New beardie owner - love my little guy :)

[MyBeardieAlan]

hello all! wondering if anyone can give me any tips for over coming my fear of holding my beardies hoppers, im using tongs at the mo, but would love to be able to hand feed them, have tried just sticking my hand in the box and going for it but this resulted in a full box of hoppers being dropped everywhere lol!!

attatched a pic of my little guy! everyone meet Alan (my kids chose the name lol, i think he suits it)

 

[Luvthemanimal]

Cute beardie. Awesome name.

Hand feeding makes a lazy beardie IMO. But to each there own.

To get over your fear grab it by the balls and make it your b itch

Welcome to the forums

 

[PatsyB]

Be careful with hand feeding, it sounds fun when you have a little guy but trust me, you do NOT want to get bit by a bearded dragon! They look all cute and cuddly but they have some very stong jaws. I was feeding mine fruit one day and she accidently chomped in my finger. Felt like I got it smashed in a door and she drew blood!

 

[Kayla]

When I hand feed my girl I find the best way to get hold of a hopper is by their back legs so they can't jump, I've been hand feeding for about 3 months now though and she has started to get really lazy when it comes to hunting her own bugs.
She used to hunt and chase them All the time but now even when one is right under her nose she looks at me as if to say "aren't you going to get that?"

& I agree with pastyb, even though there's no teeth, their jaws are so strong! I've even felt quite a big pull just from her tongue let alone when she nips my finger as well!

 

[PatsyB]

When I hand feed my girl I find the best way to get hold of a hopper is by their back legs so they can't jump, I've been hand feeding for about 3 months now though and she has started to get really lazy when it comes to hunting her own bugs.
She used to hunt and chase them All the time but now even when one is right under her nose she looks at me as if to say "aren't you going to get that?"

& I agree with pastyb, even though there's no teeth, their jaws are so strong! I've even felt quite a big pull just from her tongue let alone when she nips my finger as well!

LOL! Dexter is the LAZIEST, she waits until the crickets walk in front of her and then she will stick her tongue out and if she gets it she gets it, if not she waits for the next round! But if I throw a super worm in there she might walk over to get it. With my second dragon I decided to do everything different in hopes not to make her so lazy. When I put the crickets in her tank I put them over her salad so she knows that it's all food and she has to go over there to eat!

 

[Kayla]

That's what haze used to do! My boyfriend used to chase them out for her and she'd grab them but now she doesn't even do that haha! How do your beardies do with super worms? When I've fed them to haze in the past she stopped going to the bathroom everyday and was only going once every 4 or 5 days so I got really worried and stopped giving her them!

 

[PatsyB]

They do okay with supers. I don't feed them everyday only as a treat. Dexter is a princess and won't go to the bathroom in her tank, only in the tub. I check her poop and everything is digested. Luci just started getting them and so far no issues.

 

[TarynLee]

My beardie is 6 years old or so and has had a staple diet of supers until recently. I adopted him I'm January and I have been feeding dubias 3 days a week and supers 2 days a week

 

[TarynLee]

He has never had any problems.

 

[Kayla]

I've heard horror stories about super worms, but Haze loved them and other than her not going as regularly she was fine. I was worried though incase she was uncomfortable because she does get bloated when she needs to go

 

[smokejunky]

I still hand feed all mine at times bugs and baby food.it hasn't made any of mine lazy just built trust with them

 

[burtsmama]

I heard horror stories about supers too. Any validity to that? Also is there anyone that orders their worms online and if so what and where? Thank you.
I still haven't figured out how to start a new thread. Thanks for sharing this one "NyBeardieAlan".

 

[smokejunky]

I only order online if u have Facebook look up CJ Brimmer and Cape Roaches. Both are amazing people and will help u out CJ also does auctions haha.the supers are alot better than meal worms but I've heard the stories to but never had them happen to me.juat remember to only feed a few and feed the right size worm to the right size dragon haha. Hope this helps

 

[Kayla]

In the Uk the only bugs I've been able to find in reptile shops are crickets, mealworms, & locusts
Where can I find other foods? Is ordering live food offline okay?
I don't know if I trust it!

Nope no validity, after hearing the horror stories I went into my local reptile shop & asked about them, she said it was a myth and that she fed them to her beardies and other lizards with no problems for years & it's geckos that have the risk of getting impacted from them because they don't chew their food or something

But as they made her bathroom schedule a bit spotty I thought I'd just stop giving her them to ensure maximum comfort xx

 

[smokejunky]

Yeah that's about the only feeders I've heard of for over seas

 

[PatsyB]

I think the fear of supers might come from the amphibian world and it carried over to reptiles. Frogs don't have teeth and so they swallow their food whole and their stomach acid breaks down the food. I can see a problem with them digesting the hard shell of a meal worm or super. However, If you've ever watched a bearded dragon eat an appropriate sized super, you will see that the super is completely chewed before it is swallowed.

I prefer supers over meal worms because they are meatier and the medium and large ones are the perfect size for my girls.

 

[Josh]

Great discussion here. Just dropping in to welcome @MyBeardieAlan to the BDF community!

 

[diegothediggy]

You can get mini meal worms from pets at home(uk) Diego loves them.

 

[Zaiden07]

I would be careful of mealworms because they have a hard shell, unless your beardie is big enough. Also Superworms are essentially mealworms that are genetically enhanced, there isn't any nutrition but they are a good treat.

 

[lisa127]

I would be careful of mealworms because they have a hard shell, unless your beardie is big enough. Also Superworms are essentially mealworms that are genetically enhanced, there isn't any nutrition but they are a good treat.

Superworms are not genetically enhanced mealworms. You are thinking of giant mealworms. Superworms are a totally different species than mealworms and are in fact a bit meatier with less chitin. I think supers are fine as one of the staples in the diet of adult beardies.