Questions about the diet/feeding of a Juvenile Beardie

[Lokiza]

Hi there, I am new to this website and new to owning a bearded dragon, and I just had a few questions about their diets. (I apologize if I sound somewhat *****ic. )

> Do juvenile beardies require their dry food to be dusted?
> If so, how often?
> What is the best live food to feed a juvenile? (I know that mealworms can be kind of harmful to them at a young age, but are crickets too big to feed them at this stage? Perhaps Phoenix worms? :| )
(I am also new to live-food, having never owned an animal that has required live-food.)
> What should be the dry food to veggies/insect ratio for a juvenile?

Thank-you for your time. Also, if you have any other advice for newbie beardie owners like me, I'd love to hear it!


(Also, is it okay to give him romaine lettuce? I read that while it is safe, it isn't high in nutrients, but Loki seems to love the stuff! He pays no attention to the diced carrots I offer, and soon I will try things such as kale and collard greens )

 

[JayNormus]

HIYA!

WElcome to the forums! As I am a newer beardie owner as well, the wealth of knowledge on this forum is insane!! Ill do my best to answer your questions mainly with what i have heard, but more so what i do with my 3-4 month old

Do juvenile beardies require their dry food to be dusted?
> If so, how often?
I am confused what you mean by "dry" food. Greens you mean? I dust my greens with calcium 3 days. I also dust my dubia roaches with a lil calcium 5 days and a multi vitamin twice a week.

> What is the best live food to feed a juvenile? (I know that mealworms can be kind of harmful to them at a young age, but are crickets too big to feed them at this stage? Perhaps Phoenix worms? :| ) you can get small crickets, however Dubia roaches are probably one of if not the best nutrition packed feeder. I use them mostly and suppliment supers or repti/phoenix worms for a variety.
(I am also new to live-food, having never owned an animal that has required live-food.)
> What should be the dry food to veggies/insect ratio for a juvenile? should be somewhere in the 80-20 live/greens however most do 60/40 live to greens until like 9 months or so then slowly swap them and and go 40/60 or even 30/70.

I hope this helps and doesnt confuse you! Feel free to ask anything else you may be thinking, as there are NO stupid questions in my book, its the ones you think are stupid that can fault the dragons health the most!!

lastly, post a pic!! put a face to your dragon

 

[AllysonM]

> Do juvenile beardies require their dry food to be dusted?
If by dry mean pelleted/processed food, no you shouldn't need to dust it. Mine has never liked that kind of stuff so not a huge amount of experience with it.
> What is the best live food to feed a juvenile? (I know that mealworms can be kind of harmful to them at a young age, but are crickets too big to feed them at this stage? Perhaps Phoenix worms? :| )
I would honestly look into breeding dubia roaches yourself. I did it for a while. It makes feeding super cheap (after initial costs of setting them up anyway). They don't fly, bite, stink, make noise, or climb smooth surfaces. If that's not your "cup of tea" I would go with repti/phoenix/calci worms. Crickets are good as long as you size them right, gut-load and dust them. I would try to stay away from mealworms for a little while, and even then, don't use them as a staple.
> What should be the dry food to veggies/insect ratio for a juvenile?
If he's eating the pelleted/processed/dry food, let him have as much as he wants as long as he's eating greens and bugs. While mine was growing I tried to aim for 80/20 bugs to veggies. Now he's 80/20 veggies to bugs. He seems to know exactly what he needs, so I just let him choose what he should eat most days. (never met anyone who actually craves vegetables like this weirdo...lol)
As for the romaine, I don't recommend it honestly. Since it doesn't have a lot in it nutritionally, in my eyes, it's just taking up space for stuff like collard, turnip, and mustard greens which have so much more good stuff in them. Cheaper too lol. I use romaine when I've run out of his usual greens just to give him SOMETHING so he'll stop glass dancing -_-

 

[Librarylady]

You do have to be careful with Dubia roaches, there are a few states where they are illegal. I know they are illegal in both Tennessee and Florida. I'd just double check to make sure before you spend lots of money on them.