Adult dragon feeding problem

[Kizzmansky]

Hi folks, I am new to this forum so please hold on to your rotten tomatos for now

I got a 2 year old female bearded dragon from a co-worker. She is almost two feet long, healthy looking and pretty active. I have quite a few problems that I would like to get advice for from experienced people.

Old setup (at co-worker's place): There was terrarium carpet, big stone, heated mat and......that's it. He did not have any lights for last two months and doesn't remember which one he had before, and yes, he only had one.

New setup: reptile sand, same big stone for sunbathing, UVB, UVA, shallow pool, same heated mat, housing.

Problems:
1. She wouldn't eat anything that doesn't move. Previous owner was feeding her with mostly vegies and greens but she doesn't touch that stuff anymore. So far I tried:
Parsley
Romaine lettuce
Tomatos
Cucumber
Broccoli
Apples
Strawberry
Some other stuff off the list of recommended greens

Fail. If food doesn't run away, she would sniff it, maybe even bite it once and leave. I also tried bearded dragon food from the pet store and failed again. Even after not feeding her for 4 days.

2. She wouldn't drink water from her bowl. The bowl is very shallow and big enough for her to get in there. I'm also spraying her with water once a day. Today I put her in warm water and she started drinking like crazy. Apparently she was very thirsty.

Any recommendations? Please!

 

[evochriso]

I would recommend replacing the sand with another substrate, I made the same mistake on my setup and have just finished correcting it, my new setup is a layer of paper towels under a non-adhesive shelf liner. Is way easier to clean and doesn't risk the beardie getting impacted from eating the sand. As for hydrating, I have the same problem with George, he doesn't like to drink from his water dish, and usually doesn't even drink from his bath. To combat this, I give him a bath once or twice a week for at least 20 minutes so he can absorb the water through his vent, and mist him with a spray bottle every day. Other than that, make sure you have an accurate digital thermometer to check his temps (hot side, cold side, and basking spot).

 

[jacody]

Have you tried "hiding" worms in a shallow salad dish? Sometimes they'll eat off the top to get at the worms crawling around. For veggies I mix in some sweet stuff like finely grated carrots and summer squash w/ a mix of collards/baby spinach. I agree w/ the last post to soak everyday, it can't hurt, they do absorb through the vent and I swear by short baths to get mine on a normal pooping pattern. I've had my beardie, Omni, since August and had to "train" her to eat veggies and it took a while, even now she's not entirely consistent w/ it. I offer a salad in the a.m. a while after lights on and in the mid-late afternoon feed my live feeders. Don't get too worried, every1 here is so helpful, this is where I came to w/ dozens of questions at first. You'll get into a healthy routine, it just takes forever it seems. Keep us posted on any changes....

 

[Kizzmansky]

Tried mixing worms and crickets into greens. Unless she get clear shot with her tongue to get the insect, she is still not interested in greens. And yes I tried sweet carrots and apples, she would only taste it if I poke in her nose and no more then one bite. This gets frustrating because everyone around and on the web is saying that she will die if she is not gonna eat veggies.

P.S. Last week she started shedding and lost interest even in crickets.
P.S.2 Oh almost forgot: she never had a hiding spot before and she never goes into the one I got her. Should I keep it or just remove it?

 

[jacody]

As far as the "dying" if your dragon doesn't eat veggies I'm not an expert. but if that's true mine would be right w/ yours in beardie heaven. I offer a small salad each day and she takes a couple nibbles here and there, but not nearly what other dragons consume that I'm familiar w/. Are you dusting your crickets w/ rep-cal and herptivite? I don't have a hide for mine, but you can just keep it in your enclosure in case she/he wants to use it. Mine burrows under the newspaper sometimes and stays there for hours (also hiding during thunderstorms). Shedding can sometimes not only make them grumpy, but also can affect their appetites. Do you do misting/soaking during shed time, it may help. Mine was in constant partial shed from 3.5 months to almost 9 months, now approaching 1st B-day on May 30th and no more shedding. Like I said, don't worry yourself over the veggies. Just keep trying, they are headstrong little creatures and have a mind all their own....

 

[Joshandmushu]

I have the exact same problem food wise, I'm hoping my boy might eventually come around and eat his greens but really gutloading your insects with greens should give your dragon sufficient nutrition so try not to worry.