8 Week Old Beardie and Dubias?

[Jaxxisyourfix]

Hey,
So I've searched numerous nutrition charts and websites and it seems as though it's a mixed response as to whether or not I can feed my baby dubia roaches.

That being said, I'd like some feedback on what you guys think about it and if you do it, your own experiences with them.

Thanks.

 

[gilliesexotics]

Hi, you can feed appropriate sized dubia to your little one. Very pretty by the way.

Feed prey that is no larger than the distance between the eyes.

 

[Germ]

I agree on the pretty dragon & on feeding roaches. Mine have been on Discoid Roaches, very similar to Dubia, since 'Day One', Hatch Day.

 

[Jaxxisyourfix]

Thanks for the quick feedback!
I've been paying close attention to the size of everything I feed it! Just wanted to make sure (s)he gets the proper nutrition from them. I'm still learning every day, but I make sure I research everything, I want my baby to grow up very healthy. Thanks again.

 

[gilliesexotics]

If you dont mind me asking. I am seeing a red cast in the pictures. Do you have a red light or is it just the way the camera took the picture? What type of substrate are you using?

 

[Jaxxisyourfix]

If you dont mind me asking. I am seeing a red cast in the pictures. Do you have a red light or is it just the way the camera took the picture? What type of substrate are you using?

This was just at bedtime for him. So I had just turned off his UVB light and daytime heat lamp. But at night I use an infrared heat lamp just to keep it in the 90's at night. During the day with his normal heat lamp it's between 105 and 110. I have him on the pellets at the moment because I was told that the reptile carpet would rip their nails out and that the sand is bad at such a young age because of their bad aim when eating crickets they'll miss sometimes and eat the sand which can be damaging/lethal.

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

That's a really bad idea using the infrared heat lamp at night. In the first place regardless of what you may have been told Bearded Dragons (as well as other reptiles) can see the red light and therefore it will disturb their rest.
Secondly, your dragon needs to be able to cool off at night thereby allowing his metabolism to slow and him to rest deeper and more sound.
These dragons do not require nor want any supplemental night lighting or heat. The only time supplemental heat is called for is if or when the ambient temperature of your home drops below 65 degrees F. If it were to do so then you can use a CHE ceramic heat emitter which emits heat without light and it must be used with a thermostat set to allow the CHE only to run long enough to bring the temp up above 65 F.
Keeping your dragon 's enclosure in the 90's at night is not necessary and not healthy as is keeping the red night light on him. He needs his cool down period and darkness to ensure he gets the rest he needs to thrive.

 

[Jaxxisyourfix]

Thanks for the advice. He seems to sleep soundly, but I'm not an expert. Without the light his tank temp drops as low as 55 at night.

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

You must have a very stout A/C system in your home then.
As mentioned in my previous post, if you keep your home that cold, it would be much better for your dragon if you set up a CHE and thermostat rather than the infrared heat lamp.
Properly set up it will give him a much better quality sleep as well as save you some money on your electricity bill by only running when his enclosure dips below 65F and only long enuf to raised it to the acceptable level.
Just because they are still and their eyes are closed does not necessarily mean they are sleeping well

 

[Augie]

Good catch, Gillie. Some of us are red/green colorblind and have no idea what you're talking about. Seriously, I can't see that at all.

On a side note roaches are awesome. Appropriately sized, properly gut-loaded roaches are perfect, and dragons seem to have an amazing feeding response to them. Something about the way they move, I assume. My Reggie really likes crickets and enjoys chasing after them and hunting them down, but when she sees roaches she will pretty much fling away everything in her path to get to them. She really goes nuts over them, and I appreciate how easy and convenient it is to gut-load them.

My sig at the bottom of this post pretty much says it all.

 

[Jaxxisyourfix]

Thanks everyone for all the outstanding advice. I switched from the infrared light at night to the CHE. I actually like it better because I don't have to worry about it, it's completely automatic.

Back on the diet subject, I ordered just 25 dubias just to see how he/she takes to them. I came across a feeder called Phoenix Worms and I'm curious about those as well, if what I hear is true, they're the dream feeder, anyone else use them as staple?

 

[Augie]

I don't like them - don't buy into the marketing hype!

First off, they are very small. It takes a lot to fill up a dragon. I hated trying to get that dirt off of them before feeding. They also turn into flies pretty quickly if you don't keep an eye on them. Yep, I said flies. They're maggots.

I personally would choose crickets over them any day, and I don't particularly care for crickets.

 

[Germ]

Phoenix Worms (aka: Calci-Worms & Repti-Worms - all the same worm by different Breeder marketing names, the maggot of the Black Soldier Fly) are not what they are cracked up to be. They are fattier than Crickets, can not be gutloaded (because you don't feed them), as mentioned, take a truckload to feed & are not very convenient. The only upside, that all the hype is about, is that they have a higher than most feeders' Calcium content & if they were the only thing fed, they would not need to be dusted as their Calcium to Phosphorous ratio is borderline good, again, if they were the only thing fed. But ... They are not the only thing fed, so they must still be dusted to make up for the greens & other foods that are lacking in Ca: P ratio.

When they were first marketed, they were listed as the perfect feeder because of their Calcium content. What they fail to tell you, is about the nutrition lost because of not being able to gutload them, the phenomenal numbers needed because of their small size, their fat to protein ratio, etc, etc.

A good quote to better understand

Amendment to Supplementation: Here is an article providing a good explanation to give an understanding on the Calcium to Phosphorous & Fat to Protien ratio ...

The main points to look out for are the fat content and the Ca: P ratio.​

Ca: P Ratio and Reptiles​

Many have heard about the Ca/P ratio but not many understand what it means to your reptiles. The Ca: P ratio is simply the ratio of Calcium compared to Phosphorus and so a Ca: P ratio of 1 (one or 1:1) would mean that Calcium & Phosphorus are found in equal quantities, a Ca: P ratio of 0.5 (half or 0.5:1) means that there is half the amount of Calcium than there is Phosphorus. An ideal Ca: P ratio would be around 2 (two or 2:1) as this will allow calcium to be easily absorbed.​

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So why is this important? It has to do with the way Calcium is absorbed by your reptile's intestine. For any calcium to be absorbed, there needs to be at least equal quantities of Calcium and Phosphorus in their food. If the Phosphorus is much higher, then not only will it prevent calcium being absorbed, but may even leach calcium that is already present in your reptile's body. This can lead to serious problems such as MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease). When Calcium and Phosphorus are dissolved in equal quantities, it forms an insoluble salt (Calcium Phosphate) which is very difficult to absorb by your reptile's intestine. If there is a large amount of phosphorus compared to the calcium, then all the calcium will be bound by the phosphorus and none will be available for your reptile. If there is a large excess of calcium, then no phosphorus can be absorbed, which is also a vital mineral but not needed in as large a quantity as calcium. Ideally the Ca/P ratio for most vertebrates is around 2 (also written as 2:1).​

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Fat vs Protein​

Another thing to look out for is the amount of fat compared to protein. Fat contains twice as many calories as protein, but doesn't provide any of the nutritional benefits that are gained from proteins from their amino acids which are essential for the health of any living creature. The calories from fat are often called "empty calories" in dietary terminology. Most insectivorous reptiles will receive greater benefit from a high protein/low fat diet.​

Source - http://www.leedspetshops.co.uk​

Read More: http://www.beardeddragonforum.com/index.php?threads/basic-bd-care-sheet-a-place-to-start.5177/

Sweet Little One by the way

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