Feeding Pinkies

[FBradshaw]

idk im not sold on pinkies they just cause your dragon to be at risk for fatty liver disease and compactions

The occasional pinky wont cause fatty liver disease, that would only be a risk if given as a staple. And the risk of impactions isn't really there if it's only 1 every now and then either.

If I get read the original posters reply correctly they were looking for a way to supplement vitamin D3. Your bearded dragon will create it's own D3 as it needs it by basking under a UVB lamp. That is actually the main purpose for providing UVB in their enclosures. By supplementing D3 you run the risk of causing vitamin toxicity which can cause severe damage to your pet and/or kill it. Supplementing D3 with a beardie should only be done when their is a known D3 deficiency and under the direction of a vet who can do the blood work required to determine if and how much D3 is needed.

 

[Denduran87]

how is there no risk of impaction between 1 and 100. I say it's alot less feeding 1 rather than 100 but a risk that is still there and not a necessary risk being they don't have much nutrition to them.

 

[TxBeardie]

I would stay away from anything that is not a pinkie. No fuzzies or what not. The pinkie really is a ball of fat and calcium. I limit them to just a treat. Special treat. Don't misunderstand that i feed these as a staple. They are on a staple of veggies, fruits, dubias, silks, supers, and horns.

 

[Jamiedog]

I feed live pinkies to my female. About 1 or 2 per month tops. My male will not touch them. They both get veggies and fruit in the am. They get crickets, or roaches as the main evening meal, followed up with some worms of diff types.

Just out of curiosity, why live? I know there's the issue of movement, that dragons like to see their live food moving, but Wave's favorite treat-food (given maybe once a month, if that) is scrambled egg, and she loves it so much that it's irrelevant that it's not moving - as soon as she sees it/smells it (not sure which one it is), she goes for it. Then: Happy Dragon.

So just curious if it's been a problem in the past to get her to eat F/T, or if it's just easier for you to get them live, or another reason? I know a pinky isn't going to cause the problems that can come with a live full-grown mouse (hurting the predator, etc.), but that's one of those debates in the animal world that interests me. So that's why I ask. I'm always interested in hearing the different viewpoints on the subject.

 

[TxBeardie]

I guess I feed them live because that's what my local pet shop gets. I priced out the frozen mice and they are expensive. My guy doesn't always have pinkies so when he does, I buy Liz one as a treat. Both of my dragons are rescues. They were kept outside. Even in Texas that can get rough. I have their papers from when they were bought. Sad that they have been treated like this. Liz has grown 3" and gained a good deal of weight. She weighs 467 grams currently and is 19".

 

[TxBeardie]

Just out of curiosity, why live? I know there's the issue of movement, that dragons like to see their live food moving, but Wave's favorite treat-food (given maybe once a month, if that) is scrambled egg, and she loves it so much that it's irrelevant that it's not moving - as soon as she sees it/smells it (not sure which one it is), she goes for it. Then: Happy Dragon.

Eggs? That's funny. Liz has literally done a backflip for a pinkie and a butterworm. She really likes her food to move. Hellboy is not as particular.

 

[Jamiedog]

Ah, of course - local shops here only stock frozen feeders, so I didn't consider that live baby mice might be cheaper. Duh. :lol: They were kept outside??? All the time? Poor things! Glad they're showing improvement in your care.

Try some egg on tongs sometime, see if she'll go for it. I love the scramble to get to it. :lol: (Pun only partially intended...)

 

[EXOTIXSA]

@Jamiedog – I have two gravid girls and they are refusing to eat ANYTHING that doesn’t move, I’ve tried everything with the veggies, I’ve added 100% strawberry juice, I’ve added apple, I even hid some silkworms away in the salad to make it move. They just dig the worms out. At the moment no petshop near me has pinkies or crickets, only roaches and they are very expensive. I’m supplementing their food with extra calcium but it doesn’t help if they have no interest in eating their salads….argh…

I’ve tried egg whites, but they’re not interested. Do you feed your dragon the yolk too?

 

[Paradon]

Usually, when my gecko is gravid, it won't eat. This is the same for iguanas. The eggs take up a lot of room in the abdomen pushing on the guts, organs and stomach causing them to go off feed. Your dragon will be find, but make sure you put a large bowl of water in the cage for her so she can stay hydrated.

 

[EXOTIXSA]

Thanks

I give both girls regular soaks, as I say they have no issue with live feeders, they just won't eat any greens or veggies.

 

[threadbear]

hi i give my dragon locust's as a treat ..... although not meat fresh peas go down a treat as well !!!!...threadbear.x

 

[Jamiedog]

I’ve tried egg whites, but they’re not interested. Do you feed your dragon the yolk too?

I scramble the eggs, so she gets some yolk, too. But she's never gotten a whole egg. I've either given her a few bites on its own, or mixed it in with some veggies. It may just be a weird quirk of hers that she loves it so much, and you might not get any interest at all no matter what you do, but you could try making a sort of mixture - cook some greens and things into a (whole, not separated, in case it's the yolk that attracts beardie-attention) scrambled egg? I know cooking them wouldn't be as good as fresh, but still better than none.

I've never dealt with a gravid female - Wave's my first dragon - but I wish I had better suggestions regardless. Best of luck with them!

 

[WyattKB]

I feed my Spike a pinkie a month and he loves em.. Just make sure your guy chews em up really well.

 

[Randeen]

We fed pinks to get our young guy up to the proper weight, but we cut back to one a month. we usually feed a mix of greens, crix, worms. We did roaches...but our beardies didnt take to them as well as the other bugs.

 

[NFM07]

Sorry to drag this back up but as an up and coming owner I have a question. First, it seems like more people seem to think that pinks are ok as long as its to an adult and not a staple food. Though no one really gave a good reason as to why they would not be ok as a treat here and there, seemed like all the cons given someone else had a reason why that was not a con. I feed my snakes F/T and have lots of pinks. Since feeding them to babies has been said to not be a good idea, by more then one person, I would feed them to the beardie when its an adult. Can anyone give a soild reason why this would not be a good idea? A growing beardie seems like it could use the extra protien and fat.

Thanks
Nicole