Is there any reason why I can’t prepare my beardies’ salads in advance. I’m not talking weeks in advance but maybe on Sundays preparing the upcoming week’s worth? Right now I chop and prepare their salads every morning and I can keep doing that if it’s truly more beneficial but it sure would be nice to only have to do it once a week. If you can do this what would be the best way to store it? Also, right now I put their salad in their enclosure every morning 1 hour after LIGHTS ON and then an hour later, roaches. I leave the salad in all day and take it out 2 hours before LIGHTS OUT at the same time giving them their evening roaches. Is there a better way(schedule) to do all this? They are babies only about 3” SV. Any other advice would also be appreciated. Thanks!
I prepare salads in advance all the time, especially if I know someone else will have to take care of things for me while I'm away on vacation or something. I would chop up your greens ahead of time and place them in either and airtight container or an airtight bag plastic bag (there are come brands that make bags just for the purpose of storing salads). You may mix your greens and leafy items together if you wish, but keep them separate from the other salad items. For most vegetables, you can chop them up or grate them ahead of time and place them in an airtight container. I wouldn't mix vegetable items unless they are all a drier type of veggie, such as carrots, squash, etc. For vegetables that are more moist, try to save on serving until the day of. You may be able to store them for a a few days, but sometimes a week can be overkill and you'll find that they can get pretty mushy and funky. I sometimes chop veggies up, dab them with a paper towel, and store wrapped in saran within an airtight container. Fruits should be treated the same as moist veggies; but each kind of fruit can be more finicky about storage than other. Some will fare fine chopped and stored in airtight containers, others do best being stored in their own juices or are best served and cut fresh for best results. Variety is key, but fruits that make for easy salads are most berries as they may simply require a quick tear or two to make them the appropriate size just before feeding. Avoiding freezing salad items because certain nutrients can seep out while when frozen and thawed. If your refrigerator has a controlled crisper area for your salad items, store them there. As for your feeding routine... it sounds just fine. If possible you may wish to spread out the insect feeding a bit from the morning salad, but it isn't major. I've found if the salad is allowed to sit a couple of hours before the first insect feedings, the younger dragons are more likely to nibble on it because they get a chance to get good and hungry. You are good on lights out - always make sure they have at least 2 hours to digest before lights go out just as you are doing. Any schedule can work just fine; I'd usually try to shoot for an even spacing but obviously it is incredibly difficult to follow this perfectly with life getting in the way (work, school, whatever). Assuming a 12hr light cycle, I used to aim for 9am salad, 12pm bugs, 4pm bugs, ~6:30pm bugs and by 7 remove remaining salad for juvies. Again, this isn't the ultimate feeding routine and anything can work, just an example = )
