AM I UNDERFEEDING??

[SynclAirbender]

i have a 4 month old 12 inch male bearded dragon. i have seen on alot of forums including this one saying that other people feed their beardies 50-100 crickets per day?! the feeding schedule for my dragon is a few veggies in the morning along side 12-14 medium crickets and either a few super worms or some wax worms. i also put veggies in his tank after i put him back to digest his meal. later in the day i take him out again to feed some more, i might give him 6 more crickets, some super worms or wax worms and some fruit. and he has finnished his veggies by the next morning
After his first feeding in the morning i put him back in his tank bc he looks full, his stomach really does get bigger and looks a bit uncomfortable. though if i let him he would probably keep eating. i can not imagine feeding him 50-100 crickets in one sitting or even throughout the day, i could imagine him exploding if he ate that much.
he eats well is alert and active, and he regularly defecates. i thought before that i was over feeding him, and the forums are the only thing that is worrying me that that might not be the case. im not sure what i should do, and i am concerned for those that feed their dragons so much!

 

[ruben0311]

feeding large amounts of food assists in the rapid growth of your beardie as you want to ensure they put on mass, both muscle and fat, in order to have enough available to develop properly. as far as feeding schedules go i have never done the 15 minute all you can eat thing, however i am not nocking it what-so-ever. I raise mine how i feel is proper and best for my beardie as does everyone else. when Fred was that age i would usually feed him about 20 medium sized crickets, sometimes larger since he was an awesome chewer. you just gotta feel it out. at that age he'll be better off with more animal protein though so maybe up his intake a bit more. You could always spread the feedings out more if you're worried about him eating too fast like i was. I use Dubias now so i just use a small container that lets them come out individually so Fred hunts his large roaches throughout the day.

 

[SynclAirbender]

thank you, i will probably add another feeding, i do want him to grow, he has grown 4 inches in the 5 weeks that i have had him. i am going to use dubias as well, my female roaches have just started laying their egg sacks so hes probably only going to have another month or 2 of crickets

 

[ruben0311]

curious since you mentioned egg sacs, are you sure those are dubia you have? they have live birth and dont lay any eggs

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. I just wanted to say superworms are not for beardies under 16 inches. Beardies have a kink in their digestive system and thats why they get impacted easily. Also wax worms are very fatty. I'd try some Phoenix worms, silk or dubia along with the crickets.

 

[SynclAirbender]

dang it, i totally forgot about that, im pretty sure they are dubias, maybe it isnt an egg sac but ive had them for about a month and a half so babies should be on the way

 

[SynclAirbender]

Hi. I just wanted to say superworms are not for beardies under 16 inches. Beardies have a kink in their digestive system and thats why they get impacted easily. Also wax worms are very fatty. I'd try some Phoenix worms, silk or dubia along with the crickets.

i am very careful with the super worms, i try and feed him the softer recently shed ones or i hold on to one end until he breaks it in half (pretty gross, lol) and yeah i have read that about wax worms, i try not to feed him more than like 3 a day when i have them on hand, i dont want to get him addicted to them

 

[SDragons]

Agree with the above, no supper worms yet and wax worms are not a heathy main food. No meal worms either

Do you only offer 12-14 crickets per feeding? You should keep offering them as many as they want within a 10 minute time frame. They know when they are full.

My guy is 5 months old and eats 2 times a day. He ate 42 crickets this am for breakfast. Typically he eats around 30 a feeding.., some days more and some days less. We leave collard greens in his home all day.

 

[ruben0311]

Just feed what you feel comfortable feeding, i raised Fred on mealworms and superworms, crickets waxworms and insects from around the house. Take all the recommendations with a grain of salt and do what you feel is good for you and your friend.

 

[diamc]

[Moved here from General Discussion forum]

 

[kingofnobbys]

Agree with the above, no supper worms yet and wax worms are not a heathy main food. No meal worms either

Do you only offer 12-14 crickets per feeding? You should keep offering them as many as they want within a 10 minute time frame. They know when they are full.

My guy is 5 months old and eats 2 times a day. He ate 42 crickets this am for breakfast. Typically he eats around 30 a feeding.., some days more and some days less. We leave collard greens in his home all day.

Depends on the size of the insect (crickets say)..... Peppa and Toothless now 8 months old, have been on 2/3 sized crickets for a few months now , about 15 crickets each for the 1st meal in the am and about 10-12 crickets each for the pm meal , they get their greens and veg in the pm.
So up to 30 x 2/3 sized crickets each per day.

Mealworms and wax worms are treats ONLY.

Superworms ---- kept for treats ONLY for the ADULT beardies.

Silkworms --- a wonderful feeder insect perfect as A STAPLE.

 

[Noellerch]

My 4-5 month old Beardie was eating 60 SMALL crickets a day. We just switched this week to larger crickets and now he eats 20-25. I try to feed him until he loses interest. This week has been tricky trying to figure out how many large crickets equate to 60 small crickets.

I have been feeding my little guy salad (greens) in the morning and crickets in the afternoon. I know some people do more than one cricket feeding....but this routine works for us.

I have been told by the people at the pet store that I have a "good eater". :lol:

I think as long as they are growing properly...and it sounds to me like yours is... there isn't one right way.

 

[SynclAirbender]

i have had him for 6 weeks and he has definitely grown with the diet that i feed him. i do feed him around 15-20 large crickets throughout the day and he does not seem to have a problem with them. he eats lots of greens, fruits and veggies. also i am not using wax worms as his main food, just a few a day when i have them. and because i breed superworms i dont feed him the larger ones at this time. thank you guys for all of the imput!

 

[Noellerch]

I am about 4 weeks ahead of you (in age and time I have cared for him) I am no expert, but he looks good and healthy and loved to me!

 

[kingofnobbys]

i have had him for 6 weeks and he has definitely grown with the diet that i feed him. i do feed him around 15-20 large crickets throughout the day and he does not seem to have a problem with them. he eats lots of greens, fruits and veggies. also i am not using wax worms as his main food, just a few a day when i have them. and because i breed superworms i dont feed him the larger ones at this time. thank you guys for all of the imput!

He looks to be in great condition to me.