Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.

Click here to visit Classifieds
https://www.crepnw.com/
Click here for Dragon Serpents

Still on standby

zrho Oct 13, 2003 09:23 AM

Daisy is still swelling up. She took two large nightcrawlers last evening. This is the first time she has eaten (visibly) in 15 days. Whereas when I originally obtained her, she fed heavily almost every day for a week. She has shown absolutely no interest in the nest box.

Zoe, who I also call the "Grand ole' Lady", as she is the largest and I would estimate significantly older than the other 2 dragons is doing well and appears to be in a shed. No indications that she is carrying a clutch.

My little orange male Randy, may still have a parasite issue. He is thin, but alert and feeding regularly.

All of the stools I have removed from the enclosure have been solid (which certainly makes things convenient). I added some more cover, and vertical perches - which the tenants appear to approve of. It's always fun to come home from work and then play 'I spy' with the dragon enclosure.

There was a point when all of the animals were off feed for about 5 days. I kept wondering about environmental factors but haven't been able to identify anything specific. I did bump the enclosure temperature a few degrees. At the time I noticed they were very active and eating, the temp at the high point of the enclosure hovered around 80 degrees F. At the time when I distinctly noticed that nobody was feeding, the temp at the top of the enclosure was 74 degrees F. It now remains relatively steady at 77 degrees at the high point, and about 72 degrees at the low point. Humidity is usually 65%, increasing to 80% following heavy misting in the morning and then again at night.

Still have not seen any of the dragons drink, or make use of the water basin.

Replies (14)

ecb Oct 13, 2003 09:46 AM

Erowen is NOT eating anything except one worm she came upon while digging
she is playing in the water, and dunks her head to get the dirt off, so I M not too to worried about her not drinking
I have to clean out the filter every other day at this point
I wish she would eat something
she sometimes looks at the food, but the count does not change for what is in there, and the nightcrawlers either get loose, or die
I have to trust her instincts, she is still pressing her belly with the corners of her perches, and draping herself over the gaps so her spine is a little bit in a 'U'
Good luck, wish I had a larger enclosure so I could put up a variety of perches, I can only fit in the 2 I have, and the plants

-----
Elizabeth (ecb)

Make this world a better and more beautiful place that You have been in it
*Edward W Bok*

ecb Oct 13, 2003 09:47 AM

other end of the tank

-----
Elizabeth (ecb)

Make this world a better and more beautiful place that You have been in it
*Edward W Bok*

zrho Oct 13, 2003 11:57 AM

The enclosure I have for the MHD's was originally for a water dragon, which was why I needed the large size. There used to be a water dragon site, (several years ago) that had exactly the type of enclosure extension that you are looking to do Elizabeth. I haven't been able to find it - but I'm still looking. They placed an extension on top of a 70 gallon aquarium.

FroggieB Oct 13, 2003 08:49 PM

I hope for your sake that they are fertile eggs. If not though you will have a good idea of what to expect when you do produce some fertile eggs! I would suggest you go ahead and give the meds as I have found that they did not cause any ill effects on the hatchlings or hatch rate of the eggs that Darcy laid whily undergoing treatment. Best to get her cleared of the parasites so that she can be in peak health when she lays her eggs.

As for the not eating remember that every female is different when it comes to her pre-laying behavior. If she caught and ate a worm while digging I wouldn't be too worried about her starving. And as long as she is active I am sure she isn't in any danger.

Good luck!
-----
Marcia - FroggieB Dragons
www.froggieb.com/MHDHome.html

ecb Oct 13, 2003 08:57 PM

Not anymore

LOL
-----
Elizabeth (ecb)

Make this world a better and more beautiful place that You have been in it
*Edward W Bok*

zrho Oct 13, 2003 12:02 PM

No sooner do I post my last response, and then do another search, and voila ...

Here is the link:
Dragon_Enclosure

ecb Oct 13, 2003 12:24 PM

Know anyone who would build it for me??

:-D
-----
Elizabeth (ecb)

Make this world a better and more beautiful place that You have been in it
*Edward W Bok*

zrho Oct 13, 2003 02:12 PM

My woodworking skills are only useful for making kindling.
I am confident that for someone who does have the correct tools, it is probably a pretty straightforward job. A couple of pieces of strapping, some brass or stainless woodscrews, some plexi and some silicone sealant.

ecb Oct 13, 2003 03:02 PM

I M gonna get a well made custom enclosure, and set it up someplace cool
if you would like to E-mail me privatly U can, or just we can talk here about what U like, and what U would do differently
and I can bounce my plans off on you
I M gonna have at least 4 animals by the time this is set up
and I have a friend who wants to get one from me or someone else as soon as they are available, she just LOVES mine
-----
Elizabeth (ecb)

Make this world a better and more beautiful place that You have been in it
*Edward W Bok*

ecb Oct 14, 2003 08:34 AM

When my Sewer drain was fixed, the jerks who did the work damaged my neighbors sidewalk as well as mine (mine Iknew would happen) so I just had someone come fix it, and I paid for it, because it was due to work done on MY property (it only seamed right) so he says I HAVE to let him pay me back
he is a construction worker
he fixes and builds things
so, I printed out a pic of what you linked, and got the old Screen cover for the tank, and I M gonna ask him to make me an addition for the 55 gallon I have, so it will be higher
I will even buy the supplies

Sound like a PLAN?!?!?!?!

-----
Elizabeth (ecb)

Make this world a better and more beautiful place that You have been in it
*Edward W Bok*

zrho Oct 14, 2003 08:41 AM

Sounds like a bargain.I would be surprised if it were more than 75 bucks in materials. Keep us posted.

ecb Oct 14, 2003 09:57 AM

will do
I would still like to confab with you about how U feel about the full sized vivarium
-----
Elizabeth (ecb)

Make this world a better and more beautiful place that You have been in it
*Edward W Bok*

zrho Oct 14, 2003 01:44 PM

I am actually considering adding a 3rd female. Again, this depends upon whether or not I get the ok from the state. I got an email that my request was forwarded to "someone" but haven't heard anything back.

My viv had to be furniture quality (meaning visually pleasing and functional) because - it is in our bedroom. God love my wife. We have no place else for it at the moment.
I use turf carpet on the bottom of the enclosure - were it not in our bedroom, I would probably cover the bottom in pond liner and fill it with several inches of coconut fiber for a substrate.I also use a large Kane heat mat (which would not work with a soil like substrate)

We live in a very rural area (dairy farms both up and down the street from us) and our property is surrounded by conservation land. I was able to find some great epitphytic vines similar to grapewood. This is predominantly what I used for perching vines.
The whole shebang sits on caster wheels so that I can move it. The enclosure is made from melamine which is basically laminated particle board. This also means that if moisture reaches the particle board, it absorbs it and expands like a sponge. So I sealed most of the internal seams with silicone.

I purchased the enclosure from this gentleman (a displaced New Englander) Showcase_Cages
While I drew most of my interior setup from here:
JWorlds I spoke with J Worlds and got a quote, his stuff is truly stunning, but the cost was prohibitive.

ecb Oct 14, 2003 02:02 PM

Thanks, I had not found the more expensive of the 2 before, and I had lost the link to the site you did buy from, so it is all to the good
Even with jimmi helping me make the tank taller, I will need a full sized enclosure soon (with in a year or 18 Months) so it is good to know
I wonder if a coffee can loan would work (tape a coffee can shut, and donate whenever you can, only open once to see if you have enough)
Oh well, we shall see
right now I M focusing on getting nightcrawlers, and a penlight
-----
Elizabeth (ecb)

Make this world a better and more beautiful place that You have been in it
*Edward W Bok*

Site Tools