Falkor the bratty luck dragon ;-) & his new friend, Raphael

Falkor is my 1st beardie & a major brat. He has been with me for about a month now & is a spoiled little thing. LOL I'm not exactly sure on his age as he was purchased from Petsmart & we all know how well they know their animals. He was tiny when he first came home & has grown a surprising amount in just a month.

This is Falkor on his 3rd day home.

& this is Falkor as of today!
I am really amazed by how much he grew! In just a month he is soooooooo much bigger. I wish I had thought to measure him during those first few days but as of today he is 9 1/2 inches.I need batteries for the scale that I have or I would have weighed him.
So what do you experienced folks think? Does he look like he has grown well in the month he's been with me? My basis for reference is limited.

He is such a snuggler that it's hard for me to get pics of him lol

He has such a yellow tint to his head that my daughters think I should have called him Lemon drop. :lol:

I wish that I could get his colors captured right but this camera...
I am glad I had expected him to have a quirky personality. I researched a lot before he came home & I have heard a few friends talking about theirs so it's no surprise he can be such a brat & he really is lucky he is so cute. I wouldn't ever call him exactly lazy but he isn't a high energy baby either. He does his playtime but most of the day he basks & takes it easy waiting for chow time. It must be nice. LOL
I swear if I could just get him to eat the way I want him to it would make my life easier! My dear little one is in love with his greens but other veggies are a no go at this point. They are offered but if it isn't green & leafy he just ignores it. I just started a dubia colony & was hoping to get that off the ground before he ate all the babies but he thinks it should be different. You see I was foolish enough to think that it would be a good idea to incorporate a dubia or two into each feeding just to transition him slowly. He is fed 3 times a day as much as he can eat in 15 mins plus the veggies are available all day. Well since I started him on the dubia or two he is flat out refusing to eat any crickets! I swear I hate those stinky things too but I need them to get eaten. However my dear beardie turns his back on them at every oportunity. I guess I will have to order more dubia & let the crickets grow for his frog brothers. In case it isn't obvious I HATE having crickets in my house.

 

[aidan724]

So the brat will now be awaiting his shipment of Phoenix worms lol This will hopefully give us some time to let the Dubia blossom. Now on to ordering a back up Repti-sun bulb & some other odds & ends. Not that I want him to be spoiled or anything but while I'm at it does anyone have any suggestions of things he might really enjoy having? I've been thinking about a hammock....

 

[sweetiepie9]

I've never used a hammock, but I've seen alot of beardies enjoy theirs, so that may be a good think to look into.

 

[aidan724]

I'm seriously thinking about it It looks like some of them really like them & Falkor loves to climb everything so I bet he would like it. By the way you have beautiful babies.

 

[sweetiepie9]

He probably would love them, he's small enough to fit well and climb them, too. Thanks for the compliment. I fell Tues night and have to put a splint on my very swollen left ankle, you should see the looks I've been getting when I hobble into the living room :shock: So funny :lol:

 

[PatsyB]

Falkor is so big compared to my Dexter! I got Dexter a little over a month ago from Petsmart so I have no idea how old his is either. We do weekly weigh ins and we've had some slow growth because he refused to eat much for about a week. I suspect it was because the crickets I ordered were a little bigger than I normally have. This week he's eaten crickets like they are going out of style so I can't wait to weigh him, he looks like a little porker!

As far as greens, he too would only touch leafy things. Kale and dandelion were the favorite and blueberries, he loves blueberries. Tonight though I tried some new things, red pepper, cucumber and grated radish and he ate them all up! We tried small phoenix worms but he doesn't seem interested in them and he liked super worms for a day.

We have a hammock in his tank but he never used it so we just attached it to the side of his tank and he likes to hang off of it or sit on the very edge of it to sleep.

Has Falkor always liked to sit on your hand? Dexter will latch on to my hand after his bath but when I try to pick him up just to hold him he is not interested. I'm starting to think he doesn't like me!

 

[sweetiepie9]

Dragons all have different personalities, so he'll warm up to you as he wants. At least he lets you pick him up! I'd just give him more time to adjust.

Falcor is growing like a week, it's great to see a baby growing so well!

 

[aidan724]

He probably would love them, he's small enough to fit well and climb them, too. Thanks for the compliment. I fell Tues night and have to put a splint on my very swollen left ankle, you should see the looks I've been getting when I hobble into the living room :shock: So funny :lol:

I bet you do get some funny looks from the four-legged babies. Once upon a time our barking rat aka chihuahua tried to help me down a flight of stairs rather quickly & the rest of mine seemed to snicker at me. I hate to hear that you fell & I really hope that it is getting better quickly.

 

[sweetiepie9]

I'm seeing improvement already, will be glad to see my doctor on Tuesday to see what she says, even though I like being home, never because I have to be! Taking care of the 4 of my boys that are up was painful yesterday morning, not so much today, so that's an improvement. I had to shop for some food, driving was fine, but getting the few things I needed seemed to take forever. At least now I have food for the week!

 

[aidan724]

PatsyB Falkor was the most laid back of his companions at Petsmart. I was in love at first sight & it was cemented because he was so tolerant of being handled. Honestly we are pretty lucky because the girls that work with them own beardie a so they are probably a lot better taken care of than at most pet stores. He has a really tolerant sort of personality to the point that I doubt if he had been wild born he would have made it. He came around really quickly to everyone except my 3 y/o boy. I don't really want him handling him anyway because Falkor is just so little & Keith is just so wide open anyway. Other than that he doesn't even have a problem with the cats lounging around him while he is in his tank. I won't be allowing that out of the cage until he is much older/bigger. He's still a bit too close to bite size at the moment.
I will definitely have to try the hammock soon. I think he might like that. I'm glad that yours does. At the moment Falkor's favorite piece of furniture is his rock pile.
I would be willing to bet that your baby will sprout up in no time. We all develope at our own pace & that seems to be even more true with beardies from all the growth charts I have looked at. When we had baby cockatiels it seemed to be a lot more uniform unless they were special posutively or negatively. I have my fingers crossed for you.

 

[aidan724]

Sweetie pie Thanks. I am very happy he is growing so well & I am looking forward to seeing what he will blossom into. I know he won't be a skinny mini at the very least since he is such a little pig. Even the tiny dog food looking beardie chow is good with him. That I was not expecting in the least.
I'm glad that it is some better for you. I can imagine it isn't at all pleasant trying to be up on it. At least with the beardie babies they can be sort of patient. I have been home since March & am about to die to go back to work. I wish you were off & more able to enjoy it.

 

[sweetiepie9]

I'll survive, it just seems I'm always injuring myself lately. I do personal training and have for over a year, but at the beginning of Nov I tore a muscle in my left quad, it was very painful and eventually had to stay home for 10 days. Then, after a few treatments it was back to 100% and now this. At least it's starting to heal up, so that's all that matters. I have good insurance at work, so still getting paid, that's at least less stressful. I'm hoping to be back to work soon. You've been home since last March? Bet it's going to be hard to get back to work & it's really hard to leave all your babies, human and beardie. I only have 8 yrs to go & then I retire, it'll be good, but I wish I had the $ to retire now!

PattyB: Just to show you the difference of beardies who are all treated the same & fed the same: I have 5 dragons, Didi is 6 yrs old, he is 17" long and 430g; Lonzo is almost 10 years old, he is 20" long and 572g; Leo is 5 yr sold, he is 18" long and 550g; Gabriel is 2 yrs old, he is 18" long and 492g; Rubio is 4 1/2 yrs old, he is 22" long and 826g. So you can see they are all very different. Rubio was 3 mo old when I got him and he was only 24g, so you can see how much he grew in his first year. So just make sure your set up is good and he'll get bigger and bigger. He'll also eat as he wants. If you need help with him, just PM me and I'll help in any way I can. Because of the help of the people on this site, my boys are all healthy, but I had alot of help at the beginning with set up temps, UVB, etc.

Falkor sure is a cutie, I enjoy the pics you take of him, especially the "prevent you from cleaning up" ones. He sure is growing every day, I can see the difference and he has a great personality. It's amazing how different their personalities can be. Even though Didi is a male, he is a complete Diva. He loves to be out on the ramp in the living room, will stay out for hours (I have a Power Sun at the top & a TV beside it). Leo and Lonzo love to stay in their tanks and be lazy. Gabriel likes to run around, too, so he & Didi share the living room, each their turn. Rubio is another one who loves his tank, it's a 75g while the others are in 40g critter cages, but he's the biggest so gets the most room. He was in a 40 gallon but kept escaping, so he traded with Lonzo, who is more comfy in the 40g than he was in the 75g. They're all so different. When I wasn't able to get around so well on Wednesday, I left Didi in his tank all day and he pouted all day! It was too funny, but I needed the break. Yesterday was a more normal day, as well as today, so they were all alot happier!

 

[PatsyB]

Thanks. I actually looked at pictures from a month ago and he's actually a lot bigger looking so I think he's going to be fine. He gets moody and sometimes he will sit on my hand and not leave or crawl up my arm then other times he doesn't want to be touched at all. He's ready for a shed and he's already showing signs so I think that might be our problem right now.

 

[aidan724]

Sweetie pie I have been accident prone since birth so I feel your pain. It's gotten worse lately because I know I need a new Rx for my contacts. LOL I just HATE going to any dr & the kids keep me busy enough that I can tell myself I don't have time.
I moved back to NC from SC back in March so I had to leave my job. I had planned to go right back to work since I support the kids & myself by myself but my mom was diagnosed with Colon cancer & needed me. Between her & my younger kids (there was only so much I could ask from my 17 y/o) that I couldn't find a job that I could juggle with all that. Mom passed back in October so I am getting myself back together & figuring out daycare & such. I can't wait to get back to working. Staying at home full-time isn't my best situation mentally. I go crazy. LOL
Thanks. I really had to pay attention to the pictures to notice how much he has grown in just the past week. I know by the time he's grown I won't be able to believe he was ever as small as he was. Just like my two-legged kids.
Your babies sound like they are spoiled & in heaven. Don't you just love how they have different personalities? I have to admit that one of the reasons I chose a beardie to begin with was the fact that while they do benefit from out time if needed you can put it off for a day. Unlike our pups who have to have outdoor time several times a day etc & that can be difficult with a sick kiddo & such. I hope that you feel better soon & no more accidents.

 

[aidan724]

Thanks. I actually looked at pictures from a month ago and he's actually a lot bigger looking so I think he's going to be fine. He gets moody and sometimes he will sit on my hand and not leave or crawl up my arm then other times he doesn't want to be touched at all. He's ready for a shed and he's already showing signs so I think that might be our problem right now.

I know for me it is hard to notice just how much Falkor has grown everyday because I see him all the time. I would have never guessed just how much he had grown before I measured him. Wow was I surprised! LOL The pictures made an even bigger impression because I just hadn't noticed the significance of the difference. I knew he had grown some but not that much.
Falkor doesn't do much of anything when I take him out. He just isn't into doing anything but cuddling up & relaxing. If I could keep him out of my shirt it would be nice but he crawls in & hunkers down using my necklace as a pillow. He just really plays in his tank. I guess we shall both see what age does with their personalities. My understanding is that they could both still be getting settled in yet. I'm a little slow to get comfy in new places too so I can understand if that is going on. It will serve me right if he ends up being a crazy thing full of energy. lol

 

[sweetiepie9]

I'm sorry to hear about your mom, it must have been very stressful for you at the time. She was lucky to have you, poor lady. So now it's job hunting time, is it easy to find work in your area? I've been lucky that I've worked at the same back for 20 years. They have really good benefits, so even being off I'm being paid full time. I'm getting better, but the darned whole leg today is throbbing, too much activity yesterday, I guess. I get impatient and do too much, then it comes back to haunt me the next day.

It's fun to watch your baby grow, you won't believe, when he's a year old, that he was ever so tiny. I found the same with Rubio, he was the only one I raised from a baby. The others came to be as adults, either adopted, rescued or fostered. I'm just glad I"m able to keep them heathy. Right now Didi didn't wake up this am, so he's back to brumation again. So now I have 3 to take care of today, and Leo hasn't moved from when he woke up, he's in lazy mode, but he'll still eat. Lonzo and Gabriel are also very slow today, it's that winter slow down, you'll see it won't affect Falkor until next winter.

Good luck with everything, you sure have a busy life, 2 kids(right?), a pup and a beardie. But I do understand about staying home, it can drive you crazy.
Take care
Deb