Anyone have advice?

[Attila7rage]

My beardie wont eat vegetables anymore, he eats like one leaf and then just wont touch it. He use to eat it, but lately he wont touch it, i've tried kale, romaine lettuce, collard greens, carrots, spring mix with spinach taken out, strawberries, etc etc. I've also tried bearded dragon food, and the reptile munchies vegetable mix. All he seems to want to eat is super worms. Also if i just say no to the worms and leave bowls of veggies in there each day, he won't eat for a few days and just sleeps until i give him worms. I'm not sure what else i can feed him. I know he can't live off of worms so, any advice?

 

[KristineM]

Hi there!! How old is your boy? Have you tried dandelion greens, mustard greens, and squash? They seem to do the trick for my guy I don't think I'd go with Romaine lettuce at all and I'm pretty sure too much kale isn't so great either.

If you can try mixing up your veggies maybe he will come around again It seems that they love variety and my beardie loves the squashes so we mix it all up in a food processor so he gets the greens too

Those go over best with us. Hope you have some success soon!! Keep us posted

 

[popsickle18]

Hmm, I give mine yellow squash, green beans, strawberries, carrots, dandelion greens and flowers, and mustard greens. I will occasionally give him apple, pineapple, and pear. His favorite has been green beans!

Do you feed him crickets at all or just worms? I would try to feed him crickets too. Is his cage warm enough? I know that if it is too chilly it will make them lethargic and not really into much of anything.

Also, have you tried offering it to him by hand? Sometimes they perk up and are more interested if you are feeding it to them yourself.

If mine ever got picky with his veggies I would take him outside and feed it to him. The sunlight and the new environment was exciting for him and it made meal time more interesting.

I hope he perks up soon!

 

[Attila7rage]

Hes about a year and a half old, he use to love carrots and green beans mashed up together but he just wont eat them anymore, and now he won't eat any greens . Ive tried offering him food outside of the cage but he never eats it, he doesnt like outside either, he puffs up whenever i bring him out, and yeah i use to feed him crickets as the main food source but he stopped liking them, i put several in there with him on many different occasions and he wont eat them now either, he use to chase them down and eat like 20 big ones at a time, he just wants worms now, i dont know what else to try, i know it isnt healthy but if i dont feed him worms he wont eat anything else

 

[popsickle18]

I know how you feel. My first beardie didn't want crickets at all after a few years and I was beside myself. He also didn't eat worms! I ended up hand feeding him his veggies for a bit until he perked up again for me.

Maybe your dragon is bored with all of his food. I know that other people offer their dragons other insects like roaches, pinkies (baby mice), silk worms, wax worms... I haven't given them to any of my dragons though. They may be worth a try if you have the ability to get your hands on any of them. Maybe take a trip to the grocery store and grab a bunch of different veggies for him to try. They can eat many veggies and fruits. There is many lists out there to refer to for the information as well.

I also know they have appetite stimulators in the form of wet food that I got for my first dragon. That helped a little. They also have dry food for adults that he might like the taste or smell of. Some beardies love it! Mine never cared for it and the current one doesn't care for it either.

If all those suggestions don't work and your dragon starts to lose weight it might be time for a trip to the vet if you can

What kind of lighting are you using? Also, what are the temps in your cage? The have found that some bulbs can contribute to eating poorly. If the cage is too cold they don't feel like their usual selves and chase things around.

 

[KristineM]

Have you checked here?

http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

I probably already suggested it. Sorry, I'm exhausted I love that guide though. It shows what to feed daily and sparingly but allows you to "spice it up" a bit!

Keep us update!!

 

[Attila7rage]

Well i tried butternut squash today, i mashed some up and tried to use some slices to see if he'd like the difference, he licked it a little but didnt eat it, after like 10 minutes i sprayed calcium stuff on it because i thought maybe hes use to food smelling like that, but it didnt do anything, hes very frustrating haha

 

[KristineM]

Very stubborn guys aren't they?! You mentioned the worms not being healthy. Which worms are you referring to? Calci/repti/Phoenix are just fine. All the same larvae and soft bodied.

I've heard the dandelion greens and winter/butternut squash is a sweeter combo if that's what he likes. If he like the bitter stuff...maybe the mustard greens and acorn squash?

I'm reaching here!! Haha! Maybe a food processor? Make it REALLY fine so he gets a bit of everything? Like...trying to trick him? Although, they're darn smart

I do understand they need more greens than live feeders as they get older, like I said...just trying to get your guy interested in those veggies. Maybe worms UNDER veggie mix??

 

[beastiesmommy]

That's just what I was gonna recommend! My beardie would get very picky and hold out for days until he got worms. Then I started putting the worms in his dish and putting his veggies on top - a nice mix of all kinds of things. When he saw his food moving, he'd go for it. While going for the moving food, he'd get his veg and fruit too! Spagetti squash works especially well with this method, and so I started cutting a lot of his veg and fruit into short strips or grating it over top the worms.
You were right, too, about sprinkling it with the calcium dust. You might want to add some vitamin powder as well twice a week if you're not already doing so.
Do check his UVA/UVB light. If you've not changed it in the past 6 months, it's time to get a new one. Lack of adequate UVA/UVB can really affect their activity level and their appetite.
Once a week, give him a silk worm or two, or a horn worm or two. Variety is very important as each different item fed provides different nutrients and gets him accustomed to different looking yummy things in his feed bowl.
Good luck to you! Keep us posted on how things progress, okay?

Annie Brenner
The Worm Lady
[email protected]

 

[Attila7rage]

I feed him super worms and i managed to trick him kind of, i put some collard greens in and he ate one leaf then held out all day so i gay him a couple worms and then stopped so i guess he wanted more and just decided to go to his bowl and eat the veggies. So.. PARTIAL SUCCESS haha

 

[KristineM]

Yay for progress!!! Good job mom!!!

 

[skateanddonate]

Mine is d*mn picky too. Meaning his salad must be cut fresh. I us the little Ninja food processor (like $19 @ Wal-Mart) and cut up squash, green beans, sweet peas mustard greens, turnip greens and Kale and a dash of red bell pepper. It usually gives enough for a couple days. well, the first day when they are fresh cut he goes and eat. The second day when I fill his bowl with what was left in the refrigerator in a Tupperware container with a paper towel he is less enthusiastic about eating.

If he had his way he'd just sleep and wait for the worms. But after a few days he will get hungry and eat crickets or salad. He use to always eat his salad right up, before worms. So I'm not sure if he is spoiled or if it is the fact that produce was good during spring, but now in the hot months of summer it goes bad fast.

If the leaves are wilted he'll take a bite maybe two then ignore it.

How does everyone keep their produce fresh?

 

[Lpsouth1978]

I feed phoenix worms and Mixed greens to my dragon as well. He will normally ignore the greens for the most part. However, I have found that if I put his plate of fresh greens in the tank and then place the dish of worms right next to it he will eat his worms and then move on to the salad. I can usually get him to finish a good portion of the salad in one sitting this way.