How Many Crickets A Day?

[ProjectGernades]

my baby beardie eats 3 a day no more and no less he is pretty small so im guessing thats ok but im not sure

 

[Catalyst]

If he's still a baby, you should be offering him crickets three times a day, as many as he'll eat in 10 minutes per feeding. Make sure the crickets are no longer than the space between his eyes because food that is too big for him can cause a potantially fatal impaction.

While the number of bugs each dragon eats a day will vary, three a day doesn't sound like very much. Are the temperatures in his tank good (basking spot of 100-110*F, cool side at 85*F) and is are you using a good UVB light (either the reptisun 10.0 or arcadia 12.0 - the flourescent tube lights, not the compact bulbs)? Sometimes problems in his environment are reflected in his eating patterns.

 

[ProjectGernades]

his basking rock is about 112 degrees i am using a reptisun 10.0 bulb thats about 3 inches away from basking rock the crickets are 1/8 and are small....cool side is about 80-85 he doesnt stay in hide hes always on top of rock

 

[miloandrufusdragons]

Well what catalyst said s correct but with the UVB lights I would add a couple more types of bulbs the exo terra repti glo and I think the desert 50 UVB lights by Zilla are good. Go to enclosures and look at the article on compact bulbs. I can't copy and paste links on my IPad. But anyways the desert 50 tube and compact coil lights were dangerous but in 2007 were recalled for causing eye problems but made safer then rereleased afterwards as safer bulbs or something. Read the article but I may be wrong. Anyways I guess the type of bulb is safe but the reptisuns are better so I'll be changing my bulb.

 

[Mariah94]

Well what catalyst said s correct but with the UVB lights I would add a couple more types of bulbs the exo terra repti glo and I think the desert 50 UVB lights by Zilla are good. Go to enclosures and look at the article on compact bulbs. I can't copy and paste links on my IPad. But anyways the desert 50 tube and compact coil lights were dangerous but in 2007 were recalled for causing eye problems but made safer then rereleased afterwards as safer bulbs or something. Read the article but I may be wrong. Anyways I guess the type of bulb is safe but the reptisuns are better so I'll be changing my bulb.

On the forum, everybody will swear by reptisun and arcadia before recommending any other bulb. I haven't heard anything on the other bulbs being deemed "safe" and I would want to hear it by one of the moderators on here or by a study done by these members rather than the company cause they tend to...not be accurate at times.

Anyways, onto beardie. If you've just gotten him, he's likely stressing out and won't eat much at first. He will eat more eventually though, just keep offering bugs 3 times a day for 15 minutes, and let him eat as much as he can in 15 minutes. He should come around, soon he'll be eating so much you will be like :shock:

 

[miloandrufusdragons]

Yeah. My beardies were acting weird with the zilla light so I got an exo terra solare glo mvb and they are much better now.