feeding my new dragons

[Monk21]

Hello,

So i recently got two adult (2-year-olds) bearded dragons and I am still not sure about what to feed them. I don't want to be random and buy for them random stuff at random times. I want (if correct) a specific diet for them. That's why I need your help! I heard that hornworms are very nutritious. Would you recommend them eating just hornworms, ready pelleted food from petstore and vegetables? If yes, how many hornworms would they eat a week?

thanks

 

[morphmom]

Hello. So you want to feed about 35 feeders a week. A staple of hornworms may be a BD's dream but they're very costly. It's actually a really good idea to switch it up so the dragon is getting all the proper nutrients. Try Dubia, super worms, horn worms and silk worms with butter worms and wax worms as a treat.
Here's a great chart for your veggies:
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
Your looking for a diet that's 80% veggie, 20% feeder :wink:

 

[Monk21]

Hello. So you want to feed about 35 feeders a week. A staple of hornworms may be a BD's dream but they're very costly. It's actually a really good idea to switch it up so the dragon is getting all the proper nutrients. Try Dubia, super worms, horn worms and silk worms with butter worms and wax worms as a treat.
Here's a great chart for your veggies:
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
Your looking for a diet that's 80% veggie, 20% feeder :wink:

Thanks for the reply. I am confused though. Do you mean that for 2 adult dragons that I feed with ONLY 20% of their diet with insects, I need to feed 35 feeders a week (at around 2-3 per dragon a day)? Isn't that too much considering that i will be also feeding pellets AND veggies?

Also, the term "feeder" confuses me. It can't be the same to give a 1/2" cricket or a large hornworm!

thanks in advance

 

[morphmom]

LOL! :lol: Ok, my bad :wink: 35 feeders per dragon per week. They both need 20% live feeders and 80% veggie matter. Feeders= Live insects. Also, I personally don't like pellets. A variety of fresh food will benefit your dragons much more effectively. :study:

 

[Monk21]

LOL! :lol: Ok, my bad :wink: 35 feeders per dragon per week. They both need 20% live feeders and 80% veggie matter. Feeders= Live insects. Also, I personally don't like pellets. A variety of fresh food will benefit your dragons much more effectively. :study:

Again I don't understand that. Is it the same if I feed 35 small crickets and the same if I feed 35 large hornworms? It can't be! And that is ONLY the 20% of their whole diet? How much do they eat? I thought that after they become adults they eat much less

 

[morphmom]

35 Large crickets per dragon a week isn't eating a lot at all. A nice sized salad will fill them up the rest of the way. You have to see the size of the feeder and estimate if the feeder(s) is approximately 20% of the meal by the time you add the salad :wink: Maybe try looking at it day by day instead of weekly.

 

[catsclawfurniture]

I believe the idea was 35 horned worms a week would equate to about 20% protein. Like Holly said, you have to look at the feeders and see what your individual dragons will intake. They naturally know how much to eat of what. If you leave salad in there, and they gobble it all up, they will only have so much room for the protein.
For example, for babies who need 80% protein, that could mean all kinds of combinations! It could mean 50 small dubia roaches a day, to 1000 phoenix worms every two weeks. It all depends on the individual feeder.
And for the question of how much do they eat, they eat a LOT. They do slow down when they grow up, but eating 35 hornworms or however man adult dubia, or handfuls of adult crickets, is still just 20% of the diet. Vegetables though are really great. Unlike insects (unless you're into eating insects, I won't judge, I may make mealworm cookies here and there) you too can eat the same vegetables.

 

[Monk21]

What is your opinion? I am trying to find a better alternative to crickets as I don't like the mess/noise etc they create. Do you think I can only be feeding my adult dragon and my 10-month-old gecko superworms? Of course to the dragon i supplement with pellets and salad. If yes, how many do you think they should eat?

PS I just heard someone that feeds 1 2 superworms a week...

 

[catsclawfurniture]

Right now I just have babies, so I don't know very much about superworms. All I know is you should only feed them to beardies 16" and bigger. I really recommend dubia roaches, they have the highest meat to shell protein and I know geckos like them too. However if they are illegal in your state, or there's an "ick" quality, if you can foot the bill for hornworms I bet your dragons would really like it. Another good staple is phoenix worms, but since they're so small adult beardies need a lot of them.
Beardies won't generally over eat, they'll eat what they can. If you offer salad in the morning, during the day, and after he eats his "dose of feeders" you should be fine. I have my little dubia roaches in a bowl in my babies' tank, and they go to eat them but then stop when they're full then go back to it later. I feel like they would eat more superworms than hornworms due to the fact that superworms are much smaller than hornworms.

 

[Monk21]

I feel like they would eat more superworms than hornworms due to the fact that superworms are much smaller than hornworms.

depends on the sizes. For example the "small" hornworms that are sold in pet stores are most of the time same or smaller than the average superworm

 

[w0554096]

Hello,
As far as the protein goes, you'll have to use your discretion.
Obviously the 35 feeder per week concept is not going to work if you're giving an adult beardie 35 small crickets. However if you're feeding large hornworms, you can reduce the 35 feeders down to about 20, since hornworms are large and full of protein and meat.

As the other posters have said, you just want to have the diet be able 20% protein, and 80% veg. I am not sure how many feeders you were thinking they needed to bed fed per week, as there is alot of misinformation out there.

Compared to baby and juvinile dragons, 35 feeders a week is nothing. Growing dragons can sometimes eat double that in one sitting, and should be fed twice a day. So if you think about it in that regard, they really are not getting much protein compared to when they're younger.

Your female, if you've decided to keep her, should be getting more than 35 feeders a week in order to produce her eggs, and recover her strength from producing/laying.

I feed my two dragons about 50 supers each a week. Any less and they start losing weight. Every dragon metabolizes differently. I also mix other worms in their diet when I can. If I've got phoenix worms, hornworms, silkworms, etc I just reduce the amount of supers accordingly.
My female who is currently cycling eggs gets fed much more protein, as well as veg.

If you notice either of your dragons begin to lose/gain weight, you'll just have to adjust the amount of protein that they're getting.
I'll also agree with morphmom on the pellets. I personally don't care for them, however I do not think that they will do any harm.

 

[Monk21]

My dragon is not eating dandelions. not even touching them. Any other suggestions for daily veggies?

 

[w0554096]

Mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, are all great choices for daily staples. Squash is also great to add into their salad daily. I grate mine with a cheese grater and keep it stored in a tupperware. It lasts about two weeks or so, and I run out before it goes bad.