- Beardie name(s)
- Apollo
Hello everyone!
A bit of background:
About a week ago, my hubby and I became the proud parents of a male beardie, named Apollo, who was being rehomed. His previous dragon dad was a teenager who had lost interest in caring for him. He came to us in a 36x18x18 Zoo Med cage (which we plan to upgrade as soon as finances allow) and very little by way of cage enrichment - he had a basking rock, a climbing branch, and a climbing hide, most of which he has significantly outgrown. He has properly sized replacements ordered and on the way, plus lots of extras. He came with a 22" Reptisun t5 5.0 uvb lamp, which I know is not enough for him and so he has a 10.0 high output arriving this week. He has had his salad dusted with calcium with d3 three times in the week we've had him to help make up for it.
We were told that he was purchased from the pet store in June 2021, so we're estimating by that and his size (he's around 16-18" from nose to tip of his tail, give or take) that he may be just shy of a year old. He hasn't seen his new vet yet, so I don't have a weight for him, but he seems a healthy size for his length.
I've been doing tons of research on what I need for him to give him the best life possible, but the thing that continues to elude me is food amounts.
Apollo is a very good boy and eats his daily salads without a fuss. He gets a blend of greens and herbs, and really seems to enjoy the squash and carrots tossed in. (A few times a week he even gets a tiny bit of apple mixed in as a treat.) I have also been told that he is an oddity because he knows his water dish and will sip from his it when he feels the need - he has done it three times since he's been with us.
So, now that you know what I've learned about him, my question is this:
Given that he is so good about eating his salads, how much should he be getting in terms of feeders? I know his previous family gave him mealworms, but I don't know the frequency. I want to switch him to healthier bsfl and dubias, but I want to be sure of how much he'll need and how often, since he eats his daily salad without trouble.
Any information would be greatly appreciated and thanks for this amazing site and all of its resources!
(Apollo thanks you too!)
A bit of background:
About a week ago, my hubby and I became the proud parents of a male beardie, named Apollo, who was being rehomed. His previous dragon dad was a teenager who had lost interest in caring for him. He came to us in a 36x18x18 Zoo Med cage (which we plan to upgrade as soon as finances allow) and very little by way of cage enrichment - he had a basking rock, a climbing branch, and a climbing hide, most of which he has significantly outgrown. He has properly sized replacements ordered and on the way, plus lots of extras. He came with a 22" Reptisun t5 5.0 uvb lamp, which I know is not enough for him and so he has a 10.0 high output arriving this week. He has had his salad dusted with calcium with d3 three times in the week we've had him to help make up for it.
We were told that he was purchased from the pet store in June 2021, so we're estimating by that and his size (he's around 16-18" from nose to tip of his tail, give or take) that he may be just shy of a year old. He hasn't seen his new vet yet, so I don't have a weight for him, but he seems a healthy size for his length.
I've been doing tons of research on what I need for him to give him the best life possible, but the thing that continues to elude me is food amounts.
Apollo is a very good boy and eats his daily salads without a fuss. He gets a blend of greens and herbs, and really seems to enjoy the squash and carrots tossed in. (A few times a week he even gets a tiny bit of apple mixed in as a treat.) I have also been told that he is an oddity because he knows his water dish and will sip from his it when he feels the need - he has done it three times since he's been with us.
So, now that you know what I've learned about him, my question is this:
Given that he is so good about eating his salads, how much should he be getting in terms of feeders? I know his previous family gave him mealworms, but I don't know the frequency. I want to switch him to healthier bsfl and dubias, but I want to be sure of how much he'll need and how often, since he eats his daily salad without trouble.
Any information would be greatly appreciated and thanks for this amazing site and all of its resources!
(Apollo thanks you too!)