Here's my opinion...



"10 gallon tank" - great!



"full spectrum uv lighting from an 8.0 bulb" - also great!



"Basking spot is at least 95 during the day (was told to leave it this way until he's a little older...by a breeder who's been doing this stuff since he was 16....he's now 45....so I'm going to trust him on that one." - It is well documented that beardies have to get their body temp up to 95 degrees or higher to digest their food. That means that their basking spot should be at least 100, or better yet ... 110 for babies or young dragons. Do you have a bearded dragon book like "The Bearded Dragon Manual" that says this? If not, it would be a wise investment to buy one. They sell at amazon.com for less than $20.



"He has water, vegetables (bok choy, kale, collared greens)" - Good, except all three contain goitrogens. (Goitrogens are foods which suppress thyroid function and can induce hypothyroidism and depress thyroidal function.) Remember, variety is the key. Try adding some mustard, dandelion, or turnip greens.



"He will eat 1 cricket a day (med sized...I said earlier "big" but med sized is kind big compared to his head...he can easily swallow them and has no trouble digesting)" - This is very very dangerous. I can't tell you how important it is to make sure that anything your beardie eats is smaller than the space between his eyes. Otherwise you risk impaction, paralysis, and death. Is it really worth it?



"I think I might try pinheads to see what happens......Any other insights????" - I am currently feeding two 5 inch long dragons (2 months old) and they get 2 week old (1/4 inch long) crickets. Pinheads will be way too small.



Veronica
Beautiful Dragons

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