Newbie questions....

[sam121oh]

Hiya!

So, I have a 7inch bearded dragon, Pascal, and right now I give him a mixed diet of crickets and Phoenix worms. Although, when I give him Phoenix worms he picks through them and will not eat the dark ones...does anyone else have this problem? I've tried about everything to try to get him them to eat them including putting calcium powder on them to make them white (yes I know Pheonix worms do not need to be dusted but I wanted to make the white). Any ideas because I hate buying Phoenix worms when he only eats half of them....

I have a couple more questions....
1. If dragons have too much calcium will it hurt them?
2. Whatever I do, Pascal will not eat any veggies....how did you get your beardie to eat veggies? (I have feed him some baby food and he loves it but i have been trying to back off it)
3. How old/long until they can eat mealworms or superworms?
4. Whats your opinion about freezing crickets and how do you do it? Explain your process please....

Thank you so much,

Sam

 

[KristineM]

Awwww...my boy won't touch a Phoenix worm that isn't white and MOVING Yes, too much calcium can be bad...just like too much of anything really. I don't freeze any live feeders, they lose their nutritional value. Can you try Dubia roaches? They're my guy's favorite...not sure if they are legal where you are. They can't escape the right sized bowl and are easily digested (still should be appropriately sized).

Personally I don't think I will ever feed mealworms to my beardie. I know the general rule is once your beardie is 16 inches, it's ok to go ahead with those. Supers are also not a worm I will feed to my beardie.

I would stick with the phoenix/calci/reptiworms as a baby. Wax worms are generally a treat and too fatty. Again, love the dubia roaches! Ohhhhh those darn veggies, haha! When your beardie is hungry enough he will eat them. It's good to always have them there to offer but you don't have to worry too much about the veggies at this point. It's just important to get them used to having them there

Why are you using baby food? Was there an issue before where he needed it? (Just wondering)

Edited to add: I just read the post where he wasn't doing so well when you first got him...looks like he's come a long way!!

 

[sam121oh]

Thank you for replying so quick!

For the first couple weeks Pascal would not eat at all, I took him to the vet and he had an horrible eye infection and he slept all day. The only thing I could get him to eat is baby food. He doesn't really eat it anymore but he LOVES it. The little spoiled one...
The only reason why I ask about mealworms/superworms are because he goes CRAZY for them. When I first got him I had fed him a couple mealworms and then I did my research and tossed the rest of the mealworms...I haven't fed him any since and that was a month ago.
Thank you for your insight on dubias. I might try them. Do you have a site you recommend to purchase them from?
Also, what type of greens do you feed your beardie? (I know not to feed them lettuce or spinach) Where I live its hard to get special types of green...I usually put squash, peas and green beans in his viv for now. He likes bananas too but I use that as a treat

 

[KristineM]

Awwww! Poor baby!! Well, sounds like he's doing well now and has learned how to get mommy to do exactly what he wants

I feed Batman dandelion greens/summer or winter squash. That's his favorite. I also use a food processor to chop 'em up good. Mustard greens are great too but I have heard they are more bitter tasting, same with the acorn squash. I'd certainly steer clear of anything with even the word lettuce in it :lol:

This is a WONDERFUL list of foods: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

We order our dubia from http://www.kimbrellscoldblood.com/ BUT you can always look in the For Sale Forum and see what they have going on. I just placed an awesome order through http://www.beardeddragon.co for adult female feeder breeders...we have our own colony at this point but it isn't quite self sufficient just yet It was such a great deal so I couldn't pass it up. Many places have special sales so I'd check out the For Sale Forum before making a decision.

 

[sam121oh]

Yes Pascal gets whatever he wants...spoiled little booger. :lol: Thank you so much for your advice. You've been very helpful! I am going to order a small container of dubia roaches to see if he likes them. If he does...i'll attempt to start a colony.
Thanks again,
Sam

 

[KristineM]

That's wonderful, Sam!! Always feel free to ask away! They sure do know how to whip us right into shape huh?

Honestly...the dubia was the VERY best investment we have made other than the MUSTS like UVB and all the husbandry. So worth it. Keep me updated! I'd love to hear how the dubia roaches go!!

 

[Sauzo]

Harley won't usually eat the black phoenix worms either unless I drop em in front of her. Then she will snatch em up or look at em. If she just looks at em, i'll drop it again. She was pretty easy for veggies except she is kinda picky which ones. She used to love mustard greens and she would eat em when I hand fed her pieces. Now she doesn't like mustard greens and its dandelion greens now usually she will eat about 4-6 pieces a morning. Try hand feeding a few pieces in the morning. At such a young age, they usually wont eat too much greens anyways. I wouldn't feed mealworms or superworms till they are like a year old or 12 inches. As for crickets, I have no answer since Harley quit eating crickets after she tasted dubia roaches. If you are looking for a good easy staple food for a baby, try dubias. They breed easy, easy to handle, don't bite, don't stink, don't make noise, have a higher meat:chitin ratio. Only downside is some people are allergic to em, mostly the frass when it gets stirred up aka cage cleaning.

 

[CountofCasualty]

Feed supers after 16 inches. Don't ever feed mealworms, the nutritional value in them is way to low, especially with the hard chitin. Supers are fine staples after 16 inches and up.

 

[sam121oh]

Okay thanks guys! I definitely won't try superworms until he is 16 inches. I am going to try out some dubia roaches and see how he likes them. Thanks again for everyones input.