Baby Bearded Dragon Help

Hello everyone! I just recently (this weekend) got a 2.5 month old Bearded Dragon (Falcor). I have his tank set up properly with the correct temps, uvb/uva bulb, etc. I am having an incredibly difficult time getting him to eat. He won't touch any vegetable, but that's not my main concern. He is absolutely terrified of crickets. I got some super tiny ones, smaller than the space between his eyes. I put ONE in his tank and he totally flipped out! He was trying to climb the glass to get out of the tank away from it. I have gotten him to eat a couple of wax worms, but not many, only like 5 total. I know those are high in fat so I don't want to exclusivity feed those. And he isn't eating those that well. I even bought some commercial food to see if he would eat that, but no go. He did poop today and it was normal. I want to order some dubia roaches, but I'm afraid he is going to be scared of those as well. I don't want to get a ton of roaches and be stuck with them if he won't eat them. I'm just looking for any suggestions anyone might have.

Sorry for the long post. This is my first Bearded Dragon. I have dogs, cats and have owned snakes, but never a lizard. I did all the research before getting him, but this is a real issue I'm having.

Thank you in advance!

Hi there!

You said he's only been home for a few days, right? He's most likely feeling some relocation stress. That can throw off their appetite and make them act skittish for a little while. If everything else is set up correctly, give him a little more time to settle in.

As for the crickets, you could try incapacitating them. :lol: Just pull off their back legs and they wont be able to jump away. Will he eat from your hands? If so, you could try squishing one a little bit and rubbing it on his snout. Once he realizes it's food, he'll hopefully start gobbling them up! Dubias move slower than crickets, too, so maybe they won't freak him out as much. Poor thing! If you can get your hands on just a few, it's not a bad idea to try.

Yes, it sounds like a harsh case of relocation stress. It can take a couple of weeks for him to settle into his new home.
Think about it? He was all comfy in his homeland where he new everybody, knew where the dangers lurked and, knew every nook and cranny. When out of the blue, he is grabbed by a huge claw thingy and, shoved into a tiny container. And when he does get out of the tiny place, he is grabbed by another huge claw and, thrust into another realm where he doesn't recognize anything, doesn't know what lurks in the blind spots and, is all alone in this strange world. Then the bugs show up and, bounce around in all directions.
This is why adjustment time is hard for him, it will take time but it will happen!

Thank you everyone! I just gave him some time to adjust and let him eat his 1 wax worm a day. This morning I decided to offer him another dubia roach just to try it again. HE GOBBLED IT UP! He ended up eating 7 of them!! You have no clue how excited this makes me. I know 7 isn't a ton, but from eating one worm every day or every other day, to 7 roaches is huge for him. So thank you all for your advice!