Survey of Feeding Practices and Supplement Use in Pet Inland Bearded Dragons (Pogona vitticeps) of the United States and Canada
Nutrition is an important aspect of inland bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) health, and improper diet is thought to be a predisposing factor for many health disorders. The objective of this study was to survey owners of bearded dragons to learn more about their feeding practices and supplement use. Self-selecting bearded dragon owners were invited to participate in the survey if they were >18 yr of age or had guardian consent and resided in Canada or the United States. A survey titled “Nutritional Survey of Bearded Dragon Dietary Habits in North America” was available online following research ethics board approval from the University of Guelph, Canada. In total, 405 responses representing subadult and adult bearded dragons were evaluated. The most common diet offered consisted of 1–25% larval and adult insects (each) and 51–75% plant material. Approximately one half of the survey participants, especially the younger respondents, were feeding diets with <50% plant material and >50% insects. Berries were the most common plant material offered, superworms (Zophobas morio) and hornworms (Manduca sexta) were the most common larval insects offered, and house crickets (Acheta domesticus) were the most common adult insects offered. Insects were commonly dusted with calcium, vitamin D3, and multivitamins, but plant material was not dusted. These results highlighted the requirment for the development of clear nutritional guidelines outlining the type, quantity, and frequency of food items and supplements offered and the requirement of further investigations to determine the ideal diet for this common pet lizard.Abstract
Histogram of the age distribution of bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) included in this study (n = 346). Based on responses of owners to the “Nutritional Survey of Bearded Dragon Dietary Habits in North America.” The y-axis represents the number of animals in each age category.
Pie chart of the origin of bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) acquisition by owners (n = 346). Based on responses of owners to the “Nutritional Survey of Bearded Dragon Dietary Habits in North America.”
Bar plot of the origin of resource information used to formulate dietary plans for pet bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) (n = 302). Based on responses of owners to the “Nutritional Survey of Bearded Dragon Dietary Habits in North America.” The y-axis represents percentage of owners that used each resource.
Stacked bar plots of the percentage of each food category offered to bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) (n = 342). Based on responses of owners to the “Nutritional Survey of Bearded Dragon Dietary Habits in North America.” The y-axis represents the percentage of bearded dragons offered the percentage category of each food group.
Bar plot of the most common larval insects offered to bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) (n = 342). Based on responses of owners to the “Nutritional Survey of Bearded Dragon Dietary Habits in North America.” The y-axis represents the percentage of bearded dragons offered each larval insect.
Bar plot of the most common adult insects offered to bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) (n = 342). Based on responses of owners to the “Nutritional Survey of Bearded Dragon Dietary Habits in North America.” The y-axis represents the percentage of bearded dragons offered each adult insect.
Bar plot of the most common plant material offered to bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) (n = 342). Based on responses of owners to the “Nutritional Survey of Bearded Dragon Dietary Habits in North America.” The y-axis represents the percentage of bearded dragons offered each plant item.
Stacked bar plots of the percentage of each food category offered to bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) based on owners' age (n = 302). Based on responses of owners to the “Nutritional Survey of Bearded Dragon Dietary Habits in North America.” The y-axis represents the relative number of bearded dragons fed different food items as a percentage of the total diet. The x-axis represents the different age groups of the respondents. Data for the respondent age group 60 to 69 is based on a small sample size (6 of 302 responses).
Pie charts of supplement provision and frequency to bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) (n = 328). Top left: Proportion of owners dusting insects with two different calcium powders. Top right: Frequency of owners dusting with calcium. Bottom left: Proportion of owners who gut-load insects. Bottom right: Proportion of owners who dust insects with a multivitamin supplement. Based on responses of owners to the “Nutritional Survey of Bearded Dragon Dietary Habits in North America.”
