Beardie Q and A

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Hey beardie fanatics! This topic is for just regular, average beardie questions and answers to those famous dragon myths. These are questions I keep seeing pop up all over the web, and I hope to help contribute answers to them. Let's get started, shall we?
Q: Are superworms and hornworms good bearded dragon feeders? A: From what I know they're basically the cheeseburgers of the lizard world. I do not suggest using them as your main, go-to feeder. Bearded dragons get addicted to them and then won't eat anything else! They should be reserved as a treat (especially hornworms, superworms not as bad), and fed only a couple times a month.
Q: How many times a week do I calcium/multivitamin dust my bearded dragon's insects? A: Depends on the age. Babies and juveniles need their doses every day or every other day. Sub-adult beardies I'd say about four or three times a week. Adults don't need too much, but about twice or maybe three times a week. You can also dust their greens, but it's not really necessary if you have already dusted their insects that day. Do not dust BSFL (AKA "Calciworms" "Reptiworms" and "Phoenix Worms") as they already have a good amount of calcium.
Q: If ingested by a bearded dragon, can mealworms bite the inside of their stomach and eat all their insides?! A: I highly doubt it. All lizards' saliva carries a slight toxin deadly to their prey, so this should end the mealworm's life combined with the chewing and crunching of teeth. Next, there's always stomach acid, which definitely would kill the wiggly snack. Worrying about your beardie being eaten from the inside out is ridiculous. However, the boney exoskeleton can cause internal impaction. I think mealworms are okay for baby beardies, but switch to another feeder as soon as they are sub-adults. Once they get big, they slurp up the mealworms whole without chewing, which probably aids to impaction as the hard exoskeleton isn't broken and mashed.

That's it for now, guys. Thanks for reading!
~Grace
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello Grace,

Those are good questions, since feeding seems to be a confusing element of keeping & raising
beardies.
The calcium intake varies greatly according to each dragon. While the calcium worms are
loaded with calcium, it depends on the status of your dragon & how well he eats his greens,
etc that are sprinkled with calcium as to how much you dust the feeders. I sometimes do
recommend dusting them if the dragon hasn't taken in any calcium for the day, especially if
they are youngsters & still growing. :D
How many dragons or other reptiles do you have currently?

Tracie
 

BeardieLover555

Member
Original Poster
Hey Tracie,
No beardies at the moment :( :( Can't wait to get one! I've been doing my research over the past weeks, making sure that I will have everything I need for my beardie so it will be happy. I will need a larger tank when the beardie is grown up, but this tank will work just fine for a juvenile.
I may not have any lizards in a terrarium, but OH BOY I gots lizards, snakes, turtles and gators in Florida. It's kinda sad that most species I see around here are invasive, but they seem happy and most don't really effect the native species. Literally yesterday afternoon I pet a curly tailed lizard in my backyard. It is injured, but I couldn't catch it to help nurse it back to health. A few weeks back I tripped over a garter snake (wasn't scared or freaked out, just surprised!) and the thing just looked at me and slithered away. I started laughing; the animals here are so tame in the wild. I can catch brown anoles with my hands (they've learned how to avoid me now, LOL). It's like one big giant terrarium right in my backyard! And don't even get me started on the iguanas.
Sorry to ramble, but my life is filled with reptiles. I've found out really interesting facts about them, and I can't wait to own my favorite one of all (bearded dragons, of course).
Thanks for your comment,
~G
 
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