DOG is new and there are questions

[MyBeardyDOG]

hows it going,
i had recently bought a baby bearded dragon who is very cool. but im having a few concerns. im not very worried but its been a while since i had last owned a beardy. i would like to know how old he is. he is about 4 1/2" to 5". he is also shedding. i dont remember my last beardy doing that so i was wndering if something isnt normal. i had also bought the zoomed juvenile pellets for dog to eat and he doesnt seem interested at all. i had also tried feeding him chopped spinach leaves and there was still no interest . and is it okay to not have a nigh time light for him?
thank you, i would like some answers if anyone could help.
-Lewie

 

[dylanravenj]

Hello
Dog sounds like he is probably around 1-2 months old, since he is so young he will be shedding quite often since baby beardies grow very fast if they are given proper care.
Instead of pellets I would suggest giving him crickets, Phoenix worms, silkworms, butterworms, or dubia roaches. And as for greens, instead of spinach you should give him collard greens, mustard greens, escarole, dandelion greens, or butternut squash. Since he is a baby he might not show an interest in greens but you should still offer them everyday.
Make sure all food items are smaller than the space between his eyes. He should be given feeder insects at least twice a day and be allowed to eat as many as he wants in a 10-15 minute period. His feeders should also be dusted with a calcium supplement 5 times a week and with a multivitamin supplement 2 times a week.
As for the nightlight, it is not necessary unless your house goes below 65 degrees at night. If it does get too cold, use a ceramic heat emitter since it does not give off light and won't keep dog awake
Hope this helps!

 

[MyBeardyDOG]

How many crickets would you suggest to get. Will they end up dying if I buy a lot and keep them in a container with a fruit and lettuce soaked with water. I don't wanna have to keep goin back to the store because it is a ways away. Thanks for the input.

 

[dylanravenj]

I would suggest ordering them in bulk online, much cheaper this way. Keep them in a large well ventilated container with a constant supply of fresh veggies, preferably veggies that could be given to your beardie

 

[MyBeardyDOG]

thanks man, you were a lot of help

 

[idcouple]

We get our crickets at petsmart. Why? Because we can buy as many as we need and not have to worry about the sizes. We used to buy from an off-name (lol) pet store. He would sell us 100 crix for $6 ... but there were all sorts of sizes and I'm quite convinced we were getting less than 100. We also got a cricket-keeper from them and it works wonders on keeping those little buggers. It means that I don't ever have to touch or chase them around and they don't escape.

 

[BeardieMommy3991]

I bought my crickets from LLLreptile.com. You can get 1000 of any size for about 22 dollars. And they stay alive for a good 4-5 months. I just keep them in a large plastic bin with cardboard egg cartons, some paper towel rolls, and veggies and fruits.