Help fed baby beardie mealworms

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Hello,

My baby beardie is doing better in terms of eating daily after some relocation stress. I must have read a bad source and been given bad info by reptile store, because while I wait for my BSFL in mail I fed some small meal worms in addition to dubia roaches today. He probably ate about 4-5.

Now that I know better I’m deathly afraid that he’s going to die.

He’s been pooping every day. Should I worry?? What can I do to prevent impaction without taking strides backwards by stressing him out??
108680-4868091424.jpg
 

loljelloclowdz

Juvie Member
He won’t die from 4-5. I did the same thing with Mari once and I gave her some fruits and veggies and she pooped just fine. Just don’t make it a habit, otherwise one day if their system is slightly off, they could become impacted.

On an unrelated note, his baby beardie stink-eye in that pic is hilarious. ?
 

Roseandbaum

Member
Original Poster
loljelloclowdz":r8dwn8hl said:
He won’t die from 4-5. I did the same thing with Mari once and I gave her some fruits and veggies and she pooped just fine. Just don’t make it a habit, otherwise one day if their system is slightly off, they could become impacted.

On an unrelated note, his baby beardie stink-eye in that pic is hilarious. ?


He refuses to eat fruit and veggies but once he has his larger cage I’ll have more room for a dish that will contain the roaches, not in his basking spot.

And yes, one thing helping me deal with already-in-love-beardie mom anxiety is that they’re so spunky and opinionated already ? when they’re done eating they just closes their eyes and turn their head at my efforts to place bugs in the feeding area.

If he doesn’t poop like usual tomorrow right after his first meal I’ll give him a warm bath. Fingers crossed ?
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

He technically should be fine, just eating 4-5, no problem. We usually don't recommend
feeding mealworms as a staple especially to youngsters due to their fat content & harder
shell. Though, they have been unjustly demonized though, as they can be used as a
rotational feeder insect when they are a little bigger.
Just give some warm baths & let him swim around a little but if he is going to the bathroom
regularly then he should be fine.

Tracie
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
You need to get him eating his salads now -- get some worms like some BSFL also known as nutri grubs or calci worms or phoenix worms- get a glass dish or ceramic one that worms cant get out of you can order some nutrigrubs and some horn worms from here www.reptilesplus.com make sure you order small amounts of horn worms they grow really fast and order medium size- feed 1-2 in the morning - you can order small super worms only feed 1-3 in the salad - butter worms are a good feeder too but everyone is out now -- add these worms to the salad in front of him it will get his attention - the BSFL can be fed as many as you want they are a good staple feeder and they do not need to be dusted - fee first thing in the morning then let him eat from the bowl for like a hr or so then add your roaches to the bowl - dust them - you can also get some silk worm from here another staple feeder - you can use 1-3 of those too
www.reptilianarts.com they have nice silk worms - if you order in bulk like 50 they come small you will need to order food to feed daily and clean containers out as well
www.coastilsilkworms.com
www.mulberryfarms.com they are high on shipping
www.symptonbsf.com they have good BSFL
Karrie
 

Roseandbaum

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":2d6rg9l2 said:
You need to get him eating his salads now -- get some worms like some BSFL also known as nutri grubs or calci worms or phoenix worms- get a glass dish or ceramic one that worms cant get out of you can order some nutrigrubs and some horn worms from here http://www.reptilesplus.com make sure you order small amounts of horn worms they grow really fast and order medium size- feed 1-2 in the morning - you can order small super worms only feed 1-3 in the salad - butter worms are a good feeder too but everyone is out now -- add these worms to the salad in front of him it will get his attention - the BSFL can be fed as many as you want they are a good staple feeder and they do not need to be dusted - fee first thing in the morning then let him eat from the bowl for like a hr or so then add your roaches to the bowl - dust them - you can also get some silk worm from here another staple feeder - you can use 1-3 of those too
http://www.reptilianarts.com they have nice silk worms - if you order in bulk like 50 they come small you will need to order food to feed daily and clean containers out as well
http://www.coastilsilkworms.com
http://www.mulberryfarms.com they are high on shipping
http://www.symptonbsf.com they have good BSFL
Karrie


So part of the problem is he won’t spend much time not in his basking spot, he runs around to cool spot at times, but that’s where his dish is and I Can’t get him to come down to it. I’m hoping when bigger cage gets here that’s easier.

He had two good poops today (usually right after eating) so I think he’s ok.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
We need to go over the lighting in the tank he should be basking for at least 4 hrs per day-- tell me what your using for a UVB? Brand and bulb is it a coil or a tube? Basking temps what are they and how are you taking them? NO stickons they are inaccurate--
Karrie
 

Roseandbaum

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":zxu5cf01 said:
We need to go over the lighting in the tank he should be basking for at least 4 hrs per day-- tell me what your using for a UVB? Brand and bulb is it a coil or a tube? Basking temps what are they and how are you taking them? NO stickons they are inaccurate--
Karrie

He’s got a reptisun t8 10.0 18 inch bulb in a hood . I have a smaller tank (20 gallon) right now and have it situated so that the screen is open so he’s still getting enough uvb/the screen isn’t between the light and him. Basking bulb in reflective dome. Temps with infrared gun are 105-110 in basking area and 75-85 in cooler area. His basking bulb went out, and the one I replaced it with is stronger because it’s new, so I have it suspended a few inches above cage so temps don’t get up to 130s at top of basking spot. (See below)—now temps in basking area 105-110.
108680-3765668483.jpg

I have a 40 gallon tank to assemble that will have a t5 10 reptisun, hammock, carpet substrate that I’ll eventually make slate, and his basking spot. I’m feeding him dubias and just got BSFL but they’re very small. I’m waiting for a new dish that I can put bugs in so they won’t escape instead of tossing them to him on basking spot. He seems to just have gotten over his relocation stress and is eating more consistently but won’t touch his salad.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Ok lighting sounds real good - his basking spot for that T 8 should be 6-8 inches from his basking decor- the slate your putting in make sure that it does not get too hot some of those substrates can heat up real hot - is it a slated ceramic tile? I have a slated ceramic tile in my two tanks and it does not get hot--
The not eating veggies is normal - you need to start using your BSFL as lures to the salad bowl and yes you will need a glass or ceramic bowl so they cant get out -- feed first thing in the morning use as many as you want and maybe add some small super worms or some small horn worms - something that will give movement to the salad - it will lure him to that bowl -- then after about an hr or so of him eating from the dish take a little salad out add your dubias to the dish and he will still get salad along w/ his protein - butter worms work good too but every one is out at this time - you can also use some small silk worms they are another good staple feeder - I have websites if you need them
Karrie
 

Roseandbaum

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":31jvi83g said:
Ok lighting sounds real good - his basking spot for that T 8 should be 6-8 inches from his basking decor- the slate your putting in make sure that it does not get too hot some of those substrates can heat up real hot - is it a slated ceramic tile? I have a slated ceramic tile in my two tanks and it does not get hot--
The not eating veggies is normal - you need to start using your BSFL as lures to the salad bowl and yes you will need a glass or ceramic bowl so they cant get out -- feed first thing in the morning use as many as you want and maybe add some small super worms or some small horn worms - something that will give movement to the salad - it will lure him to that bowl -- then after about an hr or so of him eating from the dish take a little salad out add your dubias to the dish and he will still get salad along w/ his protein - butter worms work good too but every one is out at this time - you can also use some small silk worms they are another good staple feeder - I have websites if you need them
Karrie

I would love some sites! He still seems to find the BSFL questionable but I’m hoping that changes. He’s hit or miss with silk worms. He’ll usually only eat 2-3 roaches or worms at a time. He’s had good poops (1-2) every day, usually right after he eats.
108680-5657471032.jpg
here he is yesterday afternoon.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
Drache613":jdxagglo said:
Hello,

He technically should be fine, just eating 4-5, no problem. We usually don't recommend
feeding mealworms as a staple especially to youngsters due to their fat content & harder
shell. Though, they have been unjustly demonized though, as they can be used as a
rotational feeder insect when they are a little bigger.
Just give some warm baths & let him swim around a little but if he is going to the bathroom
regularly then he should be fine.

Tracie

Our reptile vet says that meal worms are like potato chips -- they're not particularly nutritious but they won't kill him.

Our beardie won't go "downstairs" for veggies and greens, and they'd cook if we kept them on the basking platform. We always put some in a dish at the cool end of the tank, but then we have to at least attempt to hand feed them to him otherwise he won't eat veggies at all. He's 8 years old, BTW. :roll:

We tried using freeze dried mealworms for salad croutons, but no go. Beardie not interested. :(
 
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What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
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i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
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.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank
Taking my beardie for a walk

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