Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all, I am thinking of purchasing a beardie for my kids who are very interested in them. There is one thing that is stopping us from taking on this commitment, live CRICKETS! Now neither I nor the rest of my family run or pass-out at the sight of bugs but none of us really are looking forward to dealing with them either. I have seen the Can-o-Crickets and Bearded Dragon canned food in the stores. One person told me there is even a "vibrating" food dish to "fool" the lizards with dried crickets. My question is: Is it possible to keep a bearded dragon with these "alternative foods" or would this ultimately lead to a demise of this creature. I would rather not even attempt this if the creature will die from lack of its natural food source.
Thanks.

well from what I have read here and other places you can feed a dragon other things than live bugs.

it's just that they take to live ccrikets so well and they are good for them to eat.

a dragon is an "Omnivore" so they can eat a wide array of foods.

as long as they get the right amounts of the proper "stuff" as in protine, vitamins, minerals etc.... they will be fine.

now this is not a "diet guide" but just to give you some ideas on things that have been given and are ok at least some of the time:

small portions of cooked fat free chicken meat, cut up to small bites.

canned and dry dog food

there are somme things to watch out for... some dog food may have soy meal, this has elements that can/will block calcium processing so no soy!

when a dragon is young (hatchling to 4-6 months old) is is more of a "Meat Eater" and is more interested in moving food items.

this is logical and should be allowed as this is the "pre programming" of nature.... they need to move and eat a lot for 4-6 months in the wild to get big enough for other dragons and critters ( birds, other reptiles and so on) to not see them as a "Quick Snack"

so if you get a 1-3 month old figure you need to give him/her at least 2-4 months to "Bulk Up" and get as big as he can

Example: My DB was about 4" long when I got him, I have had him for 6 months and I figure he was maby 1 month old when I got him
today he is just shy of 17" long, about 11.5 Oz / 300 Grams
and is now happy with mixes of salad and stuff...

but for the first 3 months it was live bugs all the way....
you might say he's 12" of transformed crickets!

-----
This space reserved for future use...

Dragons can get by on roaches,super worms, silk worms or horn worms, though I hear those are higher in fat. Crix are good, cheap feed but you dont HAVE TO only feed them. Adult dragons should be eating more salads than bugs. Young dragons do need more bugs, they SHOULD be fed mostly bugs and crickets are the most logical. Super worms are too big, meal worms are too chitinous (sp?) (meaning their exoskeleton is too hard for little dudes) wax worms are too high in fat and horn worms and silk worms are more expensive. Crickets are really the best.

Now, out of all my dragons only one will eat dead crickets and I do have to make them move. I don't have that vibrating dish, so I cannot say how well that works, but I would think my dragon is dumb enough to fall for it (LOL!)

I personally would not feed any dog or cat food. Some foods have dyes in them that are bad enough for the dog, why chance it with a dragon? I wouldnt substitute any kind of cooked human food either. Good gutloaded crickets are a good balanced diet.

I buy crickets in bulk from Reptilefood.com and I don't have a
problem with them smelling or dieing. Just chirping. hehe

Good Luck! beardies are wonderful pets I wouldn't trade mine for anything.
-----
DogStar

"Many have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it. You remain responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." --Antoine de Saint Exupery

Hey I was not saying "feed them x" I said I have heard of x

and *NOT* cat food!

I don't know why But in the links I have read it said that....

yes bugs are best.

the point is that they can eat a diet with other sources of protine. and I did say theat crickets are good for them
-----
This space reserved for future use...

Hey I know, I wasn't mad at ya or anything, but I am saying no dog food (just added cat in there for good measure)

Could you tell me more about no soy? I have not heard that and am just curious
-----
DogStar

"Many have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it. You remain responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." --Antoine de Saint Exupery

a lot of the dog/cat foods that are on the market contain an agent that hardens rubber. they use it as the preservative. that includes all the brands you see commercials for (IAMS). also, IAMS does really bad, bad animal testing. i wouldn't feed anything dog food, especially not the cheaper kind.

I thought the same way you do when I was in the process of getting my 12 year old boy his dragon in July. I didn't want those nasty crickets in the house. They are a pain and they can add up money-wise. After having Velcro in the house, we have been giving him a diet of greens by day and 2 hours before bed, his crix. It is a blast to watch him hunt. It is also very healthy for him. Crix are very nutritious as well. I would suggest going with live crix for at least the first 6 months, then start weening him/her off to greens and pellets. Make sure that if you do the live crix that you get a good crix box and make sure that you put plenty of gutload in with them (potatoes, apples). We haven't had one cricket die and haven't had any problem with smell either.

I thought the same way you do when I was in the process of getting my 12 year old boy his dragon in July. I didn't want those nasty crickets in the house. They are a pain and they can add up money-wise. After having Velcro in the house, we have been giving him a diet of greens by day and 2 hours before bed, his crix. It is a blast to watch him hunt. It is also very healthy for him. Crix are very nutritious as well. I would suggest going with live crix for at least the first 6 months, then start weening him/her off to greens and pellets. Make sure that if you do the live crix that you get a good crix box and make sure that you put plenty of gutload in with them (potatoes, apples). We haven't had one cricket die and haven't had any problem with smell either.

Good luck with your new baby(ies)(when you get 'em)

I thought the same way you do when I was in the process of getting my 12 year old boy his dragon in July. I didn't want those nasty crickets in the house. They are a pain and they can add up money-wise. After having Velcro in the house, we have been giving him a diet of greens by day and 2 hours before bed, his crix. It is a blast to watch him hunt. It is also very healthy for him. Crix are very nutritious as well. I would suggest going with live crix for at least the first 6 months, then start weening him/her off to greens and pellets. Make sure that if you do the live crix that you get a good crix box and make sure that you put plenty of gutload in with them (potatoes, apples). We haven't had one cricket die and haven't had any problem with smell either.

Good luck with your new baby(ies)(when you get 'em)

You could do it with can o crickets. I get them as treats for my dragons, and they absolutely love them. If you're willing to keep silkworms, you could do that. Maybe an older dragon and feed it superworms. I use repcal pellets as well. You'd be best to look at all the things they eat and determine whether or not this is something you can do.