Picky Dragon

Larrys owner

Member
Beardie name(s)
Larry
I have a picky dragon he is just over 1 year old and I’ve been giving him fresh salad every day but he never goes for it. I’ve tried everything I can get at my grocery store that he can eat. I have tried putting honey on it and bsfl and superworms in it with it but he still doesn’t eat it when I put it in there. I think that if I just leave him be he’ll eat a tiny bit of it when it’s dry and shriveled up but I never want him to eat it that way because there’s no water in it. I was wondering if anyone had any tips or other dragons like this.
 

Larrys owner

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Larry
I have a picky dragon he is just over 1 year old and I’ve been giving him fresh salad every day but he never goes for it. I’ve tried everything I can get at my grocery store that he can eat. I have tried putting honey on it and bsfl and superworms in it with it but he still doesn’t eat it when I put it in there. I think that if I just leave him be he’ll eat a tiny bit of it when it’s dry and shriveled up but I never want him to eat it that way because there’s no water in it. I was wondering if anyone had any tips or other dragons like this.
*bee pollen not honey
 

smaugthebeardie3756

Hatchling Member
Beardie name(s)
Smaug
Just be consistent. How often does he get bugs? At his age might not be healthy to withhold bugs altogether to encourage eating more greens, but my guy started eating them more as I went from bugs everyday to every other day and so on. Now he gets bugs twice a week and eats his salad almost every day. He is about 18 months old and holding steady at about 550 grams. They can be very picky though and I consider myself lucky that I've never had a huge problem with him eating. I've read comments from others on here that talk about their dragons being 4 or 5 years old and just started eating their salads regularly, so don't give up!
 

Larrys owner

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Larry
Just be consistent. How often does he get bugs? At his age might not be healthy to withhold bugs altogether to encourage eating more greens, but my guy started eating them more as I went from bugs everyday to every other day and so on. Now he gets bugs twice a week and eats his salad almost every day. He is about 18 months old and holding steady at about 550 grams. They can be very picky though and I consider myself lucky that I've never had a huge problem with him eating. I've read comments from others on here that talk about their dragons being 4 or 5 years old and just started eating their salads regularly, so don't give up!
Ok ya thanks a lot! I give him a couple bugs every other day and I’ve tried going like 2 times a week but I guess I should just keep it more consistent.
 

smaugthebeardie3756

Hatchling Member
Beardie name(s)
Smaug
Ok ya thanks a lot! I give him a couple bugs every other day and I’ve tried going like 2 times a week but I guess I should just keep it more consistent.
Sorry I really meant consistency putting salads in daily. He is at that age where that transition to less bugs and more greens should be happening, so the bug feedings might be a little more in flux for the next few months or so, but making sure that there is a salad available every day is the best thing you can do right now. When he is all done growing and doesn't need the protein as much, if it is still an issue you can stop feeding bugs until he eats the salad, but for now I wouldn't worry about that as he is still growing and that protein is very necessary.
 

blue11

Sub-Adult Member
In all honesty - my girl probably ate 5 little bites of greens total up until she was a year and half … by about 2 years old she was more consistent, but to this day she’s still not a daily salad loving dragon - and she’s 11 and a half years old now! I just had to accept at some point she would never devour those pretty colourful veggie salads I always saw and heard about other adults (even some juvies and babies!) chowing down on. I tried and tried just like you, but here we are. So, I feel you!

At 1 year your guy is still growing not 100% in full adulthood yet, so I feel like you will start to see some more movement in the greens department at some point in the not so distant future! I agree they consistency is the key - and also finding that 1 or 2 green/veg staple that he likes the most that you know you can depend on. Variety is great and all - it’s the way to find out their favs and not so favs - but I think once you have offered all the different choices, if there are a few things he seems to prefer over others, then go with that - just to get him going steady and getting those vitamins and minerals in as he continues to grow and thrive.

I promise you I did not ever, ever ever think my girl would eat greens - and she finally did. It’s nothing to write home about but hey - we do what we can do and celebrate the little victories! She seemed to know when she’s was in the mood for / when she needed to eat a good serving of collards or mustards. She will let me know if not! I tried the bugs on/in salad too … she was like are you serious? Really? They sooo know what we are attempting to do, I swear 😂.

I think the whole entire 80/20 switch up ratio as adults can be a little unrealistic (just my opinion) … that’s it’s just not realistic for some dragons, and that’s okay. Your dragon will come around - I know it’s frustrating, and you want the right nutrients for your guy. I ended up scratching the whole gorgeous daily set out of a colourful salad because i was truly wasting so much that she simply didn’t want and wouldn’t touch. Instead, I just started sticking with he regular hand feeding the collard green pieces as her staple in the plant area of her diet - introducing once in while random things like she ended up liking once in a while - like butternut and carrot over the years. Offering a little fruit now and then too proved to be worth it - I ended up finding out she likes to have a little bit of grape and a little bit of banana once in a while.

With the greens - if she ate it, then cool! If not - ok. Keep on going. Same with your guy - if not, just keep moving forward with it. Your dragon will most likely know what it needs / craves and in turn enjoy some kind of preferred leafy green meals now and then, especially more as some more time passes, your guy is still young. Just please know that you are not alone in this!!
 
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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.

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