BSFL Question

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KoNut

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I just got my 1 month old bearded dragon and feeding him crickets is kinda a pain since I have to do it in his enclosure cause he is too scared to be picked up. Can BSFL be a staple diet? I'd also still feed some dusted crickets too. If BSFL can be a staple diet, do I have to dust them with calcium powder and how many a day would I feed him the larvae?
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Yes , BSFL are a great feeder for a hatchling.

Make sure they white and wriggly ones …. they are more appetizing to little hatchlings and softer on the outside.
The brown laval stage that's still wriggly is OK but I've found your are better off giving these by hand (I snip the head off and squeeze out some the insides so they can taste the wormy gooy goodness.
I don't dust my BSFL at all. They are very rich in calcium and most the vitamins and minerals naturally.

You'll need a worm escape feeding dish as BSFL are little escape artists : I currently use a porceline dish that's got a bit of overhang that helps stop them from climbing out. (These are on Ebay)

I'd just deposit 20 or 3O BSFL in the dish and let the hatchling eat at it's leisure, then count the remainng BSFL before returning the survivors to the BSFL keeper tub …. the difference will be what's been eaten, if the hatchling makes them all disappear , add more next time.

It's perfectly OK to feed your hatchling his crickets a few at time in the tank. Let him catch and eat them , then drop a few more in , repeat until he looses interest.
 

KoNut

Member
Original Poster
kingofnobbys":31feckso said:
Yes , BSFL are a great feeder for a hatchling.

Make sure they white and wriggly ones …. they are more appetizing to little hatchlings and softer on the outside.
The brown laval stage that's still wriggly is OK but I've found your are better off giving these by hand (I snip the head off and squeeze out some the insides so they can taste the wormy gooy goodness.
I don't dust my BSFL at all. They are very rich in calcium and most the vitamins and minerals naturally.

You'll need a worm escape feeding dish as BSFL are little escape artists : I currently use a porceline dish that's got a bit of overhang that helps stop them from climbing out. (These are on Ebay)

I'd just deposit 20 or 3O BSFL in the dish and let the hatchling eat at it's leisure, then count the remainng BSFL before returning the survivors to the BSFL keeper tub …. the difference will be what's been eaten, if the hatchling makes them all disappear , add more next time.

It's perfectly OK to feed your hatchling his crickets a few at time in the tank. Let him catch and eat them , then drop a few more in , repeat until he looses interest.

I'm going to order 250 from josh's frogs right now. Should i feed him crickets and worms everyday together or switch off feeding him crickets one day and worms another?
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
KoNut":2gtgmgwk said:
kingofnobbys":2gtgmgwk said:
Yes , BSFL are a great feeder for a hatchling.

Make sure they white and wriggly ones …. they are more appetizing to little hatchlings and softer on the outside.
The brown laval stage that's still wriggly is OK but I've found your are better off giving these by hand (I snip the head off and squeeze out some the insides so they can taste the wormy gooy goodness.
I don't dust my BSFL at all. They are very rich in calcium and most the vitamins and minerals naturally.

You'll need a worm escape feeding dish as BSFL are little escape artists : I currently use a porceline dish that's got a bit of overhang that helps stop them from climbing out. (These are on Ebay)

I'd just deposit 20 or 3O BSFL in the dish and let the hatchling eat at it's leisure, then count the remainng BSFL before returning the survivors to the BSFL keeper tub …. the difference will be what's been eaten, if the hatchling makes them all disappear , add more next time.

It's perfectly OK to feed your hatchling his crickets a few at time in the tank. Let him catch and eat them , then drop a few more in , repeat until he looses interest.

I'm going to order 250 from josh's frogs right now. Should i feed him crickets and worms everyday together or switch off feeding him crickets one day and worms another?

I'd do a feed of crickets in the AM , then BSFL for meal#2 and back to crickets OR silkworms maybe for meal#3. (for a dragon under 6 months old).
 

nikmad39

Member
If rotating between crickets and bsfl do the crickets still need to be dusted in the calcium + D3 powder? (My BD is 2-3 months old)
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
nikmad39":22q36w77 said:
If rotating between crickets and bsfl do the crickets still need to be dusted in the calcium + D3 powder? (My BD is 2-3 months old)
bsfl naturally have a very good Ca/P so I don't dust my BSFL.

I'm currently rearing two 2 month old hatchlings and giving them two feeds of crickets per day and leaving 20 BSFL in an escape feeder and some salad in another feeder dish , the hatchlings have these all afternoon & o/night and I check these when I get up.
I'm currently out of suitable sized silkworms , but will soon have small silkworms to offer as their 3rd staple feeder insect , when these are about 1/2 to 3/4 inches long.

The plan will then be :
crickets in am
silkworms in early pm
BSFL & salad in evening & overnight.

I've found that my little girl Cleo likes her BSFL , even more so if I snip off their heads and give them by hand. My little boy Caesar loves his crickets more and prefers to catch them himself , only seen him eat a few BSFL so far , but very early days since they've only been with us since last Friday.

They both readily take water misted onto them each day, and I'm yet to see either of them raid the salad but I have seen evidence they have been into it a couple of times (not obsessiving over this as I know they need live high quality insects much more than then salad stuff at such a young age.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
nikmad39":3fqe3082 said:
Thanks for your schedule! Why do you cut off the heads??


Simply makes the dark coloured prepupa stage more appetizing to the skinks and dragons if I do and some the juices come / or a squeezed out.
Especially if feeding by hand.
 
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Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

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