Introduction

[Mellie24]

Hi, today I brought myself a beautiful bearded dragon named Spike!
I would love to hear of ideas on what to feed him and what to put in his enclosure, I have ordered supplements which should be here next week, how often do you need to give this to them?
As I live in a small Northern Territory town and do not have a pet shop I am wondering where I can order crickets from or can I find something else from the garden? Grasshoppers? Worms? Eric
Thanks

 

[Noella]

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Nothing from the garden because of parasites and pesticides. There are numerous sites where you can buy bulk feeders. There's mulberryfarms.com, smallpetfeeders.com, (Not sure if they were hit by the tornadoes we had from a bad thunderstorm, so you can get in touch with them and see if they're okay.) phoenixworms.com (I'm not sure if this is the webaddress.), reptiworms.com.

Feed greens every day, two times a day for adults, three times a day for babies and juvies. (Greens: Turnip, Mustard, Collard Greens.)

 

[Augie]

Definitely do your research! Lighting, heat, and diet are HUGE in raising a healthy dragon. Hopefully you have done your research ahead of time. If not and you have questions, please definitely ask. They are hardy pets with the right conditions, but give them poor conditions and you will see just how fragile (and how quickly fragile) they become.

They are not pets, like a dog or cat, where you can throw them in your back yard and leave them to their own devices. Keep Spike's enclosure simple until he is older and read those care sheets right away! Communicate your ideas on your setup and we can help make sure you give your dragon the best care possible! The best thing to do is post a pic of the enclosure. We're here to help.

 

[Germ]

General feeding/supplementation schedule:
For hatchlings and young juveniles (up to 2 months): Fresh greens/veg. 1-2 times daily - Live prey 2-3 times per day
Dusted: All Live Prey five days per week with phosphorus free calcium – one day per week calcium with D3 - One day per week with a vitamin supplement such as Reptivite or Herptivite.

For juveniles and sub-adults (2 months to sexual maturity): Fresh greens/veg 1-2 times daily - Live prey 1-2 times per day
Dusted: All Live Prey five days per week with phosphorus free calcium – One day per week with calcium with D3 - One day per week with a vitamin supplement such as Reptivite or Herptivite.

For adults (generally 1+ year): Fresh greens/veg 1- 2 times daily - Live prey every 2-3 days.
Dusted: Live Prey every other feeding with phosphorus free calcium - Twice per month with calcium with D3 - One day per week with a vitamin supplement such as Reptivite or Herptivite.

As there are different circumstances that may arise, this schedule is recommended only as a general guide and may be altered to accommodate individual situations. Using a tracking method of when you dust prevents unnecessary use of product and more importantly, potential harm to your dragon! With proper and effective UVB lighting, supplementation with vitamin D3 is not imperative but should be provided in small amounts. Excessive levels of oral vitamin D3 can potentially lead to the excessive absorption and utilization of calcium and/or toxicity as can the excessive use of supplements containing high levels of vitamin A. Over use of any supplement can have the potential to cause serious health problems, stick to an appropriate supplementation schedule.

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.​

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Ca: P Ratio and Reptiles​

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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​

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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.​

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

Read More: Basic BD Care Sheet - A Place To Start