Yoshi the Water Dragon is only eating on average 1 cricket a day sometimes 2 (medium sized crickets). Yoshi is 10 inches from snout to tail, 3 inches snout to vent and 3/4 inch wide across the torso. Is 1-2 medium crix per day enough food? I also provide fresh vegys every day. I feed Yoshi as much as it will eat, but i dont feel that it is enough. The reason I don't think it is enough food is because I use to care for 3 berdies, and they could easily handle 50 crix between them or a handful of fuzzies. Anyone who owns a WD of similar size or knows how much a dragon of that size should be consuming per day please tell me. I also use to care for an adult female water dragon in a pet store I previously worked at. It was in rough condition though when I started and did not eat too much so I dont have a reference of how much they should consume. Thanks.
it may just be that she is going off crix.My baby water dragons used to eat crix and after a while he didnt entertain them anymore. Could you not try her on locusts and see if shes any better on them as she may just be fed up of crix. Let us no how she gets on
i don't know all that much about it, i've only had a wd for a few months, but if i were you i'de just keep feeding him crix if i couldn't find much else quick enough.....he'll eventually eat them if he's hungry enough......is it just lately or has he always only eaten 1-2.....mabey he's getting ready to shed, sometime they eat les then....or so i've heard.....btw didn't you say in a recent post that he was getting dark and hadn't shed for at least a month and a half........i'd just wait and see.... but your choice.....like i said, i've only had a dragon for a few months....TwiceBorn
Yeah he hasnt shed since i got him one and a half months ago. Anyone who knows how often a WD should shed please post.
And since i have only owned for 1 1/2 months i dont know if its a new habbit....but he seems like a normal sized dragon nice weight and all.
I have both water dragons and beardies and would say that they are both about the same for appetite. Both ate "salads" well too. Your basking temperature could go a little higher (4 or 5 degrees), but even so, its not low enough to affect digestion (thus appetite). Does Yoshi have UVB light or sunlight (that doesn't pass through glass or plastic)? Do you gutload the insects? Do you dust with any supplements? Which ones? What do you use for substrate? Does Yoshi have a "swimming pool" in the cage? Have you had a fecal done on Yoshi?
Atm I dont have any suplements but am going to by some as soon as I can scurry up the money. and a week ago my flouresent bulb broke and im buying a new one tomorow. I do gutload my crickets with carrots and collards, and he has forest bark for substrate and has a large pool for him to swim in. recently he has been around the pool more than he used to. I mist him about 4-6 times a day also. Also it is winter time here in Canada so I cant get the temp up any higher than 83.
I supose hes just not used to the UVA and UVB being gone. As i said im getting a bulb tomorow so il see if he improves. Thanks for the help everyone.
Having had beardies, you may know all of this, but I'll say it just in case...UVB light either from florescent tubes or sunlight is necessary for the dragon to produce vitamin D3 which allows it to use the calcium in its diet. The light should not pass through glass or plastic. Insects generally have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous...so I dust with a phosphorous-free calcium powder at almost every feeding to help make up for it. I also use a vitamin powder twice a month. I use one that has a beta carotene source of vitamin A because it won't build up in the system. Preformed vitamin A can build up. Vitamin A is antagonistic to D3 too. Because my dragons never get direct sunlight (only get light from UVB tube lights) I also dust twice a month with a calcium/D3 powder. D3 from supplements can build up in the system, so its necessary to be careful not to overdo it. I gutload the insects with a nutritional diet. I gutload the crickets with a mixture of greens (dandelion, kale, collards, endive, ROMAINE lettuce, etc.) and veggies (sweet potato, carrots, white potato, squash, zucchini, celery leaves, etc.). I also give my beardies and my water dragons a "salad" two or three times a week. I use the same greens mentioned above and the same veggies (except for the white potato)...and give them some fruit too...apple, pear, melon, berries, etc. You said..."Also it is winter time here in Canada so I cant get the temp up any higher than 83"...I live in Canada too. I keep my beardies and water dragons in glass cages...and if I have to, I close part of the screen lid in during the winter to keep the temperature up. You said that Yoshi was spending time around the pool lately...in it or just near it? Its possible Yoshi is getting ready to shed. You mentioned that Yoshi gets "salad"...how much of it is eaten? How long did you have the beardies?
Oh wow thanks for showing intrest to help me. Yoshi is spending time wanerding around the pool and jumping/drinking from it every so often. I belieive he is sheding since he has quite a dark skin color. For the salad, he does not eat very much of the salad at all but I like to give him the choice. Also thats not a bad idea I will cover a little bit of the screen too keep the heat in. Today my dragon chased after 2 medium-large crickets, atleast he looks healthy and is active. Do you mind telling me how much your dragon ate per day when he was a juvy, that way i can have an idea of what mine should eat. I did not own the beardies but I was in charge of feeding them and taking them out of there cage for exersize at a pet store I previously worked at. So about half a year is how long I cared for the beardies and the WD also a large variety of snakes.
You said..."Oh wow thanks for showing intrest to help me"...you're welcome..I'm always glad to share any information I have that might help someone! You said..."Today my dragon chased after 2 medium-large crickets, atleast he looks healthy and is active"...glad to hear that! You asked..."Do you mind telling me how much your dragon ate per day when he was a juvy, that way i can have an idea of what mine should eat"...I would feed hatchlings and ones up to about two years old as many insects as they could eat in a couple of minutes...so I can't really give you a more specific answer. Water dragons are awesome creatures! I hope you will enjoy yours for a long time!
Yeah I feed my dragon very often, every hour I throw a cricket in his cage too see if he will eat it, if he refuses il take it out. I think hes in good shape now hes been eating more and more each day.
