Feeding my beardie

[Ebrithil]

Well, i got my first bearded dragon today (named him Buddha) and i have everything set up, and i bought his food.

But when i got the crickets i realised, i'm absolutely terrified of them! they look disgusting, and i know they bite, so i wont touch them xD

And he never ate the ones i managed to shake out of the box, and i was too frightened to take them back out, so they're trapped in an upside down tub in his Viv xD
They jump all over the place, and they are just.. so ugly!

What can i do?
Can i just feed him off worms? (they seem to be less frightening)
Can i buy some kind of, tweezers? or do i just have to man up and start holding the things? >.<


Thanks in advance guys!
Chris.


Edit: one climbed on his foot, and the way he kicked it off, it looked like it bit him!
can they seriously harm my beardie? he's about 17 weeks old, if i remember correctly

 

[everhood13]

I use a bug vac and tweezers if that helps. They sell all kinds of tweezers at the pet stores and online. I happened to have a set on hand from my dissecting kit, so that is what I use.

 

[Ebrithil]

i might get one of those tubs with the two tubes?

do they actually work?

 

[everhood13]

I personally have never used them, but I vaguely remember hearing something about a problem with them. I wont say for sure since I can't remember. Sorry!

 

[Ebrithil]

nah, i'm going to just buy a big tub, and a giant pair of tweezers, and some big gloves xD
in the pet store i went to today they had cute little green crickets, the ones i have , most are too big for Buddha, and they are the "silent crickets" , i don't care how noisy the green ones are, these brown buggers scare me!

i went to the pet store today, bought him some stuff, and i got some mealworms for him, will they be ok as a replacement for the silent crickets that terrify me? i heard that they have a lot of chitin, he's about six inches long i think, they seem a little big for him (longer than the distance between his eyes) i also have some veggies in with him, but he hasn't eaten anything since i got him yesterday :/

 

[kimmie]

NO MEALWORMS! They can cause impaction and add to the fact there's really NO nutritional value to them at all. When your beardie is 16" and longer than you can go with Supers but NO mealworms!

I hate crix - absolutely, hands down HATE THEM! I had to have my daughter handle them! I won't get near them and if/when they jump on me, I turn into some stupid little 2 yr old screaming! :lol: It's not much better with the dubias/madagascars but I'm SLOWLY coming around (they don't seem to move as fast).

Get tongs (long - VERY LONG tweezers) and pick up the crix that way. Actually I have one of those things that syringes come in and use that - turn it over and capture a cricket in it and then slide a playing card underneath to keep it enclosed and then dump into the cricket bin. But I no LONGER use crix as they stink too!

I think tomorrow is another attempt to try feeding Angie a roach or two!

 

[jon21388]

could you handle roaches instead? cause that would be the best way to go

 

[Ebrithil]

really? :S my mum won't be pleased :/

i got crickets with him, but they're large brown ones, too big for him.

I'm thinking of buying 250 small calci-worms (phoenix worms) from an online supplier, can they be used as a staple?

roaches? :S at least they don't jump.

 

[Ebrithil]

link to the worms i was looking at: http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=94&products_id=1203

 

[jeritta]

I can tell you that 250 calciworms are not going to last you more than a few days. Dragons gobble them up like candy. We go through 1000 in around 8 days. We also feed hornworms and butterworms. calciworms are good and nutritious but they go fast. I would look into the dubia or some other worms and make a mixture if you have too.
I HATE crix too. They stink stink stink and are noisey. Plus i hate when they jump on me.

 

[Ebrithil]

what other worms should i buy to go with the calci-worms?

yeah, crix smell.. fishy? :S
mealworms smell nicer

 

[jeritta]

Mealworms are BAD. Do NOT feed meal worms please. They are not good for your dragon as another posted said they cause impaction and just are not good for him.

 

[everhood13]

You can try repti-worms or phoenix worms. They're pretty good for little ones. Mine won't eat them, but it is worth a try. I like to try and spice up the lives of my dragons by introducing a little variety. I have tried mealworms, super worms, reptiworms, phoenix worms, wax worms and crickets. I still need to try horn worms and silk worms. My main staple feeder through it all is still crickets. They really are good for your little one. Have you given thought to the bug vacuum? This is the kind I have:

http://shopping.yahoo.com/75890435-bug-vacuum-new-and-improved-extreme/;_ylt=Ag3CKzioEpzu0u39C1x8UThpWr8F

It traps them in the little clear tube. From there you can add your powder suppliments and dump them in. Super easy!

 

[Ebrithil]

that looks interesting , yeah calci-worms are phoenix worms, can you get repti-worms in the uk? i've heard good things about them

 

[alarab]

i might get one of those tubs with the two tubes?

do they actually work?

I had one...it worked ok i guess...I have cheated this time ; I took an empty tp roll, put paper at one end and taped that end on, so only one end is open(crix like dark places to hide). Drop the roll in the tub...when ready to feed grab out roll,cover it quickly, put calci dust in and shake, then pour in his tank...works wonders lol and is cheaper...

btw I am always gut loading my crix at all times