where my baby is sleeping questions....

[Duecej]

Hey all 2 things, storm has moved where he sleeps, he know sleeps on the floor of his home, the only problem I have with this is that there are always crickets climbing on and over him ( they are hiding under his tree and behind his water dish...is this ok??? Can they hurt him at all? I'm really concerned, because I can't touch the crickets, they really freak me out ( I know that sounds crazy , but I just can't do it? Does anyone have one of those canopy things that there BD sleeps on, and what's your thoughts...thanks sooo much

 

[richard]

crickets can be quite mean even to adults so no its not ok to leave crickets in crawling all over him. you can buy the reptile hammocks online but crickets will still get to your dragon. so to answer your question, the best thing for your animal is to remove uneaten crickets before lights go out. some people leave the greens in all night so the crickets will have something other than your dragon to chew on but leaving the crickets in is not recommended. ive seen crickets kill babys and leave nasty bites on juvies and adults. get a dustbuster just for crickets and suck them out if you have to. just a thought

 

[Brett]

No its not good to leave life food in your enclosure. They can and will bite and you little guy possibly causing infection. A hammock isn't a guarantee he will sleep there. Maybe try feeding him in a different container then take him out when hes done then you don't have to worry about touching the crickets.

 

[Shanon]

I completely agree with Brett it is not a good idea to leave crickets in with the Beardie at all, you should always remove any uneaten bugs cause they will bite it at night. The best idea is to do a seperate feeding tank for it so you don't have to touch them.

 

[ajandj]

I third that. ALWAYS remove uneaten food from the enclosure before lights out.

 

[ajandj]

someone on here also told me that crickets look for moisture. Hence they will suck the fruid from your dragon's eyes... as studip, funny whatever, this sounds apparently there is trueth in it.
Also, basically anywhere your dragon can climb to the crickets can too. Use a pair of tweezers to remove them.

 

[Duecej]

That's what I thought! Thanks I will suck them out of his home! I've always fed him in his home since day 1 , so when I tried the different container to feed him he wasent eating very well! I dont know why I didnt think to vacume them out! THANKS SO MUCH!

 

[Dragonsx6]

Hi speaking from very recent experience I cannot stress enough how inportant it is to make sure there are NO crickets left in your viv overnight. One of my girls is currently being treated at the vet due to cricket bites. She had a piece of drift wood in her viv which crix had hidden in that we didnt know about and when we got up in the morning she had a large hole on her hind leg at her tail. The only way we could stem the bleeding was to put a pressure dressing on it, but the min the dressing was removed the bleeding would start again. When we got her to the vet he told us that we were lucky she had not died, the only thing that saved her was the pressure dressing I had put on it. She has ended up with 3 staples in her leg, been on antibiotics for the last 3 weeks, became very anemic due to the blood loss and needs the wound washed twice a day with an iodine solution to stop anymore infection in it. When it heels properly she is going to have a deformed hind leg. Needless to say we are even more cautious now and the drift wood has been removed. We have 6 dragons and she is the only one this has happened to, but it could just as easily have happened to any of the others. My girl still has to go back to the vet for a few weeks yet till they make sure that it is healed properly and all the infection is gone.
Please Please make sure there are no crix in with your dragon over night I would not wish this on anyones baby.

 

[Sqooky]

When I get home at night I always wait for the lights to click off and then wrap then wrap the beardies up in their blankies. They cover their noses so that they can't see the lights. Then I put them somewhere comfy for awhile while I vacuum their tanks. Make sure you stick the vacuum into any holes or cracks, corners of the viv, get under dishes and rocks, etc.. Crickets love to hide.

 

[tdrost]

I can't stand touching the crickets either, or the worms actually. Ok I just don't like any of the crawlies. They are however food, SO, I found a good pair of tweezers. Not the tongs from the pet stores as I know the dragons aren't going to bite me, just a pair of basic tweezers.
I also watch for escaped superworms because they will hide as well and they turn into big, ugly black beetles. I don't know if they harm the dragons or not, but as a beetle, they are INEDIBLE.

 

[Jp]

Hi speaking from very recent experience I cannot stress enough how inportant it is to make sure there are NO crickets left in your viv overnight. One of my girls is currently being treated at the vet due to cricket bites. She had a piece of drift wood in her viv which crix had hidden in that we didnt know about and when we got up in the morning she had a large hole on her hind leg at her tail. The only way we could stem the bleeding was to put a pressure dressing on it, but the min the dressing was removed the bleeding would start again. When we got her to the vet he told us that we were lucky she had not died, the only thing that saved her was the pressure dressing I had put on it. She has ended up with 3 staples in her leg, been on antibiotics for the last 3 weeks, became very anemic due to the blood loss and needs the wound washed twice a day with an iodine solution to stop anymore infection in it. When it heels properly she is going to have a deformed hind leg. Needless to say we are even more cautious now and the drift wood has been removed. We have 6 dragons and she is the only one this has happened to, but it could just as easily have happened to any of the others. My girl still has to go back to the vet for a few weeks yet till they make sure that it is healed properly and all the infection is gone.
Please Please make sure there are no crix in with your dragon over night I would not wish this on anyones baby.

Sorry 2 hear that your girl is going through this & I hope her recovery starts 2 go smoothly. The reason why I like this post is because it shows 1st hand what can happen when crix are left in the enclosure & the severity of the injuries these nasty little things can & will inflict. Again, I am very sorry this has happened but your post will be very beneficial 2 many others when it's read. Thank you & Have a chill day.

 

[tdrost]

who told you that??? The beetles are edible and the dragons love them. Thats how the worms start out the beetles lay eggs which turn into worms . With tweezers just be careful as they have very sharp edges - which is how women use them to remove eyebrows etc. But you can buy tweezers with rounded ends - got mine from one of these books thro the door kleeneze or something. or ebay sell them cheaper than pet stores.

I was told by a pet store that they were inedible!!! He said to make sure if any turn into beetles, to take them out asap and make sure she doesn't eat them!

as for the tweezers, there are many different kinds and shapes on the market these days. (I am an esthetician specializing in epilation/waxing; and at least 5 different types of tweezers~everything from a perfect point to very blunt ends).
for this purpose I use the ones that are straight across the end with a blunt tip.

 

[Jp]

I was told by a pet store that they were inedible!!! He said to make sure if any turn into beetles, to take them out asap and make sure she doesn't eat them!

as for the tweezers, there are many different kinds and shapes on the market these days. (I am an esthetician specializing in epilation/waxing; and at least 5 different types of tweezers~everything from a perfect point to very blunt ends).
for this purpose I use the ones that are straight across the end with a blunt tip.

I have a male that is a very aggresive eater at times & I have 2 get out my trusty bamboo chopstix.

 

[tdrost]

I have a male that is a very aggresive eater at times & I have 2 get out my trusty bamboo chopstix.

hahaha! must be quite the sight!!!

 

[tdrost]

ah good so at least you know the difference, but not eveyone realises how sharpe some tweezers can be.
As for the bugs its something ive never heard of before. But again different parts of the world tend to have different ideas. Out of interest was it a general pet store or a reptile specialist store?? General pet stores like petco/pets at home etc are not always that clued up on reptiles and only know very little.

It was not a chain pet store, just a family owned one that deals with (sells) alot of reptiles. I am thankful for the recent WCRE in Red Deer. I was getting my worms, etc from the store, but made some great contacts at the expo. Seems that aLOT of what I was told at the pet store and the chain stores (petland, etc) is totally off!
Glad to have found this site too! You guys have all been awesome to ask questions and talk to!! Thanks!!!!
Surprisingly enough, my family and friends Don't want to discuss dragons all day!) LOL!!

 

[Dragonsx6]

Sorry 2 hear that your girl is going through this & I hope her recovery starts 2 go smoothly. The reason why I like this post is because it shows 1st hand what can happen when crix are left in the enclosure & the severity of the injuries these nasty little things can & will inflict. Again, I am very sorry this has happened but your post will be very beneficial 2 many others when it's read. Thank you & Have a chill day.

Thanks JeffO. It was very stressfull & distressing when it happened. I had read stories online etc about crix bites but when you experience it first hand uoi realise just how nasty they can be. Dusty seems to be doing better now, it will just be a long slow process until the wound is fully recovered.

 

[Dragonsx6]

Hi, thot I would share these pics with you. This is the result of my girls cricket bite. 3 weeks on she still has the 3 staples in her leg, still very anemic due to the blood loss, still on antibiotics, gets the wound flushed twice a day with an iodine solution and cant have a bath unless ther iodine in it - meaning she cant have a bath at all just now as she tends to drink the water in her bath

The bit where the staples are will eventually come off leaving her with a deformed leg!!

 

[Dragonsx6]

Thanks for sharing. Looks rather gruesome poor girl! People need to see photos like that to see what damage can be done by crickets etc.
so we ( or I) appreicate you putting your photos up for all to see.hope she gets better soon xx
Thank you!

Thanks, obviously I couldnt get pics of the wound before the trip to vet due to the blood loss, but if this helps prevent another dragon go thru what poor Dusty is going thru then I have done my job.

 

[tdrost]

Thanks for showing us! I knew that crickets were evil little creatures!
I agree though that people need to see these kinds of pictures to truly understand and appreciate the severity of the situation!
Sounds to me like she is going to get the best care possible, and that is what is most important right now!! Good Luck!

 

[Dragonsx6]

Thanks for showing us! I knew that crickets were evil little creatures!
I agree though that people need to see these kinds of pictures to truly understand and appreciate the severity of the situation!
Sounds to me like she is going to get the best care possible, and that is what is most important right now!! Good Luck!

Thank you