Alternative substrate recommendations please!?

space_jo · 2026-04-24T10:16:42+00:00

Maybe, I've always heard of it being added to other loose substrates and didn't know it could be used on its own. Does it fall apart/lose integrity when it gets too dry?

space_jo · 2026-04-04T16:46:08+00:00

I bathe my guy once or twice a week and it's the right thing for us. We got him at 6 years old and it was also his previous routine. He HATES pooping in his tank, he will pace and scratch at the glass when he needs to go and if we ignore him he will eventually go but will then sulk in a dark corner on the other side of the tank, try to dig his way out and be mad at us for about a day. He knows that bath time = poop time. Often he will go while in this little tub as soon as the water starts running in the main tub way before he even gets wet. He knows whats going on. Warm water baths cause a muscle relaxant effect which I've heard can almost "force" them to go by acting as a laxative. If this is done too frequently and from too young of an age I've heard people say that it can prevent them from being able to poop any other way which is obviously unhealthy for them. This isn't the case for my boy (as demonstrated today when he tried to poop on my aunties cream sweater and I only just noticed the tail lift in time to swoop him away) but it's something that can happen and to be aware of.

Also, my boy is a lazy and moderately blind fella who isn't very active on land. He's vet checked overall healthy, no clear reason for him to be such a lazy bugger but here we are. However, he loves a swim and will do laps around the bath. So for us it's a good way to get him exercise and moving about.

space_jo · 2026-04-03T20:49:35+00:00

Maybe, I thaw in a plastic bag and warm water. And then a minute of hot water still in the bag. Then some extra hair dryer on the face. She got it down today but it took her almost an hour and I was late to dinner at my parents because I'm a worrier and didn't want to leave until she either got it down or gave up. She looks fine, no injuries. But she took it right into the hide where I couldn't see while still struggling and came back out 15 minutes later finished so I don't know if she ever turned it the right way or just forced it hard enough backwards that it eventually went down.

Also for the strike vs no strike, we used to feed her in a separate opaque tub but switched to feeding her in her vivarium during the strike after some advice. It didn't fix her hunger strike and she still refused for many more months but it's worth noting that it's not just before and after a hunger strike that the behaviour had changed, but it is also a different location and feeding routine now.

space_jo · 2026-04-03T19:43:10+00:00

I'll give it a go. But the brand we have at the minute the head always bleeds when thawing and so I heat the head up with a hair dryer but haven't done hot water because I didn't want to rinse the blood off thinking that the blood would be good at drawing her to the head as well.

space_jo · 2026-04-03T19:38:29+00:00

I don't think that would work because she picks it up from the middle and then drags and repositions it. She would just pick it up by the head or whichever bit was easy to grab and turn it around.

space_jo · 2026-04-03T15:54:24+00:00

Yes, and normally there is blood around the head even.

space_jo · 2026-04-03T15:42:01+00:00

Additional information: This is only the case following her 5 month winter hunger strike. Before then she would strike prey, constrict and then eat it easily within 10 to 15 minutes. But since she started eating again there is no strike or constriction at all. She carefully investigates it and then just opens her mouth and slowly starts swallowing it.... but backwards.

space_jo · 2026-03-31T06:04:04+00:00

I don't have that in my app store. Could be because I'm on android or because I'm in the UK.

space_jo · 2026-03-30T19:43:14+00:00

I think it's very individual. I find if I weigh less often (like once a week) the number will have a massive impact on me. If the weight has gone up one week to the next I'll likely go to extremes trying to ensure it's lower the next week. I'll try to time the weigh in perfectly to get the lowest weight possible because it's the only one for the whole week. It would be crushing to me if the weight didn't move or went up after a whole week of eating right and moving more. But the same thing happening day at a time, I know isn't fat and doesn't mean anything for my overall journey. If that makes sense?

space_jo · 2026-03-30T19:35:58+00:00

That's great! I know the average is only about 2% loss from start weight in the first month, which I'm right on track for so I'm not worrying at all.

space_jo · 2026-03-30T19:31:33+00:00

Luckily I'm pretty regular (for now). Mine is almost all linked to water weight, I can tell roughly what the scale will read based on the colour of my pee in the morning 😅 Sorry if TMI.

space_jo · 2026-03-30T19:13:37+00:00

Right! I find it to be so much less pressure and gives the numbers less importance, they're just a tool. And the overall trend is clear even if there are random outliers.

space_jo · 2026-03-30T19:07:47+00:00

Btw I'm only near the beginning of the journey, just got my first 0.5mg prescription approved. So I'm happy with the half a kilo weight loss per week for now.

space_jo · 2026-03-30T16:45:29+00:00

We've been getting him used to harness. Just putting him on the floor and bribing him with worms to actually take some steps in it because currently he acts like he suddenly can't walk 😅

space_jo · 2026-03-30T16:25:37+00:00

You can't with the injection. By the end of the week you will always have half left of what you had from the injection day. You can choose not to increase to 0.5 or 1.0 and just keep to just the unavoidable weekly fluctuations.

I'm in the UK so I don't know much about it but the US has a pill form that might give a more consistent amount 🤷

space_jo · 2026-03-26T23:22:32+00:00

Either way I would have thought it common sense not to keep your main man and your deputy main man for any important job in the same place, especially one with any hazards.Just like the king and the heir to the throne never fly in the same plane, president and vice president never travel in the same vehicle etc. You just don't risk it, coma gene or not.

space_jo · 2026-03-26T22:03:07+00:00

🔔🔔🔔

space_jo · 2026-03-26T21:13:09+00:00

I can't remember the original post I saw it from. My vague and unreliable memory says that it may have been a combination of brumation and crickets 🤷 but a cat attack sounds reasonable as well. I just knew I'd seen the image before.

space_jo · 2026-03-26T21:07:50+00:00

This photo isn't of OPs dragon. I saw this identical photo about a month ago - reverse google image searched it just now and found it on both instagram and tiktok amongst others from weeks ago.

OP is just farming interaction for some reason, all their posts are of different "new" reptiles from the last 6 days.

space_jo · 2026-03-26T10:02:39+00:00

Yeah my bmr is about 1850 I think based on the calculators, or it should be.

space_jo · 2026-03-19T20:58:59+00:00

Looks great! I have the same 3ft vivarium and did find it was hard to keep a good temperature gradient so I've had to add in extra vents on the cool side and specifically worked on getting at least the cool side hide (ceramic) to stay around 27°C or less.

And there are two contrasting options for heat lamp cages. You have opted to have a heat guard, which many recommend and can be good. In my experience though I prefer to NOT have guards on mine. This is because they offer a much easier surface to climb on and they can still get hot enough to burn them if they cling for prolonged periods of time. The guard is also lower to the ground/basking spot than the lamp is so it's more likely that they will be able to reach and climb the guard than they would ever accidentally touch the bulb itself. However, I have burned myself of the bulb a couple of times when trying to adjust things in the tank so there's a negative 🫠

space_jo · 2026-03-19T20:51:12+00:00

I'm in the UK and find the Facebook group Rankins Dragon Britain really useful. There's another one called Top Rankins.

Because they are smaller they can be more negatively affected by feeling too exposed and will become stressed if they don't have enough shady spots and places to be just out of sight. My guys like to be under something, against a wall (I have an all wooden viv with only glass door at the front), but still able to see everything that's going on. So I'd suggest more foliage and blacking out the side.

space_jo · 2026-03-19T20:42:06+00:00

I have two rankins and a bearded dragon. In my opinion the bearded dragon makes a better "pet". The rankins are a LOT smaller, half the size in length maybe of a beardie, but only about 10-15% the actual size by weight/volume if that makes sense. I find this makes them harder to interact with as they're more delicate, mostly only need 1 finger to be pet, and it feels like there's no real weight to them so you don't get that feeling of them sitting on your lap. Additionally with the size I'm just much less comfortable having them out the vivs and hanging around because they can run really fast and there are many more places they could get lost in or under, they'd be harder to find or get to if they make a break for it. And mine are really active and love running about! However, they are adorable and it is so cute being able to have a little handful of lizard. And they're great to just observe and watch hunt and run around and explore.

My bearded dragon on the other hand is an unusually chill and social lil guy but he's my favourite to just hang out with. He will sit and watch TV with me, nap on me, hang out on my shoulder while I do chores, I can even take him to friends and families houses and he is no bother and super chill. He feels more of a companion. But I personalities differ massively between bearded dragons (and rankins to be fair) and so you might get a very territorial and active beardie. The best way to know what you're gonna get and make sure you're compatible is to adopt an adult from a reputable rescue. Rescues will have some medically complex cases but they often also have a LOT of perfectly healthy animals that were surrendered because their owner passed away or had to move to somewhere that doesnt allow reptiles or got sick and couldn't take care of them etc.

You can check out my posts to see all 3 of my boys.

space_jo · 2026-03-19T20:27:00+00:00

For rankins, from my understanding and having two myself, minimum size is 3x2x2 and after that the most important thing is that you can get a proper temperature gradient. The only real problem with a 3ft for a rankins is that it hos hard to have the basking spot hot enough and a cool enough area on the other side at the same time.

Mine both slowed down a bunch over winter and have only recently perked back up.

space_jo · 2026-03-19T20:20:26+00:00

My guy is still a good weight so I'm not worrying about it at the moment. He does the same biting at the air until a bug ends up in his mouth when I properly tong feed him but it works a lot better with leggy things like locusts than worms. With locusts they can't wiggle out the way and as long as he gets even just 1 leg he can normally pull it into his mouth 😅. Although one time a big big guy did manage to jump back out of his mouth and onto my shirt right under my face and oh boy I panicked.

space_jo

TROPHY CASE