Hi! I have a large Beardie named (what else?) Spike, whom I adopted from a kid who didn't know what to do with him. He's big, healthy, and eats like a friggin' horse. I got him to eat by hand-feeding him, then had to break him of that. He's big enough to take the occasional pre-killed white mouse, but eats virtually everything. Grape tomatoes are his favorites. He's the most non-stressing reptile I've ever seen. I could take some lessons from him, I guess. Anyway, just wanted to say Hi, and I am glad I found this board...
Seán
be careful with teh white mice, fro 2 reasons.
mice with properly formed bones can impact dragons (constipate, tehy can die from that) and also, mice have a high fat/protien content and should be limited due to issues such as fatty liver disease in adult dragons.
teh recommendation for mice is no more than 2 pinkies per month. (and you'll get alot of opposition to that too!) bugs need to be reduced fro a few days after a pinky feed.
once big, the majority of his diet should consist of greens and veges, with bugs and worms making up teh protien part. its recommended to feed no more than 50 live bugs a week and reduce teh amount on weeks they get a pinky. it should be 80% greens/veg to 20% protien feeders.
anyway, great to hear hes a little pig!!
good luck and feel free to ask any questions you need to!
Chris,
Thanks for the info. I am a snake guy, have been since I was six. I adopt lizards only as a rescue thing. I get them back to health and find a good home for 'em. Let's not even talk about the Iguanas I have saved (!).But this big guy is so sweet and has so much personality that I decided to keep him. It's like a sworn dog owner suddenly falling in love with a cat. The mice were a technique to get him back up to a good weight. He does eat lots of greens, fruits, and around here, even Avocados. Loves those things. How big do these guys get? I'll have to measure him, but he's by far the largest I have seen anywhere. Do you know the lifespan? Again, thanks!!
Seán
As an aside: how do you post a pic in here?
then copy the image URL and paste it in here, with the tags around it. so for instance if yahoo.com was a picture instead of a website it would look like
I saw a little late about that. He doesn't seem to have suffered, but I am modifying his diet as we speak. No more Guacamole for his next superbowl! I have tons of prickly pear growing hereabouts, and may use that as his treat now. Thanks for the welcome, and this next week I'll take some pics. I just got a new digital to mess around with...
Seán