Hello - advice needed!

[BeardieAunt]

I am caring for my neighbors bearded dragon for six weeks. The only instructions I was given were keep the light on all day, give her 2-3 crickets a day and stick her in a platter of water every other day to see if she'll drink.

After 3 days it has become very apparent that this gentle, intelligent eyed being needs more. She immediately perks up when I spend time with her and she seems to want to eat anything green when I set her on the ground. There's a plethora of information out there, but I'm hoping I can cut thru the bs by posting here. Can anyone give some basic "bearded dragon 101" advice?

Her owner is developmentally delayed, but I'm hoping I can give him some easy tips when he returns that will make this bearded dragon's quality of life better.

I've never seen her eat a cricket. She aims straight for dandelion greens if they're in sight. I've tried fresh spinach in her tank, but she's shown no interest. She's not interested in her platter of water either.

I have to admit, I'm quite taken with her. I really want to make her time with me enjoyable for her. Thank you SO much.

 

[Hazel the bearded lady]

Hi my dragon loves green peppers and apples and it needs more crickets then just a few a day they love going out side on a nice worm day you could make some kind of pen for it or just hold em outside they also love to run around on your floor hope I helped

Sent from my LG-H700 using Tapatalk

 

[BeardedHippy]

Hi, well your instincts were on the nose there BeardieAunt, he does need more. They have quite specific needs in regards to lighting, heat and food. Beardies should be fed veggies every day and this should form the basis of their daily diet. The amount of bugs that they eat depends on how old they are, a juvenile needs a lot of protien, a fully grown dragon not so much. All of their food needs dusting with calcium 4x a week, calcium+D3 2x a week and a multivitamin 1x. This works in conjunction with a high output UV light making that calcium available for bone development. If your dragon likes her veg that is great, some dont take to it so quick. Not all veggies are created equal however and some can only be fed in moderation. Dandelion greens are a fantastic staple green, you can feed the flowers too. Try adding some other stuff to the greens, like bell peppers or squash ,maybe even the occasional blueberry or banana (fruit as a treat) she will love you for it. A great nutritional list that we all use can be found here:
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutritionframeset.html
Be sure to take any uneaten crickets out of her enclosure or they may bite her (nasty little things they are)

Beardies love interaction, this is where they differ from a lot of reptiles. They are more like a small scaly dog...

 

[BeardieAunt]

I believe she's about a year old...

Do I need to mash the blueberries, apple or pepper? I've yet to see her open her mouth more than the silver it takes to start munching on a dandelion leaf.

Off to Google calcium dust...

Thank you!

 

[BeardedHippy]

you can cut them up into bite sized pieces, squash can be sliced or grated. Try some different things and see what she likes best

 

[Hdrydr31]

Good for you for seeing that she needs more.. They are very social critters that LOVE attention from us.. Under several of our comments you will find links for new comers (the info can also be found in the general care section).
Add in more greens (no spinach as it's not good for them) Collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens are all fantastic staple greens to be offered every day..
Bugs: Dubia roaches, crickets, BSFL (also known as: calci worms, phoenix worms) are awesome, silkworms, superworms, butterworms, waxworms, hornworms.. now some are treat items as they are high in fat: supers, butters and wax.. if they need hydration hornworms are fantastic but too many will cause very runny poop.
Any of the squash family especially butternut squash are great..
See the link BeardedHippy gave for a full detailed list it's the best one out there.
But check out the links as we've explained everything anyone would need for their care.

 

[Yvonne G]

welcome!

 

[PatsyB]

She's very smart to not eat the spinach! Spinach binds to calcium so it's not a good food to feed. Check out the links and you'll get some good info there.

 

[PatsyB]

Oh and you need to turn all the lights off at night. They need a light cycle of 12 hours on and 12 hours off. A period of darkness at night allows them to rest, recover and further process vitamins and nutrients.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Oh and you need to turn all the lights off at night. They need a light cycle of 12 hours on and 12 hours off. A period of darkness at night allows them to rest, recover and further process vitamins and nutrients.

lol I knew I had forgotten to mention the lighting thing lol