How old is my bearded dragon and how is this diet?

Question

We have a young bearded dragon that is 6 inches in length (body and tail). He was one of the bigger ones I've seen at the pet store and he is currently eating a ton. He ate about 30 3/8" crickets the other day and will eat over a dozen at a time. Is he over eating or is this normal? He's still a small guy I don't know where he puts it all. He could probably eat 50 crickets in a day - I'm sure he will soon. We also have waxworms but they are too big at the moment. Also, how fast will he grow? Thanks

Answer 1

juan gabriel

Answer 2

Well if your beardie is growing normally then it's probably around 2 months give or take. It should be eating a lot of crickets, however your beardie needs small crickets than that. As a rule of thumb no bigger than the space between it's eyes. You should put as many crickets as it will eat in it's enclosure and then remove any remaining crickets after 15 minutes. Do this 3 times a day. Dust the crickets with calcium powder 2 times a week. Multivitamin powder is great too, just don't over do it.

Your beardie also needs salad everyday. Mustard greens, collard greens, dandilian greens, kale, etc. Shredded carrot is excellent in their salads. No iceberg lettuce ever and other lettuces have no nutritional value either. Do not give spinach except occasionally as a treat, calcium binds to spinach and then your beardies calcium levels will become depleted. Make sure to tear or chop the salad finely so as not to choke your beardie.

They will grow pretty fast if all their needs are being met.

Answer 3

This is a very hard to judge without seeing the beardie, but I would guess that he is probably about 6 months old. However if he has been fed at that rate every day then he is likely much younger.
There is no real right "amount" to feed a lizard. As long as you are keeping the heat at the correct temperature then he/she should be fine.
The most important part of keeping a reptile of any sort is heat. Alway make sure the animal has a hot side of the tank and a cool side. The water will of course be on the cooler side and the food on the warmer side. Now.. if you ever are going to slow his food intake or be gone for a few days, drop the temperature on the warm side. In fact, turning off any heat lamp or heat pad is perfectly ok as long as it doesn't exceed more that 5 days. If you have a heat lamp, have it set on a timer or be really good at remembering to turn it off at night. Reptiles need a night time just as we do.
This "warm side" should be about 80-85 degrees with the rate you are feeding now. And you are feeding the correct size crickets, but I'm betting that's getting expensive right? Other good food items are fresh chopped fruits and veggies (no banana or kiwi) and romaine lettuce. Beardies are omnivors like us and need more than just crickets. Also, most pet stores sell some kind of calcium for your critter. Make sure that you are using it to lightly dust the crickets each time you feed her/him. It's best to just feed once a day, more than that can cause impaction. If you feed late in the day, the lizard will eat because he is warm and thinks he can digest it, then the light goes off and he cools down and his body is unable to digest the food until the next day.
Waxworms are not the greatest idea for any lizard because they can actually bite back. Superworms or mealworms are great. They can take the place of about 3-5 crickets because they are very high in protein. Just be sure not to have a diet that consists of only worms because it can lead to an overweight lizard!
If you have any other questions such as bedding material, tank size, or sexing your beardie, feel free to email me at [e-mail] ... my name is Amy.

Answer 4

That is a great appetite! It is important to feed the right sized crickets--no larger than the space between his eyes. Crickets that are too large can cause paralysis. A young beardie can eventually eat up to 100 appropriate sized crickets a day, which is why many people buy them on-line from a wholesaler. Give him as many as he will eat at least twice a day. He'll slow down as he gets older. Then vary his diet with superworms (NOT mealworms--too hard to digest), phoenix worms, silkworms. Waxworms are ok for treats but are very fatty. He will grow amazingly fast, and at a year old will be nearly 20 inches long or more!
Good info at these two sites:

http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/home.html
http://www.biology.lsa.umich.edu/research/labs/ktosney/file/BD.html

Answer 5

http://hubpages.com/_reptiles/hub/Bearded_Dragon_Diet

You need to provide fresh produce.... Even if the beardy won't eat it, it needs to be in the enclosure so that it gets used to seeing it, as it will be essential when it's an adult.

It's better to feed them in smaller quantities multiple times a day. Say, 20 crickets twice a day, or somthing like that.

Waxworms are very fatty and are not healthy unless you are using them as treats alone. I would stick with crickets and occassional mealworms. Watch the mealworms for babies, as they have hard exoskeletons that can cause impaction if the reptile cannot digest it properly, which is where temps come into play.

http://hubpages.com/_reptiles/hub/Bearded-Dragon-Care

As for how fast he will grow, he will go into spurts. Faster during certain periods than others. The baby will probably be near adult size around 9-12 months, give or take.

Answer 6

6 inches is typically 6 weeks.

Answer 7

he is probably a JUVIE and 50 crickets a day is ridiculus he will probably die if u keep that up.