Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Erowen has been looking so BLISSFUL and sweet these last couple of days, I have alternating lights, and the temp has been in the upper 70s, the huimidity has been right at 80% (except when I had the faountain splashing to much, then it went back up to 90%)
and my sweet little angle was LITERALLY hugging the fountain pump so the jet hit her full in the chest at one point (yes she is about to shed)
after her little swim, she climed a plant and was just grasping it like a babay hugs its mothers arm, as they sleep
her eyes were closed, and she ALMOST seemed to be smiling
but I could be WAY wrong
she is VERY hungry now (the vet said that deworming her would jump her apetite a LOT) eating 4-5 earthworms, or 3 nightcrawlers a day (about 30 hours between meals) she does not even look at crickets anymore, I M about to try Meal worms next (but the kids keep digging up earthworms for her)
Does all this sound OK? or should I worry that she is TOO quiet those times she is so restfull apearing
she is also a LOT calmer when I pick her up now, but my eldest said she was a bit freaked out when they took her out so they could clean the cage, and would not get off my middle daughters head, and she opened her mouth at every movement when she was out of the cage

Sorry to go on and on, I just like what I M seing, but as any first time parent, I M worried about every little thing.
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Elizabeth (ecb)

'Good Judgment Comes From Experience
but Experience Comes From Bad Judgment'

Sounds sweet to me. One of the things I have always loved about these guys is the quiet. Very little uprooting of plants or tearing the enclosure apart. They are, as I have always thought of them, tree huggers. Its just what they do. There is a possibility that keeping them at warmer temps ie. mid 80s will increase their activity some but why run the risk to overall health?
If she is eating, pooping, and hanging out in the pond I wouldn't think there was anything wrong with her. It's the dragon who runs all over the enclosure continuously or hides under the foliage that I would worry about.
From the sounds of it she is still somewhat fearful when out of her enclosure. Just make slow movemets, no jumping around or twirling, and keep her clear of other pets that may not be resognized as potential danger. When Lucky was still a baby she saw us unpack a large order of Amazon Tree Boas and as we checked them over she got really buck. Inflated her dewlap, raised herself up tall on her legs and bobbed up and down, the whole nine yards. None of my dragons recognize the dog as a threat though and the one time I had left him inside while I maintenanced he came up and sniffed one of the dragons and the little bugger jumped right onto his face! Dog goes out now, always. Eventually she will get more used to the daily tasks and having her out will no longer be so scary for her.
They do look a lot like they are smiling don't they. Very contented looking little lizards. You sound like a very good mommy and she sounds like she is thriving. Well done.

Cheyanne
spitfire Reptiles

actually I saw something that surprized me last night. I saw her Urinate, and poop (not the surprizing part)
since she deficates Urates, I did not think she would pass water, but she did.
her foutain got too warm (90') so I moved it to the center of the tank, between the UTHs, not over one
and I made the fountain circulate the water, not just splash it.
I bought her some MEali worms and some red wrigglers to try today
see what she likes best

I do like her, she is NEAT
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Elizabeth (ecb)

'Good Judgment Comes From Experience
but Experience Comes From Bad Judgment'

I was surprised the first time I saw mine pass water as well as urates. Not to worry, it's normal.
Good idea to move the water bowl. I doubt she would have used it much if it stayed that warm. You might notice a drop in your relative humidity since the water wont be evaporating as quickly anymore. Probably not much but it is something to watch out for.
Mealworms might not move very much but sometimes that doesn't matter to them. If it is an issue you can try handfeeding them to her. They really wriggle when they are held and that gets a lot of attention. I just wish they would dust better.
Have you "rained" on her yet? Mine love the rains. I have a gallon milk jug that I popped holes in the cap of and I use it to water the heck out of them. They do some funny stuff in the rain, like swimming in the dirt.
Once every week or two I give them a good long rain in the shower. They really seem to enjoy that too and it's a good holding place for when I fully maintenance the enclosure. I let them get rained on for about 20 minutes and then let them just hang out in the humidity until I am done. If you want to try that just make sure the water is barely warm to the inside of your wrist and the shower isn't blasting them. I have found that mine prefer to stay longer if there is a branch to hang out on so I found a nice piece of driftwood and use it. It's great actually because I put my houseplants in with them and it gives a nice jungle effect while watering at the same time and provides hides for the dragons if they choose.
I think you will find that these little guys quickly become the favored pet. How can anyone resist those faces

Have a good day
Cheyanne

I was out of town over the weekend, had a bridal shower for our youngest son's fiancee and that gave me a great excuse to spend part of father's day with my family! Wore me out but it was nice.

I'm glad the little gal is doing so much better. As Cheyanne said, you sound like the perfect dragon mommy!

Marcia