Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know that adults are supposed to have around 90% greens and 10% insects. I have a little problem with that though. My adults I feed about 60% greens and 40% insects or something around there. My problem is that I buy greens (collard, mustard, turnip, dnadelion...) and after two days of having them they die off. Is there a good way to store them? I am going out of town for 2 weeks and I am going to buy some greens for the person who is watching them while I am going to be gone. Is there any way to store them for that amount of time so that the person who cares for more dragons won't have to go to the store to buy greens every few days? All input is greatly appreciated.

Is there any places that sell greens that are fresh because I buy them just from the grocery store and they are always already nasty at the store. Thanks
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Darien Drollinger
www.djsdragonranch.com

I always wrap mine in a bunch of paper towels and then place them in a bag in the fridge. This helps them last me the whole week or more.

Jessica

Yellow Room Reptiles

What do you mean by wrap them in a bag? What kind of bag is this?
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Darien Drollinger
www.djsdragonranch.com

Just a regular plastic bag, like the ones from the grocery store. I wrap a paper towel around them a couple of times, then put them back in the bag.

Jessica

Yellow Room Reptiles

maybe while you are on vacation, you could just feed romaine lettuce for the two weeks...i think that it lasts a little longer than the other greens. When i leave town for more than a week, i leave one head of romaine for a friend to feed the dragons and $5 so he can go buy another head of lettuce.

maybe your greens will last longer if you remove the bad or "going bad" leaves and then store in the veggie drawer. Circulation of air is one of the keys to keeping greens longer...a little difficult to do in a refridgerator.
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a free range dragon is a happy dragon

you wont to cut about a 1/2 inch or so of the ends of the stems. then place in Luke warm water. then ice cold for about 15 min then drain the sink and replace it with ice cold water. soak for a extra 15 mins drain sink. then shake as much water of as possible. after the put in a plastic bag did your grocery came in or a wal-mart bag. wrap up tight or tie the bag and place in fridge. this should keep them in good shape for a good week or more but 2 weeks is stretching it. trust me on this i was a grocery store manager here in VA for 7 years.
hope this helps.

If the greens you get are already going bad, find a better source. Definitely remove any/all rotting/decaying areas or leaves before storing. You should be able to get them to last 1 week, but not 2.

I just place them in a shopping bag and then wrap the the rest of the bag around it. I keep my fridge pretty cold, like around 34 - 36 degrees F.

I've tried wrapping them with damp papertowels & then put them in a ziploc baggy but they stay fresh a few days longer just being wrapped in a shopping bag.

Best wishes!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

Well, would it be fine if my dragons go about a week and a half without any veggies? Also I know that adults are supposed to have more veggies than isects. Can any of you give me a reason why they need more veggies when they are older?

I usually buy greens from the grocery store, but they are always bad. What places are good places to buy them?
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Darien Drollinger
www.djsdragonranch.com

> > > "Well, would it be fine if my dragons go about a week and a half without any veggies?"

I won't say it would be fine, but they're not gonna die from going without greens during that time span. However, I'd do what I could to at least shorten the length of time they have to do without.

I realize you're trying to make things as easy as you can for your temporary keeper, but I'd give 'em an extra 20 bucks and let 'em make one trip to the store. Unless there's some reason reason we're not aware of as to why they can't do it (health, age, etc...).

The thing about it is, since they've been eating 60/40, greens/insects, they're accustomed to it, expect it, and, eat accordingly. If they like greens very much they could very well not eat many insects, holding out for, saving room for, greens.

If push comes to shove, Romaine lettuce does seem to last a few days longer than most other greens used. Leave it uncut as cut greens will go bad faster than uncut. That should last 'em a week and then they'd only have to go one week without greens, and that should be OK.

> > > "Also I know that adults are supposed to have more veggies than isects. Can any of you give me a reason why they need more veggies when they are older?"

They desire greens more as they get older. Some think this is the body craving what it needs and some think it comes from ease, easier to eat vegetation than catch live prey. I say a little of both.

> > > "I usually buy greens from the grocery store, but they are always bad. What places are good places to buy them?"

Farmers Market, produce stands. I usually buy from a farmers market if/when I can, but our Wal-Mart always has good looking greens, of all kinds. Check with different stores as most stores have different suppliers.

What you're going thru is the reason I've taken mine with me if I'm going to be out of town for more than a few days. Yeah, it has to go in a smaller cage but I know its taken care. And he loves exploring hotel rooms. LOL!

Hang in there!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

I can't really take my dragons with me. I have 8 adults and 6 babies right now. Thanks for helping me out.
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Darien Drollinger
www.djsdragonranch.com

Ahh, you're more than welcome for the advice. I hope you find a suitable solution for your situation.

I'd say that taking yours with you wouldn't quite be feasible. Ha!

Have a good one!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

Check out this website: http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/home.html

Click on the nutrition content link, it is very interesting and will give you more variety of healthy foods that may last 2 weeks. Somebody on this forum gave me this link and now my dragons are eating things I didn't know were good for them. Good Luck.