Diet variety recommendations

[getgab92]

Hello! Okay so I feel like my beardie is getting bored of eating the same thing all the time. I feed him dubia and collards mixed with bok choy. I am not sure what source of protein other than crickets and dubia are safe/healthy for feeding daily. i was wondering if anyone knew of anything else i can try to give him. I also was wondering about pellets. I know some people who give them to their beardie and didn't know if it was even worth a try or if it is if anyone can recommend a good brand.

 

[Taterbug]

How old is your dragon?

Other good feeders include silkworms, black soldier fly larvae, hornworms and superworms. Wax worms and butterworms make old treats. If you live in the UK locusts are good too.

He should get some more variety in produce as well - mix in other greens, veggies and occasional fruits. Beautifuldragons.com has a pretty good list. There are a handful of foods that should never be fed, but dragons can safely eat many things.

Pellets are ok, some are better than others and some dragons win or won't eat them. Included with a valences diet they should be fine for variety. The gel mixes and soft foods seem like better chives - many dry pellets have lots of grain based fillers.

 

[getgab92]

He is about a year and 4 months old. I have been giving him supers and he eats them down like they are the most scrumptious thing he has ever had! But I thought that they were not good to give as a daily source of food? And what about freeze dried crickets and such? I was always told that they are really not nutritious because of the war they are stored (being freeze dried).

I like in the US and I have the beautiful dragons.com website bookmarked and have tried every fruit and veggie available to me in this area and he still won't eat them. Should I be trying it in a different way?

As far as the pellets go, you would recommend the soft gel food instead? Any recommendations?

My biggest struggle is getting him to try them. He is very stubborn and picky. If I have something in his veggie bowl that he doesn't want to try he will either eat around it all or he won't touch his greens what so ever. He is a bit of a pain in that way lol. I'm looking for recommendations and techniques that have worked for others that might work for me as well.

 

[wes]

Supers are fine for a staple feeder.

Hand feeding might help with trying a new food, but if they don't like it, they don't like it. Take a break and try it again a few months or so down the road. People rave about butternut squash but ours never cared for it no matter how I prepared it (grated, microwaved, peeled, etc.).

Most beardies don't care for the pellets, but a few do. See if your pet store will give you a sample or let you return it if he doesn't like it.

 

[getgab92]

Yeah i work at a pet store so that's definitely not a problem lol. I have tried the squash just am not sure how to give it. Like it seems too hard

 

[Taterbug]

Yeah i work at a pet store so that's definitely not a problem lol. I have tried the squash just am not sure how to give it. Like it seems too hard

You can shred it with a cheese grater, or make slices/curls with a vegetable peeler

Supers are ok as a staple, just exercise moderation - they are on the fattier side as far as feeders go so fewer is considered a meal. (6-10 I think).

Freeze dried are not as good for a couple reasons. Manly it's that you don't control their content - can't gut load or hydrate them, that also means any beneficial gut flora they might pass on, or other hidden benefits of live (or freshly dead) prey may be lost.

If you are feeding plentiful bugs, he may not think it's worth the effort to eat greens. Not all dragons take to veggies out of preference - bugs are an easier, tastier and more calorie dense food. If he is in good shape (how are his fat stores and overall physique?) it may be fine to try offering fewer insects or skip days to encourage him to forage more.