confused about feeding

[Shannonc]

At the store today before we decided to get Mushu I was asking about feeding since I am so new to this. He is 5 mo old. I am confused cause the guy said he can have fruit and veg but not much. How often should I be giving fruits, veggies and greens? And what is considered a treat to them. I know for the first 5 days or so I should not handle him and let him get used to his new surroundings. But once I take him out first time can I give him a treat once out of his tank? Then rest of his daily food goes in a bowl correct? Sorry if I am repeating myself just want to get this all right. We pick him up next weekend.

 

[Jsw]

I know it's supposed to be 80% live/20% veggie as a baby and reverse as an adult, but I don't when the switch is made.

This site has been invaluable to me in figuring out what is a good food and what isn't: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

 

[AHBD]

Hi Shannon, beardies can be given as much greens [ turnip, mustard, collard, endive, dandelion ] + appropriate veg. [ mostly squash, a bit of green beans ] as they'll eat.They usually eat less of that than they do bugs, so you don't have to limit it. A dragon that eats a lot of greens is getting great nutrition. It's fruit that should be limited due to high sugar content. A few blueberries, 1-2 grapes or pieces of watermelon/cantaloupe are fine once in a while. At 5 months your dragon will naturally eat more bugs, so don't worry to much or over think things. Everything can be fed in the tank, but a small treat while he's out is O.K .

I've raised a lot of babies from egg to adulthood, they may differ in the amount of veg + greens they eat + at what time in their life they begin eating more greens but my babies ate small amounts of leafy greens by about 2 weeks old + continued all their lives.
https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/29884/full
https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/30064/full

 

[Shannonc]

Thank you..I asked because I read somewhere that between 5mo old they should not eat what a baby should eat. Is this right? I read that if you feed them at same rate as baby they can become obese so that is where my confusion came in. How many times a day do you give greens to a 5 mo old? And is there a certain schedule I should follow?

 

[SHBailey]

I would just put a fresh "salad" in his enclosure every day (the greens and veggies that AHBD mentioned are some of the very best ones to use) and let him eat as much as he wants all day -- he's not going to get fat on greens. Hopefully, he will eat more greens as he gets older (some beardies do, but they all have their own different preferences). You can take the leftover salad out when you turn off the lights at night and then put in a fresh one when you turn them back on the next morning. I put my beardie's salad in the corner at the cool end of his tank in a little "dish" (actually a plastic lid from a large jar of nuts -- turns out to be just about the right size and shape), with the greens floating in a little shallow puddle of water. That helps them stay fairly fresh for the whole day, and also helps him with hydration if he ever decides to eat any (not very often in his case -- somewhere along the line my beardie decided he wanted to be a carnivore, but he still gets a salad every day just in case he changes his mind and decides to eat some.) :roll:

The "beautiful dragons" website that Jsw mentioned is one of the best sources of info out there (at least that I know of). You can print off the food list and take it to the grocery store with you to use as a reference.

If you can find some veggies that your little beardie likes, and if he can get into the habit of eating them regularly, count yourself lucky :wink: