Good News!!! And a cpl ?s

Well, good news is my boys are doing great! Already looking better, they seem so be a little thicker and less wrinkley. Their poo is firm and no longer green/runny. Been misty them couple times a day (focusing a lot on putting water on their noses...they actually see the spray bottle and will drink drops right out of the bottle lol) also soak them couple times a week. Been giving them mixed salads sprayed w/ water daily as well as crickets couple times a week and mealworms a couple times (trying to get some weight on). So far so good, the crickets are also dusted w/ calcium w/ D3. I also take them out for a couple hours on nice days for some natural sunlight.

So on to the questions...lol

1. What kind of scale should I get to keep track of their weights to make sure that they actually are gaining weight and I'm not just thinking their fatter? lol

2. I've read that they can eat pinkies...is this true? Or a good idea? (trying to help get some weight back on)

3. Do i need to cut their toenails? I'm a pet groomer so I know how to cut nails, but have never had reptiles that needed this done...they just have kinda long nails...

4. What is the average weight that they should weigh for their lengths?
a. 14" (approx lengths, they weren't too cooperative)
b. 18" (again approx)

and I think that is it for now...I had more but am drawing a total blank...been a long day!!!

Originally Posted by loye

Well, good news is my boys are doing great! Already looking better, they seem so be a little thicker and less wrinkley. Their poo is firm and no longer green/runny. Been misty them couple times a day (focusing a lot on putting water on their noses...they actually see the spray bottle and will drink drops right out of the bottle lol) also soak them couple times a week. Been giving them mixed salads sprayed w/ water daily as well as crickets couple times a week and mealworms a couple times (trying to get some weight on). So far so good, the crickets are also dusted w/ calcium w/ D3. I also take them out for a couple hours on nice days for some natural sunlight.

So on to the questions...lol

1. What kind of scale should I get to keep track of their weights to make sure that they actually are gaining weight and I'm not just thinking their fatter? lol

2. I've read that they can eat pinkies...is this true? Or a good idea? (trying to help get some weight back on)

3. Do i need to cut their toenails? I'm a pet groomer so I know how to cut nails, but have never had reptiles that needed this done...they just have kinda long nails...

4. What is the average weight that they should weigh for their lengths?
a. 14" (approx lengths, they weren't too cooperative)
b. 18" (again approx)

and I think that is it for now...I had more but am drawing a total blank...been a long day!!!

They should have two feedings of insects a day. along with the chopped greens.

Any scale that weighs in grams will be fine.

Yes they can eat pinkies. BUT, some pinkies contain parasites. Dragons will pick up parasites from them.

Yes you have to cut there toe nails. You can quik them like any other animals nails so be careful.

Dragons vary in size. Pending on genetics. Usually 20+ inches. You can see there progress by there body structure. back fat. (these are the two lines running down the dragons back.) What you want is to make sure there are no bones sticking out anywhere. And you would look for this around there tail hip area.

Thanks! I will start feeding them more crickets (I had read somewhere adults only need to eat them once a day) but I will make sure to up that And I think I'll play it safe and not take a chance w/ pinkies (our local pet shot is a p.o.s. and the people there are well, the last ppl that should have a pet shop...but that's another story poor critters) Anyhow, thanks again! And I'm hoping these guys keep making progress I'm in the process of building new enclosures for them too...was thinking 5x2x2 or maybe 6x2x2

Originally Posted by loye

Thanks! I will start feeding them more crickets (I had read somewhere adults only need to eat them once a day) but I will make sure to up that And I think I'll play it safe and not take a chance w/ pinkies (our local pet shot is a p.o.s. and the people there are well, the last ppl that should have a pet shop...but that's another story poor critters) Anyhow, thanks again! And I'm hoping these guys keep making progress I'm in the process of building new enclosures for them too...was thinking 5x2x2 or maybe 6x2x2

If you want to feed them pinkies, cook them first.

I will buy a bag of frozen pinkies. Thaw some out at a time and steam them. that way there are no worries on parasites. dragons love them, there like little steamed sausages. Lol (But dont be telling my secrets!)

You can a nice digital scale at Amazon pretty cheap. Here's a great one for $25 shipped:

http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Preci...7739211&sr=8-7

Dragonluver is dead-on about pinkies and parasites. Even if your local petshop is awesome and clean, you have no idea about the condition of the rattery they purchase from. You can absolutely find a good place to get frozen from. Another solution, if your up for it, is to keep a single breeding pair of "pet" mice or rats. Feed them quality food and clean their cage regularly and your dragons will have incredibly nutritious and parasite free pinkies.

If you're building your own cages, and there 2' high, you might want to consider adding ramps and a second level in the middle, effectively adding half as much again floor space. This is what we have done with some of our cages and the dragons love it. If your interested in adding a 2nd level, let me know, and I'll be happy to share how we did it.

Thanks Jabberwocky! I am definitely gonna check out that scale. And I may also consider a single pair of breeders. I have been looking online at cage set ups, and have a general idea of the type of cage I'd like to build, and would really like to make a second level and some ramps, I've been looking at the one that people make where the ramps/walls look like rocks, and I'd really like to do something with a second level...i've seen some just wood, some w/ turf. But I would like to get something so that they can climb and such so I would be more than happy to get some help/ideas on how you did yours!!! Thanks so much!!!

I am working on a detailed cage work-up with pictures (ongoing project) but I'll give some quick details in case your cage is in progress. Also, some textured walls are okay, but I'd stay away from anything that allows insects to hide. They are also really difficult to clean. Examples are cork wood glued to the walls. It makes a nice looking habitat but I feel just causes problems in the long run.

I built our tanks stacked in pairs on the same frame of 2x2s. Each "cage" is about 4x2x20" with about 16" of space in between for lights and airflow. The total height is about 6'. The numbers aren't exact but should give you an idea. I stacked for space reasons and am paranoid about fire issues so left plenty of space in between for lights. The back, sides, and bottom of each cage are 1/2" plywood. The top is 1/4'' hardware cloth and the front is cabinet style, hinged doors. You can get really nice (and $$$) with corner molding and custom cut glass for the doors, which I did once, but now greatly prefer enhanced acrylic sheets. These are scratch resistant and can simply be screwed in into the back of the door frames (so the screws are invisible). The tops and bottoms are reinforced with extra 2x2 studs.

I ran a 2x2 against the entire back wall, about 10 or 12" from the bottom of the top 2x2. Also, about 6'' against the sides. I precut rectangles and and squares out of the plywood. Your going to want one large square, at least 1'x1' and one long rectangle about 7" wide and as long as the rest of the tank (it should fit snugly against the square and against the back wall. The square is your basking spot and the rectangle is the run. Make two more smaller rectangles for ramps (one for each side of the tank). I make several supporting columns out of 2x2s, simply cut the top at an angle to support the top of the ramp, and lay one on its side to support the bottom. I set everything up first to make sure it fits and is cut correctly and then drill pilot holes for everything. Make sure to stain everything (we use stain + sealant in one) before attaching.

The wood is too slippery for claws to grip as well as difficult to clean. You can get 12"x12" linoleum tiles with sticky backs, for around 38 cents apiece at Home Depot. Cut to fit with a utility knife and attach everywhere, including the bottom floor. These should prevent any leakage into the wood. Finally, for the ramps and 2nd floor, we bought indoor/outdoor carpet at 45 cents /square foot. Attach velcro strips to the linoleum and precut lots of pieces of carpet to fit your ramps and 2nd floor space. Just attach some velcro to each piece and replace every so often. I'm sure you can wash them, but its so cheap, we just throw them out and replace. The carpet is important so the dragons can grip the ramps. Otherwise they just slid down during our trial and error phase. Replacing is dragon dependent... some ours will only go in the sand. We use a shopvac to spot check and replace the sand on the bottom.

Sorry if I made this too detailed or not enough. Let me know if you have any other questions, I'm happy to help.

i just got a digital scale for $20 at Walmart its in the home goods isle

also not sure if u have good lighting but one of my males wasnt eating so I changed his bulbs and now he is doing great be sure to use UV & a heat source they need heat & soaks in the sink are appreciated in warm tap water.

i soak him & then put him right in his basking spot he is up 15 grams in less than 3 days

be sure to replace those strips every 6 months too they lose their UVs

Thanks Chelsea! I'm actually going up to walmart tonight so I will have to check it out. I had to order a UV light b/c my local petshop didn't have any in, so I have been taking them outside for a few hourse a day in the meantime while we're waiting. The previous owners had them strictly under one of those red heat lights. I had a UV light, but it was from one of my previous reptiles and died kinda quick Thanks for all the info It really helped!!!