I have adopted a beardie that has metabolic bone disease. He was purchased from a pet store and not given proper lighting or food, vitamins, etc. I commented on how sweet he was and I’d adopt him if I had an enclosure... next thing I know I him. I’ve had him since mid-April 2020 and he is roughly 6 months old.
He can’t move well. He used to like crickets, but the small ones are too fast and the big ones were nasty and bit him!
He won’t touch freeze dried bugs. So I tried meal worms—which seems to be a debated choice. He has zero issues with going poo, but I do keep a watch out.
I typically feed him some baby kale or micro greens (he loves baby/micro greens—baby kale, micro greens or micro cilantro, he likes basil... ). Occasionally he will get a sliver of my banana or fruit I’m eating. He loves melon and squash. But the bugs... I’ve tried Phoenix worms, he doesn’t much care for them. I can’t find live dubia roaches, but he didn’t care for the ones I found at PetCo (they were not freeze dried, but equally gross).
Some feedings he will eat 17 meal worms. I’ll just keep offering until he isn’t interested. I do that because other times he eats 1 or 2 before turning away. Stan can be a bit dramatic, too. Sometimes he will only eat bugs from my hand or tweezers.
Now I have created a little meal worm farm. Along with the oats, I toss in kale and fruit, the cricket cubes I had for the crickets I no longer buy, and I dust with calcium powder so they eat extra calcium. Because that’s another thing... if I dust anything with calcium and Stan gets calcium powder—drama queen kicks in and he won’t eat it.
I do have the juvenile pellets—pretty sure he never eats them as I always end up cleaning them out after he throws them all over. I’ve put in Zilla and Zoo Med’s dragon foods. He will pick at these sometimes but I typically throw it out.
I have tried the liquid vitamins and liquid calcium drops—whoa does he HATE those. And I’ve tried to offer Reptiboost, but he won’t touch it.
I have gone all over with this post and I apologize. I’m trying to say what I’ve tried and ask—what is enough? He is healthy?
He’s small, he is not growing much and I don’t think he will get full size. He loves to be held. He seems content. I just have a hard time telling if he is eating enough and if he is ok and happy because he isn’t a “normal” dragon. So looking at what a healthy dragon does—it’s not him because he can’t. He basks. He is curious! He is always watching me and my cats, sometimes I put the betta in its cup in to “visit” when I’m cleaning the betta’s tank. Stan is curious and always checks out the fish in the cup. So he seems fine, but the food and vitamin thing has me worried he isn’t getting enough.
He can’t move well. He used to like crickets, but the small ones are too fast and the big ones were nasty and bit him!
He won’t touch freeze dried bugs. So I tried meal worms—which seems to be a debated choice. He has zero issues with going poo, but I do keep a watch out.
I typically feed him some baby kale or micro greens (he loves baby/micro greens—baby kale, micro greens or micro cilantro, he likes basil... ). Occasionally he will get a sliver of my banana or fruit I’m eating. He loves melon and squash. But the bugs... I’ve tried Phoenix worms, he doesn’t much care for them. I can’t find live dubia roaches, but he didn’t care for the ones I found at PetCo (they were not freeze dried, but equally gross).
Some feedings he will eat 17 meal worms. I’ll just keep offering until he isn’t interested. I do that because other times he eats 1 or 2 before turning away. Stan can be a bit dramatic, too. Sometimes he will only eat bugs from my hand or tweezers.
Now I have created a little meal worm farm. Along with the oats, I toss in kale and fruit, the cricket cubes I had for the crickets I no longer buy, and I dust with calcium powder so they eat extra calcium. Because that’s another thing... if I dust anything with calcium and Stan gets calcium powder—drama queen kicks in and he won’t eat it.
I do have the juvenile pellets—pretty sure he never eats them as I always end up cleaning them out after he throws them all over. I’ve put in Zilla and Zoo Med’s dragon foods. He will pick at these sometimes but I typically throw it out.
I have tried the liquid vitamins and liquid calcium drops—whoa does he HATE those. And I’ve tried to offer Reptiboost, but he won’t touch it.
I have gone all over with this post and I apologize. I’m trying to say what I’ve tried and ask—what is enough? He is healthy?
He’s small, he is not growing much and I don’t think he will get full size. He loves to be held. He seems content. I just have a hard time telling if he is eating enough and if he is ok and happy because he isn’t a “normal” dragon. So looking at what a healthy dragon does—it’s not him because he can’t. He basks. He is curious! He is always watching me and my cats, sometimes I put the betta in its cup in to “visit” when I’m cleaning the betta’s tank. Stan is curious and always checks out the fish in the cup. So he seems fine, but the food and vitamin thing has me worried he isn’t getting enough.
