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feeding for young beardie (help)

spottedragon May 21, 2004 07:12 PM

I have a baby bearded dragon just a couple of weeks old. The question is what do I feed it? What don't I feed it? Is there anything else I might need to know about feeding?
~Erin
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*~*Erin*~*
0.1 Jazmin -jungle leopard gecko-(?)

Replies (1)

kephy May 21, 2004 07:54 PM

A beardie that small needs to be fed baby crickets. The insects should be no larger than the space between the lizard's eyes. Feeding prey too large can lead to impaction, paralysis, and even death.

The easiest and cheapest way to buy crickets is online at a place like lllreptiles.com. Put your crickets in a rubbermaid storage container with large hole in the top, and feed them greens (collard/mustard/turnip), apples, grain, & powdered milk. Then feed them to your beardie as many as he will eat in 10 minutes, 2-3 times a day. Be prepared because he will eat a lot. You will also need a calcium and vitamin suppliment to sprinkle on the insects.

Once a day you should also offer greens like I mentioned above, finely chopped, to the lizard. He may not take to them at first, but if you continue to offer them every day eventually he should take to them and start to enjoy them. As he becomes full-grown you can wean him off of insects to where 70% of his diet is now greens.

Also, it goes without saying that a beardie that small needs to be kept on paper towels, not sand or reptile litter or anything it can swallow, that can be deadly. Just FYI because it's a common mistake and has lead to many heartbreaking experiences for new beardie owners.

Since you are new to this I suggest you do a lot of research. Reptiles are very sensitive and have many needs that are special to each species. Do a google search on "bearded dragon caresheets" and read as much as you can. Some will have conflicting information, but a lot of them will agree on certain things and you will learn to make your own choices for what is best. Don't ever take any one book/petstore/breeder as gospel. It is your responsibility now to learn as much as you can to take good care of your reptile. I have linked a couple of very good caresheets I think will start you in the right direction. Good luck!

http://www.beautifuldragons.com/

a very extensive caresheet

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2.0 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

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