Posted by:
kinyonga
at Fri Jan 5 03:25:22 2007 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by kinyonga ]
You said you have a heat emitter....is it right near the basking light? Does she sit under the basking light at all? Some species of lizard don't recognize a heat source as a place to warm up...they look for the sunlight/light.
Some other information that you didn't ask for, but I hope will be helpful.. My dragons have always had a UVB light. The light must not pass through glass or plastic. Exposure to UVB either from a UVB light or exposure to direct sunlight allows the dragon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium that it gets from its diet. Insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous...so I dust the insects with a phosphorous-free calcium powder at most feedings.
I also dust with a vitamin powder twice a month. I use a vitamin powder that has a beta carotene source of vitamin A so that it won't build up in the system and cause problems. Preformed sources of vitamin A can cause overdoses.
Because my dragons get no direct sunlight, I also dust twice a month with a calcium/D3 powder. D3 from supplements can build up in the system, so be careful not to overdo it.
Vitamin D3, vitamin A, calcium and phosphorous are the main players in bone health and need to be in balance. Proper temperature contributes too in that it aids in digestion.
I gutload my insects with the same greens (dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, ROMAINE lettuce, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, zucchini, etc.) that I provide for my dragon....except that to the insects' gutload, I add white potato. I also give my dragons a little fruit (apple, pear, melon, peaches, berries, etc.)
I have a water area in their cages too so that they can swim. They usually defecate in the water, so its important to change it every day.
If you do have a female, when she is about three, she could lay eggs even if not mated...so she needs a place to dig to lay them if you don't want to risk her becoming eggbound.
BTW...a bigger enclosure would be a good idea!
Hope this helps!
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