How Much Should A Baby Beardie Be Eating?

[Gretchx713]

My partner and I got a bearded dragon about 6 weeks ago which means (if the pet store is correct) he is now 12 weeks old. When we got him he weighed 21 grams, and now he hasn't gained any more weight (he weighs up to 24 grams if he's just eaten). He does eat, just not regularly (about every other or every three days but not with any sort of regularity or routine), and does poop about as regularly. He just pooped again today, and we tried him on both soft white worms and hard meal worms but he turned his nose up to both. Should we be worried or is he okay because he is still eating even if it isn't on a schedule? He doesn't seem to be "underweight" persay either, he has mini fat pads and isn't showing bones. (And the only way we do know he is a male is because our other elder Beardie treats him very differently than he did with our female who passed away).

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. Can you give a rundown of the set up? Is he housed with the other dragon?

 

[CooperDragon]

A lot of things can affect their appetite. After 6 weeks he should be pretty well settled in so it's not as likely to be stress related. Shedding can also affect their mood and appetite and little guys tend to shed a lot. They are also less hungry when they aren't about to go into a growth spurt. I would continue offering 2-3 bug meals per day and let him take what he wants. Since his weight is stable, that's a good sign so I'd just let him dictate what he needs for now and make plenty of food available. You could also try some different feeder options in case he's just being picky. What is his staple? Crickets? You may also want to try some black soldier fly larvae or small silk worms and see if he takes to those.

 

[Gretchx713]

Hi. Can you give a rundown of the set up? Is he housed with the other dragon?

No, our elder Beardie (Eddie) is in the cage below him with the Little Guy (Archer) above him so he gets more warmth. The higher temperature end is around 90 with a basking spot about 110 degrees. His cage is multilevel so he has a higher up basking spot (closer to the heat source) and a lower one that's slightly cooler. The cool end is about 85 degrees. He's very good at self regulating from warm to cool. We just cleaned his tank but he has plenty of hiding spots and things to keep him entertained as well.

 

[Gretchx713]

A lot of things can affect their appetite. After 6 weeks he should be pretty well settled in so it's not as likely to be stress related. Shedding can also affect their mood and appetite and little guys tend to shed a lot. They are also less hungry when they aren't about to go into a growth spurt. I would continue offering 2-3 bug meals per day and let him take what he wants. Since his weight is stable, that's a good sign so I'd just let him dictate what he needs for now and make plenty of food available. You could also try some different feeder options in case he's just being picky. What is his staple? Crickets? You may also want to try some black soldier fly larvae or small silk worms and see if he takes to those.

He was eating pretty well at first, possibly the most well behaved baby I've ever seen. Very good at handling, ate almost immediately by hand, very docile and tamed very quickly and didn't show any signs of stress. He was shedding about a week and a half ago but now he doesn't seem to be. We do offer him food every night. Right now we only have meal worms and less-healthy soft white worms (the ones that turn into moths) and he doesn't seem to have a preference but we'll order something different and see if he prefers that. He's also not eating his greens yet but they are always fresh in his tank daily in case he decides to start. And it isn't so much he isn't eating, it's just that he isn't eating on a schedule or with regularity and I always thought baby beardies were meant to eat loads.

 

[CooperDragon]

It's good that he has his veges available but it's not uncommon at all for them to ignore those. Try a small silkworm pod and see if he likes those https://www.coastalsilkworms.com/silkworm-pod.html Black soldier fly larvae are also a healthy option that the little guys tend to enjoy http://www.symtonbsf.com/store/p7/Reptile_Feeding_Grade_Soldier_Grubs.html