Should I not feed locusts/crickets 1 day per week?

[Daveismydragon]

Hi,
I feed my 3 month old dragon Dave about 10 locusts per day and he always has fresh vegetables including spinach, rocket and curly cail which he eats too. I was told by the pet shop to leave one day per week and not feed him any locusts or crickets on this day. I had set today as that day. So I got home from school and went to see him. I fed him two waxworms as a treat but then he was looking for more. He was really hungry. So I have fed him around 8 locusts. Is this okay? Should I be leaving one day per week on which he does not get fed any locusts?
Thanks
James

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi James.

Your petstore is giving you wrong information unfortunately. I wouldn't put much faith into any petstores recommendations to be honest.

At 3 months old, your dragons protein and live feeder requirements are tremendous. You should be offering live food 2 to 3 times per day, and offer as many as your dragon can eat in a 10-15 minute time span each time! This is 7 days a week. So as you can imagine, this can add up to quite a bit of insects eaten a day.

The 10 locusts you feed him, is that all he wants or is that what you limit him to? If you are limiting him, you should stop and let him eat as much as he wants (as long as this period doesn't go over 10-15 minutes, it usually lasts way less time than this before they get full).

-Brandon

 

[Daveismydragon]

Hi,
Thanks for your reply. I thought the info was a bit odd when i saw how hungry he was. The 10 locusts i give him could easily be much more, I was just worried about overfeeding him. I'm going to get more locusts today (TEACHER STRIKE! OFF SCHOOL ) . How many per day would you recommend? Will he just stop? And what size hoppers?
Also, what is your opinion on calciworms? Have you ever used them? I am going to order some in bulk to go with the locusts and increase the variety of food on offer.
Thanks
James

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi James,

Each dragon is different, but as long as you follow the guidelines I posted in the previous response, then you can rest assured that your dragon is getting the amount he needs.

Calciworms are good. They are a soft bodied worm so they are easy to digest, and they are pretty high in calcium along with other nutrients. They would definitely be a good addition to add in with the crickets. Variety is key.

-Brandon

 

[Daveismydragon]

I bought more locusts and I have put some in the viv with him but he's being lazy and only eating from the tongs. Should I leave him to eat them alone or use the tongs?

 

[DragonBeauty]

Hello James,

Spinach is not good to feed your Dragon because it binds calcium and not digestible. You need to feed your Dragon dark leafy greens such as Collard or Mustard greens and dust them with calcium.

 

[Daveismydragon]

I'll take it out straight away. Glad I said. In small amounts is carrot okay? Just to add a bit of colour to encourage him to eat his greens.

 

[DragonBeauty]

Yes, carrots can be fed as a treat from time to time. Carrots contain vitamin A and to much vitamin A is toxic. I normally add shredded carrots in my Dragon's salad maybe once a week if that.

 

[Daveismydragon]

Okay sounds good. Thanks for the help!