• Hello guest! Are you a Bearded Dragon enthusiast? If so we invite you to join our community and see what it has to offer. Our site is specifically designed for you and it's a great place for Beardie enthusiasts to meet online. Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your dragons and enclosures and have a great time with other Bearded Dragon enthusiasts. Sign up today!

I think I'm going to try again...

valkryja

Hatchling Dragon
3 Year Member
Messages
191
Hello again, everybody. As some of you may know, I recently lost my baby beardy Wrex due to unknown causes. He became unresponsive out of the blue and then suffered a seizure and died.

This loss was incredibly saddening, but also enlightening. I've talked with a vet and we narrowed the cause of death down to either a virus, genetics, or his horrible living conditions at PetSmart as a baby. I'm going to try to fight with PetSmart to have them house their beardies better (no sand, no mealworms, decent temps/humidity), but I doubt it'll do much good in the long run and I still won't trust them when buying another lizard.

I still miss Wrex, but I also long to raise a bearded dragon into maturity... Wrex was an adorable little guy, but he was frail from the start and I want to get one a little sturdier. I've contacted a local breeder, who I talked to at length and found to be reputable and enthusiastic about his job. He sent me pictures of the vivs he houses his animals in, his beardies dressed up for Easter (the poor little guys were in felt bunny ear costumes :p), and of the little guys eating collard greens. He also seemed very sympathetic about my position with Wrex - he urged me to reserve a dragon and pick it up later instead of just getting a new one, as he knew it would fill the hole Wrex had left but could never replace him. And besides, the baby would be older and stronger at that point.

So I put a reservation payment down on a German Giant hatchling who hatched earlier this month. This is his/her mother Sumo, weighing in at 867 grams:

Sumo%20001%20(Small).jpg


And his/her father is a high color citrus. I think with this combination, the hatchlings should be sturdy enough. I'm going to pick him/her up in either May or June, when the weather gets better for dragon raising. Besides, by then I think I'll be ready. I wouldn't be able to get another dragon right now if I tried.

The breeder says that they're already used to eating greens and crickets, so feeding him/her won't be a problem. I'll also buy a bigger tank if this guy ends up being as big as his/her mommy. :p I'm going to clean out the entirety of Wrex's viv with a 10% bleach solution, tile the bottom with slate, and bake the wood at about 300-400 degrees to kill off any bacteria or viruses.

Is there anything else I can do? Losing Wrex was difficult enough... I refuse to do it again. I need to make sure that everything is perfectly set up for when I take my new baby home in a few months.
 

lexi

Bearded Dragon Egg
3 Year Member
Messages
397
I think that sounds like an awesome plan... make sure all the cage furnishings are sterilized as well, food and water bowls, etc. I'm excited for you! The breeder sounds knowledgeable and caring, and I think getting the animal a bit later when he's bigger and stronger will probably ease your nerves a bit after this whole experience. I really believe it was likely due to pet store neglect, since optimal care when they're so young is so important. I think you'll do a great job with your new baby when you get him :)
 

renich

Juvenile Dragon
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
3,001
It sounds like you have done your homework and will be provided a healthy and strong beardie. These guys are tons of fun. Good luck with everything and make sure you introduce us when the little one joins your family.
 

valkryja

Hatchling Dragon
3 Year Member
Messages
191
Thanks everyone! Hey... Maybe you can help me choose. :p
There are two dragons available from the three that hatched:
picsay-1269016560-1.jpg


He says that one is more orange and one is more green. The orange guy is slightly bigger and with more dominant personality, and the greenish one has peach sidebars and whatnot. I'm having trouble deciding, haha. What do you think will end up looking best as an adult? :p
 

Boogiesmom

Bearded Dragon Egg
3 Year Member
Messages
227
That is really a personal choice but you were talking the citrus colors first but I like green. So I guess I am a load of help...lol. I would see them in person and which personality attracts you.
 

corrine

Bearded Dragon Egg
3 Year Member
Messages
850
Drop in a cricket and whoever grabs it first is the winner lol... That's how I picked out YoYo when he was a hatchling.
 

staylor

Bearded Dragon Egg
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
1,948
I am more of a yellow/orange lover. They are both too cute to decided so I say get them both...j/k :p
 

zebraflavencs

Bearded Dragon Egg
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
3,558
When I got Gem and Orion.. Gem was green... Now he is a right super citrus.. So perhaps.. the not green is your choice ?
Hope this helps out!
Janie
 

egg 80

Bearded Dragon Egg
3 Year Member
Messages
237
as said go for the one that eats best lol nahh i love the look of the yellow/orange looks like our sunshine used too
paul
 

valkryja

Hatchling Dragon
3 Year Member
Messages
191
The breeder finally got back to me. ^_^ He's had the flu so it's taken a while, but he gave me a personality analysis of each baby.

Beardy 1, yellow/orange: Dominant, hogs all the food, takes up the basking spot, is larger and growing very fast. Sometimes gets greedy during feeding time and eats the collard greens right out of the breeder's hand instead of just waiting for them to be put in the food bowl.

Beardy 2, yellow/green: Very sweet, active, and docile. Is still a bit "tiny" compared to the first one (but still large for his/her age), but shows potential. Doesn't like eating greens.

All this being said, I think I'm gonna go with the yellow/orange one. :D
 
Top