Question:How many times should I give him wax worms? I have decided to breed wax worms because they seem to be the healthiest and safest of all the worms. How many worms and how many times a week?
Is breeding crickets easy? I am only 14 years old, so I don't have a lot of extra time.(don't worry, I am dedicating a lot of my time to my new beardie) I just don't want it to be a huge project( I have a lot of those already) What is the easiest way to breed them?
Is my cage too hot? my beardie is an adult and Most of the basking log is around 100 to 105. But there is one area that gets to 115!! The whole side is not like that, so he could get away from it if he wants, but I'm still a little worried about it. I have a wood top and the lights are hanging down from the ceiling so I tried to push them back as much as possible but I can't push them away anymore.
is it Ok if he can't dig? I have tile flooring, but I heard that if they cant dig they will get stressed. Can I use a dig box?
Thanks!
Answers:
That spot of the cage is too hot, try a lower wattage bulb. You can feed a wax worm or two a couple times a week. You can use a dig-box, monitor him, and use silica- free childrens play sand.
Wax worms are fine as treats. Meal worms are not very nutritous and can be very hard for your beardie to digest.
first off, wax worms are NOT the healthiest of all worms. They carry little nutrition and are very high in fat!
Crickets are pretty simple to breed, but I dont personally reccomend it because of the chirping, but if you can do it in your backyard or something then definetly, it saves a lot of money over time, check out this link http://www.chameleonnews.com/year2003/ja...
second off, your tank may be a little too hot, and it is probably a good idea to try your best to cool it down. As long as he can get away from it, he will be fine. Dont have it be that temperature non-stop though, turn the lights off for a part of the day.
I am also 14, so i can relate to what your are talking about with time very much, but note that it will take a lot of time if you want him/her to live their full life.
Some digging is a nice stress reliever for beardeds every once in a while, but they dont burrow, so just have about 3 or so inches of whatever substrate you are using, i reccomend sand because it holds heat.
Dig boxes. in my opionion a waste of space. You can, but he will use the ground just the same.
One more note, be sure to have plenty of water at all times, because at that kind of heat, it evaporates quickly. http://www.dachiu.com/care/abeard.html...
you might like that link too.
Good luck with your new bearded, and one more thing, go with your gut feeling, if you think something is wrong, take care of it as fast as possible, but beardeds are pretty hardy, and a good reptile to keep because of this, good luck!
I would not recommend waxworms as they are very high in fat, and truthfully not very nutritious. I think of all insects crickets are the best thing you could give. I'm not sure what to tell you about breeding them since I just buy mine. I have a leopard gecko and a bearded dragon and between the two of them I go through about 30 crickets a week. It's easy for me though since I'm not far from a pet store, so I just go every weekend and buy three dozen crickets which cost just a little over $3. The cage temperature isn't SUPER hot, but it might not hurt to bring it down just a tad. Still, if he has a cool side to escape to I think it should be alright. I'm struggling with the substrate issue myself. I'm about to switch over from sand to tile, and I think a dig box will be good, or if nothing else at least a good hiding spot. I can't tell you how glad I am to see you doing so much research for your new pet, if only more people were as responsible. =)
Do you get pantry moths?(aka weevils) If so, get an airtight container and half fill with a mixture or 1/2 cup rolled oats,
1/2 cup cornflakes, 2 cups dry muesli and some lizard calcium supplement.
Every time you see a moth (or better yet,a grub) put it in the container and after about a month you'll have the start of a colony.
be careful not to let it get to cold or damp,or too hot,your pantry is the perfect place to keep them.
I'm the same age and have 2.
I would go with meal worms instead they're much more nutrious. www.wormman.com is a great source. He's never let me down. Crikets for me are a big resounding NO! They bit my beardys and gave them infection and racked up a big medical bill. Breeding anything is gross and smelly and high maintnence. Buying is much easier.
I'd put a sock over the log. My friend had the same problem, and that fixed it.
My female only really needs to dig when she lays her yearly clutch of eggs.(Sorta like your period) They're infirtile but she burrys them any way.
I feed my bearded dragon a verity of greens and animal matter. Wax worms or o.k. but they are very fatty and shouldn't be fed too often(One or two times a week). I alternate between meal worms, crickets, and wax worms, along with greens. You should dust your lizards greens with a vitamin dust just for bearded dragons and dust the crickets with calcium. As far as the light goes I would get a lower watt bulb and also a light that provides the UV rays that it needs. The cage should have a sandy bottom to it. One that is made for reptiles so that it doesn't t get compacted in its system if swallowed. After you get the cage set up properly and a routine down they are very easy to take care of and make wonderful pets.
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