Diet

At what point would you start transitioning bearded dragons from two insect feedings per day to one, and one per day to not a daily feeding with more emphasis on greens?

I'm hoping it won't hurt for a 2 year old to cut back a little bit on insects because every order Ive had online or from local has been DOA or within 24 hours. Any alternative would also be appreciated, or an online vendor you've had more luck with.

Deabrua":vu9wgzve said:

At what point would you start transitioning bearded dragons from two insect feedings per day to one, and one per day to not a daily feeding with more emphasis on greens?

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Mine kind of let me know--when he wouldn't eat at scheduled times, but between them. Now (7 mos.) he's down to 1 insect feeding, but I'm still having trouble getting him to eat his greens, and the pickings are slim at the markets these days.

I'm hoping it won't hurt for a 2 year old to cut back a little bit on insects because every order Ive had online or from local has been DOA or within 24 hours. Any alternative would also be appreciated, or an online vendor you've had more luck with.

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It won't hurt. I'm surprised you're having that kind of trouble with insect orders. I had that problem with the first order of BSFL from Symton; they replaced them, but by then Z had outgrown them.

I hope you've notified whoever you got yours from. Reputable vendors will replace or refund.

We now get our bugs from Reptile Deli--always packed correctly for the weather, & arrive overnight by PM. All orders (dubias & supers) have arrived just fine, and lasted for months.

Salads every day --- 2-3 times per week insects
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html ignore the kale thing its a good staple
www.dubiaroaches.com good place for worms and dubias - out of Kansas and they are fast www.https://reptilianarts.com good place for silk worms if you order bulk make sure you get food too feed every day and clean containers out of the poop-- they are a good staple feeder
http://www.mulberryfarms.com/
www.coastalsilkworms.com west coast has them now - I got a order in yesterday they are small will need to grow them out some -
horn worms are a good hydrating worm and they grow really fast so order small amounts - super worms and butter worms are good treats can be used to lure to salad bowls - wax worms are fatty and are like candy to them
Karrie

She's still willing to eat tons of insects multiple times per day. She'll also clean out however many greens I fill her bowl(s) with.

I found out the hard way that hornworms grow way too fast, I ordered 12 with the intention of feeding two per day and they went from good size for her to 3-4x larger in just a few days.

Until the recent DOA/lack of supply issues in the past 6 weeks or so, her diet was primarily dubias or crickets and occasional hornworm/superworms.

Daily salads are/were a mix of whichever 2-3 greens I pick up when i go shopping including mixes of endive, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion leaves, escarole, and bok choy.

Ive been giving her extra greens with the lack of crickets, dubias, or hornworms but Ive still had to cut back on either how often or how many insects she gets.

Many dragons will continue to eat copious amounts of bugs until the day they die if allowed to.

Once a dragon is full grown or close to full grown, there is no need for such copious amounts of insect matter, and nutritious salads end up being more important for the longevity of the dragon.

At 2 years old, yours should be full grown or at least close. And a full grown dragon can definitely handle full grown hornworms FWIW. I would start switching to only 3 insect feedings a week, or at least skip every other day to start off.

-Brandon

She seems on the small side being only 18" and 417.3g. I made a mistake with her age as well, she's 20 months (1yr 8 months). Two 17" water bottles for comparison. (They're skinny long)

I would say she is basically full grown. 18 -20 inches seems to be the new norm of adult dragons. And at 400g+, she definitely has a more mature body.

She can still continue to grow a little bit with an adult focused diet. The extra increase in micronutrients from the salad contribute to growth too.

Personally, I'd switch her diet now. But that's your decision

-Brandon

I guess that would explain why she was hanging in the upper 300s for weight for awhile. This at least eases my mind for not being able to feed as many insects.

If she's moving to a mostly salad diet, Id assume I should give more than 2-3 types of greens at a time? Her favorites seem to be kale, dandy leaves, and either collard or mustard greens. I can never remember which.

I would mix a couple of them alternating them -- and add some squash to her diet --- you can offer fruit too --
Karrie

I'm a big advocate for variety, so the more variety you can give, the better IMO.

That is a very good base and definitely can make up the bulk of her salad. Just try to add a fruit and/or veggie every once in awhile like bell peppers, squash, etc.

That reminds me, Time to make beardie salad LOL

-Brandon

Lol one step ahead of ya, just made hers. What fruits would you guys suggest? The only thing Ive offered her before was strawberries and she wasnt a fan.

None of my dragons agree on the fruits they like.

Moro and Tombo love watermellon, but no one else touches it.

Apples seem to be hit or miss, probably because they look like the squash I give them which they all like.

I've had varying success with strawberries. Blueberries seem to depend on the mood, LOL.

I kind of think they are just weird when it comes to fruit. Depends on the day and how they feel whether or not they will eat it. Veggies and greens though they all do fine with.

-Brandon

Luckily I have a fresh market within walking distance and amazing prices, so experimenting with what she likes won't be difficult. Any recommendations on preserving stuff for salads? It'd be easy if I could get smaller amounts of each type of fruit/veggie/whatever. She doesnt even go through two bundles before they go bad much less keeping more of a variety off hand which is partially why I've only kept 2-3 types of greens at a time alongside her insects.

Store the greens in a zip loc bag as dry as possible -- I separate my bundles of collards kale or turnip greens into several zip loc bags as dry as I can and no air - then they go into my veggie drawer in fridge kept them for 3 weeks in there and none started to turn bad I was so happy they kept that long -
Karrie

Update: She won't eat squash. Going to get a couple different fruits next visit to the fresh market.