Dog Food
Bearded dragon food is straightforward and easy to access. Feeding the right food to your bearded dragon can help your pet live a longer and healthier lifestyle. Feeding bearded dragons is very simple and should give no problems to any dragon owner. The type of food you feed your dragon will vary depending on its age.
Dog Food
Feed your lizard only in quantities that they can eat within a few hours. Bearded dragon food is better when moistened but always make sure you remove any uneaten food daily as adding water to dried formulas can result in rapid spoilage and fermentation. Feeding Bearded Dragons dried diets with low moisture content is unnatural and may lead to them becoming dehydrated. Store your feed in a cool, dry place to ensure it's freshness.
Dog Food
A bowl of fresh, clean drinking water should always be present in your habitat. Always feed them something that is formulated for them! Insects should be no larger than the space between the dragon's eyes. Crickets and other insects should be dusted and gut loaded with powdered supplements such as calcium, vitamins and minerals. Insects should be a daily staple of your bearded dragon's diet and greens should be available at all times. Insects may be purchased from your local pet store or wild-caught (without the use of pesticides).
Dog Food
Vegetables need to make up a significant part of your Bearded Dragon's diet: 10-25% for hatchlings and juveniles, 30-50% for an adult. A wide variety is the key, however crickets and dark leafy greens are two of the main choices especially for babies. Vegetables should be fed to your dragon daily. All these foods are readily available in the produce section of your local grocery store.
Feed your bearded dragon 10 - 12 crickets at a time plus a couple of locusts. If they eat it all then give a few more items. Do this 3 times a day at around 11am, 3pm and 6pm (assuming your lights are on 9am - 9pm). Feeding your bearded dragon a lot of foods such as Carrots will end up in a condition called Vitamin A toxicity which is deadly. Squashes will need to be to be cooked or micro-waved before feeding them to your beardie. Feeding pinkie mice is an option and not a requirement, more of a personal choice really.
Cricket water pillows help to keep your crickets live longer by keeping them hydrated. Just moistening it once will provide crickets with water for days. Crickets should themselves be fed well for 2 days with a high quality commercial cricket food before being given to your bearded dragon. They can be alternated with waxworms, canned grasshoppers and canned silkworms.
Crickets can be kept in a creature keeper or something similar with some food and water at a normal room temperature. I have to get about 300 at a time so I find that mine stay alive the longest when I put some dry regular oatmeal down as their bedding and put a big piece of egg crate in the middle. Crickets are a very popular feeder insect and are easy to find in any pet store that sells reptiles. Mealworms can be provided to larger bearded dragons but are not recommended for juveniles as the insect's hard shell can cause an impaction. Don't leave any uneaten crickets in your tank overnight as they can bite your dragon when sleeping.
I'm very lucky as my wife loves our bearded dragon even more than I do and often chuckles to herself when fetching home crickets on the bus. She loves to watch her fellow travellers looking all over the bus for the crickets she has singing in her bag!
As you can see, feeding your pet lizard is very easy. Always remember that variety is the formula for success with bearded dragon food.
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