Newbie needs help with feeding

[Stranger]

Hey guys

I need some assistance with regards to feeding the two 4 month old beardies I adopted this week.

I have read up a bit about feeding the crickets and I know that I should give them a 15 minute window in which to eat them.
The question I have is - roughly how many crickets should I put in the tank?
At the moment i am giving them about 8 crickets but they only manage to eat about 2 beofre the crickets run off to the sides of the tank or under some piece of decor.

I have read that dragons can eat like 60 crickets a day so I am really concerned that they are not getting enough food in them.
I do keep a bowl full of green available for them, but they are only slightly interested in that.

The previous owner said that they would feed the beardies a few crickets every third day or so (this seems like far too little).

The tank they came in did not have a Uv light and the basking light was so strong they could only keep it on for about half an hour a day before the tank got too hot

I have since put a UV light in and replaced with basking light with one that will maintain a temp of about 30 degrees celcius (95 fahrenheit).

Any advice would be grealty appreciated.

 

[corrine]

Try feeding the dragons in a rubbermade tote or even your bathtub(cover the drain) this will keep the crickets from hiding. 4 mnth old dragons should be fed daily. the amount depends on your dragons. As far a the greens go try adding some butternut squash, raspberries or mango. That's how I got my adult dragon to take to her greens. Young dragons are just like kids they take a while to start liking veggies. just be sure to offer them daily.

 

[renich]

Also, consider upping your hot side temp. Hot side should be around 105F for babies and cool side should be around 85F.

Since you just brought the babies home, they could be going through relocation stress. This will cut down their food quantity until they are comfortable with their new home.

Babies eat about 2-3 times daily. Drop as many crickets as you think they will eat. If they gobble them up, add more. Most beardies will eat their fill in 15 minutes. Also, as Corrine points out, you may consider feeding them in a different enclosure without any furniture. This will help them hunt for the crickets.

Once you up your temps, their appetites may pick up. They need it warm to properly digest their food.

What UV did you buy?

 

[Stranger]

My temp on the hot is at about 105F, haven't got a thermometer for the cool side yet.

I am using a Repti Glo 5.0 uvb from Exo Terra.

I am also offering them mealworm (which they gobbled up on the first day) and a fresh supply of fruits and green throughout the day.

The lady I got them from says that they are about four months old, but I'm beginning to think they may be a bit younger than that - I will post some pics tomorrow so someone can tell me approx how old they are.

I have tried feeding them in a seperate container but they ignore the crickets and keep trying to get out of the container.

On the behaviour side of things one of the beardies acts like he's looking for food, he runs around the tank then stops like he's listening to something, then runs off in the another direction, stops and listens but when I put the crickets in he'll eat like one and leave the rest.
The other just wants to be held the whole time, he sits at the edge of the tank and literally throws himself on me when I open the tank.

Don't know if that will help with explaining their behaviour, or not.

Thanks for the input so far, please keep the advice coming.

 

[DragonMom]

:-X

 

[renich]

Sandy makes some great points. You can find the ReptiSun 10.0 in our site's store. It is the same retailer as Sandy mentioned. By selecting this method for purchasing, it helps support this site.

Here's the link and thanks!
http://mybeardie.com/bearded-dragon-reptile-supplies.php?itemtype=ReptiSun

 

[Stranger]

Thanks for all the great advice Sandy.

I have taken the mealworms out last night and replaced the bulb (which was a compact Repti Glo) and replaced it with a tube.

I have been to just about every pet store in my area trying to find silkworms but no one has any stock and I've been told I'll only be able to get in August!

I still haven't had the chance to take any pics yet - spent most of last night installing the new tube in the tank.

I spoke to another pet store owner yesterday and he said the size of the crickets I am feeding the beardies could also be a factor contributing to them not eating - he said that if the crickets are too big, the dragons may be a little frightened of them so he gave me a box of smaller crickets to try - how does that idea sound?
He also said that these guys may have been permanently damaged by their previous owners who would drop a handful of crickets in the tank every 3 or 4 days and the crickets would stay in the tank until they were all eaten. They never had any uvb lighting in their tank and the basking light would be on for about half an hour per day. As far as greens go, all they were given was regular lettuce with a bit cricket dust sprinkled on it.

I do not use regular lettuce, my local pet store sells fresh packs of ready mix greens and petals for dragons - it contains jsut about all the greens the dragons are allowed to eat.

 

[renich]

I agree with the pet store owner you spoke with. All food for young beardies should be no larger than the space between their eyes. So, crickets should be very small. Food should be dropped in either a feeding bin or his viv and left no longer than for 10-15 minutes. It is believed that beardies will eat their fill in the first 10-15 minutes of being offered food.

You can try and find some silkworms online. A few folks here have recommended various vendors.

Here's a link to our basic caresheet. It lists some of the veggies and greens that are great for your beardie's salad.
Bearded Dragon Care

 

[Stranger]

I think I've finally got things a bit better, last night, instead of eating one or two medium crickets each, both beardies went through about small crickets!

There was quite a lot of droppings in the tank when I got home last night and they were looking a little thinner than normal, but they both gobled those crickets right up.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Both ? I'm sorry but does that mean you have two babies housed together ? If so, try getting them separated... in the long run, you'll have better eaters, and no worries about hurt or maimed animals... nor one being pushed out of the best basking, sleeping and eating...
Janie

 

[DragonMom]

:-X

 

[Stranger]

Thank you very much for all your help and advice!

I've gone through two boxes of crickets since Monday and I have to get more today.

I am using a culcium supplement though I cannot remember the name (T-Rex is written on the container).

I have noticed a little bit of fighting over their sleeping spot already - I've had to remove one of the decorations in the tank that they fight over and rearrange. Last night they both found a spot they liked and there was no drama.

I will definitely get another viv soon, I just need to get some more cash (this exercise has been a bit expsensive)

 

[DragonMom]

:-X

 

[toast7887]

anyone know what size crickets a 6 month old dragon should eat? I've been getting medium ones and he just gobbles them down. The pet store owner recommended i switch to large crickets so i did that and he ate about 40 of them.

 

[renich]

anyone know what size crickets a 6 month old dragon should eat? I've been getting medium ones and he just gobbles them down. The pet store owner recommended i switch to large crickets so i did that and he ate about 40 of them.

The crickets should be no larger than the space between your beardie's eyes. That goes for all food. Feed them as much as they will eat in a 10-15 minute interval. Most beardies eat their fill after that time.