Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi! I am an ol' vet snake keeper but have always loved those lil' beardies. I am not exactly going about it blindly (have a few books, mags, etc) but I have read about pellets instead of live feed...what's that about? Also, I would enjoy building a cage to wheel outside in which they can sun themselves, but would the temp decrease (live in Ohio) do any damage?

Sorry if the questions seem silly but I'd just like to keep my lil dinos healthy

As long as the temp outside is not below 80 degrees it should not hurt if they are in the sun. The sun will beaming down on them will make it actually hotter. Here in South Texas I do not have to worry about the weather being below 90 in the summer. I take mine out for 20 to 30 minutes each day if not raining.
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Angel-girl

You mean the temp decrease opposed to the basking light?
If so, no, they'll be fine. For some reason direct sun at 80 degrees makes mine gape to cool down, where a regular basking light at 100 degrees doesn't. You'll need to make sure they have some sort of hide box or shade to escape the heat.
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TheClassyLizard

that the Rep-Cal pellets provide all of the essential nutrients that a beardie needs. A couple of people on the forum have successfully switched their beardies from crickets to pellets and they are doing well. The only difference is that the dragon grows slower in the first year but at the end of the year, it should equal or be close to the size of those that eat crickets.

I just got my very first baby beardie so she is still eating crickets but I plan on introducing her to pellets once she settles in and gets used to everything.

So does that mean that one wouldn't have to feed crickets or veggies? Just pellets?

you still have to feed them vegitables but can substitute the pellets for the crickets.

I'll try and do a search to find more information about this and let you know....

I don't think an all pellet diet would be good at all. Though the pellets contain the necessary nutrients it lacks the moisture fresh greens would provide. This is just my opinion as I don't have any facts that this would be the case. It isn't that hard to prepare a fresh salad every day for a bearded dragon and he certainly enjoys catching the crickets I give him. I would think an all pellet diet would be very boring for the dragon.

They would get the moisture because you are supposed to soak them prior to feeding.
I however do not think it would be wise to feed pellets alone (not from fact, just my judgment)
Variety is always best so I add the pellets to the top of the salad and I use a small amount of tiny mealworms for babies and super worms for Adults, just to make sure they are getting the true animal proteins and fats for their muscles.

Hope this helps.
Joel

With the youngsters i had last year i mixed some crushed pellets in with their veg & they scoffed the lot. I picked up my new babies yesterday & they appear keen on this same idea so far.

Let me know if this helps!
*Bezz
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Posted by: chriscook at Mon Jun 9 09:50:38 2003
I have a couple clutches incubating and when they hatch I plan on holding a few back to experiment with. Having no experience in feeding pellets I disagree with the diet. I feed my dragons fuzzies, roaches, superworms, and veggies as the main staple and has been working for several years. By working I mean successfull breeding, no impactions or other health problems which means I have healthy dragons. I don't see how they can get everything they need from pellets but want to see for myself. I am going to try raising a couple of my new hatchlings on pellets. I was just curious as to how you are feeding pellets? Do you feed them only pellets or do you feed pellets and veggies or pellets and bugs? Do you always soak them in juice or water or do you feed them hard? What brand are you using? Thanks in advance for any replies.

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Posted by: griffinej5 at Mon Jun 9 10:41:51 2003
I have fed dragons very sucessfully on pellets, and I cannot see the reason in risking infection by feeding live foods frequently. Mostly I feed soaked repcal pellets, but I have used a few others brands. I avoid any brand that has ethoxyquin in it. It causes some sort of damage, liver or kidney, but I honestly can't remember which of the two it is. I feed them soaked in water. I soaked them once in juice, and it really makes no difference. I do feed greens, and worms occassionally. I also sometimes get can o crickets. The size of the dragons is not really affected that much. I have noticed that it does take them a bit longer to start getting fat, and at aroudn 6 months old they will be smaller then their cricket fed counterparts. However, by age 1 year they should be caught up. At 1 year my dragon is 18 inches and was fed on pellets from the time I got him (2 months) forward.

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Posted by: Joel R at Mon Jun 9 12:26:14 2003
I use Rep Cal pellets which can be bought in 5lb. bags. I'll try to find their card so I can give you the link to the site that sells it in bulk.

Anyway, I am steering away from crickets so I am just replacing the crickets with the pellets. I do however give a small amount of tiny mealworms to be sure they are getting some real animal fat & proteins. I know mealies have more fat than crickets etc. but I'm not loading them with the mealies as the staple, just a supplement. I know the Pellets claim to be all they need but I'm just making sure. I also know that the mealworms are controversial but I haven't had any problems. I think good judgment is essential when using mealies. If you think they are too big, don't risk it. Also don't over do it, I only use a few.
My reasoning behind not wanting to feed crickets besides the smell & care issues of the crickets is:
This year I haven't feed any crickets and the smell of their poo has gotten soooo much better is one and... Most dragons that are fed crickets will pop positive for pin and or round worms. Now,, in most cases it doesn't cause a problem however when you add the stress of shipment and a new home/ diet changes etc. it really makes them more susceptible to other more serious problems such as coccidia. I know I have heard others say they get coccidia from the crickets etc. but it is a part of their natural gut flora and dragons love to taste their own poo in their cages. It is the same as Ecoli in people (not wanting to taste it, just that it's already in our gut). Once again, under normal conditions, this causes no problems but when the parasites are there and added stress, it just opens the door.
Now I know this is touchy but that is what I believe and how I have been doing it has worked for me.

I also do still feed the mixed veggies. I use Riviera,and spring mix along with prepared Mustard, collard, Kale, and others. I alternate between the Riviera and Spring. Also between the others, when the bag runs out, I get a different kind.
I do soak the pellets in warm water and several times a week I add pedialyte or electrolytes to the soaking water for the pellets.
I then cover the salad with the pellets so they either have to go through the pellets to the salad and or they get salad when they try for the pellets.

Also I still use the Rep Cal Calcium alternating between plain and D3 and I use once a week Repti Vite. All of which is sprinkled over the salad/pellet platter.

So, there you have it, that's how I do it and it seems to be working, take a look.

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Posted by: the nerve at Mon Jun 9 21:06:23 2003
I fed my bearded dragon nothing but pellets for a few months, then I switched him back to crickets and greens. He didn't eat as much or grow as fast on pellets. He just wasn't crazy about them. But he loves crickets and greens, so I prefer to stick with those.