Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, i currently have an Eastern Collard Lizard, but i'm thinkn of also getting a bearded dragon. I was just wondering, if the eating habbits are the same? or does a bearded dragon require more food? How long can a dragon go without food or is there some type of food i could leave out if i were to say go somewhere for the weekend? Just curious about all this, i appreciate your help guys.

Babies (little guys) need to eat everyday and 3-4 times a day but adults can go every other day.

We feed ours adults (now) everyday for most unless they are brumating. But when we only had a few bearded dragons (in the begiining - ages ago) and weren't worried about them breeding, we fed them every other day (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and weekends off) and most of the time we would be away for the weekend.

On weekends we would leave the lights out and for them it would be an overcast (Clowdy - Sunless weekend) and they would most likely sleep almost all weekend. When we got home on Sunday we would turn on their lights and hand feed them some fruit, some quality time with our dragons, with the lights remaining on for at least 2 hours after their feeding.
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Tom and Jackie Vandiver

Bearded Dragons and More!

Thank you for your help!

My dragons would be packing their bags and leaving if they got fed only 3 days and not on weekends...
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TheClassyLizard

It's not good to leave dragons without food for days. I feed my dragon twice a day but she's still a juvenile. Once in awhile I may skip a meal if I am going to be away for supper but I always make sure to leave fresh greens with her should I not be around to feed her crickets. Since I switched to mostly silkworms for her insect food, I can toss some into her cage and leave them there for a few hours till she is hungry to eat them.

Juveniles and adult dragons if well cared for can be left unfed for a day or two but it wouldn't be recommened by most. Getting them feeding on pellets would be one way to ensure they have penty of food if you have to be gone a weekend as you can leave alot of them in the cage. Just ensure you provide a dish of water so they can drink.

I recommend finding somebody you trust and understands about the care of reptiles to feed your pets while you are gone. Otherwise, probably better if you don't get more reptiles than you already have.