Hi so I have a new beardie. I am also a new owner. I live in Canada. I am a good few hours from a pet store. So what I am trying to figure out is how much I need to stock up for taking care of my new family member. Right now I am feeding him Bok Choy
<<< buk choy is good and naturally high in calcium ( Ca = 2.8 which is very good ).
with a calcium spray. And kingworms.
<<< these are superworms (Zophobas morio) , if the new beardie is under 1 yr old , I'd suggest they are not suitable to give as a feeder at all, and only suitable to give as occasional treats to beardies older than 1 year old, very hard to digest exoskeleton is the main issue as it can impact them . My beardies Peppa and Toothless only get at most 3 each maybe 2x a week as treats , their main insect staple is crickets , and silkworms when I have them.
How old is your beardie ? how heavy in grams ?
You are in Canada so should be able to source pretty easily
>>> BSF maggots (Phoenix worms) excellent naturally high calcium feeder , but small so not so flash for older / larger juveniles over 8 months (I think unless you can get VERY BIG BSF maggots).
>>> silkworms another excellent feeder
>>> criclets / roaches / locusts , suitable size , gutloaded with calcium rich greens and dusted with calcium powder are all good staple feeder insects.
the amount of insects per feed depends on the age and size of beardie and the size of the insects.
ie one medium size silkworm (2in long) is roughly equiv to 4 - 6 medium sized crickets by mass).
NO mealworms except as treats for adults , similar with supers / kingworms and wax worms.
I am just not sure how many times a day to feed him and how many worms in one sitting. The pet store said 1-2 worms a day in the morning.
<<< one to two king worms per day is a starvation diet for the full grown beardie .... I think you should ignore the advice given by the pet shop staff as it's is extremely likely to be very poor advice as few pet shop employees have the foggiest idea how to properly care for any reptiles they sell.
<<< feeding schedule changes depending on the beardies age , hatchlings --> 4 months (three feeds of live insects per day if manageable (two feeds if you can't manage a midday meal)
Juveniles --> 1 yr old 2 live insect meals per day
1yr ---> adult 1 live insect meal per day
But I have also read that you should feed them for 10 mins and see how much they eat. <<< I've never followed that rule of thumb, I simply feed mine they loose interest or clam their jaws shut and crawl up under my chin (if handfeeding them) .... that's the clue ...
"gee dad ... I've full ...no more please ....."
He does 20 worms in 10 mins.
<<<< that's way too many king worms even for an adult beardie .... yes I know that they love them , but he's better off getting a mix of silkworms and crickets / roaches /locusts.
Also his basking spot is at around 95 Fahrenheit
<<< a tad cool for a basking spot , something more like 105oF for an adult is better O(FOR THE BASKING SPOT)
the single
Uvb bulb I have was not putting out much warmth so I have a two bulb setup.
<<< is one of the bulbs a curly shaped thing ?....
If it is what brand is it ?
what wattage ?
what is it's %UVB rating ?
and is it sitting on top of a mesh lid ?
how far is it from the basking spot ?
If it's a ALL LIVING THINGS or ZILLA brand UV bulb, ditch it.... as it's a very poor quality UV bulb made in china and will produce a very poor UV spectrum that's harmful to your beardie.
The other bulb is just a incandescent 60watt
<<< might be worth investing in a 80W par38 clear colorless incandescent or equiv in a halogen spot globe
.
Tank setup.
Kingworms about an inch long.