Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We're going out of town for 48 hours only, and I don't know whether I can leave my beardie? Last time we went away we took him, but this time it may not be possible. His light and heat lamp are on timers, but obviously I don't want to leave crix in his tank for that long and whatever greens I give him will dry up. So, is there a way to do it? I'd rather take him than have someone come in to care for him, if I can't leave him.

Thanks,

Gwen

How old is he and will he eat pellets?
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Heart Mountain Herps

He is seven months old, and so far he has always refused pellets. But I haven't tried in a while. I still have some, so maybe I should try them today to see if he eats them.

Gwen

If you can get him to eat pellets he should be fine for a weekend. Even if he refuses while you're there I'd leave a small dish of dry in with him (they don't go bad), 48 hours isn't going to kill him he just may not be a happy camper when you get home.
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Heart Mountain Herps

Thanks for your help! I think I'll do that.

Gwen

he should be alright for a weekend, or 48 hours at his age. i suggest feeding him as much as he will eat before you leave, so he is as full as possible, just don't over do it, don't want to make him sick. leave a big pile of greens as far away from the lights as possible, mist them with water, so this will keep them as long as possible.

for insects, you can leave some superworms in with the greens, or silkworms, though with silkworms i recommend putting them in a bowl away from the lights with a chunck of silkworm chow for them to eat. even if your dragon eats the chow himself, it won't hurt him.

pellets can be used as well, but if serving them dry i would also leave a small dish of water, so your dragon can have access to some water.

everything else should be fine for the time your gone.
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PHLdyPayne

Thank you so much.

Gwen

it's much healthier for the dragon to just go two days without food than to have to suffer the stresses related to an unfamiliar environment. Bearded dragons are pretty good at dealing with stresses, but even though they don't show it, it still affects them. Your dragon could have trace amounts of coccidia or pinworms in him (which wouldn't necessarily be shown in a fecal examination), and the amount of stress involved in moving him around could be enough to throw his system out of balance and let the parasites get their way.

Also, dry pellets are a poor substitute for real food for a dragon. All that's really saying is 'I can't give you real food, so eat these instead'. Bearded dragons...well, reptiles in general are not designed to digest grains, and eating dry grains (pellets) will lead to a dehydrated dragon. They don't usually recognize standing water as any sort of resource because in the wild they get almost all of the moisture they need from the food they eat, and they retain moisture by hiding out in humid areas (underneath stuff, basically). In captivity they aren't usually offered a nice place to hide in humidity, but this is usually balanced by a diet that his very high in water content.

You have to really think of your reptiles as what they are. They aren't a dog or a cat, where you can leave a dish of food and a ton of water, or bring them with you. It's usually a better bet to just feed the dragon a lot beforehand, and when you come home he'll be glad to see that it's finally time to eat again. Captive bearded dragons are overfed and overweight anyways. The longest lived dragons are usually those that aren't fed everyday. There was a lady that came into this local petshop (didn't actually see her, but I heard about her a lot while conversing with the very smart staff in the reptile department). She kept her bearded dragon on a diet of greens 2-3 times a week, crickets every 2 weeks, and an occasional treat, and last I heard the dragon had reached 14 years old! I think that case is a little extreme, but people always seem to think reptiles need to eat everyday. Think about it. People feed their dragons until they are stuffed, assuming that this equals satisfaction, correct? But that's not how it works in the wild. The instincts of a dragon is to eat as much food as it can get its claws on, because in reality there is no way they will be able to get as much food as they seem to crave. We give them enough food that they are actually completely full, and then wonder why they die at 7 or 8 from kidney or liver disease (which are the leading causes of death in older dragons).

I know I've gone off on a tangent, but anyways, the healthiest dragons I've seen, are those that are not fed constantly. They grow slower, but they live longer.