feeding bearded dragons

[mysnakesau]

ok i could do with some info please
how often do you feed them and how much
and what to feed them and when to feed them
our dragon is about 3 weeks old
and is eating crikets 2-3 at a feed once a day
please tell us what we should be doing
TIM
mysnakesau husband

[jakerock]

The best thing is to get the little bearded dragon book at most pet shops. We got our first one this year as well and he is going great. excellent pet and good personality.

I think the general feeling is in that first year that you can feed a couple of times a day, but dont just stick to the crickets. Get sosme vegies into them and perhaps the odd woody. Make sure some of the feeds you are coating the food in calcium powder to give them a good start to life.

Sit back and watch them grow and enjoy the little critters

Rocky

[Chris1]

my babies were eating about 50 roaches over 2 feeds a day, till i started giving them silk moths fro breaky, now they refuse roaches fro breaky and get 2 silk moths each (theyre huge compared to the litte beardy heads, but soft so the size rule doesnt matter that much) , and have about 20-30 roaches @ night.

i make them a salad every morning which they eat a fair bit of,...some days even most of it, that consists of finely chopped 'asian salad greens' from coles, butternut pumpkin and green beans.

i dont feed mine crickets cos my last beardies got parasites from them and i'm not gonna risk that this time round. (btw, i still have my last beardies, that made it sound like they died)

if ur beardy wont eat more and starts going down hill, mush up some beardy pellets in warm water, add a bit of baby food and use a syringe to drop food on its nose while it licks it off.

oh yeah, and like rocky said dust all bugs in calcium every day.

do u have a UVB light fro it?
how close can it get?
what are the basking temps?
is the tank well lit?

[Kyro]

If you don't mind me asking Chris1, what sought of parasite did crickets give your beardies?

[Chris1]

1 had coccodia, the other pin worms.

never had any probs since i stopped using crickets.

(then again, i was getting the crickets from teh petshop and half of them were always dead do they obviously werent healthy crix)

[mummydolittle]

I was told by a herp breeder and seller that you shouldn't give young/juvenile beardies woodies as they are sharp and can eat their way out of a beardies tummy?

Is this right or am I being told fables.

[Kyro]

'Thanks for that Chris I think you might be confused with meal worms mummydolittle, woodies are fine as far as I have ever heard & I have been feeding them to all my guys with no prob's for a long time.

[Viridae]

Originally Posted by mummydolittle

I was told by a herp breeder and seller that you shouldn't give young/juvenile beardies woodies as they are sharp and can eat their way out of a beardies tummy?

Is this right or am I being told fables.

The latter part is definitely a fable.

[Chris1]

i've never heard that about roaches,...

i've heard it about mealworms and while i dont believe they can eat their way out, they still shouldnt be fed to babies cos their shell is really hard to digest and they will impact baby beardies and/or tear their intestinal tract.

my babies are having no trouble and are scoffing down bucket loads of roaches.

btw to anyone using crickets, remove all uneaten crix from teh beardys cage cos crickets will nibble on ur lizard.

[Chris1]

no worries Kyro.

one of my beardies is called Kyro.

[Gecko_ProCs]

at 3 weeks i think 2-3 crickets a day is enough
thats how many i was giving mine when i got them then they just got bigger and bigger appetites and were eating 6 at a time then 8 then 10 then 15!!
mine who are just over two months, i think maybe three..
are eating like 10 to 12 medium crickets a day
they cant get enough of em, they were eating half a box of smalls each a day and i figured it was time to move em up since a medium fits inbetween their eyes now..
but they are pigs and would eat non stop if i let them
i also offer veggies daily and they chow down on that too
but they are grwoing quickly and are healthy as!

[Kyro]

Originally Posted by Chris1

no worries Kyro.

one of my beardies is called Kyro.

Ha ha, That's actually a pretty cool beardie name

[hypertension]

I got my first baby beardie in may this year and have just purchased our second and the third next week. I usually feed around 10 to our 3week old and as the enclosure is large go back durring the day and check they are all gone. Any straglers are rounded up durring the day and are soon eaten. Always provide varying vegies carrot, bok choy and wombok the occasional apple and strwberries (just the inner part)

I always tend to hand feed the fruit and vegies when they are little this ensured they take to it quickly and get some. Also use the pellets and I hand feed them aswell. Dust your crickets ever few days.

My two

[dragon lady]

NEVER FEED YOUR BEARDIES IN THEIR HABITAT!!!!!!
use a seperate tub with sand at the bottom & vasiline the inside ( 2" from the top)
this stops them from escaping.
Always give them water from a spray bottle & or eye dropper...first thing, after each feed & before bed.
First 4 wks dust all meals..........calcium then vitamins alternatively
then from 4 wks dust one day then miss next..alternatively.
From 0-4wks feed pin head crickets....place beardie/s in tank 3/4 times per day
4-8wks increase size to small crickets& woodies....ensure fresh grated veg in tank everday ,
3 feeds per day
8-16wks adjust size of feed...live& veg to 1/3 size of beardies head
8-16wks.....2 feeds per day
...............that should give you a starter until you get a book...... i recommend
Keeping BEARDED DRAGONS by Darren Green & Ty Larson this is a Australian Book! under $20

[Gecko_ProCs]

i was told removing the dragon from it enclouse to another to feed it is stressfull for the animal and it may not eat