New beardie Flex.

[Jakeelias93]

Just got a new beardie maybe a week and a half ago. Fed him crickets the first week but now I'm switching to Phoenix worms and silkier haha. Crickets are annoying. He eats less than most people say little beardies should but I figure it's not much to worry about. Hes taming up pretty quickly. 40g tank, Uva uvb bulb. Bask spot 105, and reptile carpet. Not much of a tank looks wise but I'm just getting started.

Hes not been drinking much but I give him baths and constantly drip water on his head. I figure he will drink when he wants to, he's a veggie hater also.

Let me know if you have any tips for feeding veggies or silkie care

 

[Germ]

I am sorry, but if you are going to be a BD Keeper, you are going to have to put up with Bugs, crickets, roaches &\or locusts being the main part of them. I totally agree that they are a 'Pain', but those are the hazards of making the choice to become a BD keeper . I would never recommend a staple diet of worms only. They are more of a treat feeder. BDs are notorious for becoming 'Worm Spoiled' & will often eat nothing else once this happens. Pheonix worms may have a higher Calcium to phosphorus ratio, still should be Calcium dusted, but are higher in Fat, can not be Gutloaded & difficult to Hydrate. Worms in a bowl also does not exercise your BD's hunting skills.

You should not be constantly dripping water on his head ... BDs are a desert\scrubland creature & do not require a constant water supply & get most of their hydration from their food.

Feeding/Supplements: Bearded dragons are omnivorous and must be fed a diet consisting of both vegetation and live prey. Vegetables and greens should be offered daily and a wide variety of acceptable veg/greens is the best approach. There are several websites available that provide very helpful suggestions and information on preferred veg/greens based on their acceptability and nutritional content. An excellent and non biased place to start for this information is Veronica Reilly’s "Nutrition Content” page Here.

Staple prey items generally consist of crickets & roaches. Silkworms & Phoenix worms are a good frequent feeder, while insects such as waxworms, butterworms, mealworms, and superworms are considered "occasional" feeders. “Dusting” with appropriate calcium and vitamin supplements is a necessity to maintain good health. Dusting is a process that refers to lightly coating greens or live prey with supplements to ensure all of the additional requirements for proper growth and development are met. It is simplest to sprinkle the supplements into a plastic freezer bag that contains the prey and gently shaking until coated. Only dust live prey or greens, depending on the age of the dragon, but it is not necessary to dust both. Live prey should be “gut loaded” prior to feeding, this means your feeders are fed properly to ensure they have an acceptable nutritional value for your dragon. Live prey should be offered in a size that is relative to your dragon. A common suggestion is that prey should be no bigger than the space between your dragon’s eyes.
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.​

​

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.​

​

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).​

​

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​

Misting/Bathing: A twice weekly misting from head to tail with a fine spray mister of room temperature water helps hydration and shedding. Two or three times a month let your dragon have a bath in chest deep warm water, not too hot. Dragons seem to enjoy soaking and it may help to assist in hydration & clearing of minor impactions or constipation. Dragons will often defecate in the bath water, change the water immediately and run a fresh bath, they will only soil their water once on most occasions. Baths are ideal prior to allowing your dragon out of the enclosure as it helps to prevent "accidents". Do not leave your dragon unattended!

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

I would also recommend that you try to Bump up your temps closer to the 110F range for a young BD.

A few good links to help get you started ...

Basic BD Care Sheet - A Place To Start

Bearded Dragon --- Exclusive Care Info Library

Beautiful Dragons Nutrition Chart

Is Bearded Dragon Co-habitation a good plan?

How To Sex A Bearded Dragon

Sweet BD, Congrats! Pics of it's home would be nice ... A sparsely furnished enclosure (K.I.S.S. method) is the best to start out with a young BD. If you feel the need to dress it up, that can be done once it gets a little older, just the necessary basics are all that are needed right now.

Good Luck

 

[Jakeelias93]

Thanks. The only reason I'm feeding it Phoenix worms as a staple is because I heard it was better. But I guess not. Thanks for the info.