New to bearded dragon diet---need help!

[auntiedeb99]

Hi all,

I got a bearded dragon (about 8 inches long or so) and thought I understood how to feed him, but after getting him home, I realized I was quite confused. I knew I needed both bugs and veggies, but am unsure of the amounts. How many crickets? How much veggies? Are bell peppers, broccoli and cauliflower okay?

Here is my plan, please let me know if I am lacking in anything.
I should give him a salad daily (mostly greens, with other fruits and veggies chopped finely or shredded).
I should give him a soak in a shallow pan or bathtub for drinking every 2-3 days (says the petshop lady).
I should give him crickets daily (1, 2 or 3 times???? per day). Do I feed him in a seperate container as many as he can eat in 10-15 minutes??
The crickets are gut loaded with cricket food and yellow, jello-like goo.
I should dust his crickets or salad weekly with vitamin supplement and calcium, Vit.D supplement.
As he gets older, more salad and less crickets?

What am I missing?
Thanks, Deb A.

 

[renich]

Hi, Deb and welcome to our forum. I know what you mean, it can be very overwhelming when you first take on. It sounds like you have done your homework. Everything sounds right on with caring for your dragon.

Do you know how old he is?

To answer your questions -
Yes, offer salad daily. You will want to experiment with various greens and veggies. I had success with putting a mound of veggies on the bottom and sprinkling the greens on top. Young beardies don't always eat their salad, but keep offering it. I'll provide a link to our basic care sheet. It lists out good veggies and greens.

Young beardies can eat anywhere from 25 - 75 crickets daily. They should be no larger than the space between their eyes. It is up to you if you choose to feed your beardie in a separate location. it could be easier. I don't like to leave the crickets in the viv. And yes, it is said that they eat their fill within 10-15 minutes. For young beardies, feeding crickets 2-3 times per day works.

Bathing is very important for youngens and adults. It helps hydrate them and it helps with the shed process. For young beardies, I like daily baths.

Yes, after 1 year of age, your beardie will eat salad daily and proteins every other day. You can switch up the proteins and offer others like roaches, silkworms, phoenix worms - to name a few.

Hope this helps and here is our care link:
Bearded Dragon Care

Half way down you'll see the listing for foods.

 

[auntiedeb99]

Thanks so much for the advice. I think he/she (or Lord Daisy as the kids call him) is about 8 inches long. I forgot to ask the petshop how old they were.

I have been feeding him in his tank and sometimes he eats all the crickets (2-5 small ones) and sometimes he ignores them. And this necessitates remodeling the tank to catch and remove the crickets. I tried feeding him in a rubbermaid tote but he kept slipping on the slick floor when trying to catch the crickets. How can I make this easier?

He does eat a little of the salad I put into his tank or at least I notice bits of greens around the tank.

We gave him a little bath today but he seemed rather cold afterwards. He is very gentle and easy to handle, but a whole lot more work than expected. Everywhere I read, bearded dragons are recommended as an easy lizard for the beginner. But, man, how complicated he really is! My 7 year old daughter has been copying text from our lizard book each night at bedtime. She wants to make a bearded dragon book for her school.

I still haven't figured out their lifespan. How long do bearded dragons live typically?

Thanks again for the advice!

Deb A.

 

[angel]

You can try putting paper towel or newspaper down to help him get traction if you put him in the rubbermaid tote, as for the bath how warm is the water? it should be fairly warm like a warm baby bath i usually let the water stream lightly while suga bathes she likes to play in it like a shower and it keep the water from going cold fast however you need to watch that it doesnt get too deep for him. Suga likes to cuddle in a warm towel after , good excuse to have some 1 on 1 time lol, than she goes and basks in her tank
It gets easier having a young one is alot more work I remember our baby and it was complicated with all the different advice givin in different places, usually 1 contradicts the other source lol. You found a good forum lots of helpful people here . good luck .

 

[beardielover17]

a great list of foods he can and cannot eat is here if you wanna take a look http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

 

[renich]

I've heard of bearded dragons living anywhere from 7-14 years old.

The suggestion of papertowel or newspaper may help with your rubbermaid slipperiness. If he gobbles the crickets up in 5 minutes, consider offering more at that time.

The bath water should be about 95-100F. You should soak him for about 20 minutes.

 

[auntiedeb99]

Thanks all for the advice!

I didn't realize that the bath should be so long. We've only soaked him a few minutes or so. He doesn't seem too excited about the water and tries to scramble out the side of the "pool". I used slightly warmer water last night, and he didn't seem so cold afterwards.

How do you know if a bearded dragon is hungry? There are times through-out the day when he is very active in his home. Last night, I tried feeding him during this active stage and he ignored all the crickets and just scratched on the plastic tote trying to escape.

Good news: He ate some greens and parsley right out of my hand. And the petstore recommended some mealworns that he enjoyed yesterday afternoon.

Second question: Where online can I order crickets in bulk and how do you manage such a large number of crickets? The petstore guy suggested online ordering so I wouldn't have to go to the petstore every day for more crickets.

Thanks again for all the great advice!
Deb A.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Hi Deb... First off ... nix on the mealies.. impaction alert Also low in protein, high in fats.
Second... You can do crix... but I am a huge supporter of roaches. Have you considered those as a feeder ?
Hope this helps.
Janie

 

[crypticdragons]

cheap online and trustworthy cricket supplier
http://www.ghann.com/store/store_sub.cfm?Category_ID=1


on his site he has a full listing of cricket care as well
http://www.ghann.com/insect_care.cfm

 

[crypticdragons]

oh and if u choose roaches theroachguy.com is by far the best and fair priced

 

[renich]

How do you know if a bearded dragon is hungry? There are times through-out the day when he is very active in his home. Last night, I tried feeding him during this active stage and he ignored all the crickets and just scratched on the plastic tote trying to escape.

Hmm...I'm not sure I can answer this. I think you will develop a routine and get to know your dragon. They are desert animals. I've been told that they can gorge themselves at times and then go days without eating. The domesticated bearded dragon has instinctively taken on this trait.

So, I think you wildl find some days your beardie will eat like a champ and other days, not so much.

BTW...all of this pertains to adults. Babies typically eat a lot all the time.