Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well the boys DEFINATELY prefer romaine over any other greens tried so far. Collards were a big NO and endive and mustard were a VERY definate MAYBE. We did the frozen mixed veggies when we first got them and that was a maybe too, although now that we are a couple of salad freaks we might retry these. So anyone else find there were specific greens that were liked or disliked? My main question is has anyone tried pre-chopping their greens and if so how do you keep them fresh and how long do they last like this? We are going away for a few days and my mother(71) is going to be giving the boys their "salad" so I am trying to make it as easy as possible for her..it would also be handy for those days when I have worked a 12-14 shift and really don't feel like spending all that time doing the chopping thing as soon as I walk through the door.

As far as cages go I am wondering how big a cage I am goiong to need for the boys once they are full grown, assuming they still get along with each other. I was thinking a 95-135 gal aquarium, but want to know for sure.

Thanks
Elaine

If it is for only a few days i make veggie cubes, for the prson taking care of my beardeis to use. I just precut all the veggies and put it in an ice cube tray with a little water, then put it in the freezer. You just put the cube on a plate and put the plate in the cage. This is not a long term alternative, as freezing deplenishes many of the vitamins (or something lkike that) in the greens.

I'm feeding just under 20 different dragons, as well as some other veggie eating reptiles. I buy endive, collards, mustards everytime (unless they look ucky). I also purchase bok choy or napa cabbage, swiss chard, kale and romaine. It is my understanding that bok choy and napa cabbage are fine to feed frequently the others like kale and romaine should be feed sparingly. (I can't find dandelion greens out here or they would be in my base mix) I chop all of first bunch with partial amounts of the second group and toss well. I keep it all in a sterilite tub in the fridge. It lasts at least 3 days before it goes yellow. The heads store longer if not chopped so I try to chop only two or three days worth at a time.
I take this base salad and add assorted goodies to this such as cactus pad, squash, carrots, peas, beans,etc. My dragons all eat thier greens. If yours has a preference for romaine I'd start with it in my base and just reduce the amout of romaine use over time. This way your beardie will get a taste for the other stuff as he eats the romaine. Mine do not just eat the parts they like best, they eat it all! Be patient, be creative.
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Try turnip greens. Mine gobbles then up as soon I put some oin her cage.

In my experience once they ate one green they ate them allI never had beardie spit anything out that's for sure. I would retry those greens now that they seem to be trying more. I base my salads around the healthiest greens for beardies collards, dandelion, mustard, turnip, escarole, endive. I chose 3 or 4 of them. I keep them fresh and ready to go by cutting them all up over the sink and colander. I dry them pretty good, and then put them into a plastic bin with a lining of paper towel on the bottom, and top. I can keep a mix good for about 5-7 days like this (if they were nice and fresh from the store). I also keep chopped up squash, sweet potato, peas whatever you put in to make it different for them separate. I just take out all the plates and take a scoop of this, a handful of that, and a few dashes of this, and they are ready to go
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Everyone answered your green problem so I won't get into that. However I will answer your cage question

Male dragons do tend to not get along, especially as they reach maturity. The cage you are thinking of is big enough for two dragons but I recommend getting two cages instead. If your boys stop getting along, you will already have two cages for them. I have heard two brothers getting along throughout their adult life but this is the exception (I think the owner had a really big cage too and no females at all..but I could be wrong).

The minimum sized cage for a single adult dragon is 4'x2'x2' or approximately the same size as a 50gal long tank. Bigger is always better . If you already have plans for that 100 gal tank, it is possible to put in a divider so you won't need to two separate tanks. The divider should be opaque and doesn't necessary haveto be the full height of the tank (thus a long florescent tube fixture could be still used etc). Separating your dragons also ensures, just in case the breeder/store/expo you bought them from didn't make a mistake on the sexes.
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PHLdyPayne