Is there any way to make sure my bearded dragon has enough to eat while I'm on vacation?

Question

I'm going to be travelling between Christmas and New Year's, and so I'm working on making sure all my pets are being taken care of while I'm gone. Some of them are coming with me, and others are being left with automated feeders. But I simply don't have the space to take my bearded dragon with me, and I don't have any automated feeder set up for him.

He is still under a year old, so his diet should be 90% carnivorous. I've been working with him to eat pellets, but so far I haven't gotten him to eat them without anything else.

Since I'm new in town I don't know many people, and the people I do know are also travelling during the holidays. So I can't really have someone stop by to feed him every day.

I have everything else about his enclosure automated, so I'm not worried about lighting or heating. But is there any way to make sure he's able to eat for at least the first 5 days? I'm worried about any vegetables I leave drying out, and I don't like the idea of crickets running around the tank.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, no. Leaving a bearded dragon alone for a week is a crap shoot, at best; especially a young one. Their nutrition requirements are simply too high. As you noted, a young bearded dragon has a higher carnivorous requirement, so it's not like you can load up on hardy greens that may get them through at least part of your time away. Maintaining a fresh supply of water, as well as assuring adequate lighting and heating is challenging, but doable; but I don't see a reliable way around the feeding problem.

Call your local veterinarian dealing with reptiles. They may offer boarding services. Failing that, try your local pet stores. They might not provide as focused a level of care as you'd like (and there's more risk of mites), but it's better than trying to put a herpetarium on autopilot for a week. Good luck!