Feeding a Juvie Dragon and Working Fulltime

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ComicBookMama

Sub-Adult Member
I'm a bit hesitant to post this, since I reeeeeallly don't want to get jumped on, but I honestly need to know - how does one handle the multiple feedings a young dragon needs while working fulltime? Figment is about 3 months old and 9ish inches long; I've only had him two weeks.

Our day goes like this, Figment's and mine. I am a teacher, and need to be out of the house by about 7-7:15 every morning. Figment's light goes on at 7 (and off at 9 p.m.). I get home around 5, and immediately feed him as much as he want to take - greens and insects. He usually eats 10-15 small or medium crickets or as many medium dubias before losing interest; he'll sometimes take a mouthful of greens, but not always.

I want to make sure he's getting the food he needs to grow and be strong, but I don't think feeding him right after his light comes on will be beneficial - doesn't he need to warm up first? Should I set the timer earlier, maybe 6 or so? If that's the case, should the lights go off at 8?

Should I invest in a feeder cup like the ones here: https://www.fullthrottlefeeders.com/copy-of-gutloads-and-supplies so he could have access to crickets throughout the day?

Please advise. I worry that Figment isn't eating enough as it is!
 

Linzloohoo

Hatchling Member
It is hard to fit the feedings into an already busy schedule, but once a day is not enough for a juvenile. I have the same situation as you, where I have to leave early in the morning and do not get back till later in the day. I turn on lights around 7. I make up a salad bowl with collards/mustards and butternut squash/bell pepper and leave it in the tank for the day. I bought a no escape ceramic feeding bowl on amazon for his roaches (crickets will jump right out, and I hate them ugh), I put a bunch of roaches in the bowl and leave it in the tank in the morning. Kai does not eat them right away but he does when he’s ready since they are usually gone when I get home. When I return home I feed him again. It’s not perfect but it works. Our kai has grown around 6 inches in 5-6 weeks with doing this.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hey chris,

Schedules do get in the way, but there are ways around them too.

I also leave the house earlier. Half of the week its before the lights come on, and the other half the lights have only been on for half an hour.

Typically on my early days, they do only get 1 feeding.
The other half of the week I will usually give them some worms in an escape proof dish that way they can eat once they are warmed up, or whenever they want.

Of you can only do 1 feeding a day, that's fine too. Their bodies get used to it. They will start eating more in that 1 meal which can make up for it. It's not ideal in a perfect world, but it's also not really a detriment to their health.

Take my Tombo for example. Almost his whole life hes only gotten 1 feeder meal per day. That's the norm for him. Hes my biggest and fastest growing dragon. Look at his growth chart in my thread. They dont need to eat 2 or 3 live feeder meals a day. But I do feel if possible, 2 or 3 is the preferred method. But of not, no real harm.

-Brandon
 

ComicBookMama

Sub-Adult Member
Original Poster
Linzloohoo":1npvtvwv said:
It is hard to fit the feedings into an already busy schedule, but once a day is not enough for a juvenile. I have the same situation as you, where I have to leave early in the morning and do not get back till later in the day. I turn on lights around 7. I make up a salad bowl with collards/mustards and butternut squash/bell pepper and leave it in the tank for the day. I bought a no escape ceramic feeding bowl on amazon for his roaches (crickets will jump right out, and I hate them ugh), I put a bunch of roaches in the bowl and leave it in the tank in the morning. Kai does not eat them right away but he does when he’s ready since they are usually gone when I get home. When I return home I feed him again. It’s not perfect but it works. Our kai has grown around 6 inches in 5-6 weeks with doing this.

Okay, I feel a bit better - there's usually a plate of greens and veggies in the tank with him, and I can definitely get an escape proof dish and stick in some feeder roaches before I go. I hadn't thought of escape proof dishes, though I must say that I do like the cricket feeder station an awful lot, since I do feed crickets to Figment. I just don't want them crawling all over the tank!
 

ComicBookMama

Sub-Adult Member
Original Poster
claudiusx":38fvbjiv said:
If you can only do 1 feeding a day, that's fine too. Their bodies get used to it. They will start eating more in that 1 meal which can make up for it. It's not ideal in a perfect world, but it's also not really a detriment to their health.

Take my Tombo for example. Almost his whole life hes only gotten 1 feeder meal per day. That's the norm for him. Hes my biggest and fastest growing dragon. Look at his growth chart in my thread. They dont need to eat 2 or 3 live feeder meals a day. But I do feel if possible, 2 or 3 is the preferred method. But of not, no real harm.

Thanks, Brandon - that does make me feel better, though I'd rather get to a place where I could get Figment his 2x daily feeds.

I guess that's why I made a post about how little Figment seems to eat. I'd expect him to be ravenous in the evening, but he only eats between 10 and 15 small/medium crickets or a similar amount of medium dubias. Some days he goes and eats a mouthful or two of salad, sometimes not.
I do leave the salad in overnight so he can munch on it in the morning, if he desires (from the looks of it, he doesn't desire).

I will probably get that cricket feeder dish just so I can leave some live food out for him and see if it affects his appetite or growth at all. I'd expect it would work for dubias, too, though they're easier to confine in a slick bowl... but I don't always have dubias handy, and I'm really not in the state of mind that I want to start my own roach colony.

Thanks again - will check out Tombo's charts; I love reading your posts! :)
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
ComicBookMama":1ves3feb said:
I will probably get that cricket feeder dish just so I can leave some live food out for him and see if it affects his appetite or growth at all. I'd expect it would work for dubias, too, though they're easier to confine in a slick bowl...

That would be best! :) That way he has access to some food while you're away. My crew typically eats it all right when it put it down anyways. Mei is the only one who seems to want to warm up before eating lol.

Good luck!

-Brandon
 

ComicBookMama

Sub-Adult Member
Original Poster
Well, I ordered the feeder cup today. Will post a review once it comes in and I've given it a try. :)
 

JumpinJellyfish

Juvie Member
ComicBookMama":3ooktpew said:
Well, I ordered the feeder cup today. Will post a review once it comes in and I've given it a try. :)
Got mine the other day, and have only tried it once so far (my beardie has not been very interested in roaches lately). I found that the roaches I used were big enough that they could pigpile at the top of the grid part, which got one of them over the top. So I trimmed the grid a bit for next time, but I do like the design of the cup. :0)
 

ComicBookMama

Sub-Adult Member
Original Poster
So I put a bowl of dubias into the tank before I left for work today. On the plus side: Figment ate almost all of the roaches. On the down side: he has no interest in eating his evening meal, greens or crickets, and now I've got a tankful of crickets to pull out before bedtime. Grrr.

Maybe I've just got a one-meal-a-day dragon?
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
It'll all work out, he'll decide what he needs . :) You might offer just a few cricx when you get home and see how that goes. Then if he eats them, pop in a few more , if he's not interested just take them out. .
 

ComicBookMama

Sub-Adult Member
Original Poster
AHBD":2lg22yw2 said:
It'll all work out, he'll decide what he needs . :) You might offer just a few cricx when you get home and see how that goes. Then if he eats them, pop in a few more , if he's not interested just take them out. .

Thanks... I'll try that. I just read somewhere that young beardies should be eating between 30 and 80 appropriately sized feeder insects daily, and he's nowhere near that!
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
More like 20-50 tops. As adults onle 15 -25 per week. No beardie ever needs 80 bugs a day. In those instances they are usually feeding the beardie bugs that are too small so they feed them 70,80,90,100 when they could have moved up a size and been feeding them much less quantity-wise. Keep in mind that the fastest growers are not necessarily going to be any healthier.
 

ComicBookMama

Sub-Adult Member
Original Poster
AHBD":1ql53wf3 said:
More like 20-50 tops. As adults onle 15 -25 per week. No beardie ever needs 80 bugs a day. In those instances they are usually feeding the beardie bugs that are too small so they feed them 70,80,90,100 when they could have moved up a size and been feeding them much less quantity-wise. Keep in mind that the fastest growers are not necessarily going to be any healthier.

Thanks again for the clarification. Figment only eats between 10-15 daily, so he's still on the low side, which makes me suspect a gutload of parasites; I can't think of any other reason he wouldn't be eating voraciously. I'll get him to a vet once I've had him a full month and I know he's settled in. He's finally giving me normal-looking poos instead of runny messes, and he seems healthy otherwise. I just want to be sure I'm feeding enough and doing the right things.
 
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