How long should I feed my crickets before i give them to my bearded dragon?

Question

ho long do i gut load my crickets before I feed them to my beardie and what foods to i gut load them with to support a baby to juvinial beardie

Answer 1

You've been asking a lot of questions about bearded dragons. Anytime i was getting a new reptile i always picked up a basic knowledge & care book in case i had a problem & couldn't get to a vet or couldn't get advice from a good source. That may seem unecessary with the internet right here but sometime competient information is better than fast information, know what i mean? If you have to ask about every little thing when it comes to feeding etc. maybe you need to think about an easier pet. Because reptiles are not always easy to take care of and sometimes just die or get sick eventhough you're doing everything possible for them.
So please think about what i said before buying your lizzard. Good Luck

Answer 2

At least 24 hours is recommended on the basic gut load formula that I have. It doesn't matter if they go longer then that and poop since they will have also eaten some and not pooped that portion out yet. I use carrots, dog food(crushed), greens that I feed my beardie, and butternut squash. Basically if you feed your crickets what you would like your beardies to eat then they will get some of that nutrition through eating the crickets.

Answer 3

the purpose of gut loading a cricket is to have the max amount of nutrients in the cricket so when the beardie eats it they are broken down and introduced into the beardies system. the answer is "fairly quickly". the cricket will break the nutrients down and use what it needs and dispose of the rest in those little dried up nasty things they leave every where. so if his tummy is full thats a good time to feed them to your dragon. if you can figure this timing out you will be better than me I feed the crickets gut load all the time.

Answer 4

Crickets don't need gut load before feeding it to your beardie.. That is to keep the crickets alive... it does have trace vitamins and minerals in it... but nothing substantial. I have learned (through our vet) to our crickets potatoes cut into quarters and the same greens that our bearded eats and they do much better and are healthier for the bearded... Also... make sure you dust most of the crickets you feed your bearded with calcium... they need tons of calcium until they are adults.. but also you should save a few (daily) to dust in vitamins... You buy that in the same form as the calcium. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.. We have had our bearded for 2 1/2 years and he is going strong!!!!

Alot of bearded owners do not know this, but make sure you soak him in a warm tub atleast once a month for about a half an hour! They need that! (sanitize the tub after as lizards carry salmonella (sp??)

Answer 5

I would say the longer the better. You can sprinkle calcium supplement and feed them immediately to your beardie. Bearded dragons should be offered a varied diet consisting of crickets, mealworms, pink or fuzzy mice and a variety of greens and vegetables. Juvenile animals can be raised on small crickets and greens until large enough to eat mealworms and mice. It is very important to regulate the size cricket given to juvenile dragons. Large meals have been associated with partial paralysis and hind leg extension. A general rule is to use crickets no larger than the distance between the dragons eyes to the tip of his nose, and should be offered in several small meals per day rather than one large one. Crickets should be dusted with a vitamin/mineral supplement every other day for up to three months, then reducing supplementation to twice a week. Fresh greens, such as collards, kale, and mustard greens should be finely chopped and offered every other day along with vegetables such as yellow squash, zucchini and shredded carrots. Be sure to thoroughly wash all greens and vegetables before offering them to your dragon.

Answer 6

Since you will be feeding pinheads to 1/4 inch, you only need to feed the crickets about a day.

http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html