can you help me with my bearded dragon?

Question

i have abearded dragon, and need to know how many crickets i should feed it, and if i should just keep ceickets in the tank with him at all times how do i make sure they wont just go and hide under stuff and my lizard wont eat. also what kind of vegitables do they eat. and any other pointers you can give me would be very apreciated, thanks alot!

Answer 1

Ok, number one, beardies are sensitive critters and you shouldn't gave gotten one without proper knowledge.

That aside: beardies are vegetarians in the wild. Crickets and other protein-rich food are given the the beardie to increase their growth to get them to sexual maturity sooner. This is so the breaders can get more babies sooner and increase their profit.

You can give them crickets, it will not hurt them, in fact they love them. But do know that a high protein-rich diet, feeding crickets in abundance and regularly, will decrease their lifespan. A cricket-raised beardie will have a lifespan of 5-7 years, less if it is a femal and breeding). A veggie raised beardie will have a lifespan of 10-12 years.

I have a 2 yr old beardie and have consulted with a vet reptile specialist when I brought him in for a checkup and she had provided the above info to me as well as the diet recommendation I will give you. I have followed her recommendations for a year and my beardie is healthy.

First of all, a beardie is a reptile. It will eat whatever is available when it's hungry.

So here is a list of Do Not feed:
spinich - contains minerals that leach out calcium inthe beardie's bone
iceburg lettice - no nutritional value at all
flys - most are posionous, best to avoid all together
worms - some are posionous, best to avoid all together
any insect caught in the wild - could be poisonous or have diseases

DO:
Protein: if you choose to feed your beardie crickets, get them from a pet store or online from a cricket farmer only - never from outside or from a friend. The size of the cricket is important! The cricket should be smaller than the width of the space between your beardie's eyes. I found that when my beardie, Loki, was between 6-12 months he could eat about 50-70 crickets daily. (that was before my visit to my vet).

The rule of thumb when it comes to crickets is: add some crickets 10 or so, let him eat them and then add some more, continue to add a few more until you can see that it won't eat any more. Do not just dump a bunch in. If your beardie does not eat them all, the crickets could bit at it and injury it. Plus if he can't find them, the willl start chirping and drive you nuts (trust me).

Leafies:
curly mustard greens
kale
romaine

Veggies:
keep in mind that the veggies need to be cut up into small pieces smaller than the width of the space between it's eyes. I personally cut them smaller. If the pieces are too large, the could get an impaction. This results in intestinal or stomach blockage and they will die. It is nearly impossible to save a beardie if it gets an impaction.

Zuccini
crook-neck squash
carrots

Fruits:(in moderation, as a treat)
apples
kiwi

All of the above food can be combined into what I call a "beardie salad" or as a meal alone so it gets some variety.


Also, take a trip to your local pet store and get finely powered reptile vitamins. It will typically be a combination of two kinds of vitamins. You should sprinkle a pinch of the vitamin(s) in your beardie's food at least every 2-3 feedings.

You should also take your beardie in to the vet at least once per year for a check up. Make sure that your vet is a certified reptile expert. A regular vet will not be very helpful. An office visit can cost around $85, but it is necessary. A reptile vet can help guide you in food and care. I have found that reptile vets are very happy to help and are even willing to answer questions over the phone for free.

Good luck to you! Having a beardie is a lot of fun.

Answer 2

Do not leave crickets in the tank at all times. They will bite your beardie. Put a 5 or so in at a time. If he doesn't eat them all after 5-10 minutes then remove them. I have followed these feeding guidelines at this website for years and mine has always been healthy:
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html It is the same think my vet recommends. I just like the graph and additional info.

Answer 3

ok as for how many all depends on how many it can eat try not to leave any in the tank with the beardie due do it could stress them out if left over night 1 or 2 is ok but not alot ..
bearded dragons: here's a small run down beardies they can eat many types of veggies and insects ... crickets are the cheapest on the market... fire flys are deadly to them... but the person that said they can not eat worms is wrong ... there is many types of worms some to mention are meal worms in small quantities, super worms, butter worms , horned worms and silk worms are just a few even washed earth worms can be feed to ur beardie wild insects ppl say u cant feed them due to that the insect might of eaten some plant life that has poisons on it and would harm ur beardie... spinach is toxic to ur beardie and iceberg lettace does not have any nutritious value at all... most other veggies and fruits can be used .. u can check out my info website under beardies for more info

Answer 4

There are many different size crickets, make sure you have the right size for your lizard. Two - three crickets at a time is sufficient. Dust them in calcium powder before feeding. Never leave dead crickets in the tank. They like things like chopped greens, just check your produce market for varities. You should not keep any fertilized or chemically treated soil in thier tank or loose gravel and bark. Play-sand is the best for feeding surfaces.

Answer 5

How old is your bearded dragon? If he's just a baby, he'll need to eat mostly insects with a little bit of vegetables.
As for crickets, just feed him a few at a time until he doesn't seem interested in them. It's okay to leave a few in his cage, he'll eat them eventually, but you don't want dozen crawling all over him.
You can also feed him mealworms - just put them in a dish, they can't crawl out, and he'll eat them at his leisure.

Do you know how to gutload your crickets? It is very advised to gutload any bugs you feed your beardie. At the petstore, they don't eat greatest food, but you want your beardie to get all the nutrients possible. So, by gutloading, your beardie gets to eat a very nutritious insect, and he also gets the advantage of whatever food the cricket has been eating.
So, just feed your crickets for a few hours beforehand. They can eat fishfood in flake format, potato slices, carrot gratings, green and red pepper slices... Just put in a few bits of veggies and couple pieces of meaty foods like a small piece of ham of a few pieces of cat/dog food. Just a teensy bit; don't let it rot.
And of course don't forget to powder the crickets with vitamin and calcium powder.

As your bearded dragon gets older, he should eat more vegetables and less bugs. As a baby, he'll eat 80-90% bugs and 10-20% veggies. As an adult, he'll eat 80% veggies and 20% bugs.
Some veggies you can feed him: snow peas, snap peas, grated carrot, grated squash, kale, bok choy, green pepper, red pepper, water cress, any dark leafy greens, cabbage, strawberries... Make sure to feed a wide variety. I like to make them salads with 5 or more ingredients.

Answer 6

when i feed ( 1 ) crickets to my dragons they have all they can eat in 10 mins then remove uneaten because they can bite dragon.( 2 ) locust a tub every second day.(3) mealworm about 20 worms each.(4) waxworm they love. as treats only.(5)pinkies mice.you buy them frozzen put in water for about 1 hour my female loves them male have to force feed. (6) veggie finely choped.mustard greens. collard green.beet greens thawed mixed vegetables.spouts (7).plus they have vitamin mineral supplements. nutrobal. calypso thats 99%calcium. hope this helps you .kept drags 2 years .ps you would be better if you got a book.on bearded drags.it would help you alot more good luck.

Answer 7

How big is the dragon? My bestest buddy has one and she feeds her about 10 or so at a click *hers is a medium sized* She usually buys about 30 crickets and gives them food cubes..if you buy too many at once they'll cannabalize each other before the dragon gets to them*. She doesnt give too many veggies, but when she does its cut baby carrots and lettuce.

Make sure you spent time with the dragon daily..they *well, my friends anyway* craves attention and loves to cling to our clothes as we walk around

Answer 8

Go here:


http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/lizardsaspets/a/beardeddragons_3.htm

Answer 9

que le psaa tu dragon babrabado ||

Answer 10

sorry I can't