I have a lot of questions about beardies?

Question

ok so i have a few questions. im getting a bearded dragon and i was wondering...............

can i blend all of his veggies and fruits in a blender and give it to him as one meal?

how many times a day do i have to feed him?

how many mealworms and crickets should i feed him in one sitting?

is tito a cool name? (im open to suggestions)

Answer 1

First, MANY KUDDOS on researching your animal BEFORE you get it.  That is the adult/responsible thing to do, and you are well on your way to having few mistakes happen due to lack of knowledge.

No sweetie, you don't want to use a blender and attempt to make a vegie-smoothie for your beardie.   He will do much better with crisp, clean, fresh vegetables and fruits.

The key to good beardie health is proper nutrition; proper lighing; sunlight/UVB; calcium D3 & reptile vitamins (keep these refrigerated), and heat.  Your beardie needs a varied diet, so he's getting a wide range of nutrients.  He'll also need insects, and these should be gut loaded first, to provide him with a good prey food source.

Age is the guiding factor to feeding a beardie, so I'm going to include some links below which you can check out, and learn some of the things you'll need to know to keep your lizard healthy and happy.

If your beardie is young, it's better to offer him small silk or Phoenix worms, than mealworms; and of course crickets.  You can study up on that.

As with any new pet, I recommend that you take your beardie to the vet to be checked for general health; disease; parasites, etc. when you get him.  This way you know you're starting with a healthy reptile, and if any thing IS wrong - it will be in time for the pet guarantee to still be in effect so you can take it back for a refund (I don't recommend getting an exchange cause if that lizard is sick - the rest on hand in the store are likely to be too).

As you research your dragon; you will find many contradictory suggestions/advice for proper care.  The information dilemmas can easily be resolved by your vet (another good reason to find one when you get your beardie).

I'll post some links below to get you started on your research, but please note my disclaimer: Please do not keep your lizard(s) of any age on play/repti sand or loose substrate.  Impaction and bacteria issues are real and serious – and can result in death.  Consult your reptile veterinarian for their opinion.

If you don't already know of a qualified/reputable reptile vet, you can contact “herpetologicalsocieties.com“ for one in the city of your state.

GUT LOADING CRICKETS for REPTILES:

The number one problem:

Dried up and malnourished pet store crickets and mealworms. These food items are essentially useless. A dehydrated and unfed cricket contains almost no nutrients at all; refrigerated mealworms are even worse. A lot of the variety in nutrients found in wild insects is actually in the stomach content - usually plant material. We need to duplicate this to provide the best for our reptiles; without the risk of illness/disease/parasites which can result from feeding our pets wild insects.

Please note that wax worms, while fattening, are not nutritious.

Basic Dry/Staple Cricket Food:

Equal amounts of dry Iguana food, dry dog food, chick starter mash, oatmeal (you can add dry baby food wheat/rye/barley, etc. as well; even shredded wheat - no sugar).

Grind these items together.  Place in a small lid/bowl for the crickets to eat.  Store the unused portion in the refrigerator or freezer, until needed.

Supplement daily with one of the following: sweet potato, bananas, zucchini, oranges, carrots, strawberries, assorted squashes (acorn, yellow, etc.), grapefruit, green beans, apples, kale, spinach, cactus pads, and just about any other nutritious item you can think of (do not use white/yellow potatoes - these are starchy and only good if used as a moisture source during shipping, and NEVER use Avocado - it's poisonous to most animals).

Provide the dry food and kale at all times (kale is readily available during the winter months, too), rotating the other food items through in succession. The key is variety, and to provide an assortment of varying nutrients. What you are trying to do is offer your reptiles crickets with guts 'loaded' with fresh foodstuffs.

The crickets should be gut loaded for 1-2 days prior to offering them to your reptiles.

Also, provide fresh clean water in a lid/bowl, adding a sponge or folded paper towel to prevent drowning.

  

Don't offer more crickets than the reptile(s) will consume within: 1.) a few hours if it’s a lizard, salamander, frog/toad, or 2.) a few minutes, if it’s a water turtle, so you know the crickets will still be full of the good stuff when eaten.

The crickets should be dusted (shaken in a plastic bag gently to coat them) with vitamins (keep these refrigerated) and calcium D3 powder 2-4 times a week, depending on the age of the reptile.

Be sure to remove any uneaten crickets so that they do not soil your pet's environment/water or bother your pet, once it is full.  Crickets CAN turn the table - and feast upon your pet! Or aggravate them, causing stress and even cessation of eating.

Also be sure the crickets are the correct size for the reptile.  The cricket should be the same size long as the reptile’s head is wide.

Most of all - congratulations on choosing a beardie, and enjoy your new pet!

I hope this has been helpful.

Answer 2

you can feed canned crickets. I would not feed a dragon mealworms though. Mealworms are just such a poor food and they easily can cause problems and impactions as they have done w/ one of mine awhile ago when they were young. If you have an adult, you'll want to feed it 5 or 6 days a week once a day. If it's a baby, twice a day 6 or 7 days a week. A lot of people always have some kind of salad available. That can be good w/ babies so they get used to greens. I wouldn't put their salad in the blender. You can mix fruits/veggies/greens together, which is what i do but in the blender it's going to just become a big mush. I guess if you're dragon eats it that way, go ahead but i'd just chop everything into small pieces and put it mixed in a dish. Tito is not a name i would personally choose but the name thing is really all up to you. The name should be something you're comfortable w/ and like. Oh, and how many they'll eat, as babies they can eat as many as 50 pinheads 2x's a day. My adults i give 12-18 crickets or other insects a day. wax worms are a good treat once a week instead of crickets as well as superworms (when they're older). silkworms are really the best meal but they are very expensive and cockroaches are also a acceptable insect to feed.

Answer 3

I know everythying about bearded dragons. I've had them since i was 4. You give him his meals sepratley.  You don't want to hold them much while thier babies. They get sick very easily. If there still small, feed them baby crickets until their bigger. You can find those at petsmart. Once they are bigger you cand feed the mealworms,peas, lettuce and large crikets. Even pinky mice ( i give mine 1 once a month).

Enjoy your bearded dragon.

Answer 4

yes

1-2

depends on size

yes mines is named t.j