Feeding regimen?

[Mking0347]

So there's a reptile expo coming up soon, and I am very interested in purchasing a Bearded Dragon! I'm not too terribly new to the reptile scene; as I've had a ball python for a couple months now, and I'm absolutely obsessed with reptiles at this point.

So, I've come to the conclusion that babies do eat quite a lot, and I'm not so sure how it works. Everyone has their opinions on feeding, and I'd like to get some more help from those with more experience.

Feeding once a week to 3-5 times a day with 80% greens & 20% live meat is a huge jump from a rat pup once every 7 days.

I know a few very basic bits of information, like coating the live food in calcium powder, and that the prey should be no bigger than the space between their eyes; that pretty much summing up my knowledge about it..

I was wondering, what is your guys' schedule with feeding your beardies as babies? What kinds of things do you feed them? How long do you feed them for? Is purchasing at a young age a good idea for a first time beardie owner?

Any advice and tips about feeding in general will be such a huge help!

 

[Bear333]

Hi there!

I'm glad you're looking into getting a beardie, I have a juvenile myself. However, you must know that getting a baby is a big commitment, and can certainly put a dent in your wallet! So first off, if you're planning on getting A baby bearded dragon, this is what you need to know about feeding. Baby Bearded Dragon's eat approximately 80% of live bugs and 20% of greens and salads. You are supposed to feed a baby beardie every day 2-3 times a day. When feeding insects, give them as much as they can eat in 10-15 minutes. Personally, I feed my beardie mostly crickets, although there are many other staple feeders that you can choose from, such as Dubia roaches and Phoenix worms. Sometimes he can eat as much and 60 crickets a day! But every reptile is different For greens, I feed mine a small salad once a day, usually containing of collard greens, acorn squash, and some bell pepper. The first 2 veggies are great staples? Sometimes I add a little banana or strawberry, but these are only treats for once a week. I dust about 40-50% of his crickets with calcium powder (with D3) every other day, and I give him his multivitamin powder 1-2 a week. PLEASE let us know if you have any more questions, whether it's about feeding or about getting a bearded dragon in general. Glad I could help?

 

[Mking0347]

Hi there!

I'm glad you're looking into getting a beardie, I have a juvenile myself. However, you must know that getting a baby is a big commitment, and can certainly put a dent in your wallet! So first off, if you're planning on getting A baby bearded dragon, this is what you need to know about feeding. Baby Bearded Dragon's eat approximately 80% of live bugs and 20% of greens and salads. You are supposed to feed a baby beardie every day 2-3 times a day. When feeding insects, give them as much as they can eat in 10-15 minutes. Personally, I feed my beardie mostly crickets, although there are many other staple feeders that you can choose from, such as Dubia roaches and Phoenix worms. Sometimes he can eat as much and 60 crickets a day! But every reptile is different For greens, I feed mine a small salad once a day, usually containing of collard greens, acorn squash, and some bell pepper. The first 2 veggies are great staples? Sometimes I add a little banana or strawberry, but these are only treats for once a week. I dust about 40-50% of his crickets with calcium powder (with D3) every other day, and I give him his multivitamin powder 1-2 a week. PLEASE let us know if you have any more questions, whether it's about feeding or about getting a bearded dragon in general. Glad I could help?

Thank you very much!

I did have a few more questions though;

How much, exactly, of greens do you feed daily? A cup? Or does it vary depending on amount of crickets eaten?

 

[Bear333]

Probably not an entire cup of veggies! Usually, I feed my little buddy some crickets in the morning and late afternoon, and then I feed him some salad in the early evening. He'll usually gobble it up right away, but I've heard other baby dragons can be very picky about their veggies haha! At the most he'll eat a tablespoon or possibly 2, but he's already 9 inches, so a smaller baby will probably eat less. Is that all the questions you have?

 

[kingofnobbys]

So there's a reptile expo coming up soon, and I am very interested in purchasing a Bearded Dragon! I'm not too terribly new to the reptile scene; as I've had a ball python for a couple months now, and I'm absolutely obsessed with reptiles at this point.

So, I've come to the conclusion that babies do eat quite a lot, and I'm not so sure how it works. Everyone has their opinions on feeding, and I'd like to get some more help from those with more experience.

Feeding once a week to 3-5 times a day with 80% greens & 20% live meat is a huge jump from a rat pup once every 7 days. <<< works for a python , will not work for a bearded dragon.

I know a few very basic bits of information, like coating the live food in calcium powder, and that the prey should be no bigger than the space between their eyes; that pretty much summing up my knowledge about it.. <<< you have a lot to learn .

I was wondering, what is your guys' schedule with feeding your beardies as babies? What kinds of things do you feed them? How long do you feed them for? Is purchasing at a young age a good idea for a first time beardie owner?

Any advice and tips about feeding in general will be such a huge help!

Do a lot of research on how to care for beardies, they are a completely different to care for to a pythons , and are not exactly a beginner's lizard .

Make sure you have the viv sorted with good quality 10% uvb light source in a reflector hood, a good basking bulb, get the tank temperatures right BEFORE you buy the beardie, and make sure you have the feeding schedule sorted (will depend the beardie's age).

Hatchings :
AT LEAST TWO , THREE IS BETTER feeds of quality insects per day , as many each meal as beardie wants but only a few at time (if they are fast moving insects (crickets, roaches, locusts) , when he looses interest that's the time to stop goving him insects .
Brekky , lunch and late afternoon was my schedule for insect feeds for my hatchlings under 4 months old.
1st meal I made the largest (and I'd give the first few bugs by hand , a daily bonding ritual).

My lights are on a times , on 6am, off 10pm) , first bug meal was usually at about 10am. Last bug meal about 6pm.

I gave my little ones their grated carrot mixed with grated sweet potato and chopped raw peas and softened juvenile beardie pellets + shredded buk or puk choi greens with their last bag meal and I left the salad in the tanks overnight.

For young hatchings your best sources of insect protein are

>> BSF maggots (phoenix worms) , excellent naturally high in calcium and slow moving

>> silkworms (for a hatching under 30g , small (1 - 1.5in) and medium (1.5 - 2in) are silkworms are fine as they are very soft and squishy and slow moving

>> blowfly gents (high in calcium) and blowflies
The following need to be LIGHTLY DUSTED with calcium powder daily and gut loaded with high calcium greens ,and dusted with a mixture of calcium powder and vitamin powder on weekends

>> crickets , roaches and locusts.

Offer greens and salad daily , I find it best to give with their last insect meal, if hatchling shows no interest in the greens and salad this is nothing to obsess over, as he knows what he needs and when very young they are almost entirely insectonivorous and needs loads of high quality insect protein and dietary calcium along with heat and lots of UVB to thrive , develop and grow properly.

NO MEALWORMS , NO SUPERWORMS until about 1 year old.

Basking spot 40-42oC NO HOTTER !!
Warm Zone 30-34oC

No lights on at night.

NO SAND or OTHER PARTICULATE SUBSTRATES >>> very dangerous to beardies.

Rearing tank/viv / tub about 100 - 140L is ideal for a single hatchling until he reaches about 1.5yrs old at which time he will need an upgrade to his forever home in a 4ft L x 2ft W x 2ft T viv.