# bearded dragon staple diet?



## JeremyFidelis (Jan 30, 2010)

whats ideal for a main food ?
at the moment im feeding crickets 3 times a day , usually they eat 2-3 each dusted per serving , 2 mealworms each dusted and mixed fruit veg but they dont seem to have touched the veg at the moment 

just wondered if there was any decent salad... and any other critters ideal as staple diets


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## Dexter612 (Apr 2, 2009)

Not to sound nasty or anything but you're supposed to know this stuff before you acquire a beardie.


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## Ninjaaa23 (Jan 22, 2010)

roaches are a good staple diet locust are fine though expensive teres also other things you can give occasionally like butterworms silkworms pachnado grubs and nutri grubs wich may be thesame as pachnudo grubs.

the only problem wit dubai roaches as a staple diet is that their expensive bout £5 for 30 mediums plus they are not as readily available as crickets so you will probs need to create your own colony wich is easy enough though.


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## Ninjaaa23 (Jan 22, 2010)

Dexter612 said:


> Not to sound nasty or anything but you're supposed to know this stuff before you acquire a beardie.


he does know is stuff just wants to know other un obvious alternatives plus iv seen him in oter posts so its safe to say he knows how to look after his beardie.
if your not going to answer his question then why bother him by writing a llot of crap


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## Dexter612 (Apr 2, 2009)

So defensive. Tsk, brits are such a hostile bunch. Always ready for confrontation.


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## JackieL (May 19, 2009)

Dependant upon age, younger dragons need to be offered the appropriate sized live foods 2-3 times daily as you are doing.

Roaches, crickets, locusts, morio worms, silk worms and phoenix worms are all good feeders.

All they can eat in the space of 15 minutes, if feeding crickets they need to be removed, crickets have been known to nibble on dragons so why take the risk!

Mealworms are not a good feeder to be honest, they have little or no nutritional content for a bearded dragon and have a very hard chichin shell, that can be hard for a dragon to digest.

Good greens to offer are butternut squash, cress and spring greens, these can all be offered daily.

There are many other fruits and vegetables they can eat, but not as a daily feeder.

Any other questions, just ask : victory:.


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## imginy (Jun 14, 2009)

There is some stuff on this page Bearded Dragon (Pogona) Species Profile: Habitat, Diet, and Care

and this one
Nutrition Content


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## JeremyFidelis (Jan 30, 2010)

JackieL said:


> Dependant upon age, younger dragons need to be offered the appropriate sized live foods 2-3 times daily as you are doing.
> 
> Roaches, crickets, locusts, morio worms, silk worms and phoenix worms are all good feeders.
> 
> ...


i have some butternut squash and cress how should i cook the butternut squash ive never done it before lol  they have cress and grapes in atm havnt seen them eat it but they have only been in the viv since 7 pm yesterday so might see how they get on with the salad when settled 

should i scrap the mealworms?


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## JeremyFidelis (Jan 30, 2010)

imginy said:


> There is some stuff on this page Bearded Dragon (Pogona) Species Profile: Habitat, Diet, and Care
> 
> and this one
> Nutrition Content


cheers read them and book marked for future reference .


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## Welsh dragon (Oct 27, 2009)

Dont cook the butternut just peel a bit off with potatoe peeler then grate it on a cheese grater. Thats what I do.


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## JackieL (May 19, 2009)

JeremyFidelis said:


> i have some butternut squash and cress how should i cook the butternut squash ive never done it before lol  they have cress and grapes in atm havnt seen them eat it but they have only been in the viv since 7 pm yesterday so might see how they get on with the salad when settled
> 
> should i scrap the mealworms?


The butternut squash needs to be served raw, finely cut or grated is suffice.

I would personally scrap the mealworms yes, but as the owner it's your call.

All veg needs to be served raw : victory:.


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## JeremyFidelis (Jan 30, 2010)

Welsh dragon said:


> Dont cook the butternut just peel a bit off with potatoe peeler then grate it on a cheese grater. Thats what I do.


even the peel?


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## Princess Redhead (Nov 22, 2009)

Hey there

I've recently asked the same question, if you look at my profile, under statistics and all threads created by me, then you'll find my last thread. I'm finding that my beardy is going off crickets, so I wanted to find another staple live food I could give her. You could try hoppers

With regards to butternut squash, I feed it to my beardy raw, just chop it up into little pieces (I'm scared of impaction) and they'll eat it, mine loves it! I also give mine baby leaf salad and rocket in the same bowl mixed with the butternut squash

Depending on how old ur beardy is, depends on how much live food and veg should make up diet, the younger the beardy, it should be 80% live and 20% veg then increasing the veg intake and decreasing the live intake as they get older.


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## JeremyFidelis (Jan 30, 2010)

JackieL said:


> The butternut squash needs to be served raw, finely cut or grated is suffice.
> 
> I would personally scrap the mealworms yes, but as the owner it's your call.
> 
> All veg needs to be served raw : victory:.


its just the breeder i know gives care sheets with his beardies and says on it to part cook it so its easier to eat or something , but you know how everyone says different lol


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## JeremyFidelis (Jan 30, 2010)

you know the wax worms.... could i buy some of them and hatch them to moths? then feed moths as a treat?


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## johne.ev (Sep 14, 2008)

Get some roaches & breed your own, dead easy. They will save you a fortune in the long run. Also beardies love e'm, even beardies that have gone off insects suddenly cant get enough of e'm.


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## Ninjaaa23 (Jan 22, 2010)

you can also try boiling the squash and then mashing it (although i have not personally tried this)


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## JackieL (May 19, 2009)

JeremyFidelis said:


> its just the breeder i know gives care sheets with his beardies and says on it to part cook it so its easier to eat or something , but you know how everyone says different lol


Peel the skin, feed the flesh. Not the pips !!



JeremyFidelis said:


> you know the wax worms.... could i buy some of them and hatch them to moths? then feed moths as a treat?


Waxworms aren't considered a good staple feeder, they are classed as an occasional feeder. Good if you want to fatten a beardie up, much like us eating a McDonalds everyday :lol2: not good.

Fine to give once a week, but not as a staple.


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## JackieL (May 19, 2009)

johne.ev said:


> Get some roaches & breed your own, dead easy. They will save you a fortune in the long run. Also beardies love e'm, even beardies that have gone off insects suddenly cant get enough of e'm.


:2thumb:


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## JackieL (May 19, 2009)

Ninjaaa23 said:


> you can also try boiling the squash and then mashing it (although i have not personally tried this)


Why?

Best served raw.


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## JeremyFidelis (Jan 30, 2010)

ok will buy some roaches and try colonize some , and butternut squash is on for breakfast menu


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## Jenx (Feb 19, 2010)

Hi - 
You might also find the beardies are very keen on 'Collard Greens' or as we know them 'Spring Greens' ...
Which you can get in tesco's, asda etc.

I also give my fella Mustard Greens, Peeled Cucumber, Curly Kale, Dandelion Greens, Chard, and Parsley as Staple veg.

Don't give it spinach though .. as it causes problems for the beardie in processing his calcium.

Hope that helps you a bit :2thumb:


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## Welsh dragon (Oct 27, 2009)

In reply to cooking it, I would always feed raw because I just cant picture beardies in the wild sitting around a camp fire with a saucepan waiting for their butternut to cook:lol2:


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## Button12 (Nov 28, 2009)

Welsh dragon said:


> In reply to cooking it, I would always feed raw because I just cant picture beardies in the wild sitting around a camp fire with a saucepan waiting for their butternut to cook:lol2:


 *imgines a beardie with a marshmallow on a stick* 

quite right......also mine loves dandilions from the garden, flowers an all....just wash it first.


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