Flying Insects for Falkor?

[Seneca3]

My dragon, Falkor, recently caught a fly! It wasn't on purpose, the fly got into the cage while I was trying to feed him his roaches and he was after the fly. He caught it! He actually looked like he enjoyed it (and it was cool to watch). He never has outside animals so I hope he'll be fine... :/ But anyway, his roaches don't interest him and he's too lazy for crickets. Is there any flying bugs I can give to my dragon? He's a juvenile still, maybe 4 months. Do you have any suggestions or any possibilities?

Thanks for any help!

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

I think he will be just fine after eating the one fly but I wouldn't suggest letting him eat any wild feeder as a habit because there is no telling where they have been or what they have ingested which could be transferred to your dragon such as chemicals or even parasites.
As far as the crickets and roaches go I would stick with them. If he is not showing interest in them he will when he gets hungry. The roaches are a superior feeder. You might try offering his veggies about an hour after he wakes and then waiting an hour or two after that to offer his first live prey.
Another thing to be aware of is that many dragons will not eat if you are watching them. Sometimes it is best to place the live prey in their enclosure and walk away.
You can also leave the live prey in their enclosure through the day because many dragons prefer to "graze" instead of gobbling them up all at once.
If you leave live prey all day for him though just remember that you must remove any that aren't eaten before lights out because they will disturb your dragon's rest and may even nibble on your dragon while he is asleep.
The other thing is to remember that patience is one of the most important things we as keepers can provide for these creatures. It is not uncommon for dragons to not eat for a day or three at times. It could be that his is a little stressed or could be that he is just not hungry. Offer and if he doesn't seem interested just give him a little time and patience. These dragons won't starve themselves under normal circumstances.
Its also best to stick with a known good live feeder such as the roaches. When you start varying their diets a lot many times they will be more likely to turn their noses up at it. Same applies to veggies. You want to find 2-3 good stable greens such as mustard, turnip or collard greens and stick with those as a base that they will consistently go to when the eat greens and then you can offer other things occasionly as sort of treats. I have found that reptiles and many other creature are generally suspicious with too much variety.
Don't be too quick to judge something as a no go either. I usually offer anything new at least 10 or more times before I put it in the " they ain't goin' for it" category
Enjoy!

 

[Seneca3]

Thanks! There's another question about his feeding that I have. I always watch because I'm never sure if he ate them or if they got under his reptile mat. Every timeI clean his cage, I find about 6 under there. He'll eat while I'm watching, but he does seem to get distracted by it. Is there a way to keep the mat down?

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

I haven't found a way to really keep the feeders from getting under Reptile Carpet. It is probably my least favorite choice for substrate for the reason you asked as well as because it is easy for dragons to hang nails in in my experience. Crickets are going to try a figure a way to get away from light anyway and will generally get under Repticarpet one way or another.
You might want to look into another choice for substrate such as non-stick vinyl flooring tiles or even slate or granite tiles which are heavier and if properly fitted to the enclosure will make it harder for your feeders to get under.
Otherwise if you stick with the repticarpet you will have to deal with feeder getting under it.
You really need to make sure all prey is removed each night before lights out. If you don't remove them then they will come out and disturb your dragons sleep and can even nibble on your dragon while he sleeps. Not a good thing.
Enjoy!

 

[TheGuvnor]

I went with slate tiles and a slab of slate which he basks on. Our you could get standard tiles. If they to slippy for your dragon, just flip them over and use the rear side. I've used reptile carpet before. Was a nightmare for claws and bugs getting stuck under etc. Even ditched it for my Leo's too. Also, tbh, a pack of tiles is cheaper than the carpet stuff. All about saving some pennies too .

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[Augie]

You could get some Phoenix worms and let those little maggots turn into flys. It takes about two weeks for them to start changing. I don't regularly use them but got some free when I ordered some silkworms and hornworms online one time. Reggie seemed to like them. I only gave her a few before they started dying.

I will say this though: Now that I think about it I've no clue if they're safe. I jut assumed they were since the worms are ok for her to eat. Come to think of it they did look like they had some sort of chitin as a fly.