Acting odd around new food?

[Meginsanity]

I have a beardie who is about 1.5 years old. Up till about six months ago she would eat her greens along with crickets, superworms, etc. just fine. However for the past few months all she will eat is superworms and waxworms. She won't touch her veggies or crickets.

I'm going to try gutloading the superworms, but I have a question about one aspect of her behavior. When I try to get her interested in a type of food I think she will like (apples, strawberries, dandelion greens, raspberries, blueberries, pumpkin, squash, etc), she will indeed get very interested in it, staring at it. However she will eventually back away. As she backs away she starts licking other things in her enclosure, almost as though she really wants to lick the new food, but she is scared of it. She will move as far away as possible from the bit of food and sit there. I haven't been able to ever get her to try a bite of any of the foods I mentioned, though I was able to get her to lick the apple. After she licked it she did the same thing. Sometimes she even runs under her hide and stays there.

If I spray her salad she will often do the same thing. Come look at it, stare at it, then back away and lick something else.

She isn't losing weight but I would like her to try new foods and it would be much easier for her to make sure she's getting vitamins/calcium if I can dust her salad and get her to eat it. Any ideas?

Here's a recent pic of her. Thanks for reading.


Loki the Bearded Dragon by StarsApart, on Flickr

 

[joshjack90]

Beardies are known to get stuck on superworms and wax worms because they are higher in fat content. This is the same in humans, we love fast food and junk food right?!?!

My beardie was stuck on superworms for a few months and the solution, although it may seem a bit harsh, is to starve them... There may be other ways around it, but this is what it came down to with mine. I held her off eating for a week then she would eat almost anything.

Be sure to only give supers as a treat.

Good Luck!!

 

[Meginsanity]

Thanks joshjack90. I looked at the nutrition chart and superworms are less fatty than waxworms (which she never gets very often), but still fatty, so I'll cut down on the amount she gets.

I'll probably try withholding supers/waxes for awhile and see how it works. My concern, though, is that she's nervous about the new foods, not just spoiled. My reasoning for that is because she really does seem interested in other types of food, going over to them, staring at them and opening her mouth, but then backs away from them. I'm hoping feeding the superworms may help her adjust to any strange tastes she may be scared of.