Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Kiana is about a year old (Aug. 1 hatch) and is still much more interested in bugs (I use mostly crickets plus a few supers) than her salads. I alternate between collard, mustard greens, and turnip greens, plus I add dandelion greens and flowers when available, rose petals, pansies, carrots, and occasional grapes, berries, etc. I feed salad in the a.m. (6:30, right after her lights come on), bugs in the evening, about 5:30 or 6:00. Lights out at 8:30.

She will *at most* eat about 1/2 of what I offer, which I haven't actually measured but could probably be packed into a 1/4 cup measurer, or maybe 1/3 cup. Sometimes it looks like she hasn't touched it when I get home in the evening, in which case I won't feed any bugs then, just to make sure she's hungry for salad in the a.m.

How FEW bug feedings can I drop to, per week, for a 1 year old? She's 15 1/2", and I still haven't weighed her but if you saw the pics I posted recently you know that missing a couple of meals won't kill her. I don't want to starve her, but I do want her to be hungry enough that greens are more appetizing. What do you think...are 3 live prey feedings per week enough for a dragon that's still growing? That's what I was thinking about doing but I don't want to stunt her growth. The little turkey decided to brumate (against all efforts to discourage her) this winter so we're sort of playing catch up.

Thanks.

Steve

My Spikerdoo is a similar age and size, and he gets veggies with pellets on top and thats it. I'll pick him up supers or waxies occasionally as a treat, but I really can't stand crix and at his age and weight, I find he does ok without them. He eats a similar amount of greens, with half a dozen adult sized soaked pellets on a good day, but he'll just as often leave pellets or salad or both. I'd rather have him leave some food, then clean his plate up, because then I know he's at least eating as much as he wants to.