Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had years and years of experience keeping herps of all kinds and I've learned it's best to ask and learn as much as you can before getting a new herp. Back when I used to keep beardies, commercial foods were not available. I raised crickets (we live an hour away from the nearest pet store) and they stunk to high heaven. Therefore, we got rid of them and stuck with snakes.

Now that pellets are available we're contemplating getting a beardie again. My question is this, I'm sure a solid diet of pellets alone can't be good for a beardie so I'm wondering how well I can provide the proper nutrition for one. Is offering salads and pellets with occasional crickets enough? We go to the town with the pet store about every two to three weeks. I could pick up a few dozen crickets to keep in a critter keeper to offer him over the following week or so. This would let us offer him crickets without keeping a cricket farm and stinking up the whole house again.

I would love to have a beardie again, but I don't want to get one if I can't provide a proper diet. Thanks!

As i'm sure other people out there will tell you, Commercial diets and salads will be nutritionally complete for a subadult to adult beardie. They dont really need the meat protien from the crix if theyre getting the salads and the pellets. Now, if you're getting a juvie or a hatchling, id do crix too because they grow SO fast that they need a lot more protein than just what pellets and salad can provide.

I know there are several people on this forum (reiko? mattman? cheri?) who raise their bds with few or no crickets and a balanced diet of pellets and salad, and they'll be able to tell you more than i can, since right now i only have adults and ive not used the pellets yet.

BUT, i hope i helped a little,
Good luck!
Jamie
-----
Jamie A. Stine and the Gang:

1.1 Bearded Dragons (Lancelot & Guenivere)
1.0 Giant Frog Eyed Geckos (Peanut Butter)
0.1 Borneo Short Tailed Python (Ezmerelda)
0.1 Red Tailed Boa (Buffy)
1.0 Short Tailed O'possum (Jethro)
1.0 Greyhound (Hank)

Save a life, adopt a retired racer!

Rep-cal pellets contain the same amount of protien as crickets by dry wieght. The Juvi formula contains slightly more.
-----
Bill DiFabio
Azteclizard.com
Email Me

I raise all my babies without crickets. My adults have not seen crickets in over 6 months either. If you want to go the pellet / salad route I would suggest a good pellet such as Rep cal. I also hear that Kaytee (I think) has a good pellet diet also. You might also want to purchase a dragon that was already started on eating pellets since the transition would be alot easier on both you and your new dragon.
-----
Lisa
www.beginnersbasics.com

Cricket FREE babies!

Lisa,
The kaytee pellets contain 2 artificial preservitives that COULD be detrimental to the dragon with long term use. Just a heads up, nothing more.
-----
Bill DiFabio
Azteclizard.com
Email Me

I use Dragon Yummies by Echtotherm. They are jelly like squares that can be squished down or left solid. They have all the vitamins and a wide range of different veggies and fruit in it. My beardies love it. I use it to supplement their fresh veggies. I also feed crickets and mealworms that have all been gut loaded with Reptile Nutru Bites by Nature Zone. Both my girls are all healthy and happy.

Randi

Thanks for all the replies! Really appreciate the input.

I tried giving my dragon the Rep-cal juvenile bearded dragon food but she wouldn't touch them. Even the few times I managed to get some into her mouth, she still didn't like them. So the $14 container of dragon food because cricket food. I don't intend to buy any other prepared dragon food again for now. Don't have that kind of money to waste.

However I do know how tedious and smelly crickets can be, since it is very difficult to clean their cage regularly enough to keep the smell down. I found a better solution and switched to silkworms. You can buy these in bulk small enough for baby dragons and they do have alot of protien and calcium, more so than crickets. They are great insect foods, easier to digest and they don't smell. Their poo smells pretty much like their food and I find the smell of the silkworm chow rather pleasant.(like a combination of fresh cut grass and mint).