Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my beardie (4-6 wks old) won't go unless i put him in the sink with warm water. Eats crickets and mealworms like a champ. he is on calcium and vitimin dust by Rep-cal. I haven't given him greens in a week since i've gotten him. well, i did but he didn't take much interest (romane). He was on sand at PetsMart but now on paper towls...other than that he very healthy.

A baby shouldn't be given mealworms, the hard exoskeleton (chitin) is very difficult for them to digest. In many cases when babies have been fed mealworms, it causes impaction, paralysis and death.
Babies should only eat proper sized crickets (no larger then the space between their eyes) two times a day.
Finely chopped collard greens should be offered everyday, even if it is just a tea spoon. They can't aquire a taste for them if they aren't available. A small food processor works real well for chopping.
P.S. You can buy crickets online much cheaper then in pet stores, and babies eat alot of them.
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TheClassyLizard

What's a good age to introduce them to mealworms?

well if you want to feed mealies as a treat only.. i would wait until he is a year old or the mealie is smaller than the space inbetween his eyes.. i do not feed mealies to my bearded dragons.. i have fed spike a few but only when sees me feeding the leos and water dragons mealies and then i drop in a few for a treat.. but other than that my beardies don't get them... i treat mealies the same way i treat waxies..treats only.. if you want an alternative to mealies once he's an adult you can feed superworms .. but not as a staple.. i feed my adult beardies (over 16 months old) superworms every three days along with silkies or crix and pellets and a salad everyday...and silkies are a great staple. they are very high in calcium..but tend to be more exspensive.

alissa
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2.2 chinese water dragons
1.2 bearded dragons
0.2.1 leopard geckos
1 african clawed frog, 1 african dwarf frog, 1 california newt
1.4 english setters
2.2 breeder mice
tons of fish