Concerns of a new owner

faster132":tc3mgwrt said:

hello everyone I basically just bought a bearded dragon from someone on Craigslist. He is in perfect shape but according to some research I did on the internet he is being fed too much. Previously he has been fed animal protein in the morning (around 12 crickets), then vegetables during the afternoon, and then 12 more crickets at night. According to the internet the diet should be something more like vegetables early in the morning and then at somewhere between 4 I can give him animal protein once (around 12 crickets). If I was to shift him diet from one day to another would the beardie be stressed and not eat or would he not even noticed and should I even change his diet. In addition to this, does a beardie 1 year and 7 months old get stressed when he moves to a new family and if he does how should I help him adapt to the new people around him.

Click to expand...

CooperDragon":36vxcllo said:

I agree that it can take some time for him to settle into a new home so patience is key. At his age he should be eating mostly veges so I'd focus on getting him into a routine of eating salads. Make a nice big salad for him every morning and vary the items in it based on what's fresh at the store each week. My dragon loves squash of different kinds, collard greens, turnip greens, chopped green beans, and chopped bell pepper. They all have their own favorites though so try some different things out. I usually reference this list for ideas and put 2-3 items in each salad http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

If you can get him eating some salad every day that's a great start. I offer a bug meal once or twice per week and vary that between dubia roaches, silk worms, horn worms, and black soldier fly larvae depending on what I have. The focus should be on a nice wide variety of veges though. It may take some time to get him used to this diet so try hand feeding and moving the salad around to get his attention. I'd also monitor and track his weight so you can keep an eye on his progress.

Click to expand...