well as the Dragons at the moment! I might see if they will take crickets that are not dusted with Calcuim and vitamins tomorrow. See if that makes a difference.
Monday, March 22, 2010
JT's First Post
I think lizards are cool!Lizzy and Booster like to watch us when we walk by.
Booster is very active. He likes running around the place and eating crickets. Lizzy Puff likes climbing and sleeping on the tree trunk.
Lizzy and Booster like lying on each other on their branch. Lizzy likes to hide and sleep in her bush. Booster likes to climb to the top of the tree branch to sleep and to watch us.
Dragon Diary - 22/03/2010
Lizzy Puff
Food: at least 2 crickets (dusted) 5:00pm
Toilet: probably
Behaviour: I witnessed Lizzy eat 2 crickets this afternoon, which, was encouraging. There were a couple of other crickets in the enclosure from this morning when I tried to feed them, but, neither were interested at about 8:50am, lesson learned on that one. I saw Lizzy chase a cricket (missed it), which, was also a good sign.
Whilst she is not jumpy when I go to handle her, she is still quite shy. When trying to feed them today I moved things around trying to get the crickets that were hiding out into the open as the dragons were not too fussed with them. Lizzy has been hiding in the greenery since. I sprayed water onto the plants so I hope at least that she is licking some water off the leaves. From the reading I have done, this is common in young Dragons.
Booster
Food: None witnessed (1 maybe)
Toilet: Yes
Behaviour: Not really interested in food. Did not see Booster eat any crickets. I believe that one of the crickets I release in the enclosure this morning was eaten, but, not entirely sure. I guess the big meal yesterday is still with him. I also left a lettuce leaf in the enclosure this morning before work. I see what I think is definately a couple of Dragon sized bites out of it, so one of them has had a nibble by the looks.
Booster was jumpy when I was handling him this afternoon. I sat him on my shirt for a while. When JT came for a look he ran down my back. I tried to help him into the enclosure a couple of times and eventually got him back in safely after a few little chases.
Food: at least 2 crickets (dusted) 5:00pm
Toilet: probably
Behaviour: I witnessed Lizzy eat 2 crickets this afternoon, which, was encouraging. There were a couple of other crickets in the enclosure from this morning when I tried to feed them, but, neither were interested at about 8:50am, lesson learned on that one. I saw Lizzy chase a cricket (missed it), which, was also a good sign.
Whilst she is not jumpy when I go to handle her, she is still quite shy. When trying to feed them today I moved things around trying to get the crickets that were hiding out into the open as the dragons were not too fussed with them. Lizzy has been hiding in the greenery since. I sprayed water onto the plants so I hope at least that she is licking some water off the leaves. From the reading I have done, this is common in young Dragons.
Booster
Food: None witnessed (1 maybe)
Toilet: Yes
Behaviour: Not really interested in food. Did not see Booster eat any crickets. I believe that one of the crickets I release in the enclosure this morning was eaten, but, not entirely sure. I guess the big meal yesterday is still with him. I also left a lettuce leaf in the enclosure this morning before work. I see what I think is definately a couple of Dragon sized bites out of it, so one of them has had a nibble by the looks.
Booster was jumpy when I was handling him this afternoon. I sat him on my shirt for a while. When JT came for a look he ran down my back. I tried to help him into the enclosure a couple of times and eventually got him back in safely after a few little chases.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Dragon Diary - 21/03/2010
Lizzy Puff
Food: Nothing at 12.30pm. Nothing at 5pm.
Toilet: Yes.
Behaviour: I tried picking Lizzy up and placing her on the floor of the enclosure when putting the crickets in at lunch time today. She wasn't interested and climbed back up to her basking spot. I even tried putting a cricket right in front of her up there with no luck. Going to try again this afternoon.
No joy with food again this afteroon. I dusted the crickets today with Calcium and Vitamins. They come out looking white, so maybe that put her off. I am going to try again in the morning. I have a few dusted crickets left, so if she doesn't eat them in the morning, I will try undusted ones tomorrow night.
Booster
Food: 7 crickets at 12.30pm. 4 crickets at 5pm.
Toilet: Yes.
Behaviour: Absolutely excited at the sign of food. Chased one would be escapee cricket at the other side of the enclosure half an hour after snaffling up 6 of its cohort. He fairly lept accross the tank after anything that looked like it could be eaten.
Booster was excited by the prospect of food again this afternoon and wolfed down another 4 crickets. Even though they were white he had no trouble snaffling them up! He doesn't seem agressive towards Lizzy, nor does he keep her away and not give her the opportunity for food. A bit of hand waving is about the only gestures that might give him away as the dominant one. He has been head bobbing and hand waving, which has been very interesting for all of us to see.
Food: Nothing at 12.30pm. Nothing at 5pm.
Toilet: Yes.
Behaviour: I tried picking Lizzy up and placing her on the floor of the enclosure when putting the crickets in at lunch time today. She wasn't interested and climbed back up to her basking spot. I even tried putting a cricket right in front of her up there with no luck. Going to try again this afternoon.
No joy with food again this afteroon. I dusted the crickets today with Calcium and Vitamins. They come out looking white, so maybe that put her off. I am going to try again in the morning. I have a few dusted crickets left, so if she doesn't eat them in the morning, I will try undusted ones tomorrow night.
Booster
Food: 7 crickets at 12.30pm. 4 crickets at 5pm.
Toilet: Yes.
Behaviour: Absolutely excited at the sign of food. Chased one would be escapee cricket at the other side of the enclosure half an hour after snaffling up 6 of its cohort. He fairly lept accross the tank after anything that looked like it could be eaten.
Booster was excited by the prospect of food again this afternoon and wolfed down another 4 crickets. Even though they were white he had no trouble snaffling them up! He doesn't seem agressive towards Lizzy, nor does he keep her away and not give her the opportunity for food. A bit of hand waving is about the only gestures that might give him away as the dominant one. He has been head bobbing and hand waving, which has been very interesting for all of us to see.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Dragon Diary - 20/03/2010
Lizzy Puff
Food: 4 crickets.
Toilet: Yes.
Behaviour: Very interested in food. Lizzy hunted the 4 crickets that she ate before climbing back up to her basking site to digest. We just observed her at the cooler end of the enclosure for the first time, lying under one of the plants on top of the hide cave.
Lizzy is quite receptive to being handled. We took her out of the enclosure for about 10 minutes and she appeared to be pretty comfortable.
Booster
Food: 5-6 crickets
Toilet: Yes
Behaviour: Very interested in food. Booster also hunted down his crickets. Possibly would have eaten more crickets if offered. We tried to limit Booster a bit to avoid a pattern forming where he eats more than Lizzy and their sizes get too different. Booster hunted down a couple of crickets that got away at first and came out of hiding only to be eaten quick smart! He has been quite active in the enclosure.
Booster is a bit flighty when it comes to being handled at this stage. We took him out for about 10 minutes today also. He was a bit tricky to catch in the enclosure and tried to get away constantly. At one point he ran beind the enclosure. He crawled over my shirt and I used that to help him back home.
Food: 4 crickets.
Toilet: Yes.
Behaviour: Very interested in food. Lizzy hunted the 4 crickets that she ate before climbing back up to her basking site to digest. We just observed her at the cooler end of the enclosure for the first time, lying under one of the plants on top of the hide cave.
Lizzy is quite receptive to being handled. We took her out of the enclosure for about 10 minutes and she appeared to be pretty comfortable.
Booster
Food: 5-6 crickets
Toilet: Yes
Behaviour: Very interested in food. Booster also hunted down his crickets. Possibly would have eaten more crickets if offered. We tried to limit Booster a bit to avoid a pattern forming where he eats more than Lizzy and their sizes get too different. Booster hunted down a couple of crickets that got away at first and came out of hiding only to be eaten quick smart! He has been quite active in the enclosure.
Booster is a bit flighty when it comes to being handled at this stage. We took him out for about 10 minutes today also. He was a bit tricky to catch in the enclosure and tried to get away constantly. At one point he ran beind the enclosure. He crawled over my shirt and I used that to help him back home.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Here We GO!
Today the McKellar Family brought home their first four legged pets ever. After having kept a wide variety of tropical fish since I was a child I have been after something different for a few years. Reptiles have always held an interest for me and I have seized the day as it were and set our family up with a suitable enclosure and now two fantastic Eastern Bearded Dragons.
My daughter Jacoba (JT) and I (Alex aka TriggerFish) are planning to use this blog as an online journal for our experiences in keeping and learning about our new family members. We are planning to keep records of their health, feeding and behaviours as we all grow together. We'll add photos and information about our dragons as we learn about them.
Tomorrow we'll be feeding our dragons for the first time. We will also be starting to get them used to being handled. So stay tuned!
TF.
My daughter Jacoba (JT) and I (Alex aka TriggerFish) are planning to use this blog as an online journal for our experiences in keeping and learning about our new family members. We are planning to keep records of their health, feeding and behaviours as we all grow together. We'll add photos and information about our dragons as we learn about them.
Tomorrow we'll be feeding our dragons for the first time. We will also be starting to get them used to being handled. So stay tuned!
TF.
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