When do you reduce the amount of live feeders and increase v

[Fal]

Hey folks,

Draco is about 4/5 months old now (approx) and getting bigger all the time (which is great). We were wondering, however, about the amount of live feeders we give him/how often we give them him.

We give him a feeding in the morning (the usual thing, as many as he can eat in 10/15min etc) and the same in the evening. We have always (and he has always eaten, even since only a couple of weeks old) greens/veg continuosly (eg: morning and more in the evening).

This morning, we unfortunately had ran out of live feeders and so just gave him more veg (my dad's getting some locust later this morning). He stared at me for a while awaiting his locust and it seemed that when he realised they weren't on time, ran down and ate more veg than ever.. which is great as we only usually see him (although he does eat more through the day) eat a couple of bits at a time.

I know when young you should feed as we are (three times a day some even say), and when older they eat like 80% veg and 20% live... but when do you switch? Doo you slow it down to one live feeding a day etc...?

Any advice/tips/usual helpfulness on this would be great! I imagine it's more when he's getting near full sized since they won't need the protein as much for bone growth and so it won't need doing now, it's just his veg munching this morning triggered the question in me!

Anyway, cheers for reading the essay and I look forward to any answers you can give!

Cheers all,

Jon

 

[MyLittleFoot]

I tried to look up this answer but couldn't find anything but I was wondering the same thing

Good Question

 

[DragonsInKansas]

They tell you when it's time. Over time they'll start to eat less insects and more veg. But at 4-5 months he should still be hard core on the insect train. I think it takes several years to get to the 80% veg stage.

 

[diamc]

When you are feeding them live feeders 3 times a day, at the age of about 9 months or so, they either eat less feeders at each feeding or decide on their own that they only want live food twice a day. They will let you know when they want to cut back. But, since they continue to grow rapidly until about 1 yr old, continue to offer live food, all they can eat at least 2 to 3 times a day. At the age of about 1 1/2, they don't need as much protein as their growing has almost stopped, so then they should be getting 80% greens and 20% live feeders. That is also the age that you cut back the calcium to 3 days a wk and the vitamins to 1 day a wk. As an adult, they can still get about 35 large feeders (like supers) a wk and 50 small feeders (like crickets) a wk. Hope this helps.

 

[MyLittleFoot]

Thanks for the responses

 

[FaaFaa]

OK.... Now I am confused. Apparently I have been doing this wrong. The book I bought when I got my beardie (Bearded Dragons by Philip Purser) states "One insect feeding per day coupled with at least four vegetable feedings per week is all a juvenile beardie requires." According to this book a Juvenile BD is 4 or 5 months-18 months old.

Chaos is now about 5 months old. (I'm unsure of his exact age because I got him at a petstore.) So with the help of this stupid book I decided it was time to change his diet. He gets his veggies at 8am (which he still isn't too fond of) every morning and then he gets an insect feeding between 4-5pm. He usually consumes a ton of silks or hornworms or crix at his pm feeding.

Last time I trust a book...

So it sounds like we will go back to the old routine...wiggly salad in the am and an insect feeding in the pm. Does this sound OK? Can I assume this is an OK diet until he is about a year old, or until he tells me otherwise?

Any imput would be great. Fal I am greatful to you for this post. All along I thought I was doing the right thing!

Thanks,
Jen & Chaos

 

[spurlee01]

Tyson doesn't want me to ask this, he's changed the page 3 times when I've tried but...
I'm still a bit confused as to how exactly to switch them. He's only had one feeding a day since he was a baby (we didn't know any better). He's a year old so I don't knkow whether to start switching him now or wait. Any advise is appreciated .
Sara

 

[DragonsInKansas]

you don't switch them, they switch themselves, they start eating more salad and fewer insects.

 

[keschete]

My guys are 4 and 5 mths old. In the am they get a bowl of mustard greens, at lunch some crickets (10 minutes worth) and I refill the mustard green bowl, evening another round with the crickets.

My two males usually empty each of their mustard green bowls by lunch, eat crickets at lunch and have emptied another bowl of mustard greens by evening. I am using medium sized ceramic bowls that you would put guinea pig food in, but the bowl has a short side and is about 4 inches diamter.

I would leave some veggies in their viv all day and then offer the live food 2 or 3 times a day until they slow down on their own. By offering greens all day, they are more likely to eat them.

 

[diamc]

Tyson doesn't want me to ask this, he's changed the page 3 times when I've tried but...
I'm still a bit confused as to how exactly to switch them. He's only had one feeding a day since he was a baby (we didn't know any better). He's a year old so I don't knkow whether to start switching him now or wait. Any advise is appreciated .
Sara

Sara, I sent you a long pm that I think will help clarify. If after reading it, you have any more questions, let me know.

 

[diamc]

FaaFaa, at the age of only 5 months, I would also offer him live food in the morning too, leave his greens in, then offer the 4 to 5 feeding like you have been doing. At his age, he should have protein twice a day.

 

[FaaFaa]

FaaFaa, at the age of only 5 months, I would also offer him live food in the morning too, leave his greens in, then offer the 4 to 5 feeding like you have been doing. At his age, he should have protein twice a day.

Yep, thanks! That is exactly what I am going to start doing today. This is not the 1st time that book steered me in the wrong direction! It's heading for the trash!

So is it then safe to assume that just a few nibbles of greens a day is OK for Chaos for now? I never thought I would be this concerned about a lizard!

 

[Fal]

Thanks folks, loadsa good advice as usual and glad my post helped others too!

Draco is still on his 10/15min live feed in a morning (we put in his mixed veg etc at the same time in a biggish bowl and it stays there all day) then in the early evening he has another 10/15min live feeding and his mixed veg etc is replaced with more fresh stuff, not topped up, as it dries out and doesn't look to appealing.

He's eaten beg since week one, which we have always been pleased with, so we have always given him a wide veriety of veg, with dandylion leaves as the main staple. We have a pretty good food sheet we use to make sure he gets whats right for him + a good veriety of lives:
Locust (staple), Phoenix worms, Butterworms (less often), waxworms (much less often and only once/twice a week when we have them)

Cheers again guys... we'll continue to load up our cupbards with live feeders lol

Jon

 

[FaaFaa]

FaaFaa, at the age of only 5 months, I would also offer him live food in the morning too, leave his greens in, then offer the 4 to 5 feeding like you have been doing. At his age, he should have protein twice a day.

Yep, thanks! That is exactly what I am going to start doing today. This is not the 1st time that book steered me in the wrong direction! It's heading for the trash!

So is it then safe to assume that just a few nibbles of greens a day is OK for Chaos for now? I never thought I would be this concerned about a lizard!

OK so now what? I gave him a few tiny hornworms this am along with his greens and he has not touched his greens all day! Do I worry? I have had a problem getting him to eat veggies from day 1. He only really likes the stuff that he cannot have everyday, or that is in short supply here. Sometimes it is so frustrating to see other posts abut how well other beardies eat and then see mine go all day without a single nibble. When he was only getting 1 veggie feeding he at least ate a small amount of veggies everyday. He eats the bugs just fine, it's the other stuff that I have a terrible time with!

 

[Neromom39]

If he is only five months, then I wouldn't be concerned about him not eating his greens first thing. He will eat them if he gets hungry.

Our babies (6 weeks and 3 months) are still being fed proteins twice a day and our bigger dragons (9 mo and 1 year) are fed theirs once a day in the evening. This way they have to eat their greens when they are hungry. We also have an adult (3+) that only gets his proteins every other day and is limited to 30-35 supers a week just as Diane mentioned.