Went shopping for a Boa, came home with a Beardie.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Dubias, hands down! They are more nutritional than crickets and much, much easier to breed. They also don't smell and don't chirp.

I will say that I prefer crickets for newly hatched babies and on up to about 4-6 weeks old. I think that they are a little easier to digest and the jumping stimulates a feeding reaction better than the dubias scuttling. Once they hit the 6 week mark though, they do just fine on dubias as the primary.

Ok, thanks I'll get a breeding colony set up and in about a month I'll try to switch my little girl over.

[Hoolym]

Dubias, hands down! They are more nutritional than crickets and much, much easier to breed. They also don't smell and don't chirp.

I will say that I prefer crickets for newly hatched babies and on up to about 4-6 weeks old. I think that they are a little easier to digest and the jumping stimulates a feeding reaction better than the dubias scuttling. Once they hit the 6 week mark though, they do just fine on dubias as the primary.

x2

These are warm climate bugs so if you are above the Mason Dixon line they would have trouble surviving if they did get loose. I had a big rubbermade tub of them for 4-5 years. Had maybe 2 escapees that whole time.

Feeding time I'd put them in a small shallow glass dish. It was deep enough they couldn't climb out but low enough that Chompers could pick them off like fish in a barrel ;-).

They are super simple to keep. They don't jump and they can't climb slick surfaces. That keeps escapes to a minimum. They don't chirp. Put them in an opaque rubermade tub with airholes in/near the top. Put a small UTH (hermit crab size) under it to keep them toasty. Doesn't have to be hot, just a little above room temperature. Throw in some cardboard egg carton and or TP tubes for them to hide in (more is better but keep several inches lower than the top). You can feed a commercial roach "chow" but I fed them random (but nutritious) stuff. Oatmeal flakes, whole grain cereal, crushed dog food with fruit & veggie scraps for moisture. No meat though, that gets rancid too easily. They love orange slices and it helps keep the tub fresh smelling.

Leave them alone for a few weeks to get "busy" and in no time you'll have a whole range of sizes to feed. Nymphs are about the size of a tic-tac, great for the little ones. Adults are a bit big even for adults BDs but when you find the freshly molted boys (they will be white w/ wings) then even the biggest ones can be fed since they are soft & chewy and you can spare the boys. Don't feed the females off for obvious reasons.

[enchantress62]

I removed the left over crickets, placed them in a seperate container, and placed Lex in it. He went to town, ate three crickets, then threw himself against the side of the cage again. lmao

So when I get ready to modify the 40L what do I need to change? I already know I need a top light that spands the length of the cage with a UB bulb but what is the difference between the top light and the basking light? Where do you place the basking light? and... Do you leave it on all the time? Also, right now three sides and the top of the tank are insulated for heat and humidity to accomidate my bp's needs. Should I remove all that? Do I need a thermostate to regulate heat? okay, okay, I know this is a lot of questions so I'll stop now. hehe

[The Serpent Merchant]

This is my temporary set up, UV light, heat bulb in dome. The gear lamp runs during the day, and turns off at night. I have mine hooked up to a thermostat set to 105 during the day and 70 at night. The thermostat slowly changes between the day and night temperatures over 6 hours (so 6 hours day temperature, 6 hours transitioning to night temperature, 6 hours of night temperature, then 6 hours transitioning back up to the day temp)

[EverEvolvingExotics]

I just found this thread at almost one in the morning so I can't read through its entirety. Food wise, this is the best website I have ever found. Bookmark it, it's amazing:

http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

[Maixx]

With the Uvb light, do not use the coil screw in type, they will blind your beardie over time. Stick with the long tube type lights, and make sure they get changed when recommended even if they appear to be working just fine.

[purplemuffin]

Thanks for mentioning those points! A lot of people don't realize that the UVB part of the light does go out...even if the light is still shining. I know someone who had one over their iguana for nearly four times the recommended length before it finally blew out. After doing this for a few years, the iguana had severe MBD! Even though his bulb was changed when it blew out--it was never changed when it needed to be changed.

And yes those coil ones just seem to be a problem. The tubes are the best, definitely stick with them. You will often even notice a change in behavior even when it comes to switching between these types of lighting!


Goodness, baby beardies are adorable. And adults are spunky. They are great their whole lives!

[enchantress62]

Thanks, that kind of information is valuable. I'll take it under advisement.