Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK , so i got this beared dragon for free and i bought some wax worms to help her grow alittle
i know cricket is a beared dragons main diet .sence i own 7 of them

but i was wondering whats a good method of gut loading wax worm's ?

anyone have a simple way ?

thanks

ohh i forgot to mention that shes pretty skinny im only using this method untill she get's alittle wait going -

christina

7 beardies huh?

you don't feed waxworms.

i dont feed waxworm's .. i feed crickets

but ive read i can feed wax worms to help my one beared dragon gain some weight and then put her back on cricket's .

so please if anyone knows what to feed the darn thing's tell me i did not ask for a lecture

waxworms are high in fat and there is no way to gut load them. If I recall correctly, they only really eat a mixture of grains and honey. Dusting them is about the only way to ensure your dragon is getting all the minerals he needs.

However, I don't recommend using waxworms as a staple diet, even for a short period of time for several reasons. They are high in fat, almost like 'candy' is to us. Many times dragons who get a lot of wax worms tend to refuse anything else ,so it will be much harder to get him back on crickets. And lastly, I consider feeding what comes out to being 'junk food' as a means to get your dragon up in weight, as being very unhealthy for your dragon.

A dragon that is under weight should be fed a completely healthy and varied diet, just offered food more often than normal for that dragon's age. This will allow them to put on a healthy weight, instead of a 'fatty' weight. Feed your dragon a variety of greens and insects and he will gain weight over time. It may take a couple months to get him up to optimal weight but it is better to do it the slow way than fill him mostly with waxworms, instead of more healthy insects.

I don't recall if you mentioned what age your dragon is, if he's an adult or still fairly young. Will assume hes at least a year old. I suggest feeding him a mixed salad with some insects sprinkled on top. A few waxworms added in once or twice a week is fine, and i mean only 1-3 served 2-3 times a week, then cutting them out completely and offered as a rare treat after a month or two has gone by. Instead of waxworms, offer more healthier insects such as properly gut loaded crickets, superworms (not too many of these though, 2-6 a couple times a week is good), silkworms, pheonix worms (these are a little small for adults, but a great insect to add in, as they are very healthy, high in calcium, lively and their fat ratio is much less than in waxworms which are a little bigger), butterworms, and many varieties of roaches, (young of larger roaches, newly molted adults of the smaller species).
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PHLdyPayne

along with what PHLdyPayne listed you can also try a small pinky mouse. I'd give it to it either prekilled of F/T (frozen thawed). But ONLY if it's bid enough to take 'em. The golden rule for beardied as you should already know it width between eyes. Both my boys can take fuzzy mice. And pinky mice are kinda fatty, pretty good in protein, but much better than insects for calcium. I'd say one pinky every 2-4 weeks would be good. (as they're not REALLY part of a natural diet i don't think)And since pinkies are bigger(and heavier) than insects, i wouldn't really give it anything besides a salad the rest of the day.

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1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (Rex- "normal" orange fire)
1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (Glutany- German Giant Mix)
0.1.0 Okeetee Corn (Okatee)
1.1.0 Spotted Python (Hotdog and Shoelace)

I still wouldn't feed everyday! They will get addicted and eat nothing else. They will end up lethargi and probably die. Feed about 5 to her/him about every 3-5 days and keep crix and veggies availabe as well everyday! Good luck and hope everything works out ok!