Automatised Feeding

[Thederpydragon1]

I am trying to get a lizard, but I have a concern. I have school that I have to do, but I would be able to feed the lizard early in the morning before I leave. However I am concerned that I would not beagle to feed the lizard through out the day. If I could get some tips that would be great.

 

[CooperDragon]

I suggest getting an older dragon then. You can give them a morning routine (bask, eat, poop, run around) before you leave and then they'll be OK basking in their tank until you come home to let them roam around again. They eat mainly salads so you can prepare a salad in the morning and leave it with them. Young dragons require 2-3 feedings of bugs per day. It's not a big deal and I've been able to work that around a work schedule (morning feeding and evening feeding) but it's something to consider.

 

[SpacialCoogs]

I work 7-3 or sometimes get home closer to 5 or later. With an adult dragon it's not an issue as she gets her salad in the morning that she likes to eat around 9am when i'm not around and graze on throughout the day.

For protein I usually give her worms every other day when I get home. Make sure they get food minimum of 2 hours before lights out so they can properly digest it.

I'd go with an adult, you don't have time for a baby with school.

 

[Thederpydragon1]

Thanks, I will see if I can get all of that in while trying to get to school. I might just demo it though to simulate having a bearded dragon before getting one.

 

[kingofnobbys]

So what is your school day schedule :
when do you leave home to go to school ?
when do usually get home from school ?

Are you disciplined enough to get up at least 1 hour before leaving to go to school to attend to the beardie's needs ?
Can you tolerate you beardie's lights being turned on automatically at about 6am ?

Also important - are able to pay about buy sufficient live insects (crickets/roaches, calcigents and or silkworms) to feed your beardie.
Suitable stay put style bugs that can be left in the tank in a feeding dish while you at school are calcigents and silkworms (they will stay put and don't move about as much as roaches and crickets).

A young bearded (under 4 months old needs at least two live insect meals per day, three meals per day is better).
A juvenile 4 months - 12 months old (I go longer to 18 months old) needs 2 live insect feeds per day.
Live insects are expensive .... even more expensive if you are buying from petshops.
You need to make sure you are financially able to cover these costs (or your parents are fine with spending maybe $30 - $40 per week on live insects for your beardie).
A tub of crickets here (Australia will set you back $6 (that's for maybe 40 crickets), a juvenile will eat a tub worth of medium crickets every 2 days , or a full tub per day if they are small crickets.

 

[Scherfz1]

hell just drop salads in after lights come on then drop Phoenix worms (BSFL) in before you leave for school and you should be good as long as everything is pulled out 2hrs before lights off. and make sure you get an acrylic container to put the phoenix worms in so they cannot get out and into whatever you line your tank with. I do this every day. and i have a 2 month old dragon and he is happy. he eats when he wants and i dont have to worry.

 

[Thederpydragon1]

I leave at about 7:20 ish and I get back around 3:30 I get up at 6:40 I would be cool with lights at 6 parents would help fund insects. Also I might get help with feeding while I am at school, but I am just trying to figure out worst case scenario.
Also with the place I am looking at, they sell crickets by the dozen.

 

[BeardieButler]

I have something called a mealvvorm dispenser. It has meal/supervvorms inside, vvith a d.i.y calcium dispenser ontop of it. So, there are little holes at the bottum for the vvorms to fall through into a dish. Both of my beardies, Suzie and Talon, LOVE eating out of it!

I also give them a daily salad of carrots, butternut squash, endive, yellovv squash, and romaine lettuce.

I feed them before school their lettuce, so around 7:15, and then their mealvvorms in the afternoon. The street rescue lizard sometimes gets a special diet, but mostly they stick to the same.

 

[kingofnobbys]

I leave at about 7:20 ish and I get back around 3:30 I get up at 6:40 I would be cool with lights at 6 parents would help fund insects. Also I might get help with feeding while I am at school, but I am just trying to figure out worst case scenario.
Also with the place I am looking at, they sell crickets by the dozen.

Very expensive way of buying the crickets.

I'd look up a professional insect breeder on Google who's in your region and order in bulk by mail order , don't be surprised if you need to order 500 crickets per fortnight or even more if they are small crickets.

 

[kingofnobbys]

I have something called a mealvvorm dispenser. It has meal/supervvorms inside, vvith a d.i.y calcium dispenser ontop of it. So, there are little holes at the bottum for the vvorms to fall through into a dish. Both of my beardies, Suzie and Talon, LOVE eating out of it!

I also give them a daily salad of carrots, butternut squash, endive, yellovv squash, and romaine lettuce.

I feed them before school their lettuce, so around 7:15, and then their mealvvorms in the afternoon. The street rescue lizard sometimes gets a special diet, but mostly they stick to the same.

Mealworms and superworms are not the best staple feeder insects for a bearded dragon, best reserved to give as treats .....essentially they are like Mcdonalds for lizards., they love them but are not a healthy long term feeder insect.

I'd offer the large meal of live insects in the am, if you've no choice (time restrained) IT IS OK to leave the insects (roaches/crickets) , silkworms or calcigents (phoenixworms) in the tank all day , and simply add more if there are no insects left in the pm when you get home. In this situation it's good policy to remove the remaining mobile insects (like crickets/roaches) before lights out so they wont disturb beardie's sleep.

I don't use one and know of no-one who does , but you might find one of these OK to leave the crickets in http://www.mypetwarehouse.com.au/exo-terra-cricket-feeder-pt2821-p-8128
or
one of these http://www.mypetwarehouse.com.au/exo-terra-micro-worm-feeder-dish-pt2816-p-8135 to leave the calcigents in.

 

[BeardieButler]

I have something called a mealvvorm dispenser. It has meal/supervvorms inside, vvith a d.i.y calcium dispenser ontop of it. So, there are little holes at the bottum for the vvorms to fall through into a dish. Both of my beardies, Suzie and Talon, LOVE eating out of it!

I also give them a daily salad of carrots, butternut squash, endive, yellovv squash, and romaine lettuce.

I feed them before school their lettuce, so around 7:15, and then their mealvvorms in the afternoon. The street rescue lizard sometimes gets a special diet, but mostly they stick to the same.

Mealworms and superworms are not the best staple feeder insects for a bearded dragon, best reserved to give as treats .....essentially they are like Mcdonalds for lizards., they love them but are not a healthy long term feeder insect.

I'd offer the large meal of live insects in the am, if you've no choice (time restrained) IT IS OK to leave the insects (roaches/crickets) , silkworms or calcigents (phoenixworms) in the tank all day , and simply add more if there are no insects left in the pm when you get home. In this situation it's good policy to remove the remaining mobile insects (like crickets/roaches) before lights out so they wont disturb beardie's sleep.

I don't use one and know of no-one who does , but you might find one of these OK to leave the crickets in http://www.mypetwarehouse.com.au/exo-terra-cricket-feeder-pt2821-p-8128
or
one of these http://www.mypetwarehouse.com.au/exo-terra-micro-worm-feeder-dish-pt2816-p-8135 to leave the calcigents in.

Aye, mine are also offered crickets as vvell, but I do give them some mealvvorms and such.

 

[Thederpydragon1]

I work 7-3 or sometimes get home closer to 5 or later. With an adult dragon it's not an issue as she gets her salad in the morning that she likes to eat around 9am when i'm not around and graze on throughout the day.

For protein I usually give her worms every other day when I get home. Make sure they get food minimum of 2 hours before lights out so they can properly digest it.

I'd go with an adult, you don't have time for a baby with school.

Do you think that a Beardie would eat crickets out of a dish if I removed the rear legs?

 

[SpacialCoogs]

They make cricket feeding rocks. Fill it with crickets and then open the hole and the crickets escape on their own.

 

[kingofnobbys]

I work 7-3 or sometimes get home closer to 5 or later. With an adult dragon it's not an issue as she gets her salad in the morning that she likes to eat around 9am when i'm not around and graze on throughout the day.

For protein I usually give her worms every other day when I get home. Make sure they get food minimum of 2 hours before lights out so they can properly digest it.

I'd go with an adult, you don't have time for a baby with school.

Do you think that a Beardie would eat crickets out of a dish if I removed the rear legs?

Yes, if they are still crawling about and alive , beardie will be drawn to the dish and will nail a few at a time I expect.

I do the hopper leg amputation thing for the bluetongue skinks when I give them large crickets , note crickets are still pretty mobile even without the back hopper legs and fully capable of climbing out of a dish unless it's been made crawling bug escape proof with some Fluon paint maybe.

 

[kingofnobbys]

They make cricket feeding rocks. Fill it with crickets and then open the hole and the crickets escape on their own.

like this CRICKET DISPENSER ROCK http://www.mypetwarehouse.com.au/exo-terra-cricket-feeder-pt2821-p-8128 , other option is to buy a bit of plastic tube about 1" in diameter and some end caps for it , drill a hole in one of the end caps and put the crickets in the tube, beardie can see the crickets inside , and will soon learn to hang out near the end with hole in it to nail crickets as they find their way out.