Many Food Questions

[Twinkie13]

1----I keep my crix outside and use Flukers Orange Cube which is an all in one I am sure y'all are familiar with. I will dice up a carrot or two and put in there also. As we know, Crix chirp and stink. That's why they are out on my porch in the common container. I have no problem stopping once or twice a week to get crix, it is right there by home and work. Problem lately is fruit flies....it just started. I figured if I pull the carrots, problem solved. Nope. Didn't work. Anyone got any ideas and is even the Flukers bringing them?

2----I also mix in supers......he likes these hand fed to him more than anything lol. He will go get em too in the enclosure. I usually keep supers in the container they came in and throw a few carrot pieces in. Those are kept inside. Is there a better way to house them(this is easy to me) and is there other gut loads for them?

3----he gets squash(the rarest) or collard or mustards daily in the AM. I feel blessed that he has always taken veggies, as I see the horror stories posted about beardies not taking their veggies. He was born in early December last year and I got him right after the new year 2017. I will try and post baby pics lol. He seems to be growing super fast and is about 15" right now and goes into shed right after a fresh shed. I have seen the 70/30 to 30/70 insect to veg transition, I'm just wondering at THIS age what should the ratio be and when to switch etc....
You guys do fruit as a treat? That list I keep saved in my phone and is very helpful, the link that has the color coded foods. Best thing EVER.
But I really want to know the transition from bug to veg a little more precise. Thanks!

Any other tips and lagniappe feel free to add!!!

 

[Hdrydr31]

1. You are getting fruit flies because of the flukers it's sweet smelling..and they are outside. I would get some water crystals Miracle grow makes some you can buy at Lowes or Home depot in the garden department... They expand like 10x their size I mix up a jar full at a time and I store mine in the fridge..I put a mayo lid or a peanut butter lid in for the water crystals and another lid full of a dry chow and then a lid for any veggies/stems of what I cut up for their salads..
Ever think about switching to Dubia? They don't stink/fly/bite and are fantastic feeders!
2. Be careful with too many supers lol I keep my supers in a tupperware it's about 3" high and 10" long I cut the lid making a big hole for ventilation.. I use wheat bran as the bedding (that's typically what they come in) I like the roaches use a jar lid to put the same veggies/stems for them as well.. I keep them room temp..
3. The % of bugs vs veggies really is just a guide it can go either way for sure so don't count on that 80/20 % just go by how they are doing I give salads every day and I give bugs every other day..Some dragon's just don't like to eat alot of greens so gut loading your bugs with those greens is important...
Treat bugs are waxworms, butterworms..
Sorry just no set time of when or IF they choose to eat more greens vs bugs my 2 year old female will at times want her greens sometimes not she LOVES freshly molted roaches!! My male 1 year old loves his bugs and not soo much his greens... just go with what they are doing.. if they are getting too plump less supers and my need to do some tough loving no bugs till you eat your greens.

 

[PatsyB]

Make sure you change out your crickets food frequently. The orange cubes are kinda gross, you can easily just get some plain water crystals and feed your crickets the stems from the greens you feed your dragon. I found with crickets the key is to give them lots of ventilation and clean their tank a few times a week. I used to keep mine in a 10 gallon fish tank with a metal mesh lid on it and give them egg crates to hide in. With super worms I transfer them to a plastic shoebox with ventilation and wheat bran for substrate. I put in a cardboard drink holder and put the stems from the greens in and let them eat them. The drink holder keeps the greens off the substrate so it doesn't get wet and moldy.

Squash is a very good food to feed and collards and mustards are good too. I add in dandelion greens and turnip greens and I leave the salad in all day long. Fruit is once or twice a week. Mine kinda made the transition on their own of just eating less bugs per feeding.

 

[Twinkie13]

Thanks guys.....I feel like he is a perfect weight. Not skinny and not fat. I just always read that it is important to flip them to a more veggie diet as adult. I am lucky in that he will eat ALL. Salad goes on in the AM and that "makes" him eat it as he warms up after lights on.
So what is the purpose of flipping the diet to more veggies as they age? And what age is that "supposed" to be? Are they adults at 2 like I've read and that is the age? I'd rather real life experiences that we get here....so why is it important? If they don't want to switch should we just give em what they want? Is it a prolong life deal? I only ask because I respect all the members here a bunch and this is the 1st I've ever heard of "let them eat what they like" kinda thing....again, I know it wasn't said JUST like that but it was a lil looser of a diet than anything I've ever read or seen Hdrydr. Know what I mean?

 

[PatsyB]

Their body slows down as they get older and their body just doesn't need as much protein. Too much protein when they are older can cause problems.

It's good at about 18 months to start giving bugs every other day or so and salad every day.