How is my beardie's diet? (Advice/Criticism Welcome)

[Dragonism]

Hello~ So for a good several weeks I've had my beardie Jupiter. He's about a year and a few months old. I'd love some advice on his feeding routine. Before I got him, he was mainly fed pinkie mice and lettuce and was quite skinny. So I've been trying to healthily put a little weight on him. Here is what he eats with me:

Mon. Tues. Wed. - Strawberries, Pineapple, various fruit, and Squash.
Thurs. Fri. - Collard greens, Mustard greens, and romaine lettuce.
Saturdays - 3 hornworms OR as many superworms or dubia as he wants.
Sundays - Waxworms or treat food. No big meals.

I don't really feed him much on Sundays because I want to give him time for his food to digest properly instead of stuffing him up. So Sundays are kind of a break if you will. I will typically give him one hornworm, 10 supers, or some waxworms on Sunday. Then I start up the week again. Strawberries and pineapples are his staple fruit. Collards are his staple greens. Supers are his staple bug. I calcium dust three times a week. He gets fed in the morning (between 7 and 8 ) and then again in the evening when I get off from work (about 5pm). Then lights are off at 9. I use this page here as a feeding guide: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

I'd love to know if I have a good feeding regimen going on. Please offer any advice. ALSO, I'd love to hear some advice or opinions about raw feeding (raw beef, pork, etc.). I know that raw feeding for cats and dogs is very good, and I've heard mixed things about raw feeding beardies to keep their protein up, but also people saying that meat might be too much for them? Thanks~

 

[MsCarter]

I would stay away from the raw feeding and stick to the insects for protein. I honestly think you have a good healthy routine going on for an adult beardie. Some people do salads and a few bugs every day, others do salads every day and bugs every other day..the list of good routines goes on and on. With this diet it sounds like he's getting plenty of nutrition every week. If it's working for him and you and you don't notice any loss of weight I'd keep it up. His previous diet was not a good diet. Pinkies are high in fat and I really would only recommend them for a female who just laid eggs though others use them as treats occasionally. And lettuce is no good, it offers them no nutritional value other than moisture. Stick to the mustard and collard greens they are great for him. You can also toss in a few veggies like sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin, green beans and quite a bit more to add variety to his salads. If you would like to him to gain a few grams you can toss in a few more supers throughout the week.

 

[Gail]

I agree, he needs protein from insects not animal meat.
Over all his diet sounds good but I would cut back on the fruit, it really is only meant to be a treat.
Personally I feed salad every day along with a few bugs. You can add a bit of fruit to the daily salad a couple times a week.
Not sure pineapple is the best, have you tried blueberries or grapes instead?

 

[kingofnobbys]

I'd give him live insects at least every other day - my 4 year old Rex gets 10 large crickets each day and sometimes some superworms (4 a couple times a week) + her greens and veg.

 

[kingofnobbys]

I agree, he needs protein from insects not animal meat.
Over all his diet sounds good but I would cut back on the fruit, it really is only meant to be a treat.
Personally I feed salad every day along with a few bugs. You can add a bit of fruit to the daily salad a couple times a week.
Not sure pineapple is the best, have you tried blueberries or grapes instead?

Yep , too much sweet fruit , can result in tooth decay in a beardie if given too often.

 

[Gail]

I also remember reading that too much fruit can mess with the guy flora or even cause a yeast overgrowth in the guts.

I only offer fruit a couple times a month and only a bite or two.

 

[AHBD]

You are such a caring owner, trying to give a big variety of foods for Jupiter. It's a better diet than I have myself. I do agree that fruit be kept to a very minimum for the same reasons listed. Greens + veggies are the best for them and have lower sugar content. I also agree that it's best to space the insect feedings to every 2-3 days, about 5-6 larger bugs in one feeding. Of course large [ full size ] hornworms are only to be fed 1-2 at a time because of how huge they are. If you feed him too many all on one day it may make him sick one day out of the blue if he has something going on. Or you could do 2 larger meals a week rather than one very large feeding of insects. But it sounds like he has a great appetite and if he eats lots of veggies, that is a real bonus. Many dragons don't and they can end up with health problems later in life.

 

[Dragonism]

You are such a caring owner, trying to give a big variety of foods for Jupiter. It's a better diet than I have myself. I do agree that fruit be kept to a very minimum for the same reasons listed. Greens + veggies are the best for them and have lower sugar content. I also agree that it's best to space the insect feedings to every 2-3 days, about 5-6 larger bugs in one feeding. Of course large [ full size ] hornworms are only to be fed 1-2 at a time because of how huge they are. If you feed him too many all on one day it may make him sick one day out of the blue if he has something going on. Or you could do 2 larger meals a week rather than one very large feeding of insects. But it sounds like he has a great appetite and if he eats lots of veggies, that is a real bonus. Many dragons don't and they can end up with health problems later in life.

Goodness. I read everyone elses posts and I can't believe that an overabundance of fruit is bad. I thought that by choosing good staples, he'd be fine. But I can see how it'd be problematic. I mean, I don't want him to get diabetes or something! XD Alright, I think I'll try mixing it up a bit more. Maybe since the fruit should be given sparingly, I'll offer it on Sundays and Saturdays as treat food. And then during the week, I'll give him salad in the morning, and then bugs in the evening when I get off (like maybe 10 or so bugs to balance him out). How does that sound? I should mention that he's quite a voracious eater; he actually gets kind of aggressive about it, too lol so changing up his diet a bit wont be a problem. He'll go for it if its in his tank and he's hungry.

Edit: Oh and one other thing: he doesn't drink. Like. At all. I bath him every other day, but I'm telling you I have not seen this guy drink water since I've brought him home. I know beardies get they hydration from the foods they eat, so should I not worry too much about this?

 

[MsCarter]

He's most likely getting enough water from his veggies and insects. Try misting his face at least 2x a day and see if he licks the drops up. If not he's most likely not thirsty. As long as his urates are nice and white than he should be good.
Fruit should make up the smallest proportion of a beardies diet but giving him some as a treat will not hurt. a lot of fruits have some well rounded nutritional value to offer a beardie. Because of the natural sugars in them I would only give them in small amounts. They can also mess with the digestive tract making poop more runny. My beardie hadn't pooped in a a couple of days so I gave her a few slices of plum this morning as a treat and this afternoon I had a big mess to clean up so they can be used to help a dragon who has minor impaction as well.

 

[Dragonism]

Alright I'll definitely keep that in mind and give him less fruits from now on. Guess I'll see what other veggies he might like too~ And alright. I figured if he wasn't drinking it meant he was hydrated enough but just wanted to make sure. I'll switch up his diet some after I go grocery shopping this weekend. So basically, majority of his diet should be veggies, occasionally bugs, and then fruit as treats instead of part of his main diet? I had read that pineapple had lots of nutritional value so thats why I started feeding it to him (then again it might be kind of acidic; I LOVE pineapples but eating too much makes my tongue go numb. not sure if that applies to beardies lol). But I think I'll try the blueberries and grapes as mentioned above. Seems I should avoid too-sweet foods. XD

 

[MsCarter]

You can feed pineapple as treats. Mango and papaya also have some good nutritional value to offer beardies. It's perfectly fine to give your bearded these items as treats or small amounts to top a salad off every so often. I just would make them the smallest proportion of his diet. Every fruit has different pros and cons for beardies, something that may be loaded with calcium may also have a high vitamin A level which can be toxic for dragons in large amounts. So if you do include them in his diet weekly as treats switch it up so he gets the benefits of different vitamins. Carrots are the same way, they are loaded with good nutrition but unfortunately they also have a high vitamin A level. Therefore I only feed them every other week so she gets the benefits without over doing it on the bad stuff.