Hey guys, it's been awhile since I last posted. JubJub (or Godzilla, as my dad calls him) is now about 9 inches. He's still jumpy and likes to travel up my arm, never sitting still. I don't know if I'm doing anything wrong, but I've been hand feeding him crix with tongs, and he seems to know it when I sit near the cricket cage. But he still likes to jump a lot, from people's hands to the floor, or anywhere. It doesn't seem to hurt him as he just keeps going after he lands, but I'm worried he'll break something soon. How long has it taken you for your WD to calm down? I've had him for about 6 months now and I think he was born in the summer, early. He also still hides/hibernates under his water pool for days at a time. If I lift it up he's usually in a little dream state curled up. I'm thinking it's too big so I might replace it. He also burned under his tail the other night. He got on top of his cage and tried climbing the light. I chased him off it quickly but there are brown spots under the tail that are likely burns. Should I put some ointment on it or something?
You asked about how long it takes for them to calm down...it depends on the individual but I have had ones that didn't calm down until they were over 2. You said..."He also still hides/hibernates under his water pool for days at a time. If I lift it up he's usually in a little dream state curled up"...what is the basking temperature? What is the ambient temperature in the cage? Appropriate temperatures are important for proper digestion, thus nutrient absorption. You said....."He also burned under his tail the other night. He got on top of his cage and tried climbing the light. I chased him off it quickly but there are brown spots under the tail that are likely burns."...the light should not be positioned so that he can burn himself on it. You said..."Should I put some ointment on it or something?"...I would keep an eye on it....or to be on the safe side take it to the vet to have it checked out. He also burned under his tail the other night. He got on top of his cage and tried climbing the light. I chased him off it quickly but there are brown spots under the tail that are likely burns. Should I put some ointment on it or something? Is the cage glass? Do you have a UVB linear/tube light on the cage? What brand? Do you supplement the insects? If so, with what specifically? Gutload them? With what specifically? Give your dragon a "salad" of greens (dandelion, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.) and a bit of fruit (apple, pear, melon, berries, etc.).
Re: RE: JubJub The temp in the cage is 75-80 with 60% humidity. The basking temp is 95 or so, I have a Powersun 100w. It was NOT placed where he can get it. It's on top of his screen. It just so happened he launched himself and got onto the top when I went to put him away. I'm putting him away on the other side of the cage from now on. The cage is glass and along with the MVB I have a ReptiGlo 5.0 tube light. I dust the crix every other week with Reptocal and ALWAYS gutload, romaine lettuce and carrots. He will not accept salads, that I have tried. I've tried giving him grapes and apples and he doesn't seem to like those either. He doesn't even accept mealies sometimes, but crickets he eats without fail. A few times I tried garnishing salad with mealies, that didn't work. Maybe I should try crickets and salad together? If you want I can take a picture of his enclosure. Thanks for your reply, BTW.
RE: Re: RE: JubJub Although the following may have nothing to do specifically with your water dragon hiding all the time, they do affect his health. Does he have places to go where he doesn't have to be in the light? You said..."I dust the crix every other week with Reptocal"...does it contain phosphorus? What form of vitamin A does it contain? I dust at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder. Most feeder insects we use have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous..so this helps to make up for it. I dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that has a beta carotene source of vitamin A. Beta carotene sources cannot build up in the system like preformed sources can. Excess preformed vitamin A can prevent the D3 produced from exposure to UVB or from supplements from doing its job and lead to MBD. I dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and cause problems, so don't overdo it. You said you "ALWAYS gutload, romaine lettuce and carrots"...I gutload my crickets with a variety of greens (dandelion, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, sweet potato, zucchini, squash, sweet red pepper, celery leaves, etc.). The better you feed the crickets the better your dragon's chances of being healthy. You said..."He will not accept salads, that I have tried. I've tried giving him grapes and apples and he doesn't seem to like those either"....I feed my dragons the same greens and veggies along with a bit of fruit (apples, pears, melon, berries, etc.). I keep hearing people say that their dragons won't eat the salad...but I have never had a problem with it....don't know why. I start them on it when they are just babies. Here's some information on the light you are using... http://www.uvguide.co.uk/mercvapourfloods.htm#zoomedpowersun
JUb has a hide log and plants. I clamped the lamp to my cabinet so it's up higher to see if it's a heat related problem. Reptocal has calcium and D3. Sometimes I will feed the crickets a Fluker's "orange cube" which has carotene, too. Expanding the crickets' diet is a good idea. I made him a salad of romaine, carrots, apples and grapes, let' see what he does. Here's his 75 gal enclosure:
Is it normal for red to appear on the chest at under a year old? I also noticed some yellow splotching on his throat. Also, he's eating mealies I let loose in his cage. He enjoys digging for them. A very cool sight!
im not sure if this is true or not but about 3 years ago i had a baby water dragon (about 3 years old) and i was feeding him mealies 4 around 3-4months and one day i woke up and he was dead, he had holes in his tummy and white grubs that loked like baby mealies, i told my frend and he said that ur not meant to feed babys that because they cant digest it properly or something and they dont die inside their stomach
