How many dubia roaches to feed a baby bearded dragon

How Many Dubia or Discoid Roaches does my Pet Need? – The Critter Depot

Knowing when and how much to feed growing non-mammalian pets can be a challenge and the information available can be conflicting or vague. This article intends to capture data from the best research available on utilizing common feeder insects, rather than just repeating what another website may claim.

Crickets certainly offer nutritional benefits as inexpensive feeder insects. Dubia roaches offer other advantages. And their similar relative, the discoids roach are very comparable. The favorable calcium to phosphorus ratio, higher protein and slightly higher fat content makes them an appealing choice for many keepers. The cost of these feeders is considerably more, however.

Bearded dragons

How Many Dubia Roaches for Bearded Dragons

Young Bearded Dragon (1-3 months old) = 30 - 50 micro roaches (1/4-inch nymphs) three times per day. Twice per day is acceptable, but your pet will grow more slowly. Make sure to have 1,050 roaches on hand per week.
Juvenile Bearded Dragon (3-9 months old) = 25 - 50 medium roaches (1/2-inch nymphs) twice daily.
Maturing Bearded Dragon (9+ months old) = 3-5 adult roaches (1" adults) almost daily. Because of the higher fat content of these feeders than crickets, obesity may result if the beardie is fed these insects 7 days per week. Skipping a day or even two may be needed.

Bearded Dragons Dietary Needs

This popular pet species has an extremely high metabolism and growth rate when young. This makes offering plenty of nourishing foods high in protein and calcium critical if the new owner wants that pet to live its full life span free from metabolic bone disease.

Beardies progress from being carnivores when they are younger, to becoming virtual vegetarians in mature years. Rapid growth through carnivory leads to sexual maturation as early as 8 months. Therefore, age plays a large role in dietary composition, nutritional needs, and feeding behavior. A young beardie’s diet will consist primarily of insects so as to provide the protein and fats required for rapid growth, whereas a mature bearded dragon requires a diet of mostly vegetables for superior health and nutrition.

Although younger dragons are constantly hungry, some owners have difficulty getting them to eat greens before 4 months of age. This should not be of concern to the owner as long as the feeder insects are gut-loaded with items such as spinach or mustard greens less than 24 hours prior to feeding. Dusting with a vitamin mineral supplement and calcium with D3 will be needed daily for babies refusing all greens or vegetable matter.

Some beardies will start eating vegetables before 4 months of age, others will take longer. Since some fruits and vegetables are naturally high in phosphorous, most older bearded dragons will receive plenty of phosphorous from their diet. You should monitor your young bearded dragon’s calcium-to-phosphorous levels to make sure they are receiving the right amount of both nutrients. If the beardie’s preferred vegetables are high in phosphorous, use only multivitamins that are phosphorous-free.

Too much phosphorous can prevent beardies from assimilating calcium properly, a critical error for a rapidly growing youngster. The ideal level is 1.5±0.5 (Calcium):1(Phosphorous) or 1:1 to 2:1 Ca:P. One advantage of dubia roaches is the 1:3 calcium to phosphorus ratio. Knowing that the feeder insects are low in phosphorus makes dietary supplementation of greens higher in phosphorus a little less problematic.

Veiled chameleons

How many dubia roaches for Veiled Chameleons

Most veiled chameleons and other species will thrive on a feeding schedule that follows the routine below.

Young Veiled Chameleons (1-3 months old): Feed (5) ¼-inch roaches three times per day.
Young Veiled Chameleons (3-6 months old): Feed 4-5 small roaches twice every day.
Juvenile Veiled Chameleons (6-10 months old): Feed 10-15 medium sized roaches every day.
Maturing Veiled Chameleons (10 months and older): Feed 4-6 large roaches every other day and skip the weekend.

Provide the feeder items in a cup. This way they cannot burrow into the substrate and disappear, leading the keeper to believe that they have been consumed and falsely assuming that their pet is well fed.

Veiled Chameleons Dietary Needs

It’s easier to monitor the weight of chameleons than certain other species as long as the owner knows what to look for. To assess the body fat of a chameleon you need to examine the prominence of the bone ridge on its back. The chameleon is probably too thin if the dorsal ridge seems very prominent. Check its back monthly when your pet is completely calm, at a time when you are sure he/she has not flattened its body from stress. Making an assessment at the wrong time may lead you to conclude that your pet is too thin, when actually, they are at a good weight. The belly should also appear a bit rounded when the chameleon is relaxed and calm.

How Many Dubia Roaches for a Mature Female?

The exception to this ‘rule’ would be for mature females. When eating more than they need, the female chameleon’s body will store fat in various places including the casque, the overall body cavity, and the internal fat pads. These areas will begin to take on a more pillowy appearance as the fat is accumulated. These fat pads are large internal fat deposits under the skin at the top and back of the spine. An obese female will also tend to produce more and larger eggs. The large fat pads become life threatening in obese females when they expand to the point that egg binding occurs. The pressure they exert on the oviduct prevents passage of the already overly large eggs out of the body. Bear in mind that dubia roaches are slightly more fattening than crickets. Therefore, owners of obese females are encouraged to alter the feeding regimen to:

3-6 months: Feed 4 food items every other day, and alternate between crickets and dubias.
6+ months: Feed three food items every other day and skip the weekend.

All feeder insects should be gut-loaded with a vitamin-mineral supplement 24 hours prior to offering, and dusted with a calcium D3 supplement twice weekly.

Leopard gecko

How many dubia roaches to feed a leopard gecko?

The best time of a day to feed your leopard gecko is the in the evening, when they naturally start hunting.

Young Leopard Geckos (0-4 months old) = 4-8 ¼ inch roaches every day.
Juvenile Leopard Geckos (4-10 months old) = 6-10 1-inch roaches 5-6 days a week.
Maturing Leopard Geckos (10 months and older) = 14-16 1.5-inch roaches every other day.

The length of roaches and other insects to feed will be around 1/4" inch for hatchlings and babies, 3/8 inches for juveniles (4 months and over) and 1/2 to 1 inch to adult leopard geckos (10-12 months old).

Leopard Geckos Dietary Needs

Leopard geckos are obligate insectivores, and never consume fruits or vegetable matter. They have an extraordinarily short digestive tract that cannot accommodate fibrous materials. Therefore, this species needs to start right off with easily digested insect protein.

A great rule of thumb for gecko feeding is: 2 appropriately-sized bugs per 1 inch of your leopard gecko’s length. Generally, this amount can be consumed in 15 minutes. Juveniles should be fed daily, and young adults fed every other day/every 3 days. Adults whose tail is fatter than their neck can be fed every 5 days.

Well gut loaded and dusted roaches will help prevent metabolic bone disease. Since dubia roaches are already a high protein food item, they should never be gutloaded on a high protein feed such as dog or cat food. Consistently feeding overly high protein roaches to leos can cause gout and result in painful disability and even death.

How to Care for a Malnourished Leopard Gecko

If you have a malnourished and thin leopard gecko who is refusing all food, or is too weak to hunt, then you may need to help them regain some strength by making them eat. Kill and crush some roaches and mix them with calcium and vitamin powder. Using a cotton swab, dab a very small amount onto the end of your gecko’s nose. Having something on their nose will make them instinctively lick it off, thus getting some bug and vitamin nourishment back into their body. Repeat until they show a prey drive toward roaches again.

Is My Leopard Gecko Obese?

An obese leopard gecko can develop a fatty liver which can be a serious health problem. A healthy leopard gecko should always have some fat stored in their tail, but their tail shouldn’t become bulbous or misshapen. At that point they will start depositing fat in their organs and throughout their body, which is very unhealthy. An animal at a good weight will have a tail that is approximately the same width as it’s torso. Bear in mind when choosing feeder insects that dubias are higher in fat than crickets.

Tokay geckos

How many dubia roaches to feed a Tokay Gecko

Hatchlings don’t eat until they’ve completed the first shedding procedure which usually happens after three days. Dubias are typically too large. So crickets may be offered but choose the smallest ones possible and make sure they’re served alive.

Young Tokay Geckos (0-4 months old) = 8-10 ¼-inch roaches three times per day.
Juvenile Tokay Geckos (4-12 months old) = 4-5 medium roaches once daily 5 days per week.
Maturing Tokay Geckos (12 months and older) = 8-10 1.5 inch roaches every other day.

The size of crickets to feed will be around 1/4" inch for hatchlings and babies, 3/8 inches for juveniles (4 months and over) and 1/2 to 1 inch to adults (10-12 months old). But if you're looking to use dubia roaches as the main feeder, you can switch as soon as the tokay gecko is adequate in size.

Tokay Geckos Dietary Needs

Most pet stores and breeders sell this species as babies so that owners can bond with their pets at a young age and be more able to safely handle this sometimes-aggressive species. Baby geckos, however, do not have fully developed skeletal and immune systems and are therefore more susceptible than their older counterparts to developing certain diseases. Thus, they must be fed and housed appropriately when they are first purchased to try to prevent the development of common juvenile diseases.

This species is primarily carnivorous. Some keepers feed only well gut loaded insects and some provide occasional soft fruit or baby food treats. A 1997 analysis of wild tokay gecko diet indicated no vegetable matter in their guts. The matter is debated hotly among fanciers. The diet below assumes no foods offered other than insects.

Is my Tokay Gecko Obese?

This species can suffer from obesity. An overly fat tail wider than the body is an indication that fat is being stored internally and can result in fatty liver disease. Older males tend to have very naturally fat tails, so the concerned keeper should also judge behavior to determine whether or not a change in diet is necessary. This normally very active species becomes lethargic when too fat, so observation of nighttime activity and energy levels is recommended.

Is my Tokay Gecko Malnourished?

They can also become too thin. A lizard with a base of tail less than 2/3 the size of the torso where it enters the caudal juncture (top of the tail) should probably have its daily ration increased by one additional roach for 2-3 weeks.

This nocturnal creature will need insects well dusted with calcium and D3, especially as a hatchling and juvenile. As an adult alternate calcium with D3 with a calcium only supplement.

Crested gecko

How many Dubia Roaches to Feed a Crested Gecko?

The best time of a day to feed your crested gecko is the in the evening, when they naturally start hunting. The feeding recommendations below take into account a diet of more than 70% commercial formulation.

Young Crested Geckos (1-4 months old) = 4-6 3/16 to ¼ inch roaches once per day.
Juvenile Crested Geckos (4-10 months old) = 3-4 medium roaches 4 days a week.
Maturing Crested Geckos (10 months +) = 2-3 medium roaches 3 days per week.

Gut loaded, dusted roaches should be introduced around a month after hatching. The commercial formulation should not be further supplemented. Additional calcium with D3 can be added through proper gut loading of the feeder insects. Treats like mashed fruit should be offered no more than twice a month.

Crested Geckos Dietary Needs

This omnivorous species will eat fewer insects and more vegetable matter than the species listed above. Many keepers use roaches in addition to a commercially prepared crestie chow. For adults, the keeper will be able to supply the prey items in ways that maintain proper weight for these particular animals.

Hatchlings need careful observation. It can be difficult to determine food consumption, as they take tiny licks of their commercial prepared formulations and their poops are easily hidden within leaves and branches. Also, hatchlings can live off their internal yolk sacks for a week or more after hatching. Placing food in the enclosure 24-48 hours after hatching just in case they are hungry is prudent, but feeding not being observed is not necessarily cause for concern until day 7.

Many experienced keepers do not offer live prey until between one and two months of age, in order to train the baby to consume the formulated food balanced for nutrition, instead of coming to prefer only insects and refusing their crestie chow.

Is my Crested Gecko Obese?

Obesity in crested geckos can be a problem. A tailless crestie should have a rounded torso, with ribs just barely visible right behind the forearms. The hip bones should be visible, without being overly prominent. Mature females that have laid clutches may be a little bit plumper looking without indicating obesity. Even a mature breeder should not exceed 45 gms.

Is my Crested Gecko Malnourished?

An overly thin gecko that is expressing a stick-tail, may benefit from increased rations once disease based concerns are eliminated. A common reason crested gecko can appear too thin overall, not just in the tail, is dehydration. Roaches offer very little moisture, and so increasing food items for the animal may not solve the problem, but clean water in addition to extra Roaches may.

Emperor Scorpion

How many dubia roaches to feed an Emperor Scorpion?

Young Scorpions

For owners wanting their young pet to reach their maximum and impressive size of 7 to 8 inches quickly, scorplings can be counted on to consume as much as they can get their little pincers on and sting into submission. The more they eat, the faster they pass through their instars to adulthood.

Tiny, white, baby scorpions that have just been born and have yet to molt (first instar) will not be able to feed themselves and will depend on mom to do that for them. She will shred prey items and feed them to her young manually.

Juvenile Scorpions

Once the first molt has occurred and they enter their second instar, they can be fed one ¼ inch roach per week for slow growth, two roaches for more rapid maturing. Scorplings receiving more generous portions must be carefully observed for upcoming molts. When the exoskeleton turns dull, withhold all roaches. Once the molt has been successfully performed, wait three days. Once the carapace has hardened, ¼ inch roaches can be offered every day for three days in row. But after that, reduce feeding frequency to every third day at most.

Older scorplings can be fed a ½ inch roach every three days without danger of overfeeding. Signs that this may be too little will include pouncing on things and agitated skittering. Then one ¼ inch roach should be offered immediately and a second one the next day. Over feeding is also possible, so if your pet seems uninterested in food, skip a couple of days. Even a week is not too much fasting and can help reset your pet’s prey drive.

Mature Scorpions

An adult emperor scorpion will eat about 1-2 adult roaches per week and should be fed every other night. Two roaches at a time should be consumed by morning if your pet is hungry. If one roach is consistently left over, change the feeding schedule to every 3rd day. Sometimes a particularly lazy scorpion will be able to be maintained on one 2-inch roach per week. Observation is the key.

Is my Scorpion Obese?

A fat scorpion is not necessarily a well-nourished one. To ensure a full complement of vitamins and minerals, roaches should be dusted with calcium once per month, and dusted with a high-quality vitamin and mineral supplement weekly. Carefully gutloaded roaches will serve most needs, however, malnourishment is difficult to determine in this species, as they can go months without eating for no apparent reason. Err on the side of caution and supplement occasionally.

Tarantulas

How many dubia roaches should I feed my tarantula?

Young Tarantulas

For baby tarantulas, called slings (1/4-3/8″ or so in size) small food is needed. Fortunately, unlike the invertebrate pet described above, slings and spiderlings will scavenge for food and do not require moving prey items. One-week old roaches (3/16) are usually the right size for very small spiderlings. Or a keeper may choose to pre-kill and cut up a larger prey item into a more appropriate size. This is a great way to make sure that they can eat as much as they want while not putting them in danger by dropping in an overly-large prey item.

An appropriately sized roach once a week is a good feeding regimen for spiderlings. Feeding less often may cause dehydration in baby tarantulas that are too small for a water bowl and are acquiring their water from their food.

Juvenile and Maturing Tarantulas

Most species of tarantulas do well with a regimen of no more than two roaches per week. However, after molting all ages are at their hungriest. Following molt, increase feeding to three roaches the first week or two. As the spider fattens, feeding should be altered to either less often or smaller foods. If the spider appears to be gaining weight still, then reducing intake of food to once every two weeks may be needed.

When feeding full sized roaches to full sized tarantulas, many keepers crush the heads of the roaches first. This allows the spider’s fangs to find the right place to penetrate before the prey gets away. Large roaches can take over an hour to subdue, depending on the hold the spider has. This is tiring for your pet and possibly cruel to the prey item.

Is my Tarantula Obese or too skinny?

Judging spider weight can partially be determined by the size of the abdomen. A well-nourished and well hydrated spider will have an abdomen approximately the same diameter as the thorax. Putting the spider on a diet of only feeding once monthly may be needed if the abdomen appears significantly larger than this, and this will have the effect of lengthening the molt cycle substantially. Smaller than that and it may be dehydrated, larger than that and it may be fat. The older a tarantula gets, the less it will eat and molt, so adjustments will need to be made.

Vitamin supplements are generally not recommended for tarantulas, but properly gut-loaded roaches are, and their usual ration should include dark green leafy greens and fruits to provide complete nutrition for this arachnid pet.

How Many Roaches Should A Bearded Dragon Eat?

Are you looking at feeding your bearded dragon Dubia roaches?

Do you wonder how many of these insects a bearded dragon should eat?

Dubia roaches have remained an excellent choice for bearded dragon insect food, and they have gained more popularity over the recent years.

Still, as you look into them, you probably notice they’re different from the standard crickets.

And this may have you wondering:

How many roaches should a bearded dragon eat?

A bearded dragon can eat 3-5 Dubia roaches per day at around a 2″ size. Juvenile and baby bearded dragons can eat a lot more in one day at multiple feedings from 25-50 per day as long as the size is smaller than the space between their eyes.

This answer is over-simplified; however, read on to get a complete picture.

Table of Contents

What Is A Good Bearded Dragon Diet?

A functional bearded dragon’s diet changes depending on its age, consisting of two main parts.

To better understand how Dubia roaches fit in, we need to look briefly at the beardy diet overall.

Bearded dragons get their nutrients and calories from two main areas:

Protein / live food

This category is for insects, which include the Dubia roach.

Insects provide much of the calorie intake for bearded dragons.

The proteins also provide fats for mass gain and have higher amounts of calcium and water, vital for a healthy bearded dragon.

Some of the insects are high in fat.

Too many of these will spoil your bearded dragon and throw off their nutrient systems, making them deficient in certain areas.

Proteins are essential throughout the life of a bearded dragon but become less of a part of adulthood.

Baby and juvenile bearded dragons need to eat a lot of protein and insects to gain weight and grow, so they can defend themselves better.

And speaking of weight, here is our post on helping bearded dragons gain weight if your pet is struggling to do so.

Greens

Greens consist of fruits, vegetables, and salads.

These foods provide many of the needed vitamins for a healthy life.

Young beardies should get this, but the greens become essential in the diet of adult bearded dragons.

We have a great post covering bearded dragon salads, vegetables, and fruit if you want a list of options they can eat.

Feeding Frequency

The frequency of feedings changes as the bearded dragon ages.

Younger ones should be fed daily and often multiple times per day.

Adult bearded dragons are fed much less, and the goal for adult bearded dragon diets is based on the week rather than the day.

Here is a quick chart for your reference on how much to feed a bearded dragon when.

Age	Diet Ratio	Amount	Frequency
<2-3 months	70% Insects 30% Veg	30-80 insects total per day	3-5 feeding times per day
3-8 months	70% Insects 30% Veg	30-80 insects total per day	Two feeding times per day
8-12 months	70% Insects 30% Veg	30-80 insects total per day	One feeding time per day
One year +	30% Insects 70% Veg	50 insects total per week	One day salad, one day insect, one day nothing, and repeat

Note: These numbers for insects differ slightly based on the insect you feed them, although the table is based on crickets.

For other insects, check out the best insects for bearded dragons.

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Why Are Dubia Roaches Good?

With an excellent understanding of the bearded dragon diet, we can see how the Dubia roach fits into the reptile’s feeding.

Taste/Feeding

From a pure taste perspective, bearded dragons seem to love the taste of these insects.

This makes them an excellent choice for when you need to feed your pet quickly or it appears to be reluctant to eat.

It’s rare for a beardie to turn down one of these roaches.

On top of the taste, these insects also trigger the bearded dragon’s eating instincts like crazy.

With some insects which are mainly immobile, your pet may not be interested.

It may not even recognize the insect as food.

But the Dubia roach is quite active and visually striking (or, as my wife says: gross).

Beardies will lock onto them and enjoy the “hunt” while they eat.

Protein

The biggest nutritional goal of live food and insects is to get protein.

We call their category proteins in most bearded dragon diet language.

The Dubia roach avoids the problem of other cheaper and fattier insects, which are moderate in protein but high in fat.

Dubias are high in protein at around 50% protein.

This means the bearded dragon is getting a lot of protein from one easy package.

This protein ratio closely matches what experts notice in the natural diets of bearded dragons in the Australian wild.

Many experts suggest Dubia roaches are the closest we can currently get to the natural diet of the beardy.

Fat Content

Fat is good for bearded dragons in moderation.

The problem with many insects is how they’re high in fat and yet lower in protein and other nutrients.

The Dubia Roach has moderate fat content, but the higher protein and large amounts of other nutrients make it at an almost ideal ratio.

Other Nutrients

When you think about all the vitamins and nutrients a bearded dragon needs, safely assume you will get most of those from greens and supplements while the insects provide the protein and fat.

But the Dubia roach is the exception to this rule.

Compared to other feeder insects, the Dubia roach has much higher amounts of the following essential nutrients:

Calcium
Vitamin A
Vitamin D

This isn’t common with other insects.

Gut-Loaded

No matter how balanced a diet of insects and greens you give your bearded dragon, it should still get some supplements.

Living in captivity requires it.

But there are two main ways to get the supplements.

The most common and most natural is to use a sprinkle supplement.

Just dust the top of the food (insect or green), and your pet will get some extra nutritional benefits.

The other method is gut loading.

This method requires more work, but it’s much more effective.

With gut loading, you feed the insects a particular type of food the day before your beardy eats them.

This food packs its systems with more calcium and other nutrients.

The best way to get supplements is to have the nutrients processed in the feeders before your reptile gets it.

But most insects can’t be gut-loaded effectively.

Crickets are the most common ones that can.

However, Dubia roaches can be gut-loaded with ease using the same technique as the standard cricket.

These make these nutritious not-so-little bugs even more impactful.

On top of this, gut loading Dubia roaches are even easier than crickets.

They can hold the nutrients in their systems for up to 3 days, more than the crickets’ one day.

Downsides

You’re probably thinking: Man, Dubia roaches sound perfect. I’m never going to use another insect!

While Dubia roaches are one of the best choices for bearded dragons, there are a few downsides to using them.

Cost

Dubia roaches usually cost quite a bit more than other feeder insects.

This is especially the case when compared to over-abundant cricket.

For those on a budget, you don’t need the Dubia, but I do recommend having some available at times to help boost your pet’s nutrition.

Availability

Dubia roaches are just not as common as other insects like mealworms and crickets.

You may not be able to walk into a pet store and buy some Dubia roaches.

However, purchasing online is reasonably straightforward, but you’ll need some time for the order to come in.

They can even be bought on Amazon from companies like Terrarium Supply Company.

Just make sure you buy the right size for your bearded dragon.

Handling/care

Most insects we use for bearded dragons aren’t too bad for us (the humans) to handle.

Dubia roaches do have the potential to “bite,” which is irritating.

Compared to some mild insects, you may not want to handle and care for these to keep them alive for your bearded dragon.

Behavior

Along the same lines, if your bearded dragon isn’t actively hunting and eating the Dubia roaches, they should be removed from the tank.

If the insect feels threatened (and by a much larger predator, who wouldn’t?), it could bite and hurt the beardy.

Still, when everything is said and done, we recommend these roaches without hesitation.

They’re healthy, tasty, and closest to the beardy’s natural food.

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How Many Dubia Roaches To Feed A Bearded Dragon?

Dubia roaches usually end up being larger than most other insects often fed to bearded dragons.

But our lizards can handle them.

For this reason, on protein days, you should feed a beardy 3-5 Dubia roaches of the 2″ size.

You don’t have to use only this size of an insect or even this type.

But if you were feeding using Dubias exclusively for a meal, this is what you may wish to aim for.

The best way to feed, though, is to give the beardy as many insects as it will eat in a 10-15 minute window.

How Many Dubia Roaches To Feed A Baby Bearded Dragon?

Baby bearded dragons need to eat a lot more protein in their meals than their adult counterparts.

A baby bearded dragon could eat 25-50 Dubia roaches in one day.

It’s important to note how this is over a single day.

While adult bearded dragons will eat only once per day, a baby should be fed 3-5 times per day depending on its exact age (use the reference chart from earlier for help).

However, don’t use the same 2″ size as babies.

A ¼” size of Dubia is recommended for baby bearded dragons.

As they get a little older and bigger, you’ll want to increase the size to ½” Dubias, but the 25-50 amount stays around the same.

Warning! Always make sure the insects or food you use are smaller than the space between the bearded dragon’s eyes.

How To Feed A Bearded Dragon Dubia Roaches

Feeding a bearded dragon Dubia roaches is just like feeding it any other insect.

First, you need to add any supplements you want to use.

If you’re using a sprinkle one, put it on.

For those choosing the more effective gut loading, give the roaches their food 1-3 days beforehand.

Next, you need to carve out 10-15 minutes of your day to pay attention to feeding your pet.

Don’t do too many things during this time.

Besides, this is an excellent time to build trust and bond with your bearded dragon.

Now it’s time to feed your bearded dragon.

Put one of the appropriate-sized roaches in the tank in front of the beardy’s mouth.

Remember always to choose an insect smaller than the space between the reptile’s eyes.

Once the bearded dragon has eaten the roach, give it another one.

Do this one at a time.

Keep feeding it until the 10-15 minutes has passed, or your beardy stops eating.

After this has happened, remove all food from the tank.

As we said before, expect to feed an adult around 3-5 roaches in one sitting.

Also, expect to feed a baby bearded dragon 5-10 roaches at each 3-5 meals per day.

Warning! Only use live insects.

Never feed your pet a dead one, even if it died only recently.

Conclusion

Now you know how many roaches a bearded dragon should eat.

3-5 large ones for adults per day is good, while 25-50 small ones per day for young bearded dragons are just right.

The Dubia roach is packed with protein, nutrients and is easily gut-loaded.

The only reason you shouldn’t use these occasionally is that it costs a little more and may be harder to get a hold of.

But you won’t be going wrong picking this insect as a feeder.

Your beardy will thank you for it!

Bearded dragon - description, care, feeding, maintenance and breeding at home

Bearded dragon is an obedient and easy-to-care pet. These lizards have been kept at home for over 30 years. The natural color is dominated by yellowish, gray or brown tones. The color may change depending on the temperature and condition of the animal. Now you can buy a variety of bred morphs, which makes this species attractive for both beginners and advanced amateurs.

The size of an adult individual can reach 40-60 cm. The body has a flattened ellipsoidal shape. On the body, mainly on the sides, there are scales in the form of prickly spikes. The head has a triangular shape and is framed by spines.

The lizard lives in arid deserts and semi-deserts of Australia. Leads an active daily life on the ground, sometimes climbing onto stones and branches of low trees. He uses burrows of other animals, piles of stones, crevices at the roots of trees and bushes as shelters. nine0003

For adults, a 90x45x45 cm terrarium is suitable, for young dragons you can use a smaller 60x45x30 cm terrarium. when the animal reaches 1 year.

Temperature is the most important parameter for keeping a bearded dragon at home. Only with the right temperature regime the animal will be able to fully digest food, develop and grow normally. The lizard's metabolism depends entirely on the correct temperature gradient, which is created by special lamps. nine0003

During the day the temperature should be 25-30 °C in the "cool zone" and 38-50 °C in the warm zone "under the sun".
For heating, a powerful directional heat and light lamp is installed, which is recommended for use in a luminaire with a bracket. You can raise and lower the lamp depending on what temperature is required in the terrarium.

Night temperatures can drop to 22°C.
Supplementary heating - eg heat cable, terrarium thermomat, ceramic heater, infrared lamps - may be required if the temperature falls below the recommended range. nine0003

Use Desert Sand or Stone Desert as a substrate. It is necessary to install strong snags, stones on which it is convenient for animals to climb, shelters and a small drinking bowl with water in the terrarium.

Several daylight lamps (Natural Light and Reptile Vision) and lamps with strong UV radiation (UVB150-200) are installed in the terrarium for lighting.

Daylight hours for the bearded dragon is 12-14 hours.

Terrarium humidity is not supported. Caring for a bearded dragon consists of bathing. A lizard under the age of 3 months should be bathed once a week in a basin with water at 30 ° C, 2-3 cm deep. From 3-6 months, you can bathe once every 2 weeks. From 6-12 months, 1 time per month is enough. nine0003

Only use the terrarium with a proven ventilation system that promotes good air exchange and prevents the windows from fogging up.

Bearded dragons have a diet of insects, greens, vegetables and fruits. The diet of an animal up to a year old should consist of 70% insects and 30% plant foods. As the lizards get older, the ratio should change to about 70% plant foods and 30% insects.

Approximate feeding schedule
1-6 months - ~10 crickets every day. nine0013 6-12 months - every other day ~10 crickets or 1-3 locusts.
12 months and older - 2-3 times a week for ~10 crickets or 5-8 locusts.

The numbers of insects given are approximate and may not correspond to the needs of a particular animal. Focus on your pet's appetite. You can also use frozen insects or Repashy special food as food.

Before feeding insects, pollinate with calcium and vitamins. Plant foods can be offered every day. You can feed all kinds of salads, various vegetables and fruits. nine0003

Eliminate all types of cabbage, tomatoes, citrus fruits and other acidic vegetables, fruits and berries.

In summer you can give dandelions, clover, knotweed, other weeds. Feed the animal in the morning and afternoon hours, but not at night. Animals under one year old should not be limited in feeding.

The Bearded Dragon should always have access to fresh drinking water.

Bearded dragons become sexually mature, ready for breeding by the age of two. This is an oviparous species. After mating, after 45-65 days, females lay eggs. To do this, they need to dig a hole with a depth of at least 40 cm. The number of eggs in a clutch is from 9up to 25 pieces. After 55-90 days, babies hatch from the eggs.

With proper maintenance and care in your home, the bearded dragon will live up to 12-14 years.

Bearded dragons are very territorial, so males should never be placed together. These lizards should be kept singly or in groups where there is a male and several females.

Like any other animal, the bearded dragon can get sick. Of course, if all the rules are followed, the risk of disease is minimized. If you suspect any disease, call our store and we will advise you. nine0003

Signs of illness:

lethargy,
lack of appetite for a long time,
problematic molt.

Bearded dragons get used to human contact very quickly. When the animal understands that there is no danger, it ceases to be afraid and will come out on its own. For the purpose of taming, it is necessary to feed the agama from your hands, take it out of the terrarium for some time and hold it in your hands, stroke it on the back. If she does not experience stress outside the terrarium, you can let her walk around the room, after closing the windows and locking other pets in separate rooms. The lizard should be outside the terrarium only under supervision. nine0003

On our site there are many photos of bearded dragons, as well as a video, after watching which you will get acquainted with the habits of a reptile.

Panteric only supplies healthy animals. Our consultants help with the choice of everything you need for terrarium equipment, answer all your questions, and give important tips on care and breeding. For the time of departure, you can leave your pet in our hotel, which will be monitored by experienced veterinarians.

Keeping and Feeding Bearded Dragons

Keeping Bearded Dragons
Feeding Bearded Dragons

The Bearded Dragon is a stunningly beautiful reptile that is great for keeping in a city apartment, good contact with people and can become a real pet.

In the wild, these lizards live in the deserts of Australia. Almost all agamas that can now be bought are bred in captivity. The average life span of bearded dragons in captivity is 10-15 years. nine0003

Keeping a bearded dragon

Before you bring your dragon home, prepare a place for it. Of course, like any reptile, dragons are cold-blooded animals, so they should be kept in a terrarium. For agamas, it is better to purchase a horizontal glass terrarium, the optimal size is 180 cm wide, 50 deep and 50 high. The terrarium must be closed with a lid so that the lizard does not escape.

Since bearded dragons are hermits, they need a humidity level of 30-40%. The temperature in the terrarium should be at the level of 26-29gr. C, temperature under the heating lamp 36-38gr. C. For this, you can use incandescent lamps or ceramic lamps, you need to hang them at a distance of 45 cm from the place of heating, so that the agama cannot get burned. To monitor the temperature, you need to attach a thermometer to the wall of the terrarium, and you can also use a thermostat.

An ultraviolet lamp must be lit along with the heating lamp throughout the day. Reptiles require UV A and B spectrum lamps. These lamps are available from terrarium and aquarium stores. Day mode: 14 hours - daylight hours, 10 hours - night time. nine0003

Sand and pebbles at least 10 mm in diameter are most often used as soil. Sand is poured in a layer of 10 cm, so that, if desired, the lizard can burrow into the ground. There are also ready-made terrarium mats that are sold in pet stores (not rubber mats).

The terrarium should be equipped with branches (without bark), rocks (from the pet store) and a shelter where the dragon can hide if desired. It is better not to put artificial and live plants in the terrarium, as the agama will eat them. nine0003

To improve vital processes (prevention of diseases, help with molting), the agama can be bathed in a small bath, so that the head is always at the top, with a water temperature of 29-32 gr. C. This procedure should be done 1-2 times a week.

General cleaning in the terrarium is enough to carry out once a month (wash the entire terrarium, equipment, change or clean the soil). Food and faeces should be removed as soon as they appear.

Bearded dragon feeding

In the terrarium, you can put a container with water to maintain an optimal level of humidity, a drinker, but not all lizards drink from it. You can spray the agama once a day, and she will lick the droplets from her body, or give moistened greens.

Bearded dragons are omnivorous lizards. In nature, they eat everything from leaves and stems to small mice and chicks. Therefore, at home, it is quite easy for them to choose the right diet.

For plant food, leafy vegetables (Chinese cabbage, lettuce, spinach), vegetables (carrots, green beans, peas, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant), fruits (pitted apples, bananas, grapes in small quantities) are suitable for them. , juicy green food (dandelion, clover, wheat leaves, germinated oats). nine0003

Animal feed suitable for mealworm, zoophobus, crickets, cockroaches and newborn mice. All these "products" can be bought at the pet store.