Miss Lucy B. Dragon’s Dream

  Posted on May 3, 2014 By

 57 Comments

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Miss Lucy B. Dragon surveying the kingdom

That was.

Ah, Miss Lucy,

What grand baby dragon dreams!

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🙂

A Pox on you!  Miss Lucy says…

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 Category: Animals, Miss Lucy B. Dragon, Photographs, Photography, Stories      Tags: , , , , , , ,

57 Comments on “Miss Lucy B. Dragon’s Dream”

    • Thanks, Kiwi. My daughter and grandson both think she’s creepy. Chuckle… I guess reptiles either appeal or they don’t. Now, I am not a reptile person, but I love Anoles and Chameleons and Bearded Dragons. 🙂

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  3. Will pass this on to my wife. She will gladly share her expertise in all things lizardly. Our dragons feed on veggies, fruit, crickets and super worms. The morning dish sometimes looks like a Klingon nibble bowl. 😀

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    • Hi, Joseph! Thanks for stopping by! I would appreciate anything Liz could tell me to do about Lucy! She was dehydrated in these photos, I think. I am learning what to do for her, but it’s been frantic. She is a cute little thing, but she’s smaller than I think she should be. Of course, I chose the smallest one! She’s six inches long now. I am offering fruits and veggies, but I have only seen her eat a piece of collard greens. She pounces on the roaches, but she isn’t eating as many as Joe (the guy who raises them in San Antonio) says she should eat. Dear me! How do I get into this stuff! Thanks a bunch, Joseph! 🙂

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      • Hi George, You have a beautiful little beardie! I bought lots of books on Beardies and other lizards. I’ll just give you a few tips now. I love lizard carpeting especially for my large green water dragons. It makes cleanup so much easier. When she gets bigger you might want to switch to dessert sand because they do like to dig as well. For right now the lizard carpet is great. Make sure there is always water in the container. You can spray her with water once a day too if you think she is dehydrating. They only take in small amounts, but will lick the moisture from everything. Food: there is a whole lot of things they can and shouldn’t eat. You can can get a list on line if you don’t have a book. When little, they like crickets (dust with calcium) Good rule of thumb, don’t give them anything that is bigger than the width between their eyes. When little, peel stuff, like grapes and strawberries. Shredd carots. Romain lettuce, dandelion, parsley etc. is good, not iceburg lettuce. There are foods you can buy that are highly nutritional. Some are dry pellets and veggies ( you can moisten these) They get a lot of mnoisture from the food they eat too. I spray my food with a vitamin suppliment. They love meal worms, wax worms when small. I usually put them on top of the veggies and spray them, that can trick them into eating the veggies too. I like to give mine the wet cube bites, they like it better than the dry stuff. They will eat more veggies as they grow older. Mine eat super worms now (spray with vitamins, calcium doesn’t stick to them). Beardies don’t move around much unless you are picking them up. When danger is around they pretend they aren’t there by not moving. Spray them with water when they are shedding, it helps them get it off. Don’t peal it off yourself, it should come of its own accord. Here’s a good tip-they are going to grow real fast in the first 3-4 monthes, yours is only a few monthes old yet. During the winter months they will hibernate and not eat. Make sure they have a big cave where they can go. I made a large cage for mt two and each has their own hutch to go in. I know mine are male and female (oh joy!) When they get bigger you have to allow for the size. During this brumating period you may have to spray them with water occasionally. They won’t pooh either during this time, so don’t freak out about it. Mine started in December and went till March. When they are a bit older, you can figure out what sex they are. My other lizards were hard to tell until they were older. If they are female they will probably lay eggs after a couple of years. Just make sure they don’t become egg bound. It is important they get calcium and the right lighting and heat so they don’t get sick. Do you have a vet who can handle lizards? That is important too. I think I have over- whelmed you with all this info. Main thing is always do a lot of research. Even with all the different lizard types I’ve had, they are all different and have different needs. Just to let you know…Beardies are the easiest lizard to take care of. Handle your little own often. If you don’t have cats like me, they like to roam around in the house. I wouldn’t recommend outside, because the birds etc. will scare the daylights out of them. You can get a little leather halter for them too, if you do want to take them out. I’ll send you some pictures of my guys. They do get big. Your’s has gorgeous colours. All the best, LIz

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        • Wow, that’s a lot of help, Liz, and from somebody who knows what she’s talking about. I read lots of stuff online and some of it is conflicting. What kind of UVA/UVB light do you use and does it cover the entire length of the cage and how far is it from the lizards? I worry most about that setup.

          What kind of heat do you use? Infrared bulb or ceramic? A guy here in Texas (who raises them) told me to forget the heat lamp since my house is at least 72 degrees at night since “it gets cold at night in the desert”. However, I am worried about that since everybody seems to use a heat lamp. I have a basking light and a UV bulb over the end of the cage where she stays. She stays there at night too. Do I need to have a heat bulb on the other end? The plexiglass, rectangular tank has a screen wire top and is a twenty-gallon tank. 12×30 inches. She stays on the same end of the tank both day and night. I have the same “tree log” setup on the other end, but she never stays there.

          I am using the calcium powder and a vitamin powder. I wondered about the vitamin spray. What brand?

          How do you measure the temperature of the basking spot? She’s much warmer than my hand when I pick her up from there so I know it’s over 98 degrees. The digital thermometer on the side of the tank at the basking area reads 90 degrees all the time. She moves about on the log from the hottest place to a cooler place alternately, so I think she is regulating her temperature.

          I am guessing that she is small for her age since the others with her were bigger than she. I liked her color and am always drawn to the smallest of the creatures since I guess I feel protective about them! Chuckle…

          I am asking all of this here on WP in case your answers might help other people like me! 🙂

          Thank you so much, Liz. You and Joseph are always so very generous!

          I can’t wait to see the photos of your Beardies!

          George

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          • Okay. There is one UV bulb for dessert and one for tropical. Use the Dessert one. It’s good if you have a long light bulb that sits across your whole terrerium. A basking bulb is all you need and they come in varius sizes too just to make your life interesting. They come in 75, 100, 150 w sizes. I have every kind, because all my terreriums are different sizes. It’s easy to know… the bigger the enclosure the higher the watts. There is also another one on the market that needs a tall basking hood. It’s called Solar Glo, 125 w and is a UV and Light Heat bulb.(These are very expensive.) So it does both in one. I have two in mine at each end of the cage because it`s so big. They are right over their ceramic hutches which is good because if they want to bask, they get on top, they want to cool off or stay warm at night when the light is off, the hutch keeps them warm. I also have a long UV light right across the entire enclosure. A fact about lighting: UV bulbs only give out UV for about a year and even though the bulb looks okay and still works, it has to by replaced. Since you have all your lights on a timer… 12 hours on 12 hours off, your heating bulbs will last 3 months before they blow and give up the ghost, so be prepared to change your bulbs. The Solar Glow last much longer, but they`re also $60.00 a pop.
            Beardies need a branch or something to get them up to the heat. 10 inches is good. All lizards are cold in the morning and beacuase they are cold blooded they need to adjust to the heat to get them moving. My dessert schnieder skink (who passed away at age 15 this year) had a heat rock buried in the sand. It was wrapped in material. Heat rocks are not recommened very often, because the lizard can burn itself on them quite easily. Hot mats under the tank are good under the glass then the carpeting. I did that for my water dragons. They could decide if they wanted it warm or cooler, but the pond and water fall I had in their large container I made, also had to have a heater in it. The fish in there didn`t mind either. A thermometer in the cage is always good and for tropical lizards a humidity measure is neccessary as well. I have to say the dessert lizards are less hassle to take care of. Cleaning a huge pond every 3 weeks is a pain. At one point I had 3 ponds in the house and one outside. No more. A had experience breeding fish too. Great science project for my son. And the bigger my fish get, the easier it is for the raccoons to eat them. Hope this helps. Sounds like your set up is okay to me. Liz

            v7+

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    • Thank you, Joshi! You can’t really appreciate her detail with the naked eye. The Bearded Dragons are interesting creatures who grow to 18-22 inches as adults. She’s six inches from nose to tip of the tail now! Hard to imagine…

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    • Wow, Olive, I would like to think that I can keep her well until she grows up. They can reproduce at a few months old, I think. How big are his Beardies? I am frantic to discover what to provide for her, but I’m getting her habitat in order and feeling more secure about what I’m doing. It was a rough couple of nights there when I worried about her! 🙂

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  8. Hysterical – you brought me right along with you. She is so noble! Then, so tiny and vulnerable! Finally, so powerful!

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    • She’s a funny little creature, really. She does have a kind of primordial nobility. You found the word for me. And she is tiny and vulnerable. But she’s fast and fearsome when she is in pursuit of crickets! I hope I can keep her well into adulthood. She should grow to about 18 inches eventually. It is very unlike me to be taken with a reptile, but there is something about the Anole lizards and Beardies that fascinates me. Thanks, Lynn.

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  11. I love seeing these photographs of little Miss Lucy. These are wonderful images with such creative perspective. She is fascinating to see. I can imagine she must be all the more fascinating to observe in real life.

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  12. Oh my goodness!!! You’ve found yet another unusual, darling looking little creature!!!! She sounds really interesting; I’ll look forward to meeting her. The photos are really wonderful…they always are!

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    • I always wanted a Bearded Dragon. Kelli and Charlie are not interested in any reptile, to say the least. I’ve been in a panic about taking care of her since I read how complicated it is. I really do love watching her. She lives in the terrarium that I bought for Mr. Frog. It’s on the bar behind the sink so I can see her all day. I found a guy in San Antonio who raises and shows them. He’s helping me to get the right setup in her enclosure and to get all the stuff I have to use: lights and food, etc. He is sending Dubai roaches…yep, roaches! You’ll enjoy seeing her, I think. If I can manage to take proper care of her, she’ll grow to a length of 18-22 inches. She’s six inches long now so she has a way to go! 🙂

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    • Thanks for always stopping by to visit. That is unusual from anybody in WP Land who doesn’t get much reciprocation. The generosity of spirit impresses me! Lucy is a sweet little thing who actually responds to handling. So tiny and cute. She will reach 18-22 inches if I can manage to keep her well. I laughed at the expression too. 🙂

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  14. Those are superb pics! I mean every single photo are great.
    I love the bokeh effect in some as well as the different poses put by the little creature! Very nice and cute! 🙂

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    • Hi, Lynx! Thank you for the generous compliment. I am having a great deal of fun with Little Lucy. The Bearded Dragons are mystical creatures. She’s six inches long from nose to tail, but she is fierce in her hunting of live insects. Fascinating creatures who bond with their keepers and grow to 18 inches! 🙂

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    • Well, you’d have two new babies then! Read a lot about them first, Charlene, and set up the enclosure before you bring the Beardie home. I didn’t know a thing about them, so I had a really frantic time of it as I tried to figure out what to do. I found a guy in San Antonio (120 miles from me) who breeds and shows them. He has been a godsend. I feel much more secure having him to advise me! I suspect that getting a very young Beardie is a good idea since they bond with their keepers. Lucy is only six inches long and probably only two months old. It’s hard to imagine that tiny girl reaching 18-22 inches long. 🙂

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    • Thanks, Christine. I imagined a primordial kingdom rising out of the mist with her surveying it. These little dragons are grand in miniature, really. She will grow to 18-22 inches if I can manage to keep her well. The Bearded Dragons fascinate me with their ancient eyes. 🙂

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    • Thank you, Rob! I’m glad you liked Miss Lucy’s photos. She’s such a tiny thing that it’s hard to imagine she’s the animal in the photos. 🙂

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  18. Very very nice shots. You isolated Miss Lucy so well against the background. I would have gone farther after the last photo and concentrated on her face and eyes, zooming in even more. Why not you’ve got the digital image space? Experiment a little more. But your series of stunning shots certainly merits a compliment!

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    • Thanks, Victor. Actually, that was as close as I could get with the lens I was using and the depth of the enclosure. I had the lens against the plexiglass! I have a clean photo of her face, but the rest of the photo is blurred. I just got her so I was trying not to scare the daylights out of her. 🙂 I will get a photo of her face. The eyes look metallic. Really interesting reptile face. She is so very tiny that it’s hard to imagine the photos really are the same animal. Hope all is well in KSA. I heard Sanjay Gupta saying that the new deadly virus (forgot its name) is known in KSA as well as in many surrounding countries. We just had the first case in the US recently. Good grief! Do be careful! 🙂

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  19. Very beautiful shots of Lucy. This is a fine set, showing her from all angles. One gets to know her a bit.

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    • Thank you, Shimon. I am getting to know her a bit too. Her care is far more complicated than people are led to believe. Specific monitored temperatures on each end of the enclosure, Phoenix worms ordered because meal worms are worthless unless they are gut-loaded for a couple of days before you feed them, specific vegetables, etc. Interestingly, they don’t recognize standing water (water bowl) as drinkable! You have to mist them or drop water on their noses. Thank goodness, I read about them. Poor little Lucy would have been out of luck otherwise! Interesting little critters. And really nice too. 🙂

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    • Thanks, Amy! She’s easy to photograph when she’s basking as they do under UV light in the daytime. Thank you for stopping by to visit us! 🙂

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  21. Gorgeous rich colors, sharp and excellent lighting… really makes this dragon set pop. I love all of them – especially the one with the all black background!

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    • Thanks, Ray. I used the 100mm for some and the 18-55mm (with a 52mm, 0.43x wide-angle macro converter) for some. They produce a little sharper image than the old faithful 18-200mm, I think. The light around the plexiglass tank and the basking spot light on Miss Lucy are responsible for the light effect. She was so funny chasing that “other” dragon up and down the side of the tank. She thought her reflection was another dragon. I finally hung a solid color cloth on that wall. She stayed there all night with her face against the side. When I picked her up this morning, she was stiff and cold! I held her against my chest until she warmed up again. I just knew she was dead! Chuckle… Tonight, she gets the UV infrared warming light. Good grief! I do enjoy watching her. 🙂

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    • Thank you, Linda. She’s a Bearded Dragon. And a tiny baby one, at that. I always wanted a dragon. So I let Mr. Frog’s old quarters to her! 🙂 She’s a sweet little thing. Thanks for stopping by. I am about to leave a link to Romero’s photo on the last post. Sorry it took me so long!

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    • Hi, Scott! She’s interesting all right. She was as stiff as a board this morning without a UV heat lamp last night. I cupped her to my chest in a desperate effort to warm her. Sure enough, she was fine. Scared the daylights out of me! She’s a sweet little thing. I love watching her. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

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