Beef Heart

[Moose1960]

After reading the bearded dragon manual I saw where treats can be given, turkey once a year ect. What I was wondering was if they eat mice, would feeding beef heart be okay. I feed it too my fish, High in protien low in fat. Has anyone ever done this on a semi regular basis, or is it too much for them?

[Snake_Hunter]

Hey Moose

I'm not to sure about feeding them beef heart but when they are full grown you can give them either a hopper or a rat pup depending on the size of the BD. You could if wanting to feed them mice or rat pups give them one every one-two weeks no more than that though. Also you'd still have to give them the rest of their diet crickets, mealworms, waxworms, carrots, dandelion greens, presley and so on, and you'll still need to dust the crickets with a calcium powder. Hope thos helps.

Andrew

:groove:

[beth wallbank]

is that Elvis Aron or Lisa Marie.....not sure if mine will eat either one...lol.....jk

[Scotty Allen]

For what it's worth.........A number of years ago when I was raising my first beardeds, a friend dropped over while I was hand feeding a group of juveniles. I had given each one small bits of beef heart and when coming back inside after lighting the barbeque, my well meaning friend had continued feeding. The result was a bunch of happy looking but stuffed bearded dragons. Next morning, a number of them were dead. Overfeeding perhaps, maybe the almost pure protein load was too much for them, I don't know to this day. The death could have been completely un related to the beef heart, but I suggest moderation. Okay for a bit of variety, but not as a steady diet by any means.

[Moose1960]

Well in saying that Flatwound, unless some else can tell me that it is ok,cause of studies etc, I think I will hold off, even as a treat. Dont want to damage or lose my little guy just to satisfy my curiousity. It may be good for my fishes who enjoy high protien, and I will leave it at that....alone with the odd fried up for me

[Scotty Allen]

Try a whole one. Remove all the veins and connective tissue, fill with your favourite stuffing, tie it up tight, and roast in the oven or B-B-Q. A heart that is, not the bearded dragon.

[eyespy]

I don't know anyone who has regularly fed beef heart, but bearded dragons that get a lot of mice are much more prone to visceral gout and fatty liver disease. There is no cure for either disease and both are fatal.

Adult dragons should get no more than 25-30% of their daily food intake from protein and should get mostly salads in order to prevent organ failure. Any red meat is going to tip that balance way off of the scales in my opinion. A little turkey once in a great while is probably not harmful, and some zoos feed tiny amounts of hardboiled egg from time to time.

[Canadaherp]

I fed my babies slivers of beefheart in their salads and they loved it nad started to grow finally from it!