Behavior

[SeniorD]

Okay so I have had Phinn the Dragon for a year now. When I first got him he was a year and a half old and it was summertime out. I took him in the yard all the time and it seemed as though he liked me okay. But lately I haven't been taking him out because of the cold and he doesn't seem as though he likes the temp in the house too. Every time I don't shave and go look at him it seems like he sees my beard and he opens his mouth at me. I have put my fingers next to his open mouth but on the other side of the glass to see if it was in fact me making him do that. He never cared about my fingers. But he would instantly stop when I would put the worms in his cage. So is he opening his mouth to me because of my beard or because he is hungry? I feed him 6-10 super worms every other day. Greens and radishes and strawberry's' (which I don't know if he is allowed to have but he likes them.) on the days I don't give him super worms.

His basking area is 110F at the top of the cage and it is 85F on the other side. The humidity is always in the normal range.

 

[brittani299]

Hello . You should be feeding at least 2-3 times a day and as much food as he can eat in 15 mins. He is probably hungry if you have been only feeding him every other day. You should really feed superworms because they have a hard exoskeleton that is hard for beardies to digest. Here is a good website for what is good for beardies to eat http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

 

[SeniorD]

I do feed him super worms. And on the days I don't I feed him Romain lettuce and other vegetables. I'm looking at that chart and I'm seeing some stuff I can replace the lettuce with. But yeah, I do feed him every day. I just don't give him super worms every day.

 

[brittani299]

Sorry I just relized that my last post made no sense. What I meant to write was that you shouldn't feed super worms because they have hard exoskeletons that can cause impaction. And that you should be feeding a main feeder 2-3 times a day for 15 mins each feeding. I hope this cleared it up

 

[SeniorD]

So I should be feeding him 18 worms a day?

Also what else could I feed him, he doesn't like crickets...

 

[brittani299]

Yea about 18-20 worms a day sounds about right. There are several other kinds of worms that are great feeders. Butter worms, horned worms, and Phoenix worms. Mealworms are bad so don't feed them. They are cause impaction. Wax worms are ok as well but are high in fat so they should only be feed as a treat.

 

[SeniorD]

Okay, so the hole him opening his mouth thing is probably that he is telling me he is hungry then.

 

[brittani299]

Daisy does that to me sometimes when she is still hungry and wants more food.

 

[sweetpea1981]

Actually Brit, super worms are not the same as meal worms, meal worms should never be fed but super worms can be fed to dragons that are 16 inches or over, which I would assume his is because from the sounds of it he is 2 1/2 years old.
At your dragons age you don't want to feed him 2-3 times with live feeders. You do however want to give him a salad all day everyday and I believe it is between 35-50 feeders a week for an adult beardie, so you could offer him like 7 super worms a day (anyone with an adult if I have this wrong please tell me).
And yes that chart is great for selecting good beardie food!
The opening of the mouth is a defense mechanism, mine does it when he is grumpy, especially in the morning but also when he is in his cage.

 

[SeniorD]

Alright, cause I do feed him about that amount of super worms every other day. The salad is given to him on the days I don't give him worms but I usually put enough in there where it lasts till the next day.

 

[sweetpea1981]

I would just suggest making him a fresh salad everyday and give him about 7 super worms a day.

 

[Yaya]

My beardie loves the Phoenix worms. They can be ordered at www.phoenixworm.com They only ship on Mon Tue and one other day. And the temperature has to be right for them to ship. You can order 100 just to tr, shipping and handling is about 12.00, I am ordering 1000 at a time and it's cheaper that way around 44 with shipping cost. Of course crickets were cheaper, but for variety these seem to be delicious! (according to Lizze) Good Luck with the diet

 

[SuperBDmom]

A simply way to look at feeding:
Juveniles: 80% prtein/live feeders and 20% veggies
Adults: the other way around 80% veggies and 20% feeders

HOWEVER: they are not sometimes carnivores and some herbivores; they are always Ominovores so they need the variety and options every day vs rotating schedule

I could be wrong (and old man thinks I always am :lol: ) but I suggest:
A.M. - Live feeding in the morning, as many as he wants in a ten minute period, you'll see him slow down on his attacks when he is filling up
After he is done give him his veggie mix in the tank and leave it there
P.m. - another live feeding exactly as the morning one. Check to see that there are plenty of veggies left, if not, hook him up.


***But I would also question if his "satisfaction" isn't also a nutrient based issue. Lettuce or anything with name Lettuce in it is literally nothing nutrionally for him, just crunch water, empty of nourishment. Your mixed veggie salad for him should be 90% greens (kale greens, mustard greens, collard greens etc but no spinach) and only 10% other. Zuchini, carrots, fruit etc are good but are not the staple for their diet and really need to be like a "flavor" addition in their greens. And if he doesn't get the calcium he needs it could be a big problem so be sure to toss the veggies with the calcium powder.
Think of it like people: If we are low on potasium we cramp, too much sugar we get headaches and body crashes, etc. If we arent full of the nutrients we need, our bodies tell us to eat and literally give cravings according to what mineral/nutrient our body is lacking (which is why people who take a daily multi-vitamin are proven to have fewer cravings).

Hope this helps. Good that you are noticing his behavior and see it as a reason to look further...some owners are slack.
-I am no pro just an obsessive info collector