Transition to Salads

Hi -

Do dragons naturally transition to eating more salad and fewer insects, or do we need to "help" that along a bit by cutting back on the bugs and increasing the salads? Right now, Figment is only about 7 months old (best estimate; the pet shop guy said he was 3 months old when I got him at the end of August) and is eating about half the bowl of salad I put out for him each day, but he continues to inhale his insects like it's going out of style. I know he's going to be primarily insectivore for a good couple of months, at least, but how/when do I know to start cutting back on his insects and trying to get him to eat more greens?

Any advice is helpful... thanks!

A little of both. As they get older they stop eating so much and will tend to be enticed more easily by veges. Especially if you add things with some color and try moving them a bit. If they are used to an abundance of bugs the transition may be tougher and that's when it needs to be helped along a bit (gradually). Some dragons who keep bad habits of eating too many bugs (especially ones with higher fat content) tend to become overweight and unhealthy. An active dragon with a well balanced diet (variety is key) will likely be much healthier in the long run.

CooperDragon":11vc6dp9 said:

A little of both. As they get older they stop eating so much and will tend to be enticed more easily by veges. Especially if you add things with some color and try moving them a bit. If they are used to an abundance of bugs the transition may be tougher and that's when it needs to be helped along a bit (gradually). Some dragons who keep bad habits of eating too many bugs (especially ones with higher fat content) tend to become overweight and unhealthy. An active dragon with a well balanced diet (variety is key) will likely be much healthier in the long run.

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Yes, that's essentially what the vet said during his wellness visit... that she didn't want to see him get overweight because of too many insects. And Figment does loooooove his insects! I do try to add in more color to his salads, with squash and peppers and such, but the colored veggies and fruits tend to make his poo watery and runny. How old should he be before I start to cut back on the bugs, do you think?

ComicBookMama":dgcah293 said:

How old should he be before I start to cut back on the bugs, do you think?

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It's different for all dragons really ime. Some grow faster than others and just simply don't need to be still eating large amounts of bugs when they are already full grown at 8 months. Others might be slower growers and still benefit from larger bug meals at a year and a half old.

A lot of dragon care comes down to just learning and knowing your own dragon. That is what tells you what is the right choice to make when it comes to these situations.

I know that probably doesnt help but the real answer is there is no answer, just opinions.

-Brandon

Yeah it really varies a lot since they grow at such different rates. A general guide is between 12-18 months they'll reach full growth (but they can be full size before then or keep growing up to around 24 months in some cases). There isn't an exact answer for this.

You mentioned some fruit and things like bell pepper make poo a little loose/wet. I have found the same with Petey. I just give him fewer bits of those things. They have high water content so you know he's not dehydrated. Instead of giving Petey 10-12 pieces of diced bell pepper, I give 3-4. Ups his water intake without too much 'mess'.

-Dee

Had a similar situation with some runnier stools when I decreased bugs and my girl was eating larger amounts of salad. I was offering the same size salad I had for months, but with the decrease in bugs she was eating more of the salad. So I think I helped her to get used to filling up on salad. After a few runny stools they firmed up again. I did call my vet to ask how long should I wait with loose stools (my vet is real good with answering questions over the phone) and they weren't concerned with just that symptom for the short time it happened and a probably reason why the stools were loose (more moist foods via salads)

I found cutting bell pepper into long very thin peices still added a lot of color but minimized the total amount added. Plus it can be fun to make the salad pretty with some well placed colorful bits on top of good stable leafy greens