Feeding Hatchlings Bearded Dragons

[wtrainer1]

Hi I have just noticed the first signs of my bearded dragons eggs starting to hatch. What size crickets are best to start feeding the hatchlings on. I have read up about feeding them finely chopped up veg. And can i give them mini mealworm. or just crickets and veg to start? Any info would be helpful. Thanks. Wayne.

[HadesDragons]

I use 2nd instar black crickets for hatchlings, then move them up to 3rd instar once they're a decent size. You might find that they won't eat for a few days after hatching - keep offering them veg during this time though, as they'll often nibble at it. I find watercress and romaine lettuce are good for getting babies to start taking veg. Whilst neither are perfect staples, when the babies are small the primary concern is to get them used to idea of eating green stuff, and to keep them hydrated. Both watercress and romaine are excellent for doing that!

[wtrainer1]

Thank you for getting back to me. Do you put your beardies in a seperate tub to feed them their crickets? As i have been told that its what alot of people do. Or do you just add the crickets to their viv then remove any extras? Could you tell me which you think would be best please? Thanks. Wayne.

[HadesDragons]

I keep them in pretty simple setups and add a few crickets to each; once they're gone I add a few more and so on. I remove any uneaten ones before the lights go off.

As long as they don't get too stressed at being caught and moved, feeding them in a separate tub could be a good idea - it would take a lot of time though, as baby beardies aren't the easiest things to catch sometimes!