Confused about feeding

[SanguinousRex]

It seems just like the phrase, "opinions are like a**holes, everone's got one" *everyone* seems to have a different opinion on how to properly feed a Bearded Dragon!

One person said they feed their 6 month beardie crickets 3 times a day. Another person says once a week is fine. Another person says if you don't want to feed them crickets, you can feed them mealworms, instead. ANOTHER person counters that by saying that mealworms can severely hurt the dragon by chewing on their intestines since the dragon gulps them down and that I shouldn't feed him mealworms - *unless* I chop the mealworms in half or pop their heads. Whaaaat?

I love opinions but what is the *usual* and *normal* practice with beardies? Before any reply this is what I'm planning right now (got him 2-3 days ago, been trying to wrap my head about the feeding, ESPECIALLY given my wife doesn't want any crickets in the house!

1) he's eating a fruit mix and a veg mix you can buy at the store, that you mix together (not sure how much of that he's eating. Could be negligible but he's tiny, only 4 months old.
2) he's eating flash dried (or however they do it) mealworms (4-5 are placed in a bowl, so far he eats maybe 3 of them).
3) ONCE A WEEK I will be taking him to the pet store where they will dust 3-4 crickets with calcium and then feed him.

Now, is this a horrible, horrible plan or is it ok? He's very active in my hands every day so it seems like he's ok - he will eventually settle down on my shoulder and sleep and in the teranium he likes to sit on his clay house and bask in the heat lamp.

 

[scarletsdad]

The hard shell on meal wormsncan cause the beardie to become impacted.everything i've seen on here says no mealworms. Freezedried crickets don't offer the water they need that live crickets offer. If cricketsnaren't an option, try phoenix worms. They have no hard shells, plus are very high in calcium so they don't need to be dusted. If you're not using phoenix worms, you should dust with calcium powder 5times a week. You can buy this powder and dust them yourself. Offer crickets or worms 2 or 3 times daily as much as it can eat in 20 or 30 minutes. Hope this helps!

 

[Toasty]

It seems just like the phrase, "opinions are like a**holes, everone's got one" *everyone* seems to have a different opinion on how to properly feed a Bearded Dragon!

One person said they feed their 6 month beardie crickets 3 times a day. Another person says once a week is fine. Another person says if you don't want to feed them crickets, you can feed them mealworms, instead. ANOTHER person counters that by saying that mealworms can severely hurt the dragon by chewing on their intestines since the dragon gulps them down and that I shouldn't feed him mealworms - *unless* I chop the mealworms in half or pop their heads. Whaaaat?

I love opinions but what is the *usual* and *normal* practice with beardies? Before any reply this is what I'm planning right now (got him 2-3 days ago, been trying to wrap my head about the feeding, ESPECIALLY given my wife doesn't want any crickets in the house!

1) he's eating a fruit mix and a veg mix you can buy at the store, that you mix together (not sure how much of that he's eating. Could be negligible but he's tiny, only 4 months old.
2) he's eating flash dried (or however they do it) mealworms (4-5 are placed in a bowl, so far he eats maybe 3 of them).
3) ONCE A WEEK I will be taking him to the pet store where they will dust 3-4 crickets with calcium and then feed him.

Now, is this a horrible, horrible plan or is it ok? He's very active in my hands every day so it seems like he's ok - he will eventually settle down on my shoulder and sleep and in the teranium he likes to sit on his clay house and bask in the heat lamp.

Sorting through all the conflicting information out there and figuring out what is sound advice is probably one of the hardest parts of being a new beardie owner, or the new owner of any pet really. I will say that I have spent a LOT of time trying to research accurate information on bearded dragon diets along with various other reptiles and while there are some really great resources available, you have to wade through so much innacurate/outdated info that I'm not surprised so many beardie owners end up feeding innappropriate diets. This forum has some great resources though, so it's great that you're here.

As far as mealworms, while people feed them to bearded dragons all the time without observing any kind of problem, they still pose a risk of impaction that is high enough to be a very real concern. Considering that there are other options for live prey that are readily available to us, there is really no reason to choose to feed mealworms other than the convenience they offer owners, which is a pretty poor reason to include them in the diet of an animal you've chosen to take responsibility for.

Also keep in mind that the "*usual* and *normal* practice" when it comes to the feeding and care in general provided by bearded dragon owners isn't necessarily what you should be aiming for. The average diet of pet bearded dragons is generally pretty bad, especially when based on the recommendations given by uneducated petstores and other confused owners.

As far as your proposed feeding plan, it isn't appropriate for a bearded dragon at all, and especially not a juvenile beardie whose development is going to be critically affected. I don't know what kind of fruit and veggie mix you're referring to, but the staple components of the "non-live" part of the diet are going to dark, leafy, greens such as mustard and collard greens (not lettuces). The website beautifuldragons.com has excellent info on what you want to be offering as well as how often. Freeze dried mealworms offer very little nutritionally and are definitely not a substitute for live prey. And 3-4 crickets a week does not even come close to fulfilling the live prey need of an adult, much less a juvenile. If feeding crickets, a 4 month old beardie needs closer to ten times that amount every day. For a juvenile, prey should be dusted with a quality calcium powder containing D3 every day and a quality vitamin/mineral powder supplement 2X/week.

If your wife won't allow crickets, then your best bet as far as live prey would probably be either superworms or phoenix worms as already mentioned. I strongly suggest providing some variety in feeders also, so maybe one day a week you can buy a bag of crickets at the petstore and then feed them immediately after getting home. I don't recommend trying to feed them at the petstore. Waxworms can also be offered for some variety, but definitely in moderation due to their high fat content. There is information in the "feeder" part of this forum on how to start and maintain your own colony of the various feeders and it might be something worth looking into.

I'm sure others will chime in with other suggestions, but hopefully this helps answer some of your questions. Congratulations on the new beardie!

 

[LLLReptile]

It seems just like the phrase, "opinions are like a**holes, everone's got one" *everyone* seems to have a different opinion on how to properly feed a Bearded Dragon!

One person said they feed their 6 month beardie crickets 3 times a day. Another person says once a week is fine. Another person says if you don't want to feed them crickets, you can feed them mealworms, instead. ANOTHER person counters that by saying that mealworms can severely hurt the dragon by chewing on their intestines since the dragon gulps them down and that I shouldn't feed him mealworms - *unless* I chop the mealworms in half or pop their heads. Whaaaat?

I love opinions but what is the *usual* and *normal* practice with beardies? Before any reply this is what I'm planning right now (got him 2-3 days ago, been trying to wrap my head about the feeding, ESPECIALLY given my wife doesn't want any crickets in the house!

1) he's eating a fruit mix and a veg mix you can buy at the store, that you mix together (not sure how much of that he's eating. Could be negligible but he's tiny, only 4 months old.
2) he's eating flash dried (or however they do it) mealworms (4-5 are placed in a bowl, so far he eats maybe 3 of them).
3) ONCE A WEEK I will be taking him to the pet store where they will dust 3-4 crickets with calcium and then feed him.

Now, is this a horrible, horrible plan or is it ok? He's very active in my hands every day so it seems like he's ok - he will eventually settle down on my shoulder and sleep and in the teranium he likes to sit on his clay house and bask in the heat lamp.

I would hesitate to rely exclusively on freeze dried food items as a major part of the diet; I look at them for animals the same way as I look at freeze dried food for people, it's just not as healthy or full of nutrients as fresh stuff. I offer, and recommend, canned diets and canned insects (the insects are cooked in the can with all the juices etc with them - smelly, but a good way to incorporate more variety into the animal's diet). The best is always going to be fresh, then canned/pelleted foods, and lastly freeze dried.

Here's the usual practice for us at the store (and for most staff members with pet beardies as well):
Every other day is an "animal protein" day. This means either crickets, mealworms, roaches, pinkies, or canned insects are offered. The other days, they are offered greens. We usually offer babies under 6 months some form of insect daily, as they grow so fast and eat so much that they do better with more frequent feedings.

In addition, we offer the ZooMed and RepCal pelleted bearded dragon diets. Most babies don't eat them right away, but older dragons readily accept them, especially the RepCal diets. We'll also offer canned crickets, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and silkworms.

Since your wife does not want any live crickets in the house, I would sit down with her and run through a list of acceptable live feeders. If only worms are okay, then I would get in as many different kinds as possible - waxworms, mealworms, superworms, silk worms, horn worms, reptiworms, you name it. Since crickets are out, it's probably a safe guess that she's not going to be okay with roaches either, but it can't hurt to ask. If she is completely against any kind of live feeder insect in the house, I have a hard time saying that your beardie will truly thrive and do well in your home - you can try and maintain one without live insects, but any time I've encountered one, they are not as robust as those offered live prey items. Raising up a baby without live feeders can be especially tough.
3 - 4 crickets a week is not nearly enough food for one week - I'd say that's even a small amount for just one feeding. On average, beardies can and will eat between 10 and 20 appropriate sized crickets a day (at the store we offer food once a day, everyone has their own routine - some may feed fewer crickets more often).

Good luck, hopefully you can find a happy medium with your wife!

-Jen

 

[wojcik49]

Why did you get a dragon if you can't give it enough live feeders. That's not right.....

 

[beardie789]

don't understand when people say to let them eat all they can eat within 10-30 minutes! My Sobe who is 3 or 4 months old (9" long) eats 30 crickets in less than a minute! If I let him eat whatever he could in 30 minutes then I wouldn't be able to afford to feed the humans or cats in our house :shock:

I am unable to get anymore Phoenix Worms(his favorite) til Arizona temps get way out of the triple digits but I still have some so I give him 20 of those and 20-30 crickets a day. He eats little greens first thing in the A.M. I think that's a lot for a beardie his size. He seems healthy and happy to me

And I was also under the impression that superworms are NOT a good staple feeder. Are they or aren't they? They are listed on http://www.beautifuldragons.com are an OCCASIONAL food, not daily.

Has anyone tried this: http://www.amazon.com/Jurassipet-8492-JurassiDiet-EasiSilkworm-1-2/dp/B0017JC0EW/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1340145286&sr=8-5&keywords=canned+silkworm

I'm looking for live feeder alternatives for my pet sitter to feel comfortable feeding Sobe for me while I'm out of town

 

[LLLReptile]

And I was also under the impression that superworms are NOT a good staple feeder. Are they or aren't they? They are listed on http://www.beautifuldragons.com are an OCCASIONAL food, not daily.

Has anyone tried this: http://www.amazon.com/Jurassipet-8492-JurassiDiet-EasiSilkworm-1-2/dp/B0017JC0EW/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1340145286&sr=8-5&keywords=canned+silkworm

I'm looking for live feeder alternatives for my pet sitter to feel comfortable feeding Sobe for me while I'm out of town

Superworms are alright as a staple feeder for adults (a bit high in fat for the primary food item, but if you didn't have any other choice, they're not terrible) but they are too large for most smaller beardies. All the usual arguments against mealworms apply; the hard shell, they bite back, etc, etc, but when housed correctly and with an appropriate basking spot, they rarely, if ever, experience problems. I personally have never encountered a bearded that was impacted from superworms that did not also have other husbandry issues.

The jurassi diets aren't bad, the ZooMed canned insects are my favorites to use as "petsitter food" - they seem to be accepted more readily, especially the crickets and grasshoppers. By the beardies, not the pet sitters.

-Jen

 

[Paradon]

I would think in the wild they would eat anything they can catch... Most animals that died wasnt kept right either. You're be fine feeding them superworms and mealworms to the adults.

 

[wojcik49]

Crickets, mealworms and super worms are the worst feeders. The best feeders are Phoenix worms, silkworms, butterworms and dubia roaches

 

[Paradon]

Mealworms don't have as much nutrients as other feeders, but crickets and superworms are good as feeders. When I feed my animals, I want to aim for variety as much as I can; that's why I feed them these. that's what you should do, too. They're not bad as part of a varied diet.

 

[wojcik49]

How is it better to feed a low quality food...do you eat McDonald's to vary your diet? Lol makes no sense

 

[Paradon]

I don't think you can compare mealworms and other whole preys to McDonalds. Whole prey is whole prey, they all have their value. Eating the whole preys means they are getting something from eating different whole prey items; although, I wouldn't feed as much mealworms since they are not quite as nutritious, but it does offer something. It's not like you are feeding them just the muscle meat and nothing else.

And for your information eatin McDonalds does offer psychological benefits to humans.

 

[wojcik49]

Right please post a link with the scientific data of the benefits of mcdonalds, I'd love to see it. Was it written by a pothead or junkie? Or an obese person? There are no benefits to mcd's. Good joke though. Yes I can compare the 2 considering the huge difference in nutrition between dubia roaches and crickets or meal/super worms to Phoenix or silk worms. Dubia is like a nice juicy steak/beef...silk/Phoenix worms are like fresh organic chicken and milk. McDonald's is like meal/super worms and crickets. Get what I'm saying now?

 

[Paradon]

How would like to eat just one thing or a few things over and over again? Please try it. I can guarantee you that you will developed some sort of nutritional deficiency even if you think it's good for you. that's why you should eat different variety of food. just like with the green iguanas; you can't just feed it the only food that they say to be used as staple. Yoiu must offer it variety. Other veggies are good too on occasion and in moderation for adding variety. WE can never offer as much variety in captivity as in the wild. so why limit your prey items. And please. WE are talking about whole preys here not just bits and pieces of meat.

 

[wojcik49]

I didn't say I don't feed veggies lol. I was making comparisons in Layton's term for you...guess I have to go into detail with every part...smh