Helping underweight beardie gain?

[BeardiesAreBest]

So thank all of you guys who offered actual advice and im going to deactivate this thread bcuz this has devolved and all I wanted to do was help my lizard ok im really sorry to everyone about the discourse that just went down I just felt unfairly targeted and I understand that not giving him protein is bad but im trying to find a solution, so thank you and sorry once again to everyone that tried to help me

 

[BeardiesAreBest]

LOOK @mxw0rld I WAS ASKING FOR ADVICE!!! BUT TELLING A CHILD THAT THEY ARE PATHETIC AND OFFERING NO ACTUAL ADVICE IS NOT GIVING ADVICE ITS BULLYING

 

[Draeju's_world]

Come on guys....

The fridge slows their metabolism down and they basically hibernate. Once they warm back up in the feeding dish, they wiggle and crawl around. Very easy feeder to keep and serve. I use tweezers to pick them out of the container and a small handheld sifter to shake out any debris/dirt that sticks to them. Put them in and give a few shakes. No rinsing needed. Easy and quick.

 

[BeardiesAreBest]

Thank you im sorry I keep arguing. Thank you for the explanation of the minifridge thing. Thats really cool.

 

[Anthony Radford]

And you were given many good ideas on how to help. Yet, you seemed to take offense to some of the ideas that were given and lashed out, disobeying forum ethics. As mentioned, you WERE given many ideas on how to help- ideas on how to raise a little money, etc. I don't know what else you were wanting? A pity fund? Granted not all ideas given may work, but should be enough to jump start some brainstorming . Mxw0rld does have a lot of good knowledge on raising and caring for dragons. You should listen to her. And no, after reading the posts, she wasn't calling YOU sad and pathetic, she was referring to the care given to the starving lizard. Not giving him protein will KILL him, and your mom is letting that happen. Bottom line- if you or your mom can't afford to properly care for him, not be willing to do what it takes, then maybe you shouldn't have him.

 

[RaeAnn]

I don't think anyone was trying to come at you or argue with you. Trust me I completely understand how it is to struggle financially. Bugs can get very expensive after a while. I think everyone is just simply defending the animal in the situation. Not providing the right care for an animal is neglect plan and simple. If you can not provide him with what he needs it may be wise to consider re homing him.
We have provided you with advice and lots of good feeder insects to choose from. I hope if your mom decides she is not going to buy any insects that you will consider giving this guy to someone who can. Sorry you are faced with this.
Wishing you and your Beardie the best of luck!


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[Hdrydr31]

I completely agree with hdrydr31 it is your mother's responsibility and if she doesn't want to feed the animal then you need to get off your butt and make some money to get that baby some food. If you're not old enough to have a job then get a paper route, mow lawns, babysit, wash car's, do something. You are starving that baby to death.

To me animals are like children and you are starving your child. If you can't feed it the protein it needs then you need to find a place that can take it and give it the care that it so deserves.

How would you feel if your mom starved you? And I bet you are just sitting there watching this baby starve to death. How sad and pathetic.

Go sell an Xbox or PlayStation game. I'm sure you've got those. I've had to put my husbands $1,000 drone in pawn too make sure we had money to take Wally to the vet. Pawn only gave us $300. Cuz they only give you a third of what is worth but you do what you have to do in times of need.

Now come on this comment was a bit over the top... They clearly care about their dragon, it is the mother that could use a bit of education.. So don't be so hard on him..Afterall we are all here to help not bash or feel bad.

 

[Hdrydr31]

HOLD one everyone!!! this is way blown out...
Advise was asked support is what NEEDS to be given
we all care very much about our dragons...

SO everyone back off take a breath and lets be civil...

 

[Hdrydr31]

I keep waxworms, butterworms, superworms and dubia roaches on hand...
My waxworms are in the basement so they are cool not cold
My butterworms I keep in the door of the fridge in the basement
My superworms are in a rubbermade container with wheat bran with a mesh top in a bedroom
My dubia colony is in my basement.. These are self sustaining.. so I don't have to buy them anymore
I also get phoenix worms on occasion. they are also in the basement
If you look at the link under my comment you'll find a link for general care in there you will find 2 good links to food items for staple greens and veggies that will tell you how often it should be fed and how to prep it..

 

[Hdrydr31]

For the people that are giving actual advice, thank you my mom agreed to let me set up a colony of Phoenix worms so hopefully I can get him back to proper nutrition.

@ Beardiesarebest I hope that you are able to get some Phoenix worms those would be great for your fella. There are many different online venders that sell them so if you need help finding some links let us know..

 

[Hdrydr31]

I don't know what you want people to do.

The way I am is because I was beat by my ex husband and left for dead. I do not sugar coat anything.

If you are asking for help with money for food for your animal then set up a go fund me account.

Spell it out that you need money.

I gave you advice on what I would do in your situation. And I'm sorry if you think I came at you or was mean but this is who I am. I am bold and blunt and to the point. I do not hold hands or sugar coat things. After what I have been thru. I have to be this way. I am not getting walked on anymore!

The fact that this is a forum we will have people from all walks of life and situations and sometimes we need to keep ourselves in check... we all like to wear our emotions on our sleeves but we need to remember not everyone is in the same spot in life.. We all have our struggles..
We are here for the dragons so lets focus on that..

 

[Hdrydr31]

I bought a used mini fridge for. $25 to store my BSFL in. It is set at the warmest setting which keeps them at 54℉. They will last for months this way and will allow you to buy them in bulk. The large ones are best.

Very good advice on the mini fridge, the pet store that I visit has there worms in there so do most bait shops around us
This does allow for longer life for the feeders.. You can put all of your worms in there..

 

[Hdrydr31]

So thank all of you guys who offered actual advice and im going to deactivate this thread bcuz this has devolved and all I wanted to do was help my lizard ok im really sorry to everyone about the discourse that just went down I just felt unfairly targeted and I understand that not giving him protein is bad but im trying to find a solution, so thank you and sorry once again to everyone that tried to help me

No need to leave, we all want to help your fella out, just looks like some emotions got out of hand here.. we all can be civil and help you and your little one...

 

[RaeAnn]

For the people that are giving actual advice, thank you my mom agreed to let me set up a colony of Phoenix worms so hopefully I can get him back to proper nutrition.

That is so great to hear! I think you guys will find that they are much easier to maintain than crickets and require practically no care. As for starting a colony I'm not sure how easy/hard that will be. But hey, with a little research it's worth a shot. Someone on here may be able to give you advice on that when the time comes as well. Glad to hear your mom came around, that's wonderful. Your Beardie is going to love you guys for it
Best of luck to you


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[BeardiesAreBest]

=)

 

[Anthony Radford]

For the people that are giving actual advice, thank you my mom agreed to let me set up a colony of Phoenix worms so hopefully I can get him back to proper nutrition.

That's great that you are planning to set up a colony of Phoenix worms (a.k.a BSFL, calci-worms, repti-worms). They are a GREAT feeder. However, there are a couple things to keep in mind regarding a colony. I don't know how much reading you've done on them, but they are essentially maggots. Plain and simple. As for a colony, they will need to be raised and grown in composite- rotten food, poop (manure), etc. VERY smelly! Plus, getting the supplies to start a colony, and the colony starter pack of insects can be very costly. And then there's a wait before you have some ready to be fed to the dragon. Also, at some point in their growing stages, you'll need to "stunt" their growth so they won't morph into adult flies.

On the other hand, there are a lot of vendors online that sell BSFL's for a great price. I typically order mine through JFK Dragons. He is great to work with, good prices (1000ct for $22.99) and I usually receive them in just 2 days. Plus, he uses coconut coir as bedding for them, as opposed to compost/poop [emoji90]. That is VERY smelly and stinks up the house! The coconut has NO smell and is clean to handle, plus edible to the dragon, in the case that some bedding is still on the worm.

As mentioned before, these are a great staple feeder, and are very high in (much needed) calcium. So they do not need dusting!

We are all just trying to help you bro, no need to take offense to what anyone says. A lot of us here are veterans to reptile care, so use our knowledge, rather than oppose/discard it. We are good people, and will do whatever we can to help if asked.

Keep us posted

 

[Hdrydr31]

That's great that you are planning to set up a colony of Phoenix worms (a.k.a BSFL, calci-worms, repti-worms). They are a GREAT feeder. However, there are a couple things to keep in mind regarding a colony. I don't know how much reading you've done on them, but they are essentially maggots. Plain and simple. As for a colony, they will need to be raised and grown in composite- rotten food, poop (manure), etc. VERY smelly! Plus, getting the supplies to start a colony, and the colony starter pack of insects can be very costly. And then there's a wait before you have some ready to be fed to the dragon. Also, at some point in their growing stages, you'll need to "stunt" their growth so they won't morph into adult flies.

On the other hand, there are a lot of vendors online that sell BSFL's for a great price. I typically order mine through JFK Dragons. He is great to work with, good prices (1000ct for $22.99) and I usually receive them in just 2 days. Plus, he uses coconut coir as bedding for them, as opposed to compost/poop [emoji90]. That is VERY smelly and stinks up the house! The coconut has NO smell and is clean to handle, plus edible to the dragon, in the case that some bedding is still on the worm.

As mentioned before, these are a great staple feeder, and are very high in (much needed) calcium. So they do not need dusting!

We are all just trying to help you bro, no need to take offense to what anyone says. A lot of us here are veterans to reptile care, so use our knowledge, rather than oppose/discard it. We are good people, and will do whatever we can to help if asked.

Keep us posted

Thank you for this post very helpful (even for me lol) ? don't they need some kind of meat at some point? as I know meat is bad for beardies..

 

[BeardiesAreBest]

I have a place for a compost bin behind my house so no worries about the smell. =)

 

[Hdrydr31]

I have a place for a compost bin behind my house so no worries about the smell. =)

just watch out for things that may have fertilizer or may have been contaminated with fertilizer as that is bad..
If you know the area's clear of fertilizer you can also give your little one the leaves from dandelions they can also eat the flower.
Have you checked out the link?

 

[Anthony Radford]

*** CORRECTION ***

I apologize, I said that I get my BSFL f on JFK Dragons - I'm sorry but that's where I order my Dubias...

I get my BSFL's from SYMTON Black Soldier Fly Solutions. (Www.symtonbsf.com)

They are actually a research team at Texas A&M University, studying BSFL's rearing methods, efficiency as a composting agent, and performance as a feeder insect.