Beardie age and feeding

[Batfreddy]

How long is a beardie considered a hatchling? What do you feed them? What are the other stages and from what ages are they considered to be in that stage. How much of what do you feed them each day and how often? I'm doing this research for a friend who wants to get a beardie and I don't have a lot of the answers. I know what to feed, but not how much (I know the 70% insects and 30% greens when young, then 70% greens and 30% when adult) Please help :/ it can also help with my beardie

 

[CooperDragon]

They are hatchlings for the first few months of their lives and then become juveniles up to around a year. There is some more info on their life cycle here http://www.beardeddragonlady.com/life-cycle.html

You're correct with the ratios of greens to bugs. I would always put a salad into the enclosure with young dragons. Some will eat it, a lot of them won't. The point is to make it available as a food source so it's familiar to them when they are older and ready to switch to a primarily salad diet. Makes the transition much easier. I like to offer 2-3 items from this list in the salads http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

I like to offer variety with feeder bugs as well. It's good to have a staple such as small crickets or dubia roaches. Those can make up most of the bug diet. I also like to mix in some Phoenix Worms or silk worms to provide a bit of balance. I use butter worms as a treat but they are fairly high in fat and should only be given sparingly. I offer bugs 2-3 times per day for little ones and once a day for older dragons. I feed them in small batches (easier to track that way) for about 10 minutes or so per feeding. They get all the bugs they want in that timeframe.

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Feeding