Baby beardie diet

[Momofadragon]

I just picked up my little friend yesterday from a reptile show. All I have for him is small crickets. What else should he be eating right now? I’ve tried to cut up strawberries and carrots but he didn’t seem interested what so ever. I’m new to caring for these guys. Any advice would be super helpful thank you!!!

 

[Momofadragon]

Here he is

 

[Sadie]

Here he is

Welcome to the forum-- your baby should be eating salads every day your gonna need to get him some lures to the bowl -- BSFL www.symtonbsf.com -- order him some medium for now -- DO NOT dust them--- add them to.his salads in front of him-- it will get his attention-- I am going to post some stuff for you and ask some questions

 

[Sadie]

Your gonna need a bowl like this so the insects and worms dont get out https://www.amazon.com/MACGOAL-Rept...uGQB&pd_rd_wg=tLkwE&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d
Here is a website for nutrition http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder
Now the most important part --- what size tank do you have? What kind of UVB are you using and what are your basking temps? NO stick ons for temps they are inaccurate---- these two things I have asked about are crucial to your dragon they control the over all health and behavior of your dragon--- please ask questions --- if your using a coil UVB please get rid of it -- I will help you get the correct UVB your going to need for your dragon to keep him eating and healthy

 

[Frank the baby beardry]

I just picked up my little friend yesterday from a reptile show. All I have for him is small crickets. What else should he be eating right now? I’ve tried to cut up strawberries and carrots but he didn’t seem interested what so ever. I’m new to caring for these guys. Any advice would be super helpful thank you!!!

He needs at least 30 crickets a day

 

[Sadie]

Please no more radishes look at the website I posted for nutrition -- your dragon needs as many crickets he can eat in 10-15 minutes but please feed him salads w/ the BSFL on top --- look at the other post I responded too

 

[haleygreer]

I love that name, Shadowfax! So in terms of insects, yes... a young beardie could easily consume lots of crickets every day. This is essential in making sure that they develop properly. Some great staple insects are crickets, dubia roaches, and black soldier fly larvae. Crickets typically have less nutrition than dubia roaches and can carry parasites, but as long as you are monitoring behavior and poops closely, you should be able to tell if there is a problem. The rule of thumb for feeding anything to a bearded dragon, ESPECIALLY juveniles, is that their food must be smaller than the space between their eyes. So, definitely purchase insects that are smaller than that space; otherwise, they can choke, become impacted, aspirate, not be able to digest properly, etc. Whatever type of insect you feed to Shadowfax, a variety is wonderful--if you can feed more than just one type of insect, that would be amazing. For example, you could feed Shadowfax a mixture of dubia roaches, bsfl, and crickets daily. This is important: make sure that ALL insects offered to your beardie are feeder insects, meaning that they are food-grade and safe to consume (definitely avoid crickets from bait shops and such). I would recommend that you stay away from mealworms and superworms because their bodies are made up of tough chitin which is hard for juveniles to digest. Once you have gathered your insects that are safe to feed, place Shadowfax into a separate container and allow him to eat as many as he wants within a 15-minute span and do this twice daily. The separate container is important because when bugs are left with bearded dragons, they sometimes bite the beardies and can cause infections. You are also going to need some calcium (the kind without D3) to dust the insects with. Always monitor him while he eats, of course! Now, in terms of the salad, you are on the right track. Loving the variety you're going for! Mustard greens, collard greens, or turnip greens are the thing you will want to be feeding the most of. Arugula and bok choy are also good staple greens. Romaine lettuce won't hurt as long as it is fed in very small amounts--it can cause severe diarrhea if too much is given. I am not sure about radishes so only give it in small amounts until you are absolutely sure it is safe. I believe that acorn squash can also be fed regularly, but squash can be difficult to digest so make sure it is cut down into small pieces. Red bell pepper is great too, but keep in mind that it has high levels of acids so also feed in small amounts. Bearded dragons are attracted to the color red, so Shadowfax will probably go after them a lot. If you want to encourage them to eat the salad, you can sprinkle bee pollen over it (it is very good for them). You're doing a great job, just remember to dust the insects and give safe amounts of safe vegetables! I would also like to ask and make sure, what is your setup like? (lighting, tank size, thermometer and hygrometer, etc.)

 

[Momofadragon]

I love that name, Shadowfax! So in terms of insects, yes... a young beardie could easily consume lots of crickets every day. This is essential in making sure that they develop properly. Some great staple insects are crickets, dubia roaches, and black soldier fly larvae. Crickets typically have less nutrition than dubia roaches and can carry parasites, but as long as you are monitoring behavior and poops closely, you should be able to tell if there is a problem. The rule of thumb for feeding anything to a bearded dragon, ESPECIALLY juveniles, is that their food must be smaller than the space between their eyes. So, definitely purchase insects that are smaller than that space; otherwise, they can choke, become impacted, aspirate, not be able to digest properly, etc. Whatever type of insect you feed to Shadowfax, a variety is wonderful--if you can feed more than just one type of insect, that would be amazing. For example, you could feed Shadowfax a mixture of dubia roaches, bsfl, and crickets daily. This is important: make sure that ALL insects offered to your beardie are feeder insects, meaning that they are food-grade and safe to consume (definitely avoid crickets from bait shops and such). I would recommend that you stay away from mealworms and superworms because their bodies are made up of tough chitin which is hard for juveniles to digest. Once you have gathered your insects that are safe to feed, place Shadowfax into a separate container and allow him to eat as many as he wants within a 15-minute span and do this twice daily. The separate container is important because when bugs are left with bearded dragons, they sometimes bite the beardies and can cause infections. You are also going to need some calcium (the kind without D3) to dust the insects with. Always monitor him while he eats, of course! Now, in terms of the salad, you are on the right track. Loving the variety you're going for! Mustard greens, collard greens, or turnip greens are the thing you will want to be feeding the most of. Arugula and bok choy are also good staple greens. Romaine lettuce won't hurt as long as it is fed in very small amounts--it can cause severe diarrhea if too much is given. I am not sure about radishes so only give it in small amounts until you are absolutely sure it is safe. I believe that acorn squash can also be fed regularly, but squash can be difficult to digest so make sure it is cut down into small pieces. Red bell pepper is great too, but keep in mind that it has high levels of acids so also feed in small amounts. Bearded dragons are attracted to the color red, so Shadowfax will probably go after them a lot. If you want to encourage them to eat the salad, you can sprinkle bee pollen over it (it is very good for them). You're doing a great job, just remember to dust the insects and give safe amounts of safe vegetables! I would also like to ask and make sure, what is your setup like? (lighting, tank size, thermometer and hygrometer, etc.)

Omg thank you for this!!! I really appreciate this and everyone who has been helping me! I’m going to another pet store today to see about getting some small Dubia roaches and more crickets. I also ordered some bsfl and that should be here tomorrow. Right now I have a 10 gallon set up, I have the dual lighting which I was told I will need to replace the coiled uvb bulb with an mvb bulb. I plan to purchase a 120 gallon enclosure from the zen habitats site within 3-6 months.

 

[Skybug]

30 crickets is alot, but he should also be pooping atleast 2-3+ times a day as a baby, he really should be fed that many times aswell, no food 1-2 hrs before bed, they need atleast 3 hrs to fully digest, at this age they really will eat you out of house and home, when they become adults they still eat alot but its in one sitting rather than an all day feast,... haley is right in maybe getting a second bin for him to eat in, thats what i did while raising my bb, beardies can be little brats if they miss their catch a couple times, my girl will look up at me like its my fault she couldn’t grab the roach, do get him started of veggies early, my beardie loved hibiscus leaves as a baby, maybe you could get a plant and add the fresh new leaves to his salad? I dont know if i agree with the “beardies likeing red things” i personally think thats a myth , ive tried every safe red fruit and veg and i get absolutely no reaction, my beardie ate a piece of red bell pepper once and ive never been able to get her to eat anything red again , maybe its just my dragon idk lol.

 

[Skybug]

Its kinda like feeding a newborn, “oh the baby pooped time to feed him” “ope the baby threw up time to feed him” you want them fat and constantly pooping as a baby, once the beardie is a juvi (around 6-9 months) the diet can be reigned back and you can start feeding meal worms, supers, hornworms, wax worms, all the really fatty ones.

 

[Sadie]

Omg thank you for this!!! I really appreciate this and everyone who has been helping me! I’m going to another pet store today to see about getting some small Dubia roaches and more crickets. I also ordered some bsfl and that should be here tomorrow. Right now I have a 10 gallon set up, I have the dual lighting which I was told I will need to replace the coiled uvb bulb with an mvb bulb. I plan to purchase a 120 gallon enclosure from the zen habitats site within 3-6 months.

You need to get the coil replaced ASAP -- and I would recommend going w/ a regular bright white basking bulb and a long tube fixture for a UVB -- MVB are hard to get the UVB correct along w/ basking temps - if you sacrifice one for the other its not a good thing-- meaning if the temp is too hot and you haft to raise the bulb your going to loose UVB --- and the brand you get needs to a good one like a Mega Ray or Power Sun alot of those MVB are no good junk clone ones from China --- your dragon needs to come out of that 10 gallon now ---- he is already to big for it and in the next month or two he will be going crazy in the 10 gallon -- I recommend you start ordering dubias and other feeders on line the ones at the pet store are too expensive --- I can set you up w/ the correct bulbs for lighting - but you need to work in getting him out of that 10 gallon - even a 20 would be better -- small tanks are a hard to get correct temps as well --- what are you using now for a basking bulb ? A 50 watt and I am hoping you have a digital probe thermometer getting that temp -- you do not want to burn him up

 

[Nero]

So young beardies are meant to be fed more insects than plant sources, as they age they eat less bugs and more plants. Make sure the insects you buy are no longer than the width between your lizards eyes, cut you vegetables and such to make them about the eye length. Here's a good article on all the safe beardie foods, check out the full list of each category. I'm going to reccomend that you don't feed your beardies mealworms yet, the shell can be to hard for them http://www.thebeardeddragon.org/bearded-dragon-diet.php

 

[Momofadragon]

You need to get the coil replaced ASAP -- and I would recommend going w/ a regular bright white basking bulb and a long tube fixture for a UVB -- MVB are hard to get the UVB correct along w/ basking temps - if you sacrifice one for the other its not a good thing-- meaning if the temp is too hot and you haft to raise the bulb your going to loose UVB --- and the brand you get needs to a good one like a Mega Ray or Power Sun alot of those MVB are no good junk clone ones from China --- your dragon needs to come out of that 10 gallon now ---- he is already to big for it and in the next month or two he will be going crazy in the 10 gallon -- I recommend you start ordering dubias and other feeders on line the ones at the pet store are too expensive --- I can set you up w/ the correct bulbs for lighting - but you need to work in getting him out of that 10 gallon - even a 20 would be better -- small tanks are a hard to get correct temps as well --- what are you using now for a basking bulb ? A 50 watt and I am hoping you have a digital probe thermometer getting that temp -- you do not want to burn him up

So I did take out that mvb...it seemed wayyyy to hot for him. I switched back to the original lighting. I’d rather not fry him up for sure. If you think the 10 gallon is already too small I’m going to just go ahead and order the 120 gallon enclosure from zen habitats. I do have a digital probe thermometer. I ordered the bsfl already. I’ll start to order the dubia roaches too then.

 

[Sadie]

So I did take out that mvb...it seemed wayyyy to hot for him. I switched back to the original lighting. I’d rather not fry him up for sure. If you think the 10 gallon is already too small I’m going to just go ahead and order the 120 gallon enclosure from zen habitats. I do have a digital probe thermometer. I ordered the bsfl already. I’ll start to order the dubia roaches too then.

Original lighting?????? What are you now using? Did you order the new UVB? He will be out of that 10 gallon aquarium before the Zen is there --- the roaches I would get from www.dubiaroaches.com and get some small super worms for him too --- they are great salad lures feed like 3 of them -- add them to his salads in front of him -- what are the temps in the tank now ?

 

[haleygreer]

Omg thank you for this!!! I really appreciate this and everyone who has been helping me! I’m going to another pet store today to see about getting some small Dubia roaches and more crickets. I also ordered some bsfl and that should be here tomorrow. Right now I have a 10 gallon set up, I have the dual lighting which I was told I will need to replace the coiled uvb bulb with an mvb bulb. I plan to purchase a 120 gallon enclosure from the zen habitats site within 3-6 months.

Sounds amazing!! You are doing a wonderful job!!