feeding amounts for young bd

[robroz]

Hello all, just got my first bearded ever. Have done tons of reading. He/she is approx 7 inches nose to tail. I have him/her in a 20L at the moment with a bask spot, reptisun 10.0 uvb, che for night time on a thermostat, etc. He has taken 2 baths now in about 10 days or so that we've owned him. My question is how much should he be eating? He started on crickets cuz no pheonix worm vendors here. I finally got a good shipment of those now. He only ever ate 2 to 3 crickets per feeding and maybe 5 for the whole day. About same with pheonix worms 2 to 3 is all he will eat. I hear they can eat like 30 of these things a day as an adult. How many should he be eating now though?

 

[AdriChester]

Well first off congratulations! You will now be enjoying the crazy antics of bearded dragons! when you are feeding your bearded dragon make sure that they are somewhere that they have the option of eating everything and seeing everything: maybe a fairly empty room with hardwood, an empty tank, or empty the tank if you only have a few items. maybe he/she is getting exhausted chasing and finding his food so not eating as much as their capasity. however the amount of food your bearded dragon is eating is fine for now its not too worrysome as long as they still eat and poop healthily. Id say anywhere between 5-35. When we got my bearded dragon as a rescued juevenile (around 6mon) some days she would eat until all 50 bugs in my container were gone but most days would only eat 10 bugs. It all depends on your bearded dragon. However because of the age if you feel he/she is underweight and not getting all that protein that is needed try getting a needless syringe (like a baby medicine dropper) and feed them organic turkey or chicken baby food to give them that much needed protein. Also ive heard some bearded dragons wont eat around their own poop so if you are feeding in the tank and there is poop in it that may be a reason. I just take my BD to the bath every evening until she poops that way her tank is bacteria free and shes always hydrated (and not accidentally ingesting bacteria from her poop while eating)

 

[robroz]

Thank you so much for your reply. The feeding actually picked up a little last couple days. Got him to eat 5 pheonix worms on wed night, 5 more the next morning, 7 that night, and had eaten 2 of the 7 when I walked out the door this morning. I used tile for flooring so I clean that tile he poops on every day so it doesn't sit. Great info though because my daughter also has one and hers is eating even less. But there are quite a few poops in her cage. She uses the carpet and cleans it each weekend. I will have her change that. Thanks again!

 

[AdriChester]

No problem thats wonderdul! Yeah the carpet seems like the best way to go but from experience its almost just as bad as sand but for other reasons...even if you dont let them poop on it, so much bacteria collects in there and they are almost impossible to clean. Also remember that if either of the BDs appetites stop or lessen just to be on the safe side collect a fresh poop and get a fecal exam done by an exotics vet. it only costs 67$ at my vets (who are normally on the pricey side)...and if its parasites it will be the best 67$ you ever spent if not 67$ is a small price to pay to save you BDs life. Things to look for to determine parasites other than lethargy and lack of appetite is: droopy dull eyes (their eyes should normally look deep in colour or bright in colour like marble), dark shades in their colours and patterns that arent their natural colours (provided they arent cold from low temperatures:that will make them dark too), white or black gums or any colour other than pink; you want nice pink gums, or any other discolouration in their mouth, sickly looking poos if freshly made, abnormally long time to actually push out the poo, and looking skinny such as no fat reserves like the lower body belt of fat and the two spots underneath their "armpits". Thats one way if i know to worry about my BD if she isnt eating...if she still has her fat reserves i know shes not malnourished and has something to live off of. You have to remember eventhough BDs are now captive bred they still have that biological imprint in their mind to be opertunistic eaters meaning they really dont believe they know food is coming regularly so they eat anything on oppertunity so thats why you need to know your BD because they will either interpret that as they need to eat as much as possible (the good eaters) or they just dont !believe! intuatively that they really need to use their energy to consume that food frequently (finiky eaters). Thats why the finiky eater will occasionally (maybe once or twice a month) gorge and eat 50+ worms in one sitting and a plate of veggies because they know their body needs it if its getting low on stored energy aka fat reserves. So just know which your bearded dragon is. Also dont be afraid to 'force' feed (without harming their gums)...however only do this when you have their complete trust so you dont inadvertantly either make them aggressive or fearful or both. A good way to tell is how much you can fiddle with their tail, hands, beard, etc. As well as try and see your BDs reaction to your hand SLOWLY going 2-4inches over their head when they are out and on your lap or bed/couch. And lastly a good trust test is as silly as it sounds see how comfortable they are with their face close to yours even try kissing them repeatedly and regulary because no untrusting animal will put their face near anythings mouth.

 

[AdriChester]

Another thing i forgot to mention is make sure you remove every insect before you go to sleep !especially! cricket and superworms. because once your bearded dragon goes to sleep they pester and can even harm your BD. There have been plenty of instances where crickets and supers will go for the BDs eyes and some cases destroy their eye...this is something you couldnt imagine in pain amd emotional trauma...if you are leaving food in the tank over night or for extended periods of time your BD could actually be afraid of their food thus not eating ...as well as not sleeping causing stress can lead to not eating. This is something people forget to mention however in my books is just as serious as providing calcium and uvb and should be in that info for beginners for BD care. (its why my rescued bearded dragon actually gets immensly stressed at the sight or sound of crickets therefore i cannot feed her them)