Help! Need some expert Beardie advice!

[S_Foster]

Ok, so I want to start by saying I am a new Bearded Dragon mom! I had done a couple of months of research, had the tank set up for a couple of weeks in order to get the temps and humidity right before we had gotten Drago (we are calling her a her but we have no idea.) I purchased her from a local pet shop because I had gone in a couple of weeks in a row and she was still there, she was the biggest in the shop even though she was small she wasn't "tiny". I have had her for 5 weeks, she started off eating crickets like a maniac, the store said she was eating mediums so I ended up buying BULK, like, BULK and now she's over it... I ended up buying adult Dubia's in hopes to breed, also assuming she would not snub her nose at crickets this soon so clearly they are not breeding fast enough! I had gone to my local reptile store and told them what was happening, I was told that isn't too weird as they are picky so I asked what sized roaches for her as she is now about 9 inches nose to tip of her tail. The shop had given me "smallish-mediums", I have been scouring the web for over a week because I am not sure if theses are too big for her, in theory she eats them but she eats only 2-3 at a time and then she is done for hours! The roaches are about 1 inch, some are a little smaller, most are 1 inch. She chomps them just fine but then is over it after a few... I am looking for feedback, she is absolutely growing, she is 1/2 way done her first shed with me and she is eating about 2-3 one inch Dubia's every 4 hours or so and I am supplementing with small supers... Trying to get her to eat greens is tough but I am putting a mix of fresh collards, turnip and dandelion greens in her set up 3 times a day so they do not wilt... Granted she eats like 4 pieces a day tops but I am trying! Is that enough for her as in theory she is a juvenile? I am so paranoid I feel like a first time parent again! Any advise would be awesome, I am just trying to be a good Beardie mom!

 

[AdamF]

Safest guidance here: Anything she eats should be no larger in length than the space between her eyes. My 8 month old safely consumes 3/4" dubias 15 at a time. As for the salads, black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) make excellent moving "croutons" to stimulate her. I'm hardly an expert, but what I've seen and read, you are giving her so much protein, she is not hungry for the salad. At her age, every 4 hours is too much. We feed salad in the AM, and if she did not have bugs to late the day before, she eats the salad no problem. As an adult she will get to 80% salad and 20% protein, so she needs to get on that track.

 

[Sadie]

Ok, so I want to start by saying I am a new Bearded Dragon mom! I had done a couple of months of research, had the tank set up for a couple of weeks in order to get the temps and humidity right before we had gotten Drago (we are calling her a her but we have no idea.) I purchased her from a local pet shop because I had gone in a couple of weeks in a row and she was still there, she was the biggest in the shop even though she was small she wasn't "tiny". I have had her for 5 weeks, she started off eating crickets like a maniac, the store said she was eating mediums so I ended up buying BULK, like, BULK and now she's over it... I ended up buying adult Dubia's in hopes to breed, also assuming she would not snub her nose at crickets this soon so clearly they are not breeding fast enough! I had gone to my local reptile store and told them what was happening, I was told that isn't too weird as they are picky so I asked what sized roaches for her as she is now about 9 inches nose to tip of her tail. The shop had given me "smallish-mediums", I have been scouring the web for over a week because I am not sure if theses are too big for her, in theory she eats them but she eats only 2-3 at a time and then she is done for hours! The roaches are about 1 inch, some are a little smaller, most are 1 inch. She chomps them just fine but then is over it after a few... I am looking for feedback, she is absolutely growing, she is 1/2 way done her first shed with me and she is eating about 2-3 one inch Dubia's every 4 hours or so and I am supplementing with small supers... Trying to get her to eat greens is tough but I am putting a mix of fresh collards, turnip and dandelion greens in her set up 3 times a day so they do not wilt... Granted she eats like 4 pieces a day tops but I am trying! Is that enough for her as in theory she is a juvenile? I am so paranoid I feel like a first time parent again! Any advise would be awesome, I am just trying to be a good Beardie mom!

Your pics didnt post -- as mentioned she should be eating insects no bigger than the space between her eyes length wise --- impaction can happen if the insect is too big -- go here and look at the chart for dubias www.dubiaroaches.com -- I would get her some BSFL from here www.symtonbsf.com those are small soft larvae I would get large --- DO NOT dust them - they are calcium enriched -- feed them on top of her salads as many as you want first thing in the morning --- add them in front of her -- they are a great staple feeder they make a great compliment to the dubias get a bowl like this or similar it will keep them in the bowl 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 ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder --- you want her eating some salad now -- even if its a little bit --- it sounds like you got her off to a good start w/ the salads -- do not dust the insects every feeding --- only one time per feeding lightly coated w/ calcium D3 5 x per week and vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week--- now for the UVB what are you using a coil or a tube fixture ? Please no coils they are inadequate for UVB -- basking bulb needs to be a bright white bulb that keeps temps 105-110 for a baby and taken w/ a digital probe thermometer please no stickons --- they are inaccurate and give ambient temps only --we need to get your UVB properly placed once I find out what your using