Want to know how much to feed your Dragon??

[gilliesexotics]

Ever think. How many feeders should my dragon eat to maintain weight? or My animal is a little over weight and i want to put he/she on a diet but dont know where to start? or maybe your animal is skinny and you want to put a little meat on them bones...The info below is a base intake formula for a average adult. THIS IS NOT FOR A BABY OR JUVENILE. Age, temperature, activity, individual metabolic rate, etc. will play a roll in your own animals final calculations. The information below is to help you fine tune your feeding schedule with your dragon.

You will need a gram scale to start. To begin the process and to fine tune your animals "sweet spot" for intake. You will need to weigh your animal weekly for 1-3 months and then do periodic check ups. You will also need to weigh your feeders at every feeding. You should keep record of both your animals weight and amount of insect + weight of insects every time.

This formula is based off of 5.6 calories per 1000g/. (5.6 x per kilogram)

Take the formulation below that is based off of 100 grams. Weight is going to vary. So it will be best to weigh on your personal stock to be a little more precise.

Fat contains 9 kcal per gram
Protein contains 4 kcal per gram
Carbohydrates contain 4 kcal per gram
Organic acids contain 3 kcal per gram
Fiber contains 2 kcal per gram

Crickets; 12.9% protein (51.6 kcal), 5.5% fat (49.5 kcal), 5.1% carbohydrates (20.4 kcal), 3.2% fiber (6.4 kcal), total kilocalories (127.9 kcal/100g)
Mealworms; 19% protein (76.0 kcal), 14% fat (126 kcal), 4% carbohydrates (16 kcal), 2% fiber (4 kcal), total kilocalories (222 kcal/100g)
Superworm; 18.92% protein (75.68 kcal), 15.07% fat (135.63 kcal), 5.81% carbohydrates (23.24 kcal), 2.2% fiber (4.4 kcal), total kilocalories (238.95 kcal/100g)
Wax worm; 15.4% protein (61.6 kcal), 20.12% fat (181.08 kcal), 2.54% carbohydrates (10.16 kcal), 1.6% fiber (3.2 kcal), total kilocalories (256.04 kcal/100g)
Fly larva; 15.32% protein (61.28 kcal), 5.96% fat (53.64 kcal), 8.46% carbohydrates (33.84 kcal), 2.7% fiber (5.4 kcal), total kilocalories (154.16 kcal/100g)
Dubia; 35.6% protein (142.4 kcal), 6.75% fat (60.75 kcal), ??.?% carbohydrates (??.? kcal), 3.25% fiber (6.5 kcal), total kilocalories (>209.65 kcal/100g)
Turkestan; 36.5% (146.0 kcal), 5.31% fat (47.79 kcal), ??.?% carbohydrates (??.? kcal), 2.19% fiber (4.38 kcal), total kilocalories (>198.17 kcal/100g)
Portentosa; 26.7% (106.8 kcal), 5.05% fat (45.45 kcal), ??.?% carbohydrates (??.? kcal), 5.62% fiber (11.24 kcal), total kilocalories (>163.49 kcal/100g)

Credit to: Maurice Pudlo

Theory: Basically if you had a 150 gram dragon and fed it dubia that weighed 1 gram a piece. You would need to feed approx 3-4 x 1 gram dubia to maintain weight. Note: Carbs have not been factored in on dubia. Again, this is to give you a starting point to figure out what works for your own dragon. Each animal is different and results will vary. Studying your animal will only improve the way you care for it ENJOY~!

 

[Germ]

Too complicated for me , lol. Much more than what I would want to go through.

 

[gilliesexotics]

Germ, Dont be discouraged. Maybe this will help you

1. Weigh your animal. (example 150 grams)
2. Convert animals weight grams to decimal (example is 150 grams = .15)
3. Take 5.6 x animals weight (example = .84)
4. Find which feeder you are wanting to feed in the chart and look at the total calorie per 100 grams.
5. To figure out the assumed calorie intake of your feeder. Would be to weigh it. You then take the weight and convert it to decimal (example 1 gram dubia = .001). Take the total calorie per 100 gram total. (example dubia = >209.65 kcal/100g).
6. Take the total calorie x the weight. (example 209.65 x .001 = .209)
7. You take the total you got from (#3 = .84) and divide it by amount of calorie based on weight. (example .84 / .209 = 4.01). So theory on a normal health active reptile weighing 150 grams would need to eat 4 x 1 gram dubia to maintain weight.

 

[Germ]

I'm not discouraged, after 11 years of caring for these guys, I have no intention of starting to put them on an unknown diet limiting their intake, by someone that I don't know &\or have never heard of .

I'm not saying it's not something that others may want to try, it's just not for me.

What I have been doing has kept them long and healthy lives. My first dragon will be 11 this month, is keeping my niece & is still doing very well. In all the dragons that I have kept over the years, only one has passed (19 Months old) of yet unknown reasons. I keep track of the rest because they are all with friends, family &\or acquaintances, all cared for by my methods, 7 of them over 8+ years old & all thriving very well. I really see no point in changing.

That diet does not even state how often that amount is to be fed.

 

[gilliesexotics]

I understand To each his or her own.

Only documenting the weight of your animal, the weight of feeders/type/quantity and time will only give you what you want to know. Some will need more and some will need less. Some will need fed more frequent and some will need fed less frequent. It just takes time and lots of notes haha