Bad Guy Fire and Ice Dragons

[halloweengeckos]

I have an unresolved issue with Fire and Ice dragons. My wife ordered a couple of $500 dragons from them-- the order totaling $1000 for two dragons that were supposed to be picks of the clutch. We ordered one female white dragon and male yellow dragon which is due to hatch in a few days. They shipped the 4" white female dragon which arrived May 9th in the wrong city (when the package did not arrive by 11AM I started to worry and called F&I dragons-- a man answered in and in annoyed tone told me I should call UPS) Fire and Ice dragons failed to put the correct address on the package. I had to chase the UPS truck down in a neighboring city at 1PM Mountain time. When I unpacked the animal, I noticed its left side being caved in-- almost like it had a collapsed lung. The animal was lethargic-- but I wasn't too concerned because I've had many animals not act normal after shipping. I gave it a few days to adjust (all the while using proper beardie hatchling husbandry techniques-- yes, I'm a breeder of beardies, and I've not lost a SINGLE hatchling thus far). My wife called Fire an Ice Dragons a few days later after seeing no improvement in the animal and the lady commenced to tell my wife she was killing the dragon by not keeping it in a glass tank with paper towels taped around the edges. F & I dragons cringed that my wife had offered the dragon greens in conjunction with insects instead of ONLY insects. They said we had to have the exact correct size crickets, that the crickets need to be thrown against the wall in front of the dragon with tongs whilest not making eye contact with the dragon (I'm not joking, she really said this). My wife, feeling guilty that she was killing this dragon, scrambled to put it in the "correct conditions" did as F & I dragons suggested, and it did eat a few crickets as a result; however, it would stop eating again a few days later. We have to get the animal to defensively gape to feed it right now.

After all this nonsense, I called Fire and Ice dragons to request that they refund us for the dragon that has not hatched or shipped yet. She said there will be no refunds, even though her site states that they guarantee their animals-- Pasted below is their guarantee

"
GUARANTEE



We guarantee that our dragons are healthy and eating well from hatching to the day of shipment. When you receive your dragon(s), if it is not what you wanted, or you are disappointed in any way, contact us within 24 hours. Return the dragon to us in good health immediately and we will provide you with a replacement dragon. With 100% Citrus and other specialty morphs, you may need to wait for the next available dragon for replacement. Please be aware that baby dragons shed every 2-3 weeks and change color with each shed. Our adults did not acheive full color until about 12 months of age.



As far as shipping, if the worst should happen (extremely rare) and the dragon does not survive the shipment to your door by UPS regular delivery schedule, we will send you a replacement.



While we make every effort to accurately sex dragons, gender cannot be guaranteed.


It is up to us to raise healthy beautiful bearded dragons. It is up to you to educate yourself on the care of these amazing reptiles by following our Shopping List and Care Sheet. Our health guarantee is for 30 days but does not include problems arising from incorrect husbandry.

Once the dragon has shipped, notify us within 24 hours if something isn't right. Many times, a minor adjustment in temperature or other simple husbandry aspect corrects the issue of a new owner's concern. Do not wait. One day can make the difference between success and failure in creatures that are 7 inches long and bask at relatively high temperatures.



If you have a question or concern about eating, drinking or anything else, contact us immediately. Do not assume we will check caller ID or that we have your phone number at our fingertips. We receive many calls each day. If you receive voicemail, leave your phone number twice in case your message breaks up. Otherwise, we cannot return your call. We offer our recommendations to many people freely, but we ask that you do your part in making your new reptile purchase a success.



Remember to call or email us with any questions on feeding and husbandry until all belly marks, which are signs of stress, disappear and your dragon is adjusting to its new environment. Eating, drinking and bright color are very important indicators that all is well and your new dragon is adjusting in his or her new home (see Care Sheet). "

Fire and Ice will not refund us for the dragon that has not hatched yet-- It wasn't a deposit, we paid in full. Fortunately, my wife is an attorney and we'll take matters that course if we need to, but from a business perspective and humane perspective, I think it's important to let other herpers know that Fire and Ice sent me a lethargic runt of the hatch animal for $500 and they're planning on not refunding me for the other animal that hasn't yet hatched...

Does it seem to anyone else that I should be refunded for an unhatched animal and probably refunded for the animal that was shipped (not that I'm asking for refund on that animal as I'm still trying to save it)? It does say they have a 30-day health guarantee, but not if the animal isn't raised as per their bizarre husbandry techniques-- also, shouldn't they wait for the animal to pass at least 5" or preferably 6" before they ship it?... and shouldn't they ship it to a correct address if they're this concerned about husbandry?

I have emails, UPS shipping records, voice recordings, etc. to back up my claims. Please let me know if anyone would like more information.

 

[PlatinumRosePythons]

Post any proof you have, e-mails, pics, etc.
Is it a regular practice in bearded dragons to buy an animal before it even hatches?

 

[hhmoore]

yes, I'm a breeder of beardies, and I've not lost a SINGLE hatchling thus far).

Since you went there - how long have you been breeding beardies, and how many babies have you hatched?

 

[halloweengeckos]

No, it's not common practice to buy a beardie before it's born. I should have looked up Fire and Ice's reputation before letting my wife deal with them... As for the proof, what all do you want? There are pages and pages... do you want their wacky husbandry instructions? The UPS confirmation? 1Z Y52 R16 221 002 1812 if you track it and look at the notes, it says delivered in Golden-- I live in Lakewood-- it also says "Gave it to customer man" that means he handed it to me in Golden. The time stamp is 12:58.

 

[halloweengeckos]

As for my experience with beardies, I started breeding them off and on since 1997 with my cousin. I've done five clutches with my cousin and had a few eggs not hatch and lost no hatchlings. With my wife, I've hatched four clutches and lost three eggs and no hatchlings. Total clutches that I've hatched, raised and sold since 1997 is only 9 thus far-- though that's not many, the fact that I've lost no hatchlings says I must be doing something right. I have over 15 years of experience with beardies.

 

[JeromyD]

As to my experience posting on the BOI everyone wants to see proof i would post any kind of emails you have between you and the company you were dealing with. any type of receipts of payment. ANYTHING is better than nothing. Just telling you i was burned by a lady named "Rhonda Alsa" as im sure a lot of BOI frequenters will remember. Pictures, Emails, Receipts, Names of the people you directly spoke with. These things make a difference. Remember your doing this to help other people on the board. People on here will sound like they are giving you a interrogation. But its just because there have been Fake claims out there dont take offense. Just my input. i wish you luck in this matter.

 

[JeromyD]

Also If you have NO emails i would start contacting via email with them to get it in writing. Will help you in the long run. if you decide to take them to civil court.

 

[halloweengeckos]

I produced this

This is an example of an animal I produced. It eats anything because I raised it properly.

 

[halloweengeckos]

Animal I produced 11/22/12

This animal was born 11/22/12. He'll eat anything I put in front of it. This is an example of a healthy animal.

 

[halloweengeckos]

Fire and Ice Hypo Pastel Dragon ($500)

Here are pictures of the dragon Fire and Ice (Terri Somellia) sent. The first is a picture at unpacking (supposed to be a white hypo pastel). The second is a picture of the animal ignoring a dubia roach (she ignored every size presented the entire second and third days). Have any of you seen a dragon ignore a baby dubia roach??? I have date stamps on all my photos. The first was the day I picked it up from the UPS man and the second picture was the day after-- you can see the baby roach (looks like a circle).

 

[JeromyD]

The issue is the animals you have bought not the ones you have raised. It's best to stay on subject with the people on this board. BTW dragon looks good and healthy. But getting off subject does nothing for anyone..... i know the person above went there but again shouldn't we all stay on subject.

 

[JeromyD]

Here are pictures of the dragon Fire and Ice (Terri Somellia) sent. The first is a picture at unpacking (supposed to be a white hypo pastel). The second is a picture of the animal ignoring a dubia roach (she ignored every size presented the entire second and third days). Have any of you seen a dragon ignore a baby dubia roach??? I have date stamps on all my photos. The first was the day I picked it up from the UPS man and the second picture was the day after-- you can see the baby roach (looks like a circle).

Well no pastel from what i can see.

 

[Snake-Queen]

First, have you notified her of this thread?

I am having an issue with why you would pay for a dragon that hasn't even hatched yet.

I wont comment right now on her instructions to you about its care ... some of the things you mentioned are utterly crap, but I will re-visit that when the emails are provided where the breeder is giving you the advice.

 

[halloweengeckos]

I've tried to establish that my wife is new to the industry and doesn't realize that buying reptiles isn't like shopping at Wal-Mart. She assumed in good-faith that Fire and Ice would come through with what they represented. Here is the Care Sheet she emailed to my wife:

Terri Sommella

May 12 (8 days ago)

to me
Instructions on how to feed and mist follows below. There are tricky
techniques that he is used to.

When he feeds, he should not look at him at first. Eye contact is a threat
to bearded dragons who are small. Until the dragon is eating 30+ correct
size crickets per day and his belly marks (a sign of stress) are gone, it is
best not to do anything that stresses the dragon out. That way, he sees you
as a friend not a predator.

Also it is tricky to get the misting technique down right.

Mist with Hot Tap water 30 minutes after lights on and barely Warm Tap water
30 minutes before lights out.

Stand 3 feet before the dragon's cool side. Mist so it falls down onto the
dragon like rain. Do the whole body first including tail tip. Then focus on
the head. Mist a good minute or two. When the dragon wants to drink he
closes his eyes, then lowers his head, then swallows the water running down
his face and into his mouth. When he is done drinking he will start raising
his head. You will probably have to experiment with the misting setting.

Also when the dragons is fed, there is a technique using tweezers. Pick one
cricket at a time (dusted at one feeding per day) and throw it against the
back wall so it stuns the cricket. Do that 5 times. Go away. Come back in 30
minutes and pull out uneaten bugs. Log the number eaten.

Do this every 3 hours leaving 2 1/2 hours after dinner to digest before
nighttime misting with warm water. .

Wait 30 minutes after misting and lights out.

Lights go on here at 11:30 AM and off at 1:00 AM. You can adjust him to your
schedule but if he prefers to eat later in the day, try to give him extra
time to digest so he gets something in him.

Misting is critical but only at the times mentioned.

Email me the total number of bugs eaten that day.

Regards,

Terri

 

[Invictus57]

I;m new to all this so forgive my two cents but putting the wrong address on the box is a horrible mistake then being annoyed when you call because you didn't get your dragon? I would be frantic and want to find out where it was not just tell you to call UPS. How unprofessional. You would think first and foremost the welfare of the dragon would be the biggest concern. Their error could've cost him his life. Mine have all eaten like pigs from the get go. Even with the stress of shipping and all, it just doesn't seem right.

How are you keeping the dragon that the woman said your set up was wrong? Just curious. Those are some very, um, specific instructions. I agree with you that just feeding crickets is bunk. They need their greens and vegies too. Their guarantee and all that said to do your research on how to care for these reptiles and any care guide you will find on google says they need greens.

Looking at the picture it doesn't look like a white hypo pastel. My white hypo was never that dark. I don't have as much experience with the dragons as you but it doesn't seem right. You paid an awful lot for him- are you sure they gave you the right one?

You would think that fire & ice would be bending over backwards to make this right, especially after such a grievous error on their part, not lay blame with your wife. I can only imagine how she felt after being told she was killing it. I know how I would feel, especially not knowing better that it's not her fault.

As for paying for something that hasn't hatched yet- I am not judging because I know I have learned a few lessons myself in dealing with breeders, but it doesn't sit well with me paying for something that isn't even tangible. It wasn't even a deposit but the full amount. So what would happen if the dragons hatch and they're not what you had wanted? Is there still no refund? I call BS. Doing it with someone you have had good dealings with is one thing, but someone new is just too much of a risk for me.

I hope this works out and they make things right. I hope your wee beardie improves. Such a shame. Keep us posted!! Best of luck!!
Lisa

 

[Bill T]

I've tried to establish that my wife is new to the industry and doesn't realize that buying reptiles isn't like shopping at Wal-Mart. She assumed in good-faith that Fire and Ice would come through with what they represented. Here is the Care Sheet she emailed to my wife:

Terri Sommella

May 12 (8 days ago)

to me
Instructions on how to feed and mist follows below. There are tricky
techniques that he is used to.

When he feeds, he should not look at him at first. Eye contact is a threat
to bearded dragons who are small. Until the dragon is eating 30+ correct
size crickets per day and his belly marks (a sign of stress) are gone, it is
best not to do anything that stresses the dragon out. That way, he sees you
as a friend not a predator.

Also it is tricky to get the misting technique down right.

Mist with Hot Tap water 30 minutes after lights on and barely Warm Tap water
30 minutes before lights out.

Stand 3 feet before the dragon's cool side. Mist so it falls down onto the
dragon like rain. Do the whole body first including tail tip. Then focus on
the head. Mist a good minute or two. When the dragon wants to drink he
closes his eyes, then lowers his head, then swallows the water running down
his face and into his mouth. When he is done drinking he will start raising
his head. You will probably have to experiment with the misting setting.

Also when the dragons is fed, there is a technique using tweezers. Pick one
cricket at a time (dusted at one feeding per day) and throw it against the
back wall so it stuns the cricket. Do that 5 times. Go away. Come back in 30
minutes and pull out uneaten bugs. Log the number eaten.

Do this every 3 hours leaving 2 1/2 hours after dinner to digest before
nighttime misting with warm water. .

Wait 30 minutes after misting and lights out.

Lights go on here at 11:30 AM and off at 1:00 AM. You can adjust him to your
schedule but if he prefers to eat later in the day, try to give him extra
time to digest so he gets something in him.

Misting is critical but only at the times mentioned.

Email me the total number of bugs eaten that day.

Regards,

Terri

Is this their standard care sheet or was this a difficult dragon to feed.

 

[halloweengeckos]

Her Full PDF care sheet

Fire and Ice Dragons  717-359-8669
[email protected]  www.FireandIceDragons.com
1
Fire and Ice Dragons
JUVENILE CARE SHEET
About Bearded Dragons
Bearded Dragons are one of the most intelligent of all reptiles. Beardies have individual personalities and are capable of learning to a very high degree. But beardies also have one characteristic that has helped to make dragons the most popular reptile for 10 years running: they are said to bond with humans at the level of a dog or cat. True? Yes, but this characteristic is most apparent when the dragon reaches subadult or adult age and is no longer in pure survival mode, i.e., running away from everything at warp speed. Once a bearded dragon reaches the subadult to adult age, they are less afraid of being eaten by predators and will generally calm down. We have adult dragons that love to hang out with us while we watch TV or will sit on our shoulders while we enjoy the summer sun on the patio. Some appreciate praise, respond to their names, like their heads scratched, etc. They are all individuals but all of our beardies respond to gentle human interaction.
More Than One?
Juvenile dragons can be quite territorial and sit on a fellow cage mate, preventing the competition from eating. However, Arm Waving, which literally means, “Hello,” is one of our favorite beardie behaviors and can only occur if the dragon has someone else to greet! If more than one beardie is your goal, be prepared to house them apart, across the room from each other if they are roughly the same size until they are older. Otherwise, the larger of the two can dominate the smaller one, sitting on top of him or her preventing the smaller one from eating. Beardies do have a social hierarchy, which, as adults, presents few problems. As juveniles, however, survival instincts are strong. The key is to be watchful. If you decide to house two together temporarily, check the size of both dragons every day or so, since beardies grow extremely fast. If one juvenile grows noticeably larger or fatter, separation is necessary. This is likely to be short term since smaller dragons usually catch up to siblings quickly once they are given a “safe” environment and free access to food. Dominated dragons are stressed out dragons and stress can lead to all sorts of health problems just as it does in humans. Don’t chance it.
Health Checks
One of the most useful purchases you can make is a gram scale. Keeping weight and feeding records will alert you when something isn’t quite right, enabling you to correct the issue before it becomes a problem. If your goal is to breed, records will help you to be more successful. Good husbandry records and frequent informal “exams” will keep your dragon happy and healthy for many years to come.
Recommended Reading
The Bearded Dragon Manual by Philippe de Vosjoli.
Fire and Ice Dragons  717-359-8669
[email protected]  www.FireandIceDragons.com
2
Housing
A 20-Gallon long aquarium is adequate for a 6" juvenile’s first home. This size is long enough to provide the temperature gradient beardies require but small enough to allow the hatchling to locate prey items. As your dragon grows, it will soon require a larger enclosure. We use white and clear cages similar to the rack shown in our Photo Gallery. These cages are easy to wipe clean, keep valuable UVB and bright light inside the cage rather than spreading the light through the glass walls of an aquarium and are able to withstand the high temperature of the basking light without melting the structure. There is a company that makes cages similar to ours. Find the link under the Resources page of the website.
We use a 48” x 24” x 18” high enclosure for larger juvvies through adult singles and 48” x 24” x 24” for pairs or trios. This set up should have a 3’ fluorescent fixture for UVB, Repti-sun 10.0 UVB bulb and a heat fixture. The front is sliding glass doors. Vents are located in the back. The only other items you will need to buy are the appropriate substrate, an infrared digital temp gun and a clear light bulb for heat. A flat smooth river rock for basking completes the set up.
Substrate
We prefer paper towels or Repti-Sand in Desert White from Zoo Med as the substrate for juveniles. Repti-Sand is super fine and doesn’t need to be pre-sifted. All other substrates cause well-documented impaction problems or other issues. For our older dragons, we use paper towels.
Spot clean feces immediately and disinfect the cage thoroughly once a week. Cleanliness now will save you many headaches in the future. We use 1 part bleach to 30 parts water to clean. Rinse well and dry.
Cage Furniture
Juveniles benefit from a simple environment. A smooth, palm sized “River Rock” available at most plant nurseries makes an excellent basking rock. We use the dark rocks since the dark color holds some of the heat from the basking lamp, which aids digestion. Or the newer formed resin rocks which mimic the colors of stone are great, too.
Do NOT use “heat rocks” since dragon bellies are sensitive and have been burned by the heat. The only other items in our hatchlings cages are high range thermometers (2), a feeding dish and a small, shallow water dish. That’s it. Otherwise, prey items will crawl under logs and branches where the hatchling can’t get to them, come out at night and crawl over or bite the juveniles. Keep it simple at first. You will have plenty of time to design and enjoy the ultimate habitat as the dragon grows.
UVB Lighting
Your dragon will need a full spectrum UVB light. We use Zoo Med’s 10.0 UVB Reptile Lights and a fluorescent-type light fixture that runs the length of the cage. UVB only penetrates 8 - 12 inches from the source. Raise your basking rock or lower the UVB light to provide your dragon with maximum benefit of the UVB. If the UVB light is not fresh or close enough, the dragon will not eat well and MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) can cripple the dragon.
UVB should be replaced every 3 months at least just to be sure. We use a UVB meter (Solarmeter 6.2) to check UVB levels.
Fire and Ice Dragons  717-359-8669
[email protected]  www.FireandIceDragons.com
3
Thermometers & Basking Lamps
The basking or heat fixture we prefer is the silver domed variety, also called a clamp light. For the actual heat bulb, we use a standard, clear household lamp bulb. You will want to buy a few different wattages and switch them out until the basking spot reaches the correct temperature of 100 -105 degrees* at 4PM, during the hottest part of the day. Start by trying a 60 watt bulb and see which achieves the correct temperature in your home. Measure temps with the temp gun 8-12” from the top of the basking rock. Point and shoot. The readings will roll around as you move. Look for the hottest reading. This is the basking temp.
The cool end of the cage needs to be at 80 degrees or below.
If the temperatures are not right, raise or lower the wattage bulb you are using in the basking lamp or raise or lower the height of the lamp or basking rock until it is correct. Temperature mistakes are fatal mistakes. Temperature problems are the cause of 90% of dragon husbandry problems and are directly associated with lack of appetite. Bright light and correct temperatures stimulate dragons to eat.
For convenience, set lights on an auto timer for 12 - 14 hours per day. A nighttime drop in temperature to a normal household temperature of 70 degrees is fine and necessary. If your home is very cold at night, red heat bulbs can be used to bring the temperature up to the optimal nighttime temp. Be careful not to over heat the cage at night. A nighttime drop in temperature is necessary for dragon health.
Dragons wake up and bask to warm up. Light, heat and UVB stimulate a dragon's appetite and allow the dragon to digest its food. If the basking spot is too hot or not hot enough, the dragons won’t eat.
On the other hand, when a dragon’s internal temperature becomes too hot, the dragon requires an area of the cage that is 20 degrees cooler or more to get away from the basking lamp heat. This thermoregulation is required for bearded dragons to survive. If they cannot cool off, they will die.
Feeding
We feed hatchlings 3 times per day. We have tested both traditional and pellet diets and currently feed a mixed protein diet of crickets, small silkworms, phoenix worms and fresh, high calcium greens.
Crickets
Juveniles should be given as many crickets as the dragon will consume in 30 minutes. Feed juveniles 2- 3 times a day with appropriately sized crickets, no larger than the width of the dragon’s mouth. Place 5 crickets in the cage at a time, adding as needed until the dragon is full.
Crickets should be dusted with supplements that support the fast growing bones of the dragon. Our calcium powder of choice is Rep - Cal with D3. We dust once a day for juveniles. A vitamin supplementHerptiviteis given once a week.
Tip: Place the supplements in a saltshaker and dust crickets fairly heavily before feeding.
Crickets also need to be “gut-loaded” with other things to make them more nutritious. Products like Gut Load are fine. You can also use high calcium foods like the heavy stalks from mustard
Fire and Ice Dragons  717-359-8669
[email protected]  www.FireandIceDragons.com
4
and collard greens, some kale, a potato and chopped fresh green beans. Veggies supply both food and moisture to the crickets.
Remove crickets after 30 minutes feeding. Remember to remove crickets at night. Crickets will bite hatchlings while they sleep.
Phoenix Worms
This worm is relatively new to the insect feeder market. So far, we are extremely pleased. The dragons eat the worms eagerly. The worms are naturally high in calcium and low in phosphorous and therefore, do not need to be dusted. The worms can also be plumped before feeding (see Tips) to add additional moisture. The worms also do not need to be gutloaded and keep for weeks at room temperature. You can purchase Phoenix Worms at www.phoenixworm.com.
Greens
Each morning, place a shallow dish of torn salad greens that are high in calcium and provide moisture: mustard and watercress are excellent, as are turnip green, arugula, endive, escarole, collards and dandelion. Romaine lettuce, kale, parsley and others can be given on occasion.
Babies and young juvvies are fed salads, crickets, silkworms and Phoenix worms.
Subadult dragons also require the nutrients in hard fresh veggies such as green beans, sugar snap peas, okra, acorn and butternut squashes. Fruits such as papaya and raspberries are fed once to twice a week. At this stage, we also substitute superwoms for crickets but continue with silkworms and Phoenix worms. See the Food Chart link at the top of this page for the full subadult to adult diet including calcium to phosphorous ratios which should be 2:1.
Pellets
In 2003, we tested a pellet diet and have since returned to a balanced diet of high calcium greens and a variety of insects. This diet mimics the dragon’s diet in the wild.
Water
Provide a clean, shallow (knee deep or less) dish of water every morning. The bowl should be large enough for the shoulders to enter into comfortably. Most dragons won’t drink from bowls and need to be soaked and/or misted. We have found that spraying babies head to tail tip twice a day for several minutes with a plant mister works best. We mist babies in the AM with warm water about an hour and a half after lights go on and an hour and a half before their first feeding. PM misting should take place 2 hours after the last feeding and an hour and a half before lights go out.
Mist from over the dragon’s head. Mist and then wait a second. Then mist again and until the beardie starts drinking. Try slightly harder spray or finer spray until your find what your beardie prefers. Keep misting until the dragon lifts his head back up. Dragons can dehydrate due to the high temps at which they bask. Mist head to tail tip to prevent tail constrictions. Do NOT mist more than twice per day or the dragon will stay too cool to develop an appetite.
Fire and Ice Dragons  717-359-8669
[email protected]  www.FireandIceDragons.com
5
TIPS
Please remember that your juvenile bearded dragon is a baby and will be afraid in his or her new environment. Make sure the dragon's cage is in a stress-free area, rather than in the kitchen or another high traffic area.
Don't play with, or pick up, your new dragon until he or she has completed adjusted, is eating and belly marks are gone. Then handle juvies just a few minutes at a time working up to longer periods.
White copy paper placed on the outside of a glass tank will prevent the dragon from seeing his new environment in addition to everything else he is dealing with. Once the dragon is back up to eating 20 – 40 bugs per day or more, remove one sheet of paper per week.
We feed crickets using long-handled tweezers (purchased at Wal-Mart.) The juvies are conditioned to recognize the tweezers as a signal for "meal time." We throw 3 crickets in at a time, leave and recheck in a minute or two. We again feed however many crickets as have been eaten and remove any "hoppers." We do this until the dragon is full and remove any excess crickets. This keeps the dragon's environment clean. Phoenix Worms can be placed in a shallow dish.
Too many crickets in the cage at one time will freak them out and the dragon will often refuse to eat.
If the crickets are too big or too small, some will not eat and worse, the dragon can starve to death or become paralyzed (in the case of a cricket that is too large).
Phoenix Worms do not need to be dusted as the worms are naturally high in calcium and low in phosphorous. Feed as many of these per day as the dragon will eat. They are a perfect food.
One thing we especially like about Phoenix worms is that we can plump the worms in a water glass a few minutes before feeding. This helps to provide additional fluids for those dragons who do not drink much.
If the dragon does not eat the first day, mist in the evening and try again the next morning. The most important thing is to keep the dragon hydrated.
Dark markings or striations on a dragon's belly are a clear signal that the dragon is stressed. When color morphs are stressed, they can also go dark, losing their bright color temporarily. Check temps on the basking spot. Is it 100-105 degrees? Check out the cool side. Is the temperature there at 80 degrees or below? If the temps seem right, look for other causes and make adjustments. When the dragon's belly has returned to its normal white color and is free of markings your habitat has the correct temps and the dragon is adjusting to its new environment.
Make sure your dragon's enclosure is at least 4' off of the ground. Near ground temps can be 20 degrees cooler, and that is where the dragon’s belly is resting. Try it yourself. Lay on the ground. The air is much cooler even if the above basking area temp is correct.
We encourage you to call us with feeding and drinking updates every other day for the first week or two, until your dragon's belly marks are gone and he or she is eating well. Enjoy!!!

 

[halloweengeckos]

Dragon Receipt and Pedigree

Terri talked my wife into getting a female from this pair instead of the white x white parents and assured her that she would get a nicer hypo white translucent from the pair on our pedigree receipt. Maybe she had a buyer for the other one we wanted and thus talked my wife into this pedigree? After all, they already had our "non-refundable" complete credit card charge at this point...

 

[Invictus57]

After reading some older threads, it seems that this woman is very hard to deal with and becomes rather confrontational and blames everything on poor husbandry of the new parents. Doesn't seem like her dragons are what they're supposed to be or in good health at all. Just my opinion on what I've read. Anyone that screws up a shipping address and doesn't go by their return policy and guarantee isn't someone to do business with. It all seems shady to me. Good luck

 

[Snake-Queen]

I have scanned her "care sheet", all I can say is wow! Weird things in there. I NEVER use reptisand or calcium sand, too dusty can cause breathing issues in dragons. As for the rest of the care sheet, some is ok, but any greens with the word lettuce in it is not good.

I breed bearded dragons & I can say that I would NEVER have someone pay for an animal that has not hatched yet. $500 is too much for the dragon you received. I have one just like it, for less.

Terri is wrong to make your wife feel as she has done something wrong. The only person in the wrong is Terri as far as I can see.