CRICKET CONTEST-BUDDY AND MESA WHEN THEY WERE SMALLER

[John D Mason]

WATCHING TENNIS- WIMBLEDON LAST CHAMPIONSHIP

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[Zoodulcis]

They are paying such close attention that one would think they had laid wagers on the outcome. Are these sports fans both boys?

[John D Mason]

I think it is the activity on TV during sports. Football as well. I have to call Buddy’s name more than once when a game is on to change his attention to me. It is funny. Mesa has now been moved to another home do to Bearded dragons not wanting to be together. Solitary. Buddy is thriving. Leatherback Bearded Dragon and about a foot hoping for another foot or so. Thanks for the comment.

[John D Mason]

This is Buddy this week after shed.

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[Zoodulcis]

Oh wow, he is truly stunning. I was surprised at two males getting along together, so mystery solved! What all do you feed him to get him to achieve that extra 12 inch length one day?

[John D Mason]

From what I understand, Leatherback bearded dragons usually reach 2ft or more if well taken care of. Proper Heat and Uvb lighting. I buy all crickets and Mealworms from Critter Depot. I dust all crickets with Repti Calcium with D3 and try to get as much of the liquid vitamin in him but he doesn’t care for it. I gut load crickets with sweet potatoes, carrots, apples and wheat bread. The meal worms I put in cage in a low dish with carrots or sweet potatoes so they can gut load a bit before being eaten, since they are housed in the refridgerator in oat meal dormant. Buddy is not a veggie/fruit eater so that is why I make sure the crickets are so well taken care of. I spend way much more time taking care of crickets than my bearded due to changing out the cricket container at least twice a week for fresh food.

[Zoodulcis]

Sounds like you almost have pet crickets! So glad to hear that they all come from Critter Depot.

If I may offer a couple of suggestions: Add a bit of soy powder to the cricket chow and switch the Repticalcium with D3 for a compound with no D3 for a month every so often to avoid D3 toxicity since you also provide UVB.

[John D Mason]

OK, THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP ON D3. I DIDN’T KNOW IT COULD BE HARMFUL. I WILL ORDER SOME WITHOUT D3 AND ALTERNATE EVERY MONTH. THANKS AGAIN!! ANY INFO I GET BASED ON OTHERS KNOWLEDGE AND THE INTERNET IS HELPFUL. I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION…AT WHAT AGE DO I STEP UP TO SUPERWORMS AND DO YOU EVER QUIT OFFERING CRICKETS?? YEARS AGO I HAD BALL PYTHONS AND ADULT BEARDED AND I WOULD FEED THE BEARDED PINKIES ONCE A WEEK BECAUSE I RAISED MICE FOR THE SNAKES. OR DO I ALWAYS OFFER CRICKETS WITH THE SUPERWORMS? THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR INPUT.

[Zoodulcis]

Yes, definitely continue to offer superworms and crickets together. Superworms can be offered when you are sure that the beardie is big enough to consume them safely. It is best to err on the side of caution to avoid choking or compaction. Always offer crickets or dubia roaches that are well gut loaded in addition to superworms or mealworms. Mealworms are difficult to digest as they are mostly chitinous exoskeleton, containing little nutrition. Beardies have a very short digestive tract, so crickets and roaches are often a better mainstay. When he is full-grown a pinkie occasionally is a nice alternative to insects. They are a good source of calcium, but are also very fattening, so more than one per month is not recommended.

[John D Mason]

ok, thanks. Yes I still have him on mealworms 2 inch and gut load crickets. Since he hasn’t got a taste for veggies/fruit I have to make sure the crickets are giving him the proper nutrition. I have used dubia roaches in the past gut loaded but when I stopped and just did crickets and meal worms he seemed to grow faster and seemed healthier. I was under the impression mealworms also offered lots of protein as well. He LOVES both. I have yet to offer the other worms except I did buy waxworms, which I know are fattening but he would not touch them so had to discard the whole order.

[John D Mason]

What is the best fruit of veggie to gut load crickets, for proper shedding. I read B1 is needed and he will not take the liquid drops. I may already be giving him enough with sweet potatoes, apples and carrots. I was just curious because the internet is not giving me the answer I want which is just about shedding. I haven’t had an issue as of yet but if there is something missing in his diet for shedding I want to make sure he is getting it. thanks in advance.

[Zoodulcis]

There are a couple of simple tricks to use as work arounds. For instance, if you repeatedly see signs that he is having trouble shedding and you are certain that proper humidity is not the issue, then you can go outside the reptile market and acquire a supplement such as this one for horses and other animals
https://www.bulksupplements.com/products/vitamin-b1-thiamine-hcl-powder?variant=29386496737391&currency=USD&gclid=Cj0KCQiA_rfvBRCPARIsANlV66OHl5XBMvoYTRycQv9gT3omMa56ffXFgEl5WCafaYRGc0DdKYWuivcaAnYcEALw_wcB

This one package is probably a lifetime supply, but it is certainly one way to go. Some owners have good luck with picky beardies when they dust strawberries with a supplement powder.

Another trick is the remove a select number of crickets from all food for 24 hours. Then put them on oatmeal moistened with water slightly and dusted heavily with a supplement like the one above or a commercial powdered reptile multi-vitamin. Place the hungry crickets on this food selection, offer them nothing else, and after 3 hours give them to your Buddy. The nutrients will be in the cricket’s gut but will not have undergone digestion and the value of all of the vitamins will be retained. This is sort of like hiding a pill inside a meatball to get a dog to take it easily.

Hope this advice helps you provide your finicky fellow with everything he needs to become a colossal size.

[John D Mason]

thanks so much. I will do that for sure. You have been very helpful and I am sorry for bothering you so much. Have a wonderful day and I will take all the information you have given me and he should be the healthiest dragon around. lol I am on disability so home all the time setting in a recliner beside him. So we bounded quickly and taking care of him is priority one and my cats love him too. Again I appreciate all your time answering questions and showing interest in Buddy. Believe it or not ALL animals, not just cats and dogs assist in my issues with depression. Bearded Dragons because of their personality loving their owners are unique in reptiles I have had. yrs ago I was the rescue for geckos, bearded, sudan lizard, ball pythons etc… When people decided they either were tired of them or new babies new houses etc. If not for my health these days I would be doing rescues and doing that all over again but now one bearded is enough. Oh by the way back then there was no internet to give you the information that is out there now. You had to rely on word of mouth. Gosh I sound old but only 50. TY

Doug

[Zoodulcis]

Doug,

You are absolutely no bother at all! I have spent my whole life assisting animals and people in finding each other and benefitting to the greatest extent possible from the human-animal bond. Perhaps you would enjoy my book “Zoodulcis: Our Fascination with Animals” I am running a special promo that begins on the 13th for Kindle (or other digital medium). Go to Amazon on that day and you will see that the book is $2.99 instead of $9.99. If you do decide to read it, please do leave a review!

[John D Mason]

Hope you had a great Christmas I wanted to let you know Buddy has grown another 2 to 3 in since we spoke and I wanted to share a couple of pics. We would sure love to win the yr of crickets, not only because he is doing so well but being on disability it would help on a monthly basis if you haven’t picked a winner. I will send a couple from yesterday where I sexed and measured him. I took him out today for a while too and the cats love him and he loves riding on my shoulder and chest. BUT his favorite spot is on the arm chair of my recliner watching tv.

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[John D Mason]

Another one

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[John D Mason]

One more thing. When I try to put him back in, he doesn’t want to go back in. I think he will be out a lot. I wanted to wait until he was this size before allowing him out so much due to not knowing the cats intentions. They love him. When I get him out again I will send one with the cats. He was on my bed with both cats but didn’t have camera. Have a great day.
Doug

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[John D Mason]

By the way I did get the Repticalcium without D3 and will rotate monthy thanks so much for the heads up. He is now on Super Worms 2in and 3/4in crickets. I gut load both. Sorry for all the comments today just wanted you to know the growth is amazing and I appreciate all the information you gave to me.

[Zoodulcis]

I am so pleased that he is thriving! I am always glad to pass on any tips to help make owners and their herps happier and healthier. It’s nice that he wants to be out with you so often. For your convenience, in case you need to get him back into his enclosure without a fuss, try not to feed him anywhere except inside his housing. That way he will have a positive association with the advantages of being back inside and not get so spoiled that placing him inside his enclosure is always a hassle.

[John D Mason]

I do. I am still feeding him often but only in Enclosure. Thanks though I am sure some might think it is cool to feed outside enclosure. Question? I am feeding crickets in the morning and then the rest of the day super worms due to crickets hiding in some places and come out at night if not eaten and would bite on him. One thing is probably changing inside of his cage as he is so big and maybe not having wood crickets will hide in. Until that is done should I feed crickets more than just in the morning. I gut load both so I didn’t know if it mattered. thanks

[Zoodulcis]

This is very forward-thinking husbandry, and absolutely the way to prevent unnecessary injuries. There is an old saying…”the shepherd’s eye is the best medicine” so congratulations on being a good shepherd and preventing a problem before it starts. Your instincts about the best way to proceed are right-on, so keep feeding crickets only in the morning until some other enclosure configuration can be worked out.

[John D Mason]

thank you so much. Happy New Year.

[Zoodulcis]

And a very joyous New Year to you!

[John D Mason]

I entered Buddy again this month but not showing pictures unless you have to approve them.?? not sure. Buddy changing the channel. I will try here and maybe you can move to there

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[John D Mason]

I FIXED IT IF YOU COULD DELETE THE ONE THAT FOR SOME REASON DIDN’T POST A PHOTO. THANKS

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