Is it safe to feed an dragon stuff like bits of unseasoned raw chicken? You can feed it to snakes an alligators so im pretty sure its okay but i want to make sure
Dragons are primarily insectivore+herbivore omnivores, they are opportunistic though so it's not like some chicken or other animal meat will kill them. It's not however considered an important or standard part of the diet.
Other reptiles are more widely omnivorus and make use of animal meats. Snakes and alligators are pretty different from dragons when it comes to dietary needs and digestive systems.
Dragons are primarily insectivore+herbivore omnivores, they are opportunistic though so it's not like some chicken or other animal meat will kill them. It's not however considered an important or standard part of the diet.
Other reptiles are more widely omnivorus and make use of animal meats. Snakes and alligators are pretty different from dragons when it comes to dietary needs and digestive systems.
actually there is evidence that wild beardies are opportunistic canivores - insectivores , studies of the contents of wild caught beardies , been posted here in another thread , were nearly entirely insects and smaller animals ... essentially if they can catch it and swallow it , it's food . see viewtopic.php?f=18&t=230705&hilit=wild+beardies+stomach+contents
Is the vertebrate content of that study mentioned in the body rather than the abstract? Because it doesn't mention anything other than insects and plants in the brief. Instead it suggests insect+plant omnivory primarily.
"Based on our data and other studies, a diet consisting of several insect species, supplemented with leafy vegetables, rich in n3 FA's, would best resemble the expected natural diet of P. vitticeps."
For the sake of discussion.... I'm not suggesting dragons cannot eat vertebrates, or that they don't in the wild or that they should be part of the diet etc.... Clearly many will happily eat a range of non-insect prey. What is the judgment here for very bad idea vs what's ok to include in the diet? What benifit does "boiled lean chicken mince" have over raw chicken, or even over whole prey items like neonatal mice? What benifit does offering any vertebrate have that isn't provided with a varied insect+plant diet?
Is the vertebrate content of that study mentioned in the body rather than the abstract? Because it doesn't mention anything other than insects and plants in the brief. Instead it suggests insect+plant omnivory primarily.
"Based on our data and other studies, a diet consisting of several insect species, supplemented with leafy vegetables, rich in n3 FA's, would best resemble the expected natural diet of P. vitticeps."
For the sake of discussion.... I'm not suggesting dragons cannot eat vertebrates, or that they don't in the wild or that they should be part of the diet etc.... Clearly many will happily eat a range of non-insect prey. What is the judgment here for very bad idea vs what's ok to include in the diet? What benifit does "boiled lean chicken mince" have over raw chicken, or even over whole prey items like neonatal mice? What benifit does offering any vertebrate have that isn't provided with a varied insect+plant diet?
Boiled chicken mince is easier for dragons to digest and less likely to be contaminated with bacteria.
I know some people give pinkies to their adult dragons occasionally, my vet advised against this practice (high risk of bacteria on / in them).
I think the advantage of a more carnivorous diet is less energy is needed to digest it.
The practically is that in their natural range more most of the year there are no live leafy greens or fruits or flowers for dragons to eat at all as it's too dry for these to grow.