I agree whole heartedly.Oh yeah I agree. I think most of the issue stems from the concept that they’re a good ‘beginner’ reptile so people see that and think they won’t have to do too much with them and also paired with the whole stereotype of reptiles being non-interactive and something you can just put in a tank and leave to do their thing.
At the very least nowdays it seems there’s more of an understanding about how complex they are as they’re becoming a more popular pet choice. I’ve definitely seen more awareness about their needs and more people asking questions.
In fact in the past 2 years I’ve answered questions for people asking while I’m out at my local pet store if I’ve heard them asking about dragons and the staff don’t know so I’ll explain what they need and point them to where they can get good quality supplies.
I often actually give them a link to this site because of the helpful community and range of information here.
Even the vet Spike sees on the regular has noticed in recent years that the dragons they see are improving in lifespan and general condition so they’ve told me the oldest dragon they regularly see is a 15 year old male which is pretty good given last I heard the captive average lifespan is 10-12 years.
Additionally I’ve actually just recently put together a PDF file I can print as a booklet for people interested in a bearded dragon but unsure about what they need and such like a basic guide to bearded dragons as pets so if the forum lets me I wouldn’t mind providing that file if anyone’s interested.
He is so adorable and sweetSpike is still going well and is steadily gaining back weight he lost. I’m also finding a few more food items he doesn’t have any difficulty chewing up and swallowing so he can happily eat dandelion flowers and the local pet supply store recently bought out a new insect product which is little packs of hermetically sealed shelf stable insects (options of grasshoppers, BSFL, mealworms, crickets or rice worms) I got the BSFL as they were the more nutritionally balanced of the range and tried him with that today. He loved them and didn’t have any issues so there’s another food option for him.
He did also have some gut motility issues after his big surgery late last year but at this stage that also seems to be resolving now so he’s continuing to make improvements.View attachment 88177View attachment 88178View attachment 88179View attachment 88180
Are they dried or are they "wet" (dead but like they had been alive a moment ago)?the local pet supply store recently bought out a new insect product which is little packs of hermetically sealed shelf stable insects
They’re moist so not dried. I’ll see if I can find a link to the product as it may be easier to see the product rather than try and decipher any explanation I can giveGreatSo happy to see that.
Are they dried or are they "wet" (dead but like they had been alive a moment ago)?
Are you feeding this kind of food as Spike would have problems with live insects due to his conditions (oesophagos/throat), or is it as it's just easier when you just need insects just once in a while?
(Absolutely no criticism is intended! You're caring so well for Spike. I'm just curious)
Yeah this product is great for that. They seemed to be packed with a little bit of something moist that I’m wondering whether it’s a bit of peanut oil because it does have a peanut sort of smell.Thanks for explaining
It's really good that such a product exists, so you won't have to give him dried insects
I'm pretty sure getting insects that way is a great help for him with his disabilities. I could imagine this product also being helpful if it's impossible to bring live insects somewhere.
Btw.:
I also don't feed dried insects for the same reason you mention, fresh is better (I was also never feeding pellets to pets that could get pellets, always only fresh food; my dragon Taco only gets live insects and fresh greens).
I think what's especially important is also that fresh insects hydrate them. In addition, I'm pretty sure my Taco won't eat dried insects. He only eats insects that move quite a lot - if one doesn't, he's ignoring it, which totally makes sense (insect not moving = not healthy = better don't eat it).
So I was just asking which kind of product this is, in case I'm ever in a similar situation which I of course hope not, but if, I will care for him
(And I also had assumed, just based on how well you care for him, that you, as far as possible, feed live insects but can't give them to Spike because his health reasons.)
They are a newer released thing over here in Australia so I’m not sure how commonly the product can be found elsewhere but I know ExoTerra does canned insects that from what I remember were moist rather than dried but the downside of the cans is they’re not transparent so you can’t see the size of the insects in there.
I had land hermit crabs. There are pellets available, but I fed them fresh veggies, pieces of shellfish/ sea food what is their natural diet. Big plus: "real food" keeps them busy.I also agree with you about the pellets. Just because you can feed pellets doesn’t mean you should because the animal is definitely going to enjoy actual recognisable food items more.
I do also have a pack of reptile pellets made by Vetafarmbut I don’t feed those as pellets. I soak some in a bit of water to soften up and add that to the blended mixtures I give to spike to add a better blend of nutrients and protein and bulk up mixtures that are particularly watery.
That's what I also plan - I myself am very much into organic food, gardening and such. (Grew up on a homestead! Always of the type "growing is easier than buying".)As for greens I usually grow most of what I give my dragons myself because that way I can know they’re fresh and pesticide free. Things like alfalfa and mustard greens are great because you can grow those in a shallow tray and they sprout very quickly so if you need greens fast they’re a good option.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?