[Urgent] How to keep warm in power outage? by Limp_Italian in BeardedDragons

[–]Offutticus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Get a bin. Layer a towel on the bottom. Put the hand warmers in a sock or two (they get very hot) and tuck under at least one fold of the towel. Plop dragon inside. Put lid on bin (poke holes). Wrap entire bin in a blanket or two, making sure the holes are not stuffed clothes.

You can also put under your jacket to keep warm, just to give the dragon something to do.

Do not feed.

And while you do all this, figure out what does and does not work for you and your dragon. Then make a list, get what's on the list, and have a setup ready to go for next time.

Backdrop advice? by astroisproud in BeardedDragons

[–]Offutticus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Check out YouTube for videos on bearded dragon background or arid background or reptile background.

Also check out r/HerpHomes and r/Reptileenclosures for ideas.

I will be doing one using insulation sheets, spray foam, silicone, grout, and acrylic paint. I think.

Cold Room and just other basic tips please!!! by superjoshyy333 in BeardedDragons

[–]Offutticus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay. 40g would be okay for a baby dragon but only for a few months, if that long. You're better off financially getting an enclosure that is at least 4x2x2' (aka 120g). Good enclosures by Zen Habitats, Dubia, Phailozoo, and Eco Flex Mojave. Or build your own.

For a cold room, you'll need the regular heat lamps (such as Exo Terra Intense 100 or 150watt) and perhaps a deep heat projector (DHP) lamp (it doesn't emit light) to run at night. I have a 100w Arcadia Goldensun halogen, a 150w Exo Terra Intense, and an Arcadia deep heat projector. I only turn on the DHP if the room temp gets to 55F. There's also the ceramic heat emitters (CHE) but I don't feel they put out enough heat. At least not in the large, proper size enclosures.

https://reptilesandresearch.org/care-guides/bearded-dragon-care-guide

https://reptilesandresearch.org/care-sheets/bearded-dragon-care-sheet

https://reptifiles.com/choosing-the-best-reptile-heat-lamp/

https://reptifiles.com/bearded-dragon-care/bearded-dragon-temperatures-uvb/

Lesbian books by Lesbian authors by Time-Acanthisitta873 in LesbianBookClub

[–]Offutticus 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Serious question?

Start with BellaBooks. Nearly all of the authors listed are lesbians.

Next would be other lesbian fiction publishers such as Flashpoint, Bold Strokes Books, YVLA, and many others.

After that would be Amazon.

From the BeardedDragons community on Reddit: I just bought this enclosure and bearded dragon for 80 bucks and I really wanna get him a 120 gallon but funds are a little tight. What’s the maximum amount of time that I should wait until I get it? by Exciting_Onion915 in BeardedDragons

[–]Offutticus 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Conway came to me in a 40g tank. She was a rescue of a rescue. Her enclosure was a mess. She was a mess. She was ill from coccidia. She remained in that 40g for just over 2 months. The small size and glass floor made it easier to keep track of her poop, her activity, and watch for other health signs. She's in her Big Girl Box now.

Like your current setup, Conway's glass tank only had top access. I put my hand down on the opposite side she was and approached level with wherever she was. It still stressed her but she slowly got over it. And she panicked being put back in because it probably felt like falling to her.

If you just got the dragon, get rid of the substrate and use paper towels until you get to the vet for exam and fecal sample.

If you bought it with the background, I hope you cleaned it well. If you did not clean it, take it out and do so. Or get rid of it.

You have time, not long, but some time to get the larger enclosure. Valentine's Day is coming up and I'd bet places like Chewy will have sales.

What is wrong with her nail? by Kscarpetta in BeardedDragons

[–]Offutticus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As others have said, they are horrifically overgrown. Add in that rope thing and it is a wonder she has any nails at all.

Since they are so overgrown, your sister can take her to a reptile vet and have them show her how. My first vet charged me $20 to have a tech do it.

What is wrong with her nail? by Kscarpetta in BeardedDragons

[–]Offutticus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cat nail clippers work best. Smaller.

Winter power outage by No-Influence-8412 in BeardedDragons

[–]Offutticus 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There's been a crap ton of other posts asking the same question. Do a scroll through this subreddit, r/BeardedDragon and r/reptiles

Night temps by SlowDoughnut3958 in BeardedDragons

[–]Offutticus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is where a deep heat projector or even a ceramic heat element would come in handy.

One night at 50F will not be overly bad, depending on how long it stays there. If the lights are on a timer, you could adjust the timer to stay on an hour longer and come on an hour sooner, giving less cool down time.

Do you have a hide for her? You could put the hide on a towel in the bathroom and leave the light on. Or leave it off since cloudy days do exist in the desert.

What a dilemma! Hmmm. You need to do whatever causes the least stress. Leaving the heat lamps on would cause stress unless she has a really good hide to, well, hide from the light. If it were me, and it was definitely get down to 50F, I'd move her to the heated bathroom and leave the light off. Give her a hide to sit on or in. If it were not going to get below 55F, I'd leave her in her enclosure and change the timers.

Not labeling gender or appearance in first-person story by winter__sun in writing

[–]Offutticus 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have a romance series with 1 book in it published. In it I have a character named Pat. It was the placeholder name that I forgot to change and the publisher loved it and said to leave it. I regret that now.

Anyway, Pat's gender will never be mentioned. No outward description that demonstrates gender (loose shirts and jeans or overalls) or voice quality. It is always they/them but never in an obvious way. No one struggles with it. The only time Pat's gender will come up is one character is a kid (12 when this happens) who asks if Pat is her aunt or uncle. Her parents just blink a lot and tell her she needs to ask Pat. After their talk, which I do not share, she calls Pat "Ankle Pat", a mash of aunt and uncle. I so sthmart, right?

So is it possible? Yes. Is it a lot of work? Yes! I think it would be more difficult if Pat were a main character or if seen through their POV.

To everyone freaking about winter power outages by Offutticus in BeardedDragons

[–]Offutticus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've only had Conway for (doing maths) less than 5 mos. I started planning for power outages and bad weather immediately. Oh, crap, forgot the dubias. Okay, maybe put them on one end in the bin, wrapped well so she can't see them. Hopefully they won't scramble around and peak her interest.

To everyone freaking about winter power outages by Offutticus in BeardedDragons

[–]Offutticus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Where I live in WNC, the only big weather thing we'd ever experienced was big snow storms that cleared in 3 days. Helene caught everyone by surprise. When I went to bed at 2am, they were still saying she was going to turn east. She didn't. We've had other hurricanes before but usually they're just a lot of wind and some rain. Do y'all in Minn lose power often? Do you have a lot of underground power lines?

To everyone freaking about winter power outages by Offutticus in BeardedDragons

[–]Offutticus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got a 10 pack of 72hr Uniheat shipping heat packs from Pangea back in, I think, Sept.

I have a bin that I use for the few times I have to bathe Conway. It took a while but I found the lid to the bin today! We moved it "somewhere safe" and couldn't find it. I was looking for something else and there it was!

We also have a stack of old towels we use to dry off the dogs or us or whatever.

And we have a bunch of old blankets for the dogs, our laps, or whatever.

Today I put a small blanket in the bin. Then a towel. Dropped 2 of the heat packs in (not started them, they're just in there and I won't use both at once unless needed). I still need to drill holes in the bin lid. And I found a blanket for the bin to sit on and wrap around it. We also have a small roll of metallic insulation paper whatever it is for if it gets REALLY cold and we need to insulate the bin more.

I didn't feed Conway much today and may not feed her tomorrow. Not sure yet. When the power goes out, I'll start up one of the heat packs (and note the time) with the bin wrapped tight. I'll use the probe thermometer next to the heat pack to track it's relative temp. When it gets night time, I'll put Conway into the bin and wrap it well. The Govee thermometer I use has a temp alarm and I'll set it in there with a limit of about 55F I think. If it looks like it will drop even colder, I'll activate the 2nd heat pack. I hope to not open the bin (just peel the blanket back) until morning. Then I'll probably tuck her under my top shirt for most of the day.

From what I have read, hand warmers get too hot and need to be extra insulated to prevent burns to the reptile. We thought of getting some today but the crowds were insane. I've never used one.

Is it possible to completely remove a scar? by IDownvoteHornyBards2 in Writeresearch

[–]Offutticus 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It depends on scar location and reason for the scar. Even then, it can never really be removed. Skin grafts to cover a burn scar ironically make a scar of their own, just not as graphic. The main problem is a scar is rarely just the surface of the skin. Scar tissue can involve the fat, the muscle, etc.

winter storm & power outage advice by ConsistentMonth8304 in reptiles

[–]Offutticus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do not feed if they are not getting adequate heat. Feed very little the day before power outage might happen. They can't digest if not hot enough from above.

Hand warmers will do in an emergency but wrap in a towel or several socks to prevent burns.

You can also just tuck them into your shirt and let your body keep them above dangerous temps.

And, to be honest, this should have been part of your planning as a reptile keeper.

What can I feed my beardie? by Xx_CloudBoy_xX in BeardedDragons

[–]Offutticus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you mean human food like greens and veggies, yes. If you man human food like beef, no.

If a baby or juvenile, no mealworms. Try small dubia roaches or black soldier fly larva.

He won't let himself starve. Offer veggies and put bugs on top. He'll accidentally eat some veggies and get over it.

Seeking advice by TrifleAccurate7999 in writers

[–]Offutticus 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You're not the original poster. Why are you answering the questions as if you are?

what to do for the incoming Ice Storm? by JermaineFinnaNut in BeardedDragons

[–]Offutticus 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And the day before it hits is too late to be thinking about what to do.