FEEDING

[newmommybeardie]

Hello all i was wondering if you can feed 5"-3 month old baby Bearded Dragon's Waxworm's, Butterworms, Silkworm, Hornworms and Mealworms.? I was just wondering. And can i feed her 1/2 crickets now.? Thank you all for your help exspecally Deb <3.

 

[patrickmb21]

I have a 4 month and i feed her everything but mealworms and superworms. in the morning ill give her a variety of reptiworms waxworms and 1/2 crickets. I havent tried hornworms and want to order some soon. Also i have an order of 1/2 dubia roaches on the way

 

[XtinaBeardieMom]

You can feed your dragon pretty much anything but the meal worms (these aren't recommended at ANY age due to the hard exoskeleton, which can cause impaction). Just be aware that you should only be feeding insects that are smaller or the same size as the space between your dragon's eyes, again - to avoid impaction. You can feed your dragon whole crickets as long as they fit within that space between your dragon's eyes - there are various sized crickets you can buy, or you can cut them up like you said. Remember to remove any uneaten crickets from the tank after feeding time, as they can and will bite your dragon. Hornworms are usually quite large, so you probably won't be able to find any small enough for your baby at the moment but she can eat them when she gets bigger. Waxworms are fine as an occasional treat, but are very high in fat so they shouldn't be used as a staple feeder. You could also consider feeding her reptiworms/phoenix worms or dubia roaches. Are you sure your dragon is 3 months old? 5 inches (from tip of snout to tip of tail) seems a bit small for a three month old, but it's possible. A baby dragon should be getting fed 2-3 times per day and allowed to eat as many feeders as they can consume within 10-15 minutes in order to grow properly. Remember that your baby needs calcium 5 times per week and multivitamins 2-3 times per week as well. Good luck, and let us know if you have any other questions we can help you with!

And yes, we <3 Deb too! :love5:

 

[diamc]

Moved to Feeding forum from General Discussion.

 

[newmommybeardie]

You can feed your dragon pretty much anything but the meal worms (these aren't recommended at ANY age due to the hard exoskeleton, which can cause impaction). Just be aware that you should only be feeding insects that are smaller or the same size as the space between your dragon's eyes, again - to avoid impaction. You can feed your dragon whole crickets as long as they fit within that space between your dragon's eyes - there are various sized crickets you can buy, or you can cut them up like you said. Remember to remove any uneaten crickets from the tank after feeding time, as they can and will bite your dragon. Hornworms are usually quite large, so you probably won't be able to find any small enough for your baby at the moment but she can eat them when she gets bigger. Waxworms are fine as an occasional treat, but are very high in fat so they shouldn't be used as a staple feeder. You could also consider feeding her reptiworms/phoenix worms or dubia roaches. Are you sure your dragon is 3 months old? 5 inches (from tip of snout to tip of tail) seems a bit small for a three month old, but it's possible. A baby dragon should be getting fed 2-3 times per day and allowed to eat as many feeders as they can consume within 10-15 minutes in order to grow properly. Remember that your baby needs calcium 5 times per week and multivitamins 2-3 times per week as well. Good luck, and let us know if you have any other questions we can help you with!

And yes, we <3 Deb too! :love5:

Yes i was feeding her 1/4" crickets and ordered 3/8" now mind you i made a booboo and made a mistake and ordered1/8" but called the compant this morning to change so hopefully they did. But wound it make a big deal if she ate smaller ones.? So Mealworms are a no no.? I know and have heard of alot of people that feed mealworns to there Dragons. Oh i feed my baby Beardie in a 5 gallon tank so i dont have to worry about chasing crickets in her 40 gallon tank. Ok i will wait to get her Hornworms when shes a adult. OK so Waxworms are ok but can i feed them to a baby as small as mine.? Well if i bought a 100 of Waxworms how long will they last before they die and how often is a treat lol.? What are Reptiworms and can i get them in Ontario.? Are Phoenixworms small enough to feed baby's.? I cant find a place in Ontario online or near me that sales dubia roaches or any other feeding insects besides crickets, mealworms, Superworms, and a few others but not the 3 you said. Well the breeder's that i got her from said she will be 3 months old on the 15th. Im guessing shes about 5 inches she looks like she could be around 2" in the body and tail about 3" so im guessing 5" could be 6". Oh ya i keep her in her 5 gallon tank to feed her her crickets i leave her untill shes full then she scratches at the glass wall to try and get out(thats her way of telling me shes full and done). Yes i give her Calcium with D3 5-6 times per week and multivitamins 2-3 times a week. Thank you for all your help oh yes i sure will ask any Questions if i have any. Yes Deb is sure something the great in my opinon. She has help me out alot and made me feel so much better about owning my dream pet( I have wanted a Bearded Dragon sence i was 5 years old).
Tanke Care
Sharon

 

[diamc]

Actually, hornworms are a very good feeder although they do grow quickly but you can get small horns from here: www.mulberryfarms.com

 

[newmommybeardie]

Is ButterWorms ok to feed Baby to Adult Bearded Dragons.?

 

[newmommybeardie]

Actually, hornworms are a very good feeder although they do grow quickly but you can get small horns from here: http://www.mulberryfarms.com

Is this a place in Ontario.?

 

[XtinaBeardieMom]

Yes i was feeding her 1/4" crickets and ordered 3/8" now mind you i made a booboo and made a mistake and ordered1/8" but called the compant this morning to change so hopefully they did. But wound it make a big deal if she ate smaller ones.? So Mealworms are a no no.? I know and have heard of alot of people that feed mealworns to there Dragons. Oh i feed my baby Beardie in a 5 gallon tank so i dont have to worry about chasing crickets in her 40 gallon tank. Ok i will wait to get her Hornworms when shes a adult. OK so Waxworms are ok but can i feed them to a baby as small as mine.? Well if i bought a 100 of Waxworms how long will they last before they die and how often is a treat lol.? What are Reptiworms and can i get them in Ontario.? Are Phoenixworms small enough to feed baby's.? I cant find a place in Ontario online or near me that sales dubia roaches or any other feeding insects besides crickets, mealworms, Superworms, and a few others but not the 3 you said. Well the breeder's that i got her from said she will be 3 months old on the 15th. Im guessing shes about 5 inches she looks like she could be around 2" in the body and tail about 3" so im guessing 5" could be 6". Oh ya i keep her in her 5 gallon tank to feed her her crickets i leave her untill shes full then she scratches at the glass wall to try and get out(thats her way of telling me shes full and done). Yes i give her Calcium with D3 5-6 times per week and multivitamins 2-3 times a week. Thank you for all your help oh yes i sure will ask any Questions if i have any. Yes Deb is sure something the great in my opinon. She has help me out alot and made me feel so much better about owning my dream pet( I have wanted a Bearded Dragon sence i was 5 years old).
Tanke Care
Sharon

It's no big deal at all to feed her the smaller crickets, she'll just eat more of them - as long as the crickets aren't too big, that's all that counts. That's great that you feed her in a separate container so you don't have to worry about chasing down the leftover bugs when she's done eating. I do the same thing! Reptiworms and Phoenix worms are the same type of worm, just raised on different kinds of feed & substrate. Those would definitely be small enough for a baby if you can find some. I'm not sure where you could buy them from in Canada... maybe Deb would know since she's in Canada too? Unfortunately dubia roaches (and all other tropical roaches) are illegal in Canada, so you most likely won't be able to find any of those. Your girl can have superworms once she's at least 16" long, but not before then. You'll find that a lot of misinformed dragon owners feed their beardies mealworms, but it's really not recommended - especially for babies, due to the hard chitin. You can find a lot of horror stories here on the forum about mealworms causing impaction. As for the wax worms, you can give her a few once a week or so. If you put them in the warmer part of your refrigerator (like in the butter compartment in the fridge door) then they'll stay good for several months. They'll get cold and go into a dormant state, so just take them out and let them come to room temperature several hours before feeding and they'll wake up. Just make sure you don't store them any colder than 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit or they may die. As for the butterworms, those are very soft-bodied so they should be fine for babies as long as they're not too big. Some people think that butterworms are too high in fat to be used as a staple feeder, but I don't know if I agree... they're definitely not as fatty as wax worms, and they have a ton of calcium which gives them great nutritional value. I personally use about 75% dubia roaches and 25% butterworms as my staple feeders. My opinion is that you should always use a variety of feeders in order to be nutritionally sound.

Actually, hornworms are a very good feeder although they do grow quickly but you can get small horns from here: http://www.mulberryfarms.com

Agreed hornworms are excellent feeders, I just had no idea you could find ones small enough for baby dragons - good to know!

 

[diamc]

Yes, you can get ones that are almost microscopic actually. :lol: They do grow VERY fast though.

 

[newmommybeardie]

Yes, you can get ones that are almost microscopic actually. :lol: They do grow VERY fast though.

I wish i could find other food that are small enough that i could give my baby beardie besides crickets. And were it wont cost a arm and a leg either. If i could find a good place online for Ontario people.

 

[diamc]

Phoenix or repti-worms are both very good as well as baby dubias.

 

[XtinaBeardieMom]

I wish i could find other food that are small enough that i could give my baby beardie besides crickets. And were it wont cost a arm and a leg either. If i could find a good place online for Ontario people.

Hmmm... I see your predicament. I'll try to do a little bit of research for you and see if I can find a supplier closer to you, or a supplier in the US who could ship to you for a reasonable rate. You could also make a separate thread in the Feeders section like "Attention Canadians: Need feeder supplier recommendations!"

 

[newmommybeardie]

I wish i could find other food that are small enough that i could give my baby beardie besides crickets. And were it wont cost a arm and a leg either. If i could find a good place online for Ontario people.

Hmmm... I see your predicament. I'll try to do a little bit of research for you and see if I can find a supplier closer to you, or a supplier in the US who could ship to you for a reasonable rate. You could also make a separate thread in the Feeders section like "Attention Canadians: Need feeder supplier recommendations!"

Ok that would be great if you dont mind. Im just learning to use a computer so i dont know how to look up stuff (YET) lol. Thats a good idea i will post what yo said if its ok.? Aswell as i need to find a place were they sell all kinds of things for Reptiles. I need to look for a ReptiSum 10.0 thats hopefully alot better price then what my petstore will charge me ( I have to wait to get ones from them they have to order them in so its going to take weeks).

 

[XtinaBeardieMom]

I wish i could find other food that are small enough that i could give my baby beardie besides crickets. And were it wont cost a arm and a leg either. If i could find a good place online for Ontario people.

Hmmm... I see your predicament. I'll try to do a little bit of research for you and see if I can find a supplier closer to you, or a supplier in the US who could ship to you for a reasonable rate. You could also make a separate thread in the Feeders section like "Attention Canadians: Need feeder supplier recommendations!"

Ok that would be great if you dont mind. Im just learning to use a computer so i dont know how to look up stuff (YET) lol. Thats a good idea i will post what yo said if its ok.? Aswell as i need to find a place were they sell all kinds of things for Reptiles. I need to look for a ReptiSum 10.0 thats hopefully alot better price then what my petstore will charge me ( I have to wait to get ones from them they have to order them in so its going to take weeks).

No problem, I'll try to let you know what I come up with ASAP! Also, make sure you ask Deb about suppliers for different things like feeders and reptile stuff as well since she lives in Canada too. She may know of some great resources already