How often should I feed my beardie and what's the best diet?

Good questions. Since Bearded Dragons are omnivores, you want limit the amount of crickets (and other insects) you feed them, so they are motivated to eat the veggies. You can do this by having a daily feed time. It's not easy to know exactly how many to feed at a certain time, because it depends on their size. I would start with 12. If this seems like too much (he doesn't eat them within a day), then cut back till it seems adequate. Remember, you want a few hours where he only has vegetables to eat. If he/she eats them all right away, then you can add some more. You want the UV lamp to mimic daylight, so it should not be on longer than 12 hours. I always used a timer with my lamps, or I'd invariably leave them on or off for too long. I've included a link to a very helpful website that has great information on how to care for Bearded Dragons. It's highly recommended you read this for the best care of your Beardy. http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html Good luck and enjoy - they make great pets!

Feed him as many appropriately sized (no bigger than the space between his eyes) crickets or dubia roaches as he will eat in 10-15 minutes. Baby beardies are eating machines consuming as many as 80 crickets or more daily! Juveniles will eat more live pretty than vegetables. Offer about a tablespoon or two of finely chopped spring mix for him. Change it daily. You can also offer squash, peppers, asparagus, pumpkin and yams just to name a few other veggies. Avoid iceberg lettuce, celery and light colored greens. These offer little in the way of nutrition.

Some of it depends on the age of the beardie. If young, make sure any live food is small enough for it. Meal works, crickets or even pinkie mice Here's a good recipe for a reptile salad. Basic Salad Recipe 1/2 cup shredded raw green beans 1/2 cup shredded raw orange-fleshed squash (such as acorn, banana, kabocha, spaghetti, and pumpkin) - you can occasionally alternate with carrots 1 medium or 2 small raw shredded parsnips (in areas where these are seasonally hard to find, you can substitute with asparagus or cooked or canned lima, navy or kidney beans that have been well rinsed and minced or mashed. If you use beans, add extra calcium to offset their high phosphorus) * 1/4 cup mashed/minced fruit (strawberries, raspberries, mangos, papaya, figs, cantaloupe, cactus pear) Alfalfa ** Multivitamin and calcium supplements * If parsnips are a seasonal vegetable where you live, you can use 1/2 cup shredded asparagus, trading off with 1/2 cup drained, rinsed, and chopped canned cooked lima beans, plus additional calcium to make up for the lousy calcium:phosphorus ratio in beans. Cooked beans are acceptable for short term use only due to their phosphorous content and other chemicals that can impede the uptake of minerals and trace elements. Asparagus is comparable in protein to parsnip, but does contain oxalates, so should not be a long-term staple. ** The quantity of alfalfa you use will depend upon the alfalfa product you are using. You want to add about 15 grams of protein. That is about 1/2 cup of alfalfa rabbit pellets, or about 1/4 cup or less of alfalfa leaf tea or a tablespoon or so of alfalfa powder. The older the healthy iguana is, the less protein they need, so you may end up using only a couple of teaspoons for an adult iguana. Thoroughly mix all the Basic Salad Recipe ingredients together. Makes about 3.5-4 cups. Add in a multivitamin supplement (any multivitamin supplement for birds or reptiles is fine, but the best, actually, is powder from a crushed Centrum tablet) and a calcium supplement. You do not need to get a calcium supplement that has phosphorous or D3 in it, as the iguana is already getting considerably phosphorous from the plants and multivitamin, and their D3 is best manufactured in their bodies by regular exposure to direct sunlight or special UVB-producing fluorescents. And more good info on husbandry and feeding isnhere. If temperature is not correct they also may not eat. http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html

You can mist him/her 2-4 times daily. Monitor the humidity in the tank though, as high humidity can promote bacterial or fungal growth. Feeding amounts depend on age. Juveniles will eat more and more frequently. Feed in 10 minute periods 2-3 times daily. It is very important to feed appropriately prey, no bigger than the space between your beardie's eyes. Adults can be fed less frequently and should be fed more vegetables and less prey.

Thanks for reaching out about Brutus and including photos. You are correct in that blueberries and mealworms are an incomplete diet. A wide variety of vegetables are required. Try offering frozen/thawed medley pack. If he trusts you, offer by hand. Fresh vegetables are healthier and can be offered in small amounts. Green, yellow, red and orange vegetables are all required as each provides different nutrients. Good luck.

Since lettuce is mostly water it is not nutritious for bearded dragons. Because of this it is best to avoid feeding your bearded dragon lettuce or any greens with the word "lettuce" in the name. Spinach is also another food to avoid. While spinach is healthy, calcium binds easily to it which can make it hard for your bearded dragon to digest. Do not feed your bearded dragons avocados. They are toxic, but their toxicity levels are unknown so it's best to avoid them. Your Bearded Dragon's diet should replicate what she would eat in the wild. It should include insects, vegetables, fruit and greens. Insects: Crickets Mealworms Kingworms Waxworms Earthworms Cockroaches Locusts Fruits: Figs Kiwi Melon Apples Mango Papaya Dates Peaches Apricots Plums Strawberries Vegetable list: Broccoli Ocra Peas Green beans Butternut squash Sweet potato Bell pepper Greens: Kale Collards Parsley Clover Dandelion greens Turnip greens Mustard greens Endive Here are some items they can eat occasionally: sprouts, tomatoes, blueberries, pears, grated carrots, banana, grapes and cucumber. You will need to prepare some of fruit and veggies by taking the peel off and/or cutting it down into bite-sized pieces. This is a good article that has more information that may help you: http://www.thebeardeddragon.org/bearded-dragon-nutrition-data.php#fruit Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Make sure the crickets aren't too big. They should be no bigger than the space between Medusa's eyes. Confirm proper temperature as well. Reptiles need adequate warmth to digest food. Low temps will affect appetite and activity. She should be fed twice daily. Gut load prey for 24 hours prior to feeding. Dust with vitamins/minerals every other day. Vegetables can also be offered every other day.