Beardie Refusing Crickets & Calcium Powder

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andrewmo

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claudiusx":vobuqxx5 said:
Hi there,

Sometimes dragons get picky when they find a bug they like, and they will hold out until they get them.

Hornworms and superworms tend to be the worst culprits for that lol.

Also, changes in diets can cause loose runny stools. So thats possibly what happened with your dragon if he had never had supers before, and he was given a good amount of them in a short period of time. It's typically best to slowly introduce any feeder for that reason. I use supers a lot and haven't had any real digestion issues to speak of. If husbandry is up to par, their system is more than capable of handling them.

That being said, either just continue to try with him, or try different feeders.
Silkworms are expensive, but they are a great feeder. If you buy the eggs and hatch them yourself they tend to be cheaper, even with buying their food.

-Brandon

Ah, I didn’t realize changes in diet could cause runny stools.

I did bump his basking light from 100w to 150w —- just to get more consistent temps on his basking spot.

Tried Repashy — he ate a little bit of paste but ignoring it as well.

He’s really energetic and scrambling around his viv — i three in three super worms and they were gone in a second. So I think the poor guy is really hungry. :(

If I switch back to supers, how long should the runny stool last before normalizing?
 

Claudiusx

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I would still limit them and introduce them slowly. And I would still really recommend trying to feed him more than just supers. I feed supers, but they are part of like 3 or 4 different insects I feed. Variety is key. He might be more eager to eat different insects if they are all mixed together too!

What did the 150w raise your temps to?

-Brandon
 

andrewmo

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Original Poster
claudiusx":7jk7zzd1 said:
I would still limit them and introduce them slowly. And I would still really recommend trying to feed him more than just supers. I feed supers, but they are part of like 3 or 4 different insects I feed. Variety is key. He might be more eager to eat different insects if they are all mixed together too!

What did the 150w raise your temps to?

-Brandon

Of course, would love to provide variety, thus the introduction.

Not a huge increase, but the basking log is more consistent around the 105-107 mark instead of having patches that drop to 85-90. Keeping a close eye to make things don’t get too hot.

He’s been fussing all night and I feel horrible. I tried giving him a bath (maybe he’s about to start a shed)...and he just seems so sad.

As for mixing it up - he will go for any kind of worm without question - super, horn, butter...etc. I wouldn’t mind his “staple” being the supers if I felt more confident about his ability to properly digest them. If he keeps holding out for another day or two I might just have to try and see if it levels out. I’m really at a loss here
 

Drache613

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Hello,

How is your dragon doing this evening? If he's going to shed soon that can really affect his
appetite because they are so itchy & can get irritable. You can't really blame them either.
It does sound like he is hungry. The superworms are fine, but just be sure you keep in a good
mix of other insects too just so you can keep the fat to protein ratio balanced. Have you tried
phoenix/calcium worms, or maybe silkworms?

Tracie
 

andrewmo

Member
Original Poster
Drache613":21wztgr7 said:
Hello,

How is your dragon doing this evening? If he's going to shed soon that can really affect his
appetite because they are so itchy & can get irritable. You can't really blame them either.
It does sound like he is hungry. The superworms are fine, but just be sure you keep in a good
mix of other insects too just so you can keep the fat to protein ratio balanced. Have you tried
phoenix/calcium worms, or maybe silkworms?

Tracie

He was so bad last night lol. He settled down after his bath a bit. Going to give him his morning feeding shortly and do a check on temps with the new bulb.

I'm limited with what I can get my hands on locally so I have to have things shipped. So even just to get 125 phoenix worms, I'm looking at $30 (I want to avoid ordering a ton if he doesnt like those either). If he fights me again today on the crickets I'll go pick up some supers so that he's at least getting something
 

andrewmo

Member
Original Poster
I caved. He’s eating the super worms just fine, so I don’t think it’s a temp thing. Dreading the mess that will come tomorrow, but hopefully his stool will level out in the coming days. I’ll try mixing in some crickets as well...got 1500 going to waste otherwise lol
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
As long as he isn't eating a large amount of them at once, it shouldn't cause too much issue. But definitely keep trying to offer him a variety. I've found that they will eventually lose their love for supers and start eating other bugs too alongside the supers.

-Brandon
 
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