Beardie won’t eat his worms

Status
Not open for further replies.

Nikkiim

New member
I got my new beardie about 2 weeks ago, I had a beardie previously for years before he passed. My beardie will eat his greens without a problem and the first week I fed him crickets just fine, but two days ago I switched it up with worms, I tried mealworms, super worms, and calciworms, he won’t go for them. I hand feed him his greens but he wasn’t interested in me hand feeding him insects so I put them in his terrarium nearby so he would see them moving. I checked later and all the worms were still there, I made sure I counted to be sure today and not a single worm was eaten. I know all beardies are different so I wanted to see if someone else has had this problem since my first beardie had a very good appetite (only with insects, he was more difficult with his greens). Any help or advice would be appreciated.
 

Wickedpogana

Juvie Member
Nikkiim":1ht7bn6l said:
I got my new beardie about 2 weeks ago, I had a beardie previously for years before he passed. My beardie will eat his greens without a problem and the first week I fed him crickets just fine, but two days ago I switched it up with worms, I tried mealworms, super worms, and calciworms, he won’t go for them. I hand feed him his greens but he wasn’t interested in me hand feeding him insects so I put them in his terrarium nearby so he would see them moving. I checked later and all the worms were still there, I made sure I counted to be sure today and not a single worm was eaten. I know all beardies are different so I wanted to see if someone else has had this problem since my first beardie had a very good appetite (only with insects, he was more difficult with his greens). Any help or advice would be appreciated.
What's enclosure set up lights etc
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
That is odd that hes not eating any of them - they usually go for the worms before the insects-- how old is the dragon--- if a baby I would not feed him he meal worms - too hard on the stomach -- the calci and supers would be fine - could be relocation stress --- they will go thru a period of that slowing the eating down - you could lay off of them for a week and try again
Karrie
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Your husbandry has one of the biggest effects on appetite, so it's important that you go over that with us first.

Namely, the basking surface temp, what you are measuring that temp with, and what UVB bulb you have.

Mealworms are fine for babies if they are appropriately sized and the setup is proper. Raised dozens of dragons on mealworms alongside other bugs too.

After 2 weeks he should be settling in a bit better, and his appetite should be starting to increase.
So he eats his salads though? That's good.

Do you have a picture of him and your setup you could post?

-Brandon
 

Nikkiim

New member
Original Poster
107828-6958530056.jpg
107828-4403587054.jpg
I have a zoomed reptisun 10.0 13watt UVB bulb and a zoomed 100watt basking bulb in a 50 gal tank. Nonadhesive shelf liner for substrate. I have a digital thermometer on his basking rock and one on his cool side to gauge at a glance but I also use the zoomed thermometer gun for spot checking. His basking spot is usually around 95-100 and his cool side is 80-85. It’s not necessarily his appetite in general because he will eat crickets and his greens/fruits without problem, he just won’t touch the worms.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
10.0 13watt UVB bulb - This is a problem---- this is not what is causing the worm eating issue but it is going to cause a lot of issues down the road---- Here is some info for you on UVB's
Which UVB light should I use?
The best UVB light is a ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube HO (Or Arcardia 12% in the UK). Compact or coil bulbs do not emit the proper amount of UVB light for a bearded dragon, and should not be used. Other brands, such as the Zilla Desert Series and ReptiGlo have been known to cause eye problems and other health issues with bearded dragons, and should be avoided. The reason that some UVB lights (Zilla, ReptiGlo, coils/compacts, ect.) are considered dangerous is because the wavelength of UVB that they emit is shorter and more intense than the wavelength of the "safe" lights (ReptiSun, Arcadia). UVB lights should be replaced every 6 months. The T5’s are a strong bulb and only need to be replaced once a year – the T 8 every 6 months--- where as the T 8 are not as strong—they need to be placed inside the tank the T 5 10.0 bulb approx 12-15 inches from basking spot – the T 8 approx 8-10 inches from basking spot—the cover needs to be off the bulb for full effect of the UVB rays--
I recommend you get this changed out ASAP--- as big as the tank is hes basically getting NO UVB --- you have a beautiful tank but for the health of your baby please get a better UVB ---
Karrie
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Latest resources

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,899
Messages
1,255,688
Members
75,966
Latest member
georgiarichmond
Top Bottom