Do Beardies need crickets in their diet?

[mustang8402]

Alright I had posted last night that my BD (Gomer) hasent ate any crickets or anything else in 3 days. I thought after talking to some of the people on here that it may have been the new corn snake that I may have gotten. The two tanks are an inch or two from each other and Gomer could see the snake and that may have made him nervous. I covered one of the sides of the tank so Gomer couldnt see the snake and today tried giving him crickets and again he didnt touch them. I tried feeding him greens once when I first got him and he didnt eat them so I never tried again until today. Worried today I found a store that was open and got him some Collard Greens and Mustard Greens. When I got home I took a little piece and hand fed him and he went absolute nuts. He ate so many greens I couldnt believe it. So my Question is how much salad do I feed him a day if he doesnt eat crickets? And also does he have to have crickets if he eats his salad? Thanks so much!

John

 

[Edricks]

How old is he? Youngsters should eat more crickets (protien) than veggies, since this helps them grow. Older dragons should eat more greens than protien.

I've noticed some dragons just don't care for crickets. Have you tried alternative feeders? (roaches, silkworms, phoenix worms etc) Since he's gobbling down his greens, he probably doesn't need a vet visit, however, if he continues to refuse feeders you might want to look into it.

If he's old enough, he might be slowing down for winter and doesn't have the energy to chase crickets around the tank. What are his temps like?

 

[mustang8402]

He is 5-6 months old and the basking temp is 107.3 and the cool side of tank is 85.7. I use a Reptisun 10.0 tube. I havent tried anything else other than crickets and the greens. where do I get roaches does petco carry them?

 

[maxattack]

He is 5-6 months old and the basking temp is 107.3 and the cool side of tank is 85.7. I use a Reptisun 10.0 tube. I havent tried anything else other than crickets and the greens. where do I get roaches does petco carry them?

If he is 16" long you can try superworms. Buttercup was big enough for supers around 5 months old. Petco and Petsmart do not carry these other types of worms. You can try premiumcrickets.com or mulberryfarms.com for phoenix worms, and silkworms and roaches. The Roachguy also has roaches. If you have a specialty pet store in your area they may have alternate feeders. My local herp shop has all kinds of roaches and even helped me start my own roach colony. phoenixworms.com has phoenix worms only.

 

[augsburg1530]

It does seem that some dragons do get tired of crix. Also, dragons are known for going on hunger strikes. Every so often Spike quits eating for several days at a time and sometimes up to a week. We give him the opportunity to eat, he just sometimes doesn't want to.

A young dragon needs more protein than salad, but a good salad should be provided daily.

Dubia roaches are a great alternative to nasty, stinky crix. Go to http://www.theroachguy.com and check out all the info he has on dubia. If you are interested in raising your own feeders after looking at his site, he will gladly hook you up with a starter set up.

Hope that helps,

Eric

 

[O-Gonchothedragon]

2 Q's about roaches...
1#-do they he hard outer shells like mealworms???

2#-do they die alot in the cage like crickets???

thanks!!! :mrgreen:

 

[augsburg1530]

No to both your questions. Dubia are far superior to crix in all respects. Go to http://www.theroachguy.com to find out all you ever wanted to know about them.

Eric