overfeeding?

[youheartsme]

Hey, I'm not sure if I'm overfeeding my BD. He is about 10 months old and I give him greens or BD pellets once a day. He doesn't really eat the pellets unless he's really hungry but he does he his greens. I also give him about 15-20 dusted crickets later on in the day too. My BD is starting to look a little chubby compared to my friend's BD so that's why I'm asking.

 

[Claudiusx]

15-20 crickets dosen't seem too bad to me.

 

[adamcollier11]

I wouldnt say you were over feeding but you might be under feeding... You want to feed your beardie twice a day and let him eat as many live feeders as he will eat in 10 to 15 mins. Your dragon should start steering towards the veggies more so then the feeders pretty soon but you will want to keep up the as many feeders as he want until he is 12-18 months. Then he should only eat 30-50 live feeders a week plus large amounts of veggies everyday.

 

[Embee]

What is your beardie's size, tip of tail to nose? Has this always been your feeding regimen or have you changed it as he's gotten older/bigger? What size crickets are you feeding?

As Adam mentioned, I would lean toward your beardie being underfed as he is still under a year and therefore considered a juvie (moving toward sub-adult). The regimen therein [as Adam explained] is to offer live feeders 2-3 times per day as many as beardie will eat in 10 or so minutes. As your beardie gets into "sub-adult" status at a year to 18 months, you might see the live feeders slow down, but they still should be offered, allowing beardie to slow down the amount on his own (more or less) as he gets toward adulthood at a year and a half. When into adulthood 1 1/2 - 2 years), the feeding regimen can then shift toward veggies as the staple/live feeders on the side.

Beardies can certainly have a "robust" appearance. When you say "fat" I guess it would be helpful to know exactly what you mean. Don't suppose you have any pics?

Thanks,
Em

 

[youheartsme]

I used to give him crickets twice a day and greens once a day but i thought that i should start weening him towards 50% crickets and 50% greens. He's about 14.5" long right now.

Charmander having a stare down with his dinner.

Charmander chomping down on a cricket.

 

[spurlee01]

14.5 inches is kind of small for a 10-month-old. My 6 m/o is about 14 inches and my boyfriend's 10 m/o is 17 inches and 347 gms. Both of those are a tad bit small for their age depending on who you ask. My 6 m/o eats at least 20 crickets plus some roaches and worms every day. The 10 m/o has put himself on an anti-protein diet and eats mostly veggies now, but would eat about 30 crickets before. I wouldn't switch your guy off protein yet- I would try to get some more growing out of him while you still have the chance. Feeding him as much as he wants twice a day is probably a good idea.
Sara

 

[Neromom39]

The 10 m/o has put himself on an anti-protein diet and eats mostly veggies now, but would eat about 30 crickets before.
Sara

My Nero is the same age and he did this about 2 months ago. I was concerned that he was going to waste away :roll: ... but since then he went from 276 grams to 447 grams. Lordy, he almost weighs a pound :shock: I think he just got bored with crickets. Now that he is on worms, he is a glutton and now prefers the proteins over the salad. I have a feeling he will get cranky when the time comes to start "rationing" his worms.

 

[spurlee01]

The 10 m/o has put himself on an anti-protein diet and eats mostly veggies now, but would eat about 30 crickets before.
Sara

My Nero is the same age and he did this about 2 months ago. I was concerned that he was going to waste away :roll: ... but since then he went from 276 grams to 447 grams. Lordy, he almost weighs a pound :shock: I think he just got bored with crickets. Now that he is on worms, he is a glutton and now prefers the proteins over the salad. I have a feeling he will get cranky when the time comes to start "rationing" his worms.

Glad to know Tyson's not the only one. He will eat all the hornworms we will give him, but not much of any other protein. We're trying dubia tonight so hopefully he'll eat those.
Sara

 

[youheartsme]

So what are the best types of worms to feed them? I occasionally give him meal worms but I'm worried about the shells and him getting constipated.

 

[Embee]

So what are the best types of worms to feed them? I occasionally give him meal worms but I'm worried about the shells and him getting constipated.

Indeed, I wouldn't recommend meal worms. Not only are they an impaction risk but additionally, they do not offer the nutrition beardie needs, and are also high in fat. I avoid wax worms for this same reason (high in fat, a treat more than anything else and they have been known to ruin beardie's appetite for better, more nutritious foods).

Better worm choices are silks, butters, horns and phoenix. When your dragon reaches 16 inches, you can add supers.

Here is an excellent food list for dragons (do's and don'ts): http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html. It will give you details on each of the worms I suggested, and much MUCH more. :mrgreen:

The best,
Em