calcium

[tank4102]

when i get 3 yr old beardie that eats supers.(5 super's a day) should i dust the greens in calcium or the supers?

 

[tank4102]

anyone :study: :study:

 

[DragonMomSandy]

For an adult beardie, you only really need to dust with calcium 3 times per week on only one meal (I usually recommend dusting the salad for adults). Also, you mention you feed supers (5 of them) daily, at 3 years old, your dragon only needs live feeders (protein) 2 to 3 times per week, not daily. After 18 months a beardie has reached adulthood and their diet should then be 80% greens and veggies and only 20% protein each week. Feeding supers every day will lead to obesity in your dragon. At 3 years old, he is no longer growing so he really doesn't need the protein daily. Also, you should also be dusting 1 to 2 times a week with a multi-vitamin, like reptivite. Hope this helps-sorry, didn't see this sooner.

 

[tank4102]

alright thanks. so i should feed 5, 2 inch super's 2-3x a week

 

[DragonMomSandy]

Yes, 5 or 6 supers only 2 to 3 times per week is plenty. The only time an adult dragon should have more protein is when an adult female is gravid (pregnant). A pregnant females needs more protein and calcium to make strong eggs and so that her bodies nutrients aren't depleted too much from egg production.

 

[tank4102]

oh ok , some one here told me 5 super's a day so that's what i was going for

 

[DragonMomSandy]

After having beardies for many years, and doing a lot of research, I base my advice on that. Sadly, though there are many great members here, many of them are mis-informed and haven't done the research. I have spent a lot of time researching everything I can on beardies and herpetology as a whole. I'll be the first to admit that I don't know everything, but, I never give advice on anything that I don't have the knowledge and experience with. Trust me on this, your dragon is not going to starve or lack any nutrients by feeding proteins only 2 to 3 times per week. They really truly don't need all that protein as adults. The reason I caution against feeding proteins daily is that it can lead to obesity in dragons. Obesity in dragons is linked to many illnesses, one of which is hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease). Adult bearded dragons are heavy bodied, but, they don't need to have a huge belly or huge fat pads (fatty stores on the chest area by the arm pits). Their tail base, where the tail meets the body, should be nice and thick (this is the best way to tell that a dragon is well fed and healthy), you should not see the hip bones, and the belly should not be overly large. In the wild, adult bearded dragons eat very little protein and mostly vegitation.
Your on the right track, your asking questions and trying to find your answers. That makes you a good keeper.

 

[tank4102]

Ok thanks for helping out. :study: