Food for thought

[GRSSHPR]

we're new beardie owners, basically what i'm wondering is since hes still a baby what's the best way to get them to eat greens?
He's eating crickets very well and is definitely growing. I've put cilantro and roman together for a little salad but it wasn't a ton. He will eat the crickets but not the greens, any suggestions?

approximate age by length is less than a month.

 

[Hobama]

we're new beardie owners, basically what i'm wondering is since hes still a baby what's the best way to get them to eat greens?
He's eating crickets very well and is definitely growing. I've put cilantro and roman together for a little salad but it wasn't a ton. He will eat the crickets but not the greens, any suggestions?

approximate age by length is less than a month.

some different tricks include putting black soldier fly larvae or other live bugs that cant escape the food bowl on top of the salad, using colorful fruits and veggies to make it more enticing, hand feeding or wiggling it around, and sprinkling bee pollen on top. I've had my baby for over a month now and none of these methods have worked but plenty of people have had success with them. i recommend switching from crickets to dubias or using both as a staple because they are more nutritious. i personally use both but more dubias than crickets. how long is your dragon? when they are young salads arent the most important part of their diet however its best to start them young because they become very important later.

 

[GRSSHPR]

some different tricks include putting black soldier fly larvae or other live bugs that cant escape the food bowl on top of the salad, using colorful fruits and veggies to make it more enticing, hand feeding or wiggling it around, and sprinkling bee pollen on top. I've had my baby for over a month now and none of these methods have worked but plenty of people have had success with them. i recommend switching from crickets to dubias or using both as a staple because they are more nutritious. i personally use both but more dubias than crickets. how long is your dragon? when they are young salads arent the most important part of their diet however its best to start them young because they become very important later.

His body is about 4 inches long id say. pet store average size, I've seen people talking about roaches on here but i plan on not ever bringing anything like that in the house lol. I know i read that the diet is basically 80/20 when they're young and then it flips. I'll try to add a little bright fruit to it this week, any suggestions? i know banana is a big no no.

 

[Hobama]

His body is about 4 inches long id say. pet store average size, I've seen people talking about roaches on here but i plan on not ever bringing anything like that in the house lol. I know i read that the diet is basically 80/20 when they're young and then it flips. I'll try to add a little bright fruit to it this week, any suggestions? i know banana is a big no no.

i know strawberries and blueberries are good options. i dont think theres many fruits that are like a staple considering that they all have a lot of sugar so it should only make up around i believe 10% of the salad. make sure if you use blueberries to chop it up well or it can be a pretty easy choking hazard. i like using frozen mango as well. if its not fruit that you will snack on i wouldnt get much of it becuase it will probably go bad before you can use it all lol. also any kind of squash is good and i like to use bell pepper as well. @KarrieRee can give you the link to a nutrition chart to help you decide what all you wnat to use. make sure anything you add in is done slowly as to not upset their stomach. another thing i do which mine likes is add a few canned crickets on top but if they are longer than the space between your dragons eyes you will need to cut them. if you get some make sure to refrigerate after opening and throw them out after no more than a week. a lot of people do have trouble with roaches but they really arent bad at all. they cant climb plastic if you were to put them in a tub. ive never had one escape and from what ive seen other people say they will normally just die within a few days. females take like a month to hatch babies so they wouldnt breed quickly and if you get a cricket keeper plus tongs you wouldnt even really have to touch them. i believe bsfl can also be a staple but make sure not to dust them with calcium. i get any of my bugs besides crickets from dubia.com

 

[KarrieRee]

Nutrition Content
ignore the kale info its outdated

 

[shmoomunchkin]

His body is about 4 inches long id say. pet store average size, I've seen people talking about roaches on here but i plan on not ever bringing anything like that in the house lol. I know i read that the diet is basically 80/20 when they're young and then it flips. I'll try to add a little bright fruit to it this week, any suggestions? i know banana is a big no no.

Dubia roaches are not the same as roaches here in the states...very little chance of infestation because they are not used to our climate.

They are great feeder insects if you gut feed them.

Also, if you have a Walmart near you, they have a "Southern Greens" package in the fresh vegetable department that has collards, mustard and turnip greens in one package. My beardie loves this and has been eating it since about 9 weeks old.

 

[GRSSHPR]

Thank you for everything, we'll check our Walmart for that. maybe that'll be easier on everyone.
I'll update this once we have a successful feeding with veggies.