I got my bearded dragon at petsmart 3 days ago and i am keeping him in a good terrarium, well reaserched and perfect for his size, i dont know how old he is, but he is still a juvenile for sure around 6 inches. The problem is that i gave into the idiot at petsmart who said large crickets are what theve been feeding him and bought some..... he ate just one the entire first day I had him in his new environment. I went out today and bought baby crickets and mealworms. he ate 2 mealworms and 2 crickets, and also a few greens throughout the day but wont eat anymore. Is this normal for this age? Also is it okay to leave mealworms in his terrarium overnight? and is feeding him once daily with as much as he can eat in 15 minutes good? Thanks!

I know there are alot of bad things said about petstore employees but not all are bad. You could have just gotten a new employee who thought they knew what they were talking about or else someone who didnt work in that department. Anyway our corporate policy at our store (not petsmart) is that we feed all out reptiles at the end of the night. So with this we put small crickets and mealworms in our baby beardies tank, im not sure on the exact count but as there it multiple beardies it doesnt matter anyways. We also put small crickets, mealworms, and greens as our opening duties as well. In both instances we leave both crickets and mealworms in until they are either eaten or dead. Beardies are hardy reptiles if you have the right set up. Of course UVB bulb is one od the most important things, but heating can mess with their appetites so always making sure that is correct is also important. If for any reason you think your beardie may be sick make sure to call petsmart. They can return ur beardie, have it seen by a vet, and once assured its healthy resell that same beardie to you. Good luck.

Petstore employee

First off- buying a bearded dragon from petsmart is always a bad thing, as they keep the reptiles in such confined spaces. That aside, you should never leave live insects in the terrarium as they can irritate your dragon or die and it will stink. i'm surprised that it even eats greens at that age. It's very normal for juveniles to eat more insects than greens. Large crickets can indeed impact a young dragon, but one isn't going to kill it usually. Also don't give it mealworms yet, as they can bite as they're being ingested. or crush their heads before feeding. and feeding him daily with as much as he can eat in 10 minutes is suitable enough. As he gets older though, feed him every other day to avoid obesity

You should never feed mealworms to a Bearded dragon of any age. The mealworms have a lot of chitin in their shells and can severely block your beardie's intestines causing an impaction that can result in death. Some show signs of intestinal distress only DAYS after ingesting mealworms while some do not show signs until it is too late. Please do not take this risk with your pet. Keep an eye on him and make sure he has a bowel movement soon. pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

You should stick to crickets, dubia nymphs, small superworms, phoenix worms, and the occasional wax worm, all dusted with calcium powder WITHOUT D3. A young beardie should be offered 20-100 crickets daily and you need to break them up into 2-3 feeding times a day (as much as he wants in 15 minutes is a good rule).

I run a reptile rescue and would be happy to answer any further questions that you may have.
BasonSama@yahoo.com

Runs a reptile rescue
On hand vet
Owner of many many reptiles