Mites Part 2

Another part on mites

 The photo above is one of a Bearded Dragon with a case of mites there are a few other places where they will congregate one is inside the corner of the mouth and the other place is under any flaps of skin.

 Because I am having this problem I have stripped all the contents out of the cage and hoovered the cage as well and they are at the basics till the mites are gone I'm using printer paper on the bottom which is good to see if the mites are still about and the furniture is fresh logs sterilized water bowl.

 Mites can lay dormant for months without the owner knowing then one day they hatch and the problem starts.

  

Comments

All comments are always welcome but please keep the language clean as you never know who is reading it I will authorise all comments good or bad and if you have a question I will always try to give an answer.

So happy reading and commenting.

Live food

Buying Live Food

 As a reptile keeper and breeder I find it very disheartening about going to the large pet places to purchase my live food and spending quite alot of money to find when you get them home you find that half are dead in the bottom of the container which means you have to buy more which increases your reptile food bill.

 

Q: Why is this the case is it that they do not care or they just don't know how to keep them.

 A reputable and well known shop does deals on there live food and when you work it out it would be a good deal if you didn't have to buy extra to cover the dead.

Mites

Dealing with Mites

 Over the last few weeks my Bearded Dragons have had a spate of mites and I have tried most of the bought remedies but still they return.

 I am now trying some of the home remedies like olive oil there are a few steps while dealing with mites.

1.  Bath your beardies and observe where the mites are hanging around (check round the flaps of skin around the legs and around the eyes and in the corner of the mouth).
2.  I use a small makeup brush to scoop the mites of then kill them on a hard surface.
3.  Dry the beardies with a towel and once dried recheck for mites.
4.  Use olive oil over the beardies body to basically suffocate any mites that you have missed.
5.  Empty all bedding out of reptile house and disinfect.
6.  While you are dealing with the mite problem keep them on kitchen towel till the mite problem has been sorted (then use fresh bedding when the mites have gone).

 With using olive oil you can even use it on the head of the dragon but still be careful and i'm very weary with the products you buy and using them around the head area.

Breeding part 2

Part 2 of Breeding

 I was informed that the first batch of eggs that a dragon lays could be infertile but they have been placed in the incubator and we will see what develops and by the actions of Thelma she could be laying a second batch of eggs.

 The first batch there was 15 eggs so if she is laying there could be another batch of 15 which will be placed in the incubator also all the tubs containing eggs are dated and the layers name is noted. 

The first picture contains the substrate used in the incubator

This picture show the eggs after taken from vivarium and ready for the incubator

Reptile House

Why build a reptile house

 The reptile house is being designed to house the Bearded Dragons as you have read that I own 3 already and have a possibility of another 15 plus on their way. 

 The reptile house will either be 6 ft by 9 ft of larger size of 6 ft by 12 ft there houses will be built in with the possibility of 6 or 9 habitats all with independent heating controls.

Upside

1. More room to house the dragons.
2. Dedicated area.

Downside

1. Temperature control of house.
2. Apart from cameras installed not able to observe all the time.

Addressing the problems

 The house will be fully insulated and a window with an automatic opener will be fitted so if it gets to warm the window will open and when the temperature drops it will close automatically but it will need fine tuning so it does not get too hot or cold.

 The cameras that will be installed will be night vision ones so even though it will be dark I can still keep an eye on them especially when the females are gravid and laying there eggs

New set up

I'm setting up some new hides.

 Over the next couple of months I will be setting up some new enclosures one will be designed just for the females to lay their eggs and the other will be general living.

 I have also set up a website based solely for Bearded Dragons where you can read and lean everything you need to know about your bearded dragon there is also a shop where you can get you bits and bobs at a low price its basically set up by a owner for owners.

Topic 1

Substrate

 There has been quite a few discussions on the substrate used for dragons as you can see from the picture below 

  The natural ground for dragons is a compacted clay/sand where it is solid enough to walk on but also stable enough to dig a burrow for hiding or laying their eggs in and as they are from Australia they are used to the heat.

  Sand is popular with dragon keepers but you must keep a very close eye on your dragons and the sand can get impaction and could do them great harm.

 Another substrate can be large bark pieces it also make a good one the large pieces if taken into the mouth will be spitted out (its true as I have observed it).

I would not recommend small chippings as these could get in the mouth and swallowed yet again causing harm to your reptile.