he is a baby/juvienile.
2006-10-03 16:04:15 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Reptiles
My reptile vet told me: Beardies do NOT require live food.. They are fed crickets & such because they are loaded with protein and protein makes them reach sexual maturity sooner; babies = $$; heavy protein will also shorten their life.
I feed my beardie curly musturd, kale,cook-neck squash, zuccini, apples, honeydew melon, cantalope.
You need to tear up the greens and cut the veggies & such very small.
The other posters are correct, beardies are very difficualt repitles to raise if you have never done it before, they have very special needs and you should have done research before you got it.
If you want more info, let me know and I will help you out. Loki is my first beardie and I have aquired a lot of info.
2006-10-04 09:10:56 · answer #1 · answered by zkiwi2004 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most smaller lizards wont react to food that is not moving. Also, some frozen/dehydrated food sources will lose nutrients over time or processing.
My advice is to get a small aquarium with crickets. Put cardboard egg holders and things like that for them to hide in. Put indoor/outdoor carpet along the bottom. Now put the crickets in. Feed them dog/cat food and fresh fruit and veggies. Oranges are great. Put a jar lid or similar with a sponge in it filled with water so the crickets can drink and not drown. Change this often. Keep in mind, the better the crickets eat, the more nutrients your lizard will recieve.
When it comes time to feed your lizard, pick up a section of egg cardboard and transfer it into the habitat. Your lizard will be able to eat the crickets, you wont have to watch. Come back later and put the egg board back in the main cricket cage.
The reason for this method is 3-fold.
1) Your crickets can get gut loaded by eating good food (gut loading is where you feed something a food that you want the thing eating it to benefit from)
2) Your crickets can breed, saving you money!
3) When your lizard isnt hungry, you wont have to worry about full grown crickets trying to bite HIM!
Dont be concerned with the crickets biting you or anything like that. They are pretty harmless. If you are creeped out by handling bugs, have someone else do it for you, at least twice a week.
2006-10-03 23:19:41 · answer #2 · answered by indigowulf 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Bearded dragons are omnivores and are usually feed crickets, cockroaches, mealworms, king worms, and wax worms. Be sure to buy these from a source where they have been raised in hygenic conditions. As they get bigger add baby mice to the list. 20% of the Bearded Dragon's diet should consist of greens and fruits, including green beans, orange-fleshed squash, carrots, escarole, parsley, mustard, dandelion and collard, greens, raspberries, mango, and cantaloupe.
Bearded dragons require sufficiently large housing to allow them a variety of temperatures. Rather than sweating like you would, your lizard needs to be able to move to warmer or cooler places to regulate it's temperature. A UVB bulb and calcium suppliments are also required to prevent metabolic bone disease.
Be sure that your vet is a certified reptile vets. If they are not they may not be sufficiently familiar with reptile diseases and the latest research. That little fellow you just bought is also probably chock full of parasites so you should get it a checkout ASAP.
As to your bearded dragon's lifespan, they can live up to 10 years. 4 years is more common in captivity and is due to poor care.
2006-10-05 12:53:43 · answer #3 · answered by Betty 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ok here is the deal...
Bearded dragons need real live food to live properly...
You really should have found this out before you bought the lizard...
Also baby lizards eat smaller crickets...
You never feed a lizard anything bigger than its mouth can open or bigger than the lizard head...
Babies need smaller food and larger grown lizards eat larger crickets and worms..
It is really not so bad to watch them eat...
It is not gruesome if that's what you think...
No blood, no guts...
The lizards strike fast with their tongue and you hardly ever see them eat unless you stand right there and watch...
All you have to do is buy the smallest size crickets about twice a week, like every 3 days...
Sometimes lizards eat less often in winter months and more in summer...
They need to be kept warm and you need to create summer like conditions in your tank...
He will need a heat lamp, and a UV lamp for the effects of real daylight...
He will need a tree to climb on and water in a bowl he can't turn over...
You might like to put sand or tree bark as litter on the bottom of the tank so when your lizard goes to the potty, it will be absorbed by the litter and not stink...
You wouldn't believe how lizard crap stinks...
It is a lot of work to keep exotic animals like bearded dragons and iguanas...
They are wild animals and depend on real live food where they come from in Australia...
You really need to pay attention to them and keep them on a regular feeding schedule...
Keep their tank clean of their feces and keep clean water in there...
They also sleep at night so make sure you buy a timer for your lights so they will be on in day time and off at night...
A good schedule I found is awake 12 hours and asleep 12 hours...
Like I said, lots of work...
I have owned 4 different bearded dragons in the last 5 years, some died, but they got old...
2006-10-04 09:08:33 · answer #4 · answered by aspenkdp2003 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I would suggest that a bit of research before you bought an exotic pet would have been advisable. Bearded dragons NEED live food in order to survive. If you have a problem with that, get a dog.
2006-10-03 23:14:16 · answer #5 · answered by andybasdonroy 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It really isn't a big deal feeding them live food. If it really bothers you, put the live food in and leave the room. They don't need your help to actually eat the food - they can do it by themselves. If you really can't do it, pet stores sell a food dish that vibrates so you don't have to use the live food. Seems to be a rip off to me - Your best bet would be to just get used to it and use live food.
2006-10-04 08:54:40 · answer #6 · answered by troxy12 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You should've thought about that before spending $60
Ask the salesperson, get a book or google search. If it requires live food, deal with it or get rid of the lizard.
2006-10-03 23:07:19 · answer #7 · answered by R P 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
well they are omnivorous so they need both meat and fruits and vegtables you doant have to feed it live food every day offer it romane lettuce diff types of squash and fruits ; grapes. strawberries (go ahead and google search baby bearded dragons) I offer mine romane lettuce and they like it you stil hav eto feed them live food!!
2006-10-03 23:11:18 · answer #8 · answered by RENe 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are MANY different things, and lots of store bought stuff.
Try Rep-Cal pellets that you soak in water.
Seach the web for bearded dragon food.
tons of stuff.
have fun
2006-10-03 23:16:21 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
whats the matter yu? afraid to see reality??eat or be eaten the law of the jungle!!!quit listening to sucky school liberals! feed that animal what it wants!!it will live longer!
2006-10-03 23:12:56 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋