catwu20
Member
- Beardie name(s)
- Ginger
Hey y'all, I'm sorry for clogging up the forum with my posts tonight but I really want to review how well I'm taking care of by 3yr old beardie, Ginger.
I've heard that adult dragons' diets should be 80% greens and 20% protein. Ginger always didn't seem to have that much of an appetite. Her previous owners only gave her lettuce and carrots, and she would only eat around 3~ whole leaves every day. The same with the food we feed her (escarole, collard greens, arugula, dandelion greens, various fruits, etc.) She would only eat around 3~ leaves maximum. Because of this I have been severly limiting her protein to keep this ratio. I would only feed her 5 crickets every other day, all dusted. This is the routine the previous owners had, too.
However, I'm worried that she's being underfed and not getting enough calcium (which I hear is around 1500mg/day). She will absolutely not eat more greens. I've tried hiding them, salad dressing, bee pollen, hand feeding, etc. This seems to be her limit.
I was wondering if I should increase the protein consumption? I've heard some owners let their beardie eat as many as they want within 15 minutes, which seems to be crazy disproportionate to the amount of greens she eats.
Also, for the 80/20 ratio, is it based on size or weight?
She's fully sized and looks pretty well-fed. At her last checkup the vet says she's generally healthy, just a little chunky (but not overweight). I would love to hear some input on my current routine, thank you everyone
I've heard that adult dragons' diets should be 80% greens and 20% protein. Ginger always didn't seem to have that much of an appetite. Her previous owners only gave her lettuce and carrots, and she would only eat around 3~ whole leaves every day. The same with the food we feed her (escarole, collard greens, arugula, dandelion greens, various fruits, etc.) She would only eat around 3~ leaves maximum. Because of this I have been severly limiting her protein to keep this ratio. I would only feed her 5 crickets every other day, all dusted. This is the routine the previous owners had, too.
However, I'm worried that she's being underfed and not getting enough calcium (which I hear is around 1500mg/day). She will absolutely not eat more greens. I've tried hiding them, salad dressing, bee pollen, hand feeding, etc. This seems to be her limit.
I was wondering if I should increase the protein consumption? I've heard some owners let their beardie eat as many as they want within 15 minutes, which seems to be crazy disproportionate to the amount of greens she eats.
Also, for the 80/20 ratio, is it based on size or weight?
She's fully sized and looks pretty well-fed. At her last checkup the vet says she's generally healthy, just a little chunky (but not overweight). I would love to hear some input on my current routine, thank you everyone