It's complicated, HELP!

[Meghan493]

I head up an organization in my high school based solely on the appreciation, awareness, and ability to help living creatures. And I HATE creepy crawly bugs. I really want a beardie- and i want to get one as a baby- but i can't stand the idea of having living crickets in my house, let alone feeding them to my bearded dragon, makes me ill . I wouldn't mind feeding him mealworms, but i read somewhere that they aren't good for babies. I have a plan to feed him dry frozen crickets when he grows up some- with a vibrating food dish since they don't eat bugs that don't move- but i know i can't get dry frozen cricckets small enough to feed a baby without giving him impaction. Please help me. Can I use mealworms?

 

[Claudiusx]

No.
And I don't mean to be harsh, just being honest but if you are not willing to be around bugs, you should take the responsible course of action and not take into your hands, a living reptile that needs bugs to live and flourish.

Especially a baby, a baby needs an enormous amount of live insects each day, so that it can properly grow into an adult.

There are many other possible pets you can get where you won't need to worry about bugs.

-Brandon

 

[ShannyBeard]

I'm sorry but a bearded dragon is the wrong pet for you. They are complex and sweet reptiles, and they need the right care to thrive and be happy. You can't feed it dead bugs in a vibrating dish. That's pretty cruel and selfish. They deserve a varied diet of live feeders including soft worms, black soldier fly larvae, roaches and crickets. My husband and I incubate silkworm eggs in our home, as well as raise other feeders.

I would love to have a snake but I don't want to have to feed rats or mice or furry creatures, so I don't have a snake.

You sound like a nice person and it's good that you came on here to ask or discuss your desire for a bearded dragon. I just really hope you find a pet that is better suited to you. It is very sad to take care of a pet improperly and have it get sick and die, and you will have better success if you get something you are willing and able to take care of.

 

[Meghan493]

In response to the above comments, I said I hate creepy crawlies, not that i couldn't handle using them to feed a bearded lizard. Over the past hour I have been researching and found a forum on this site that says i can feed a baby beardie small silkworms, small hornworms, small pheonix worms, etc. I have no problem with worms. None at all.

I would also like to say that you guys were extremely harsh and it was entirely uncalled for. Just because I get uncomfortable around insects doesn't mean i'm going to let my dragon die. In fact, i'm offended by that statement. Also, saying that you're not trying to be harsh doesn't make you any less harsh.

In addition, just for future refrence, there is absolutely nothing cruel about feeding a beardie dead crickets on a vibrating food dish. As a matter of fact, if you had perhaps asked first instead of judging, you might have known that i found a way to rehydrate the bugs- who are gutloaded with nutrition- so that they are exactly the same as living ones except they are no hassle to me.

I'm sorry if i'm being snappy, it's just that your responses did nothing to help me except to scold me for my question. Thanks a lot. :roll:

 

[ShannyBeard]

I head up an organization in my high school based solely on the appreciation, awareness, and ability to help living creatures. And I HATE creepy crawly bugs. I really want a beardie- and i want to get one as a baby- but i can't stand the idea of having living crickets in my house, let alone feeding them to my bearded dragon, makes me ill . I wouldn't mind feeding him mealworms, but i read somewhere that they aren't good for babies. I have a plan to feed him dry frozen crickets when he grows up some- with a vibrating food dish since they don't eat bugs that don't move- but i know i can't get dry frozen cricckets small enough to feed a baby without giving him impaction. Please help me. Can I use mealworms?

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound harsh. It's just these bolded sentences really stood out, as did the plan to feed dead bugs. Nowhere in your post did you say you would try to get over your fear or discomfort with the bugs. Had you said that, then the responses would have been much different! The way I read this was that you were wanting to find a way to avoid having crickets and creepy-crawlies in your house.

And it's just that bearded dragons do best with live feeders.

 

[Claudiusx]

If you would have said that you only have a problem with crickets, you would have got a different response. There are plenty of other great feeders out there besides crickets.

But to be fair, when you say your afraid of creepy crawlies, you can't assume that we know your not afraid of worms.

Silkworms, butterworms, and Phoenix worms are probably the three best feeder insects you can give to a dragon. Unfortunately they are kind of expensive, especially since a baby would be eating a ton of these a day (as much as it can eat in a 10 minute time span, 2-3 times per day)

I would also like to say that you guys were extremely harsh and it was entirely uncalled for. Just because I get uncomfortable around insects doesn't mean i'm going to let my dragon die. In fact, i'm offended by that statement. Also, saying that you're not trying to be harsh doesn't make you any less harsh.

You asked a question, I answered it. Maybe I went a little far with saying you shouldn't look into a bearded dragon but my thoughts on you saying you don't like creepy crawlies was that you don't like bugs, so obviously i would assume that your dragon wouldn't be getting any insects, so its only fair to realize how me and the other poster would steer you away from owning a bearded dragon, because that is how we interpreted your words.

But no one is try to start a fight here, and I'm sorry you got offended but really, we were just trying to answer your question. So hopefully there are no hard feelings.

-Brandon

 

[Pixall]

I agree with everything that has been said. You could also try your hand at raising superworms. the adults are not acceptable for dragons under 16" due to a kink in their digestive tract, but baby supers are an acceptable addition to a baby dragon's diet. Just remember with supers ALWAYS feed baby to baby dragon, and "adult" worm to adult dragon. These do turn into 1" long black beetles, so if you don't like beetles, raising supers probably isn't for you.

Calci worms AKA Repti worms AKA Phoenix worms AKA Black soldier fly larve are a nice food source. I recommend you swing by your local petco and ask to hold a living worm first. They sell them under the name Calci worms. They kind of freak ME out, and I raise cockroaches for my guys, so its better to be safe then buy 1000 online and find they freak you out. Horn worms are wonderful feeders, and are just big ole caterpillars. The big ones will be too big for an itty bitty baby dragon, though. Your two best bets would be silkworms and phoenix worms. Or you could go to a reptile convention and look at all the feeders they have available and decide what you can and cannot deal with.

Good luck and I hope I helped!

As an aside, when did you get back, Brandon? Good to 'see' ya.

 

[Chirple]

I am a new owner, but I would have to warn you that with a baby, you are going to spend a LOT of money on food. I would really research this before you decide on a baby bearded dragon. Have a plan.

I'm glad I bought a juvenile, not a baby. I will still get to watch him grow, but I won't be spending ridiculous amounts of money on feeders. If you get a baby, do the math and have a plan beforehand. I'm just saying this as a friendly warning - bearded dragon babies are much, much more expensive to feed than a cat, for instance. Even my juvenile I just adopted is going to be the most expensive pet of mine for feeding (I have two cats, an axolotl tank and a fish tank).


Crickets aren't really that bad. My mom fed and dusted crickets for our anole when were younger - and she is TERRIFIED of my bearded dragon. I really recommend overcoming the fear - not just for the bearded dragon, but for yourself. It can be done. I used to hate spiders so much and was terrified of them, but by gradually introducing myself to them, I've gotten to the point where I would love to have a pet tarantula !

I got some feeder tongs from the pet store - it helps because some worms will bite you ! I also got them for my mom, so if she ever has to feed him, she will not have to actually touch the bugs.

I would definitely try to find a good local pet store and talk to them and have them show you the different feeders. Roaches SOUND scarier than crickets, but dubia are "fat and slow" and can't fly and they don't chirp incessantly. Crickets are good to get used to, though, since they are usually easiest to find locally if you're in a pinch.

 

[Cowabunga]

All good info. Sounds like our OP has it set if she can source repti/phoenix worms she should be ok. If bought in enough bulk it is a little more expensive than crickets yes but if it means that she has to pay more money to get past her issues then so be it as long as she is willing to do so I am for it. Reptis make an excelent staple, the other worms do not for many reasons.

I have a large Dubia colony but recently started with reptis and they are awesome and easy to feed and keep. My dragons much prefer dubia and many times I will find their dishes still full of worms but devoid of any of my blapticas. lol That's a good thing though, I have a lot invested in my colonies so as long as I can avoid ever having to keep crickets then mission accomplished. :lol:

To the above poster, buying Juvies are definitely a wise way to go to save some money but raising from a juvy is NOTHING like actually bringing the dragon up from a small little 6inch guy that fits on 1 finger to a big 20" mammoth. The early months, similar to the early years of humans, are pretty crucial in deciding our dragons personalities. By the time they are juvies, they are who they are lol...

 

[nahuelarg86]

I just wanted to add that my beardie, which is a baby/juvi, eats only in one day, around 100 1/4" to 1/2" dubias. Do you know how much dubias are?! Obviously if you have your own colony this wouldn't be a pain to the wallet, but looks like you wouldn't like to have a colony. Worms are pretty expensive too.

 

[Cowabunga]

Thats a bit excessive. Might want to get your beardies fecal checked and make sure it doesn't have worms or other digestive issues..

 

[Jetbo]

Maybe you should look into a Uromastyx :study: instead of a bearded. They are very cute and don't require the bugs.

 

[Claudiusx]

Thats a bit excessive. Might want to get your beardies fecal checked and make sure it doesn't have worms or other digestive issues..

Doesn't sound too excessive too me, but that's talk for another topic

-Brandon

 

[EccentricME]

I was totally freaked out by the crickets AND worms. I still kind of am and I have had Lincoln for a month. If I drop one I still squeal a little ( ) then I quickly figure the best way to get it without touching it. I think you will get used to them. I really want the best for my dragon so if that means touching a bug or two or more (whoops!) then that's just what I have to do.

 

[sheri85]

i hate bugs too, but it's surprising how quickly i got used to them. i won't touch anything except wax worms, but i use tongs to catch dubia and superworms. the cricket keepers are a good way to not touch the crickets when feeding.

my mom loved my beardies when i first got them, but didn't like the idea of live feeders. about two months ago she got her own beardie, and she's slowly getting over the dislike of bugs lol. so it's possible. if you really want one, you'll get over the bug thing. but as others have mentioned if you really think you can't do it, i highly recommend not getting a beardie. it's not fair to poorly feed an animal because you don't like the feeders. i would also love a snake, but i know for a fact that i would NOT be able to feed rodents.