Kaiser
Juvie Member
Hi, I have a baby bearded dragon (eight weeks and almost two days old), and I was just curious as to how much he should be eating. I understand that there are a lot of questions like this, but I would just like to know more specifics in my bearded dragon's case. I got him about three weeks ago, and since then, he's only shed once. He's about eight inches in length (including his tail), and he looks relatively healthy to me.
However, I constantly worry about his feeding, considering I've heard such a variation in what to feed baby bearded dragons. He eats relatively little greens (I offer him collard greens every day, and offer them to him prior to his live meal feedings), which is expected, and isn't too much of my concern (he didn't eat any at all the first few days I had him, but he's starting to eat them quite excitedly now). I also feed him small crickets, smaller than the space between his eyes. The family friend who I got the bearded dragon from (who has bearded dragons of her own, and a LOT of experience with reptiles in general) recommended 15 or so crickets a day. Others have told me I need to feed them MUCH more (with responses ranging from "as many as they'll eat in one sitting, two to three times a day," to "as many as they'll eat in 5-10 (or some say 10-15) minutes, two to three times a day," and eating anywhere from 20 to 60 (I've heard some even say anywhere from 30 to 100) crickets per day.
As of now, I am currently feeding him twice a day, anywhere from 20-25 crickets per session. The problem is that I'm terribly afraid of overfeeding him (as explained below), but am also worried that he isn't getting enough food to grow up properly. He eats quite ravenously, and usually goes through 20-25 of them within three or four minutes, and would probably eat more if I gave him more.
One of my biggest fears is overfeeding him, though, as I heard that overfeeding them when they're young can have a significant impact on their growth, particularly in the case of their nerves. I read somewhere that overfeeding a bearded dragon can lead to unwanted pressure on certain leg nerves, causing the back legs to become paralyzed, as well as other overweight issues. But from many, I've heard that when they're babies, they need to be fed enough so that they can grow up properly, some saying that they will shed weekly, some growing almost a full inch per week!
Sorry about the long text, but I really have been wondering for a while now what's best for him. He appears to be quite healthy and happy, but I keep telling myself that I can't be too sure about that. So I guess my question would be how much should he be eating? Should I just feed him until he stops eating, two to three times a day? Or should I follow some kind of time limit or set quantity? I understand that there really isn't just one correct answer, but it'd help to know other opinions and suggestions from those with more experience.
Some details, in case anyone was wondering: I'm assuming he's male, though I can't tell for sure yet. His name is "Kaiser," which is German for "emperor." He's a little emperor for now. He's alert, has light coloration, quite active (especially when I let him out of his terrarium to explore), defecates once or twice a day (no undigested material, white urates), has proper temperatures (75-80 degrees Fahrenheit on the cool side, 100 degrees on the warm side), has a ceramic basking light, a tube, Reptisun 10.0 UVB light, and an additional light for ambiance and warmth. I dust his crickets daily with calcium supplements with D3 each feeding session, and two days a week (one feeding on these days) with vitamins with beta carotene instead of vitamin A. Any suggestions on dusting with calcium powder and vitamin powder would be appreciated as well. Too often or too little with the vitamins?
Attached is an image of him:
However, I constantly worry about his feeding, considering I've heard such a variation in what to feed baby bearded dragons. He eats relatively little greens (I offer him collard greens every day, and offer them to him prior to his live meal feedings), which is expected, and isn't too much of my concern (he didn't eat any at all the first few days I had him, but he's starting to eat them quite excitedly now). I also feed him small crickets, smaller than the space between his eyes. The family friend who I got the bearded dragon from (who has bearded dragons of her own, and a LOT of experience with reptiles in general) recommended 15 or so crickets a day. Others have told me I need to feed them MUCH more (with responses ranging from "as many as they'll eat in one sitting, two to three times a day," to "as many as they'll eat in 5-10 (or some say 10-15) minutes, two to three times a day," and eating anywhere from 20 to 60 (I've heard some even say anywhere from 30 to 100) crickets per day.
As of now, I am currently feeding him twice a day, anywhere from 20-25 crickets per session. The problem is that I'm terribly afraid of overfeeding him (as explained below), but am also worried that he isn't getting enough food to grow up properly. He eats quite ravenously, and usually goes through 20-25 of them within three or four minutes, and would probably eat more if I gave him more.
One of my biggest fears is overfeeding him, though, as I heard that overfeeding them when they're young can have a significant impact on their growth, particularly in the case of their nerves. I read somewhere that overfeeding a bearded dragon can lead to unwanted pressure on certain leg nerves, causing the back legs to become paralyzed, as well as other overweight issues. But from many, I've heard that when they're babies, they need to be fed enough so that they can grow up properly, some saying that they will shed weekly, some growing almost a full inch per week!
Sorry about the long text, but I really have been wondering for a while now what's best for him. He appears to be quite healthy and happy, but I keep telling myself that I can't be too sure about that. So I guess my question would be how much should he be eating? Should I just feed him until he stops eating, two to three times a day? Or should I follow some kind of time limit or set quantity? I understand that there really isn't just one correct answer, but it'd help to know other opinions and suggestions from those with more experience.
Some details, in case anyone was wondering: I'm assuming he's male, though I can't tell for sure yet. His name is "Kaiser," which is German for "emperor." He's a little emperor for now. He's alert, has light coloration, quite active (especially when I let him out of his terrarium to explore), defecates once or twice a day (no undigested material, white urates), has proper temperatures (75-80 degrees Fahrenheit on the cool side, 100 degrees on the warm side), has a ceramic basking light, a tube, Reptisun 10.0 UVB light, and an additional light for ambiance and warmth. I dust his crickets daily with calcium supplements with D3 each feeding session, and two days a week (one feeding on these days) with vitamins with beta carotene instead of vitamin A. Any suggestions on dusting with calcium powder and vitamin powder would be appreciated as well. Too often or too little with the vitamins?
Attached is an image of him:
