Commercial diets, though rather easy to prepare and feed your dragon, are not recommended as a staple for them. Why feed something that goes through a factory when you can feed them wholesome greens, vegetables, fruit, insects and pink mice?
Fruits, vegetables and greens are covered elsewhere on this site and are a complete no-brainer. But what about proteins? How can you provide meat for your dragon if you’re on a budget? Keep reading!
Pink Mice: Cheap, Easy and Healthy
If feeding your dragons live food doesn’t squick you out completely, pink mice are a good option. They are baby mice that haven’t started growing fur, they won’t scratch or bite your dragon and they’re high in protein. They contain approximately 1.5% calcium, so you will still have to supplement your dragon’s calcium intake.
They are also easy to breed for yourself.
At the pet store, a mouse costs up to $3. Feeder mice cost between $1-$3. If you buy one male and three female adult mice, they will produce approximately 8-15 baby mice every month or so and will thrive in a ten gallon tank with some aspen bedding, a water bottle and a bowl of dog food. Keep their tank clean and you will not have health issues to worry about, plus, you get fresh meat for your bearded dragon.
Not only that, but you save $8-$45 every month, not including gas and depending upon the price of mice in your area.
Crickets: A Staple!
Everylizard likes crickets. They’re a staple, a recommended meal, and they’re very healthy. Dusted with calcium every other day (and a mixed vitamin on non-calcium days) they’re a lovely supplement delivery system. They pack a crunch that dragons enjoy.
But at around 11 cents per, plus driving time, gas, etc., it can be expensive buying them from the store.
Did you know that you can order crickets online? That’s right. Instead of raising the smelly, short-lived little buggers, you can purchase lots of 500 or 1,000 for over 50% less than what you’d pay in-store and have them delivered to your home. Dump them in a plastic container with some egg cartons (so they’ll have something to crawl on) and you don’t have to worry about driving around for them. Awesome!
Or you can start a ‘roach motel’
Dubia roaches, Blaptica dubia, are a great food source for dragons – they’re meaty, easy to handle and quiet, plus, they are less likely to escape. They’re also much easier to raise on one’s own than crickets.
If you choose to raise your own dubias, a good start for your colony is about 30-50 individuals. These roaches live for up to one year and reproduce once per month, giving birth to up to 20 nymphs that can also be fed to younger dragons. They require very little in terms of care and are not fussy eaters. Feed them some dog food, the occasional orange, apples, carrots, cereal, fish food or even that bearded dragon commercial food that you bought the other day. Put down some egg cartons and a heating pad on one side of the enclosure, and you’re set! The roaches won’t climb out, they won’t fly and they won’t jump – plus, they won’t smell bad, either.
This meaty roach has less indigestible material in it, so your dragons will thank you. They’re harder to obtain, however, which makes raising them yourself a very good idea.
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