I've got a lizard to feed.

[KnockEmOuttt]

Not sure if this is actually the right forum for this, but it's animal related so sure, life sciences. Anyway...

I've got a bearded dragon. He's just under a year old, maybe about a foot long. We'd been getting crickets for him to eat but he's outgrown those really (unless I feed him like 30 in one sitting, which used to be like a week's worth for him). I'm looking to feed him something bigger.

Someone recommended mealworms, but I'm kind of wary about them. I had a rather large frog as well as two large anoles which died from intestinal impaction after eating them.

Any suggestions?

[jonb]

Any suggestions?

I can only offer a general piece of advice, I think you should provide as many different forms of food as possible, often problems are caused not by a particular food, but by only offering one sort. Think what it would have in the wild and then reproduce that, as that is what the animal is adapted for.

[KnockEmOuttt]

Beardies are Australian. No way I am bringing Australian insects into my home, those things could probably eat me!

But joking aside, I'll certainly variate his diet. It's partially vegetarian which is easy enough, I can just get a bag of salad blend (as long as it isn't mostly iceberg lettuce and hasn't got any spinach in it.) But as for the carnivorous end, I want to make sure what I'm getting him has got enough nutrition in it. I was going to get waxworms but I heard that while they're good for fattening something up, they're not necessarily the healthiest. Like going for the marbled steak over the lean one.

[Annik]

Maybe a spring mix will do. :3

[Paul the Human]

You should Google it. You should also speak to a local expert if there are any nearby. Try this website as a start... http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/caresheet/

I have had a number of different reptiles over the years and their care needs are very specific and very important. Definitely make sure you research it well before simply guessing or taking advice from someone that has never raised one.

[Shell B]

Call a vet. Mine always suggested the size and type of food for my snakes, cats, etc. They have the best interest of the animal in mind and aren't trying to sell you food.

[KnockEmOuttt]

Call a vet. Mine always suggested the size and type of food for my snakes, cats, etc. They have the best interest of the animal in mind and aren't trying to sell you food.

I'll do that then. Thanks!

---

You should Google it. You should also speak to a local expert if there are any nearby. Try this website as a start... http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/caresheet/

I have had a number of different reptiles over the years and their care needs are very specific and very important. Definitely make sure you research it well before simply guessing or taking advice from someone that has never raised one.

Yeah this is the first lizard I've had in a few years, and probably the most requiring of active care. I've kept small snakes and anoles before, but I've mostly kept fish and amphibians.

[jackman]

sorry ahead of time for the long reply. lol. if you use sand as a substrate, like i did for my anole, they snap up mealworms and crickets so fast that they often get a mouthful of sand with their fresh catch. that does lead to impaction, but it can be relieved with a touch of castor oil (not recommended way of fixing that, but it worked for me) and they'll pass it. mealworms have worked flawlessly for me, for all 3 types i have.

since beardies are omnivores - try to stick with the 50/40/10 mix of meat, veggies, greens/fruit - let your animal decide which part (meat or veggie) of the 50/40 is the majority. some i've found love meat and very rarely eat the plant/greens - but i still put them there. some that don't eat only the meat, i will push the 50 in greens for those ones. also, always sprinkle the calcium powder on whatever they're eating.

for snacks, i give my gals waxworms which they say have no nutritional value, but they love it as a snack - like a candybar for them. also, pinkies and fuzzies are great since beardies are big, but you may actually need like 4 or 5 at a sitting. superworms pretty plump too and don't move quickly - just make sure to gut load them with potato slices, as you would load the crickets, to make sure there's something to them. also, my skink's new favorite snack is an egg - sometimes scrambled, sometimes raw.

just for reference, right now i have an indonesian blue-tounged skink, green anole and leopard gecko. they all have different diets and are selective eaters even within their respective groups. your bearded dragon will be an eye-catcher and convo starter when you take it outside for a walk. they're very distinctive looking but very approachable - unlike my skink who will strike at everybody.

hope that wasn't tl;dr. hahaha.

[KnockEmOuttt]

I use ground walnut shells as substrate, so I'll watch that. He isn't quite big enough yet for pinkies, but I'll keep those in mind as he grows. I'll look into those superworms though.