Worried about Underfeeding/Overfeeding

[LittleRepieye]

Hello, I am a New Beardie owner and also new to the site. I got my beardie Draco at the start of April at a Reptile Expo. I'm not sure on his age, I was told he was a year when I Bought him, But I see so many beardies on this site that are 5 months plus that are way bigger then he was when I got him. Currently He is 14'5 Inches. I'm also not sure if he really is a he. I Think he is male though, as he has allot of small bumps under his legs. I Thank this site so much for helping me prepare and making sure everything is done right to keep Draco healthy But I'm still worried about feedings. I have read so many different care sheets on how much to feed your dragon and they all seem different. I Thought I was doing correct feedings but now I read more and I'm unsure.

I have Read some say to feed them live prey every other day and others 10-30 a day. I just wanted to make sure my baby wasn't starving or being overfed Currently I feed him a salad everyday with Romaine, Blueberries, Strawberries, Grapes And Zoomed Adult Bearded Dragon Pellets, with some squeezed grapes over the salad to keep it moist. Then I usually feed him 7 crickets a day, with a dusting of Fluckers Calcium with Vitamin V3 every other day. I was told at Petsmart to feed them one every two inches of their body, but again I'm unsure about this, any help or tips on how much you feed your bearide would be much appreciated

And Here's a picture of my cutie Draco This was taken a few hours ago, Sorry for the bad picture quality, I only have my phone available as a camera until I Save for a digital

 

[fez09]

Draco is adorable! What type of UVB do you have for him? As far as feeding, Petco and Petsmart are well known for giving bad information, they only feed the bare minimum...At a year old, my girls were at or above 19 inches. I would suggest to let him eat as much as he wants once per day until he's closer to 18 months old. He probably has a little catching up to do!! Keep giving him daily salads too, you might want to try collard greens or mustard greens instead of romaine.

 

[LittleRepieye]

Thanks so much for the reply! Well my UV is currently a repti-glo tube and a 100w basking bulb. witch I've read repti-glo is not to good, I went to buy a reti-sun from a local exotic pet store and was told he would be fine, they specialize and breed Bearded dragons so I took there word for it, but further reading I've decided to just go with my gut and get the Repi-sun I've heard so much about this weekend.

 

[fez09]

Good choice, it really is the best out there...You can order it from www.petmountain.com for about $20.00 including shipping!

 

[LittleRepieye]

Today I got my Repi-sun 10.0 and have been feeding Draco a mix of Collard Greens and Dandelion greens for the past few days along with his other fruits. Hopefully this helps my little guy put on a few more inches

 

[diamc]

Hi, Draco is very handsome. By looking at his head, he does indeed look like a male and his bumps under his legs are actually femoral pores that are more pronounced in males.

In case you haven't seen it, here's a site that shows the best greens and veggies to feed: www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

That's good that you bought the Repti-Sun 10.0, that is the tube, correct? Make sure it is 6 to 8" from him and right alongside a bright white basking bulb so that he can get the benefit of both bulbs at the same time.

If you have any other questions, we are here to help. :wink:

 

[LittleRepieye]

Thank you very much Yup I got the tube UV set right beside his basking lamp where he spends most of his day. I actually used that site recently when I took a trip to improve his diet, I'm not sure if hes crazy about his new greens yet but I'm sure he will grow to like them and ill continue to try other veggies and fruits as well But He loves his strawberries!

 

[fez09]

Has Draco been able to eat more bugs each day?

 

[LittleRepieye]

He has been eating more bugs this week, I'm taking it slowly by only adding one to his daily feeding each week , just don't want him to get sick. But he did slow down on his veggies, he still eats them but not as much. I don't think hes used to the new greens yet.
But after feeding him his collards and dandelion greens plus the new UV light he has been 10x more active. I let him out yesterday and he ran around my sofa jumping and bobbing everywhere it was great. Thanks everyone so much!

 

[fez09]

YAY!!! I'm super lad to hear that the UVB has made such a big difference!!!! That's awesome! Now that he has a good UVB, you can increase his feedings more than one per day. If you're nervous just add 5 extra bugs per feeding for a few days, then add more. with all that extra energy, his body needs more food to burn!

 

[Bballglass12]

Draco is adorable! What type of UVB do you have for him? As far as feeding, Petco and Petsmart are well known for giving bad information, they only feed the bare minimum...At a year old, my girls were at or above 19 inches. I would suggest to let him eat as much as he wants once per day until he's closer to 18 months old. He probably has a little catching up to do!! Keep giving him daily salads too, you might want to try collard greens or mustard greens instead of romaine.

So when a dragon reaches adult hood (18 months beyond) how many crickets should he/she be eating. Maybe people who own adult beardies can mention about how much live food they eat?