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 #2090394


Tempestborn
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 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)

well, we’re here. i had to leave to go to petstupid for a UVB. while i was there, i bought him a house. they have these edible tiki-shack houses in the small animals section, and i thought it would make a good hide (i was right).

so here is his old house:



here he is in his old house:



here he is taking his welcome-home nice, warm iodine bath. i was concerned about that old shed, but it soaked right off.



and he has some beautiful patterning on his tail and hind legs:



do they all have that?

here is his new house:



top view:



pond:



in his new house:







he sat for a bit, then went into his little tiki shack and turned around so he could look out. he’s way back in there, just peeeking around. i know it’s not as much space as he should have, but it doubled his floor space. it’s shorter. but i put a "wanted" on freecycle for an old aquarium. what i want to do is cut half the bottom out, put it on top of this one, and he’ll have a three-foot-tall, two level home, which should last him for a little while.

i PAID MONEY for bugs! oh, the horror! here’s the little house i made for the crickets:


they’re in there with some parsnip and squash parings, and a wadded-up wet paper towel. there’s four or five big ones that were in his cage when i brought him home, and ten little bitty ones.

and THIS is what is now in my fridge:



i’m leaving the little bugger alone now. he’s had enough excitement for one day.
jesse
10/31/09  06:44pm

 #2090681


Tempestborn
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   Message To: Tempestborn   In reference to Message Id: 2090394


 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)
11/01/09  05:25pm

 #2090704


Snickersdad
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   Message To: Tempestborn   In reference to Message Id: 2090681


 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)

Congratz my two babies died this March. So Good Luck
11/01/09  05:58pm

 #2091053


Tempestborn
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   Message To: Snickersdad   In reference to Message Id: 2090704


 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)

Well, shuckums, thanks for that encouragement. I feel so hopeful now.
11/02/09  01:27pm

 #2091084


Minya
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   Message To: Tempestborn   In reference to Message Id: 2091053


 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)

you need to get some decent substrate instead of the rocks. very bad!!!! there’s been people who used river rocks and they’re dragons soon died. they swear it was something from the rocks because they didn’t disinfect them properly.

why did you use stones as substrate?

from Tricia’s site:

Substrates that seem to cause the least problems with dragons seem to be astroturf with bound or melted edges so that the tufts cant come off, sterilized potting soil, newspapers or paper towels. Substrates such as moss, shavings, bark, and gravel all seem to cause impaction problems- whether the dragon accidentally eats the substrate or eats some out of curiosity- if it is ingested and gets lodged in the digestive tract. Some people are quite successful keeping their dragons on these last mentioned substrates- but when I hear about impaction problems these substrates are often listed as the culprit so be warned.

Substrates that are made of pine or cedar (especially cedar) are toxic to most herps- don’t use them!



11/02/09  02:40pm

 #2091408


Tempestborn
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   Message To: Minya   In reference to Message Id: 2091084


 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)

hon, i know you mean well, but you’re way too worried about these rocks. they’re too big to swallow, too small to break bones, absolutely smooth, purchased in a craft store; they had been polished (in a tumbler, which doesn’t require chemicals) and were sold in 2-lb. bags as decoration or for aquariums, etc (they are NOT aquarium gravel). i chose them because i thought they’d be pretty, and they are. unfortunately, as i pointed out, they won’t stay sanitary. so i’ll go get him some cage carpet today. i like that better than tile, although if he doesn’t make a habit of poo’ing in his pond, i’ll probably switch to tile for the sake of cleanliness.
jesse
11/03/09  09:01am

 #2091441


Minya
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   Message To: Tempestborn   In reference to Message Id: 2091408


 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)

hon, your tank is way too small. its safe to say, with that tiny dish you call a pond, he couldn’t dive into it anyway. it sad to see him on those stones that he could def swallow - you’d be surprised. there’s been many threads on here about taking dragons to the vet to have something huge removed from their stomach. what difference does it make that your stones were bought in a craft store? did you disinfect them? that’s good your getting repticarpet. wash it before you put it in the tank. stores put moth repellent, etc., on material merchandise.

when are you getting him an appropriate size enclosure?



11/03/09  11:05am

 #2091497


Tempestborn
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   Message To: Minya   In reference to Message Id: 2091441


 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)

the second i can build one. i know you don’t know the whole story behind him--i am actually qualified for this job. the "habitat" he came with was an 18-inch glass cube. at the moment, he has three times the room he did. i know it’s not enough, but progress, not perfection. i’m working on it. and his whole tiny self fits into his tiny pond, PLUS he’s getting lots of baths--he’s really dehydrated, but i’m not the one who did it to him.

now, i have to admit that i am quite weary of defending myself, so i’m not going to any more. i’m sure you mean well, but it’s difficult for me to hold still while someone tells me how bad off the 3-yr-old, tiny, half-starved baby i rescued is. judging by the bright, curious eyes, and the bright green color, as well as the healthy appetite and delighted response to bathing, i’d say his life has vastly improved, and it will improve even more. i just can’t do every single thing right this second.
jesse
11/03/09  01:46pm

 #2091504


Minya
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   Message To: Tempestborn   In reference to Message Id: 2091497


 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)

Quote:

hon, i know you mean well, but you’re way too worried about these rocks.



your tone sounds is so condescending.

Quote:

i’m sure you mean well, but it’s difficult for me to hold still while someone tells me how bad off the 3-yr-old, tiny, half-starved baby i rescued is.



huh? i only have rescued lizards and yours looks fine.



11/03/09  02:06pm

 #2091687


Clouddancer22
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   Message To: Minya   In reference to Message Id: 2091504


 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)

Now, now ladies, lol! Sorry, but I am tired and a bit punchy. Your viv looks really nice, I can see you put a lot of effort into it. Minya is correct, you do need to replace the substrate. You might try bed-a-beast or something like that. It will still be natural looking, and the dragons do like to dig sometimes. Actually, sorry to say, repti-carpet is recommended for the first year.

Sigh, I just can’t remember all the things I wanted to comment on. I think one was the patterning? If this is the dragon I am thinking of, his/her tail is just gorgeous! Most dragons have intact striping and yours seems to have a bit diff patterning. (Admonish me if I am wrong, lol. Like I said, I am soooo tired tonight!)

Do mealies go in the fridge? It has been so long since I bought any, I have forgotten! What is preferred is to put them in a tub on oatmeal with some daily veggies for gutloading. If you get a bunch, they will eventually turn into pupae and you put the pupae into diff tubs. After about 2 weeks, the pupae turn into beetles, which go into another tub, and they will produce eggs, which turn into more mealies. Takes a few months, and even if you don’t get that far, at least they will be gutloaded food items.

Nice piccies btw! :)
11/03/09  09:25pm

 #2091714


GTP_MuNkY
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   Message To: Clouddancer22   In reference to Message Id: 2091687


 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)

Tempestborn, your not alone about the whole stone argument. Although I have never had stones in my dragon enclosure, I have in my turtle tank. And the people on the turtle forum gave me a piece of their mind, so I left.
The way I see it they have stones and dirt in the wild, what is it about captivity that makes them stupid enough to eat stones or soil. So far my turtles are 3 years old without touching a single stone.

Repticarpet is expensive for what you are getting. Honestly, go to Home depot and buy rubber backed outdoor carpet. It is WAY cheaper. Get the rubber backed stuff like I mentioned. They have some outdoor carpet that has no rubber backing on it and I have had problems with that stuff growing mold under it. I switched to the rubber backed material and no more mold issues. It is worth noting that when I had the mold grow under it the carpet was the size of my entire enclosure and taking it out to clean under it was not an option. I had the carpet stapled down and water got through it. With the rubber backed stuff no water gets through it. I stapled it down to stop the dragons from getting under it. With the rubber backed stuff I have had in their enclosures their entire lives I have had no mold growing under the carpet.

Currently I have 2 different areas of sub straight. Half of my enclosure floor is currently tiled, they hate it because they get no grip on it. So I will be buying some of that out door carpet I was telling you about to put in that area. The other part is basically a 36x18" rubber maid bin, about 5 inches deep of Exo Terra Plantation soil. It comes in bricks, you add water and it expands, a lot!

Quote:

Exo Terra Plantation Soil is made from compressed coconut husk fibre from the plantations of tropical Asia. This ecological substrate is ideal for increasing humidity in the terrarium and is totally safe for frogs, salamanders and burrowing or digging animals. The substrate can also be used as an incubation medium because of its hygroscopic properties. This 100% natural substrate can even be used as a nutritional planting soil for live plants in a terrarium set-up.


Link

I have been using this stuff since I got my dragons nearly 3 years ago and have yet to have any problem with it. It came recommended by my vet (who, might I add, I found on the Tricia site)

Jamie
11/03/09  10:15pm

 #2092099


Lizardguy23
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   Message To: Tempestborn   In reference to Message Id: 2090394


 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)

couple of things to add. Do you have a UVB bulb on that cage? if not they are a necessity for a growing cwd. second as stated above ditch the rocks. I use simple paper towel for my water dragon and it works perfectly. cheap, easy to clean, and holds humidity.



11/04/09  09:20pm

 #2092122


Tempestborn
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   Message To: Lizardguy23   In reference to Message Id: 2092099


 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)

ok, to set everyone’s mind at ease....

i did put a lot of work into the habitat, and i will be delighted when i get to enlarge it. that’s one thing good about him being so small; i have a little time.

i got rid of the rocks and put in repticarpet. it’ll be a lot easier to keep clean, and stewie seems fine with the change. the funny thing about this is, i announced in a post that the rocks were a bad idea, and then everybody started flipping out and telling me to ditch the rocks. calm down, people! i wrote the post to say that was what i was going to do!

yes, i have a UVB; all my lizards have their own 10% UVB flourescents (not compact). no MBD in my house--these are my babies!

thanks for noticing, cloud, about the patterning. i’ve seen a lot of pics, and a few live ones in petstupid, and i thought that was really unusual. beautiful, though.

i don’t want the hideous mealies to turn into hideous beetles! yuk! yes, i keep them in the fridge. stewie really likes them, but i don’t want to give him too many. everyone says they’re hard to digest, and my poor, skinny little boy needs stuff to go straight to giving him some meat on his bones. he’s so funny--i was feeding him little pieces of nightcrawler last night (it’s so handy--you tap their little nose and their mouth opens right up! i wish my iguanas did that!), and after the first one, he was grabbing them. what a cutie! then after supper he gets his bath. his pond is little but so is he; he just sits there and "suns" for about 15 minutes, and then he gets out.

i’m crazy about him. i hope he does ok. i knew nothing about iguanas when i got donatello, and the people on the forum weren’t always as gentle with me as i would have preferred, but they taught me well, and ’tello is a big, happy lizard.

thanks for looking--i’m so proud of him!
jesse
11/04/09  10:20pm

 #2092195


Pocochu
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   Message To: Tempestborn   In reference to Message Id: 2092122


 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)

You’ll do just fine Jesse......You know till you can build him his new viv..you can build a topper for the tank he’s in right now...it would give him a little extra room and help him with his climbing skills.....

Annie....>^..^<



11/05/09  05:04am

 #2092351


Clouddancer22
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   Message To: Pocochu   In reference to Message Id: 2092195


 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)

Hi Jesse,
You have obviously spent alot of time getting him set up, and your viv is so cute! I love the ’lil tiki-hut as a hide!

I am still tired, or tired again, but that is another story. At least I am coherent and not so punchy, lol! Ok, my comments and questions: Why the iodine in the bath? Baths are awesome, just over room temp, not too warm or they can go into convulsions or worse. Try a drop or two of olive oil or mineral oil to soften the skin when old shed is a problem. Iodine is poisonous when ingested.

His pond is small, but so is he. At some point you might try upgrading to an ugly old tupperware, just so he can immerse his whole body.

For the crx, you will do best with a dry enclosure (yours might be already, I dunno) and jar lids of oatmeal, fish food, ground up catfood offered, with a few cut up veggies like carrots, potatoes, brocolli and parsnips to gutload. No need for the wet paper towel, that will just get nasty. They get their hydration from the vegs.

And yes, I do think his patterning is unusual, very pretty! Myself, I have 7 dragons - 2 male cwds, 4 female cwds, and 1 female awd. I have been raising dragons for about 7 years now, and breed on occasion. Altho there are many knowledgeable ppl on this forum, you can consider me, Annie, and Lela a tag team. What you tell or ask one of us will probably be considered by all of us, lol!
11/05/09  04:37pm

 #2092650


Tempestborn
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   Message To: Clouddancer22   In reference to Message Id: 2092351


 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)

i’m happy to have all three of you. i’ve been reading you all for a long time (and talking w/annie) and i know you know what you’re talking about. i’m looking forward to getting to know you and lela better.

the iodine bath was just a precaution. with the shed the way it was, i didn’t know what i might find under it. he hasn’t had one since. the shed soaked off all nice and clean.

now, what is it for sure? i’m hearing don’t feed too many mealies or crickets because they’re hard to digest, and then i’m hearing mealies and crickets are good staples, and some people recommend supers, but i read on tricia’s water dragon site that superworms are just really big mealworms, so wouldn’t that mean they’re SUPER-hard to digest? baby beardies eat crickets by the bucketful, so that seems like they must be easy to digest, but of course beardies and wd’s could have very different metabolisms. i’d appreciate it if you’d all have a meeting and come to an agreement, and then let me know what it is, please :) and how small do his pieces have to be? i know my little monster can chew (he bit me on the nose last night--i was so shocked!). can he chew the nightcrawlers up? and would he be so inclined? also, will he eat things that won’t crawl away out of his dish? and will he chase down the things that will crawl away? and i know if he was a baby i’d feed him twice a day, but he’s technically grown, tho small. jim gives him veggies in the morning and i give him meat when i get home. is that enough? too much?

annie’s advising me to build a topper for his tank; i’m not a builder, so i’m trying to figure out the dummy’s way to manage that, lol! i’ve got a built-in shelf/room divider between my kitchen and living room that i think would make an amazing habitat, if i can find anyplace to put the things that are there now. i don’t want ugly old tupperware! i want to buy him a waterfall, and figure out how to incorporate it so he has a tri-level pond.

i’m torn about the crix; it sounds easy to raise them, but kylie and chris both say they stink, so i haven’t made a decision yet. i’ll lose the paper towel as soon as i get home, though.
jesse
11/06/09  01:45pm

 #2092745


Clouddancer22
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   Message To: Tempestborn   In reference to Message Id: 2092650


 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)

Crx, mealies and supers are fine as a staple, just try to offer variety. Contrary to popular belief, mealies and supers have pretty much the same ratio of chitin (hard shell) to meat ratio. If you look up the stats, mealies are actually a bit more nutritious. I guess ppl think that they are "too hard to digest" as they are smaller, and your dragon might not chew them as much as a bigger worm.

My crx don’t stink, except if I leave the dead ones in there and/or if it gets humid in there. Ditch the wet paper towel asap, lol! I never use any substrate, and clean out the tank weekly with the crx still in there. I have a 20g for them, and clean one side at a time. (Keep in mind that Chris loves roaches, ew, and I don’t know about Kylie.)

Tricia recommends not feeding anything larger than the space between the eyes. But most of my guys chew up there food (oh, the crunching from pinkies!!! Ugh!) Especially silkies, they are the best! They never try to escape and are very soft. You can order them online. However, dragons can be very picky, and you never know what food item they will love or reject. Then it all changes, so keep offering a variety. Btw, I have never chopped up any worm, ever!!! Gross!

I lucked out on my topper. Annie is helping me to build it. She is really good at that stuff; Annie and her husband did most of the work on one of my big vivs. She can probably give you some instructions and help you design and build it.

Hope this helps!
11/06/09  06:50pm

 #2092748


Clouddancer22
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   Message To: Tempestborn   In reference to Message Id: 2092650


 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)

Crx, mealies and supers are fine as a staple, just try to offer variety. Contrary to popular belief, mealies and supers have pretty much the same ratio of chitin (hard shell) to meat ratio. If you look up the stats, mealies are actually a bit more nutritious. I guess ppl think that they are "too hard to digest" as they are smaller, and your dragon might not chew them as much as a bigger worm.

My crx don’t stink, except if I leave the dead ones in there and/or if it gets humid in there. Ditch the wet paper towel asap, lol! I never use any substrate, and clean out the tank weekly with the crx still in there. I have a 20g for them, and clean one side at a time. (Keep in mind that Chris loves roaches, ew, and I don’t know about Kylie.)

Tricia recommends not feeding anything larger than the space between the eyes. But most of my guys chew up there food (oh, the crunching from pinkies!!! Ugh!) Especially silkies, they are the best! They never try to escape and are very soft. You can order them online. However, dragons can be very picky, and you never know what food item they will love or reject. Then it all changes, so keep offering a variety. Btw, I have never chopped up any worm, ever!!! Gross!

I lucked out on my topper. Annie is helping me to build it. She is really good at that stuff; Annie and her husband did most of the work on one of my big vivs. She can probably give you some instructions and help you design and build it.

Hope this helps!
11/06/09  06:56pm

 #2092758


Tempestborn
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   Message To: Clouddancer22   In reference to Message Id: 2092748


 Stewie comes home (tons o’ pics)

oh, i don’t chop up worms; that’s jim’s job. guys relate worm-chopping to fishing, and seem fine with it, lol! i threw away the wet paper towel. thanks for your help!
jesse
11/06/09  07:10pm


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