Do not mist bearded dragons. The mist can shock the dragons and is stressful. If you want to water by hand use an eye droper and drip water on the dragons head.
Do not give baby dragons "baths". The trip to the sink or bath tub can also be very stressful.
Because bearded dragons are from the desert they require little water.
Your bearded dragons will get most of the water they need from their salad
and insects. The water you give your dragons should be provided with their
salad. Spray the salad with water until it is floating. I recommend a deep
plate. The dragon will drink from the dish and your salad wont dry up. The
bearded dragons will drink, swim, and poop in the dish for a good 45 minuets
before they return to their basking spot. Tap water or filtered water is
fine. My bearded dragons prefer avion.
NEVER use hose water! Using hose water could give your dragons worms.
Interesting fact: Bearded dragons will inflate like a balloon when they are in deep water.
Bearded dragons are fun and easy to feed. Different sized dragons have different diets. As a general rule, adults need more salad and require less insects and baby dragons require more insects and less salad. This rule does not a apply to gravid (pregnant) bearded dragons.
I do not recommend pellet foods because they are lacking enzymes, have added food coloring, preservatives, and are chemically scented. I also hate the caned worms and crickets. (they are crap!) They are too expensive and can't be gut loaded. (also have no enzymes)
Salad
I feed my bearded dragons salad every other day. Bearded dragons are typically
not very interested in salad so I offer it in the mornings when the bearded
dragons are hungriest, before I offer any insects. This will encourage the
dragons to eat their salad. Bearded dragons will eat any plants. They would
even attempt to eat a cactus if given the opportunity. However I recommend
Kale, Collards, Mustard greens, and a little shredded carrot.
Don’t feed bearded dragons spinach greens. Spinach can block the absorption of calcium. Always rinse salad in your sink before serving to remove pesticides. Salad should be chopped up to a suitable size. I have talked to a few people who put their salad in a blender and make salad sauce. Don’t do that. Come on people were raising lizards. Just give your bearded dragons normal salad.
Insects
I feed my bearded dragons gutloaded crickets, superworms, fly larva, and dubia roaches. I feed crickets twice a day to my young dragons. Bearded dragons grow very quick and should be fed often to maximize their growth rate.
Dust insects daily with D3 calcium powder for your baby dragons.
Gutloading
Gutloading is a technique used to get more nutritional value out of your insects. Crickets and super worms have little to no nutritional value by themselves. Your insects must have their belly’s full of nutritional food. I gutload/feed my crickets and superworms large pieces of carrots and flaked fish food. (Flaked fish food can be very high in protein.)
I gutload every evening so in the morning my insects are engorged with nutritious
moist food. Always gutload your insects. If you don’t you are neglecting
your bearded dragons and wasting your money and time. Insects can be expensive.
If they don’t have any nutritional value why even bother? If you don’t
gutload you might as well just buy the canned insects.
Supplements
Even with a proper diet, calcium supplements are still needed. Bearded dragons need lots of calcium. There is calcium, and calcium with D3. Plain Calcium is for reptiles raised outside with natural sunlight. Calcium with D3 is for reptiles raised indoors under artificial light. Without vitamin D3 the calcium can’t be properly absorbed. I feed the D3 calcium to my insects in my gut load process. I lightly dust the crickets with D3 calcium powder as well. If you don’t use the proper calcium powder regularly your bearded dragons will probably just die.
Vitamin powder.
I dont use it.
Bearded dragons conserve their water by pooping out uric-acid. This is the white part of the poop. The white is their pee. Dragons don’t pee like a turtle. They poop and pee at the exact same time like a chicken. Poop should be firm and smell like hell.
The bearded dragons diet has changed over the last couple years as we have become more educated. (Thanks to all the bearded dragon breeders who are kind enough to share thier knowledge.)
Sincerely,
www.bloodbankdragons.com
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