Bearded Dragon afraid of moving crickets

Has anyone else had this similar problem-My dragon is about 2 month old (8" long) he or she eats well, however, he or she move when live crickets comes near. Seems like a strange thing to do. Will this get better as it gets older? Should I try putting it in a separate container with live crickets for a period of time or just let it learn to search and catch on it own. I don't want it to become malnourished. Any suggestions? Thanks
Dave

Some of them are overwhelmed by crickets. I would try offering them in small batches a few at a time so they are easier to track. You could also try cooling them for a few minutes in the fridge to slow them down before feeding.

Thank you CooperDragon.
Excellent point. I bought some wax worms today (mail order). I am going to try some and see how they work. I think I am going to hold off on the crickets until he/she is a little bigger. I am going to take it to a vet that works with exotics for a check up and check for parasites ,they are very familiar with bd's.
My wife named our dragon bingo since we don't know what sex it is yet. If it turns out to be female we will call it bingoett. Thanks again.

Dave Davis

flyingfrogs75":21jt2sp8 said:

Thank you CooperDragon.
Excellent point. I bought some wax worms today (mail order). I am going to try some and see how they work. I think I am going to hold off on the crickets until he/she is a little bigger. I am going to take it to a vet that works with exotics for a check up and check for parasites ,they are very familiar with bd's.
My wife named our dragon bingo since we don't know what sex it is yet. If it turns out to be female we will call it bingoett. Thanks again.

Dave Davis

Click to expand...

Wax worms are very high in fat, so for a baby I would only off a couple per week as a treat. A much healthier type of worm you could feed are black soldier fly larvae or silkworms. Both are small and can be fed as staple foodsand i'm sure would be less intimidating for your baby. In the mean time, since you probably have to order those worms online, you could try some small crickets again or see if your pet store carries small sized dubia roaches. My baby didn't really start eating much until after 2 weeks

Also at that young and age Waxworms are to big for your bearded dragon. This is coming from personal experience. Try to see if you can find a supplier of Black soldier fly larvae. Same shape but a more juvenile friendly size.

I do appreciate all your comments. It is all really good information. Dubia Roaches can not be shipped to Florida since we are considered tropical and Dubia Roaches like a hot and humid environment. Bingo or Bingoett does however like meal worms. I am making an appointment with a vet today for a complete exam. Sometimes I wonder if this dragon can see well. I told my wife that it may need glasses. Thanks.

Dave

flyingfrogs75":34c43gku said:

I do appreciate all your comments. It is all really good information. Dubia Roaches can not be shipped to Florida since we are considered tropical and Dubia Roaches like a hot and humid environment. Bingo or Bingoett does however like meal worms. I am making an appointment with a vet today for a complete exam. Sometimes I wonder if this dragon can see well. I told my wife that it may need glasses. Thanks.

Dave

Click to expand...

Some hatchlings get scared of big nasty looking crickets , going up in size can be enough to intimidate a little hatchling. Depends a lot on the temperament of a hatchling, some are more easily upset while others see the bigger cricket and just make it disappear.

Order in a few hundred small (1/2in to 1in long silkworms) .... I'm sure the hatchling will love them and they are very good nutritionally too.
If you can't find a big mulberry tree to take leaves off to feed the silkworms, silkworm chow is OK and very easy to make up in small batches.