Babies SHOULD eat their salads

[NickAVD]

His activity level is through they roof, he is willingly eating his bugs now ANDDDDD he has started eating his salads every day. Not just nibbles but the entire bowl full.

I'm currently trying to increase the greens in Foxy's diet.
He can't seem to get to the "ate a whole bowl of salad" diet. He hasn't eaten any bugs in 16 days.
He eats 2-3 arugula leaves or 2-3 sticks of sweet potato (I get them on a coarse grater) a day. But only if I offer it in my hand. He goes to the bathroom every other day. I can't imagine a dragon eating a bowl of salad. How does it all fit in him lol?

 

[Sue E.]

I'm currently trying to increase the greens in Foxy's diet.
He can't seem to get to the "ate a whole bowl of salad" diet. He hasn't eaten any bugs in 16 days.
He eats 2-3 arugula leaves or 2-3 sticks of sweet potato (I get them on a coarse grater) a day. But only if I offer it in my hand. He goes to the bathroom every other day. I can't imagine a dragon eating a bowl of salad. How does it all fit in him lol?

Well, if they are like humans, the size of ones stomach is the size of a portion to be full. Now, you can stretch your stomach tissue to accommodate more and as the tissue relaxes, it can hold more. But if they consistently eat more than they expend, the excess is stored as fat. Hence you have overweight and obese pets..people mean well when feeding them, and over time, domestic pets will eat for pleasure, not necessity, exercise less (because its harder to move around a larger body). Those veggies your dragon eats may be all he really needs. I give a big salad in the hopes he will find something he likes and eat it...he is extremely picky. But if he actually ate it all, he would be WAY too full (if he even could eat it all). I just give the leftovers to my worms, and I have the fattest worms in town haha. Thats my theory. It would be interesting if someone could post a portion size (i.e. number of leaves or whatever) for them to give us a clearer picture.

 

[xp29]

I'm currently trying to increase the greens in Foxy's diet.
He can't seem to get to the "ate a whole bowl of salad" diet. He hasn't eaten any bugs in 16 days.
He eats 2-3 arugula leaves or 2-3 sticks of sweet potato (I get them on a coarse grater) a day. But only if I offer it in my hand. He goes to the bathroom every other day. I can't imagine a dragon eating a bowl of salad. How does it all fit in him lol?

I'm only offering leafy greens. Most of mine won't eat fruits or veggies like sweet potato. Sinatra got skinny on my after brumation so I was trying to get some weight on him. He is at a great size now so I'm more moderate with what I give him. A bowl of salad is a handful of sliced up collard mustard, and turnip greens. I do substitute dandelion and some lettuce (not iceberg) occasionally depending on what I can get. When a say hand full that's a hand full after it's fluffed and tossed so it's not as much as it looks like it is. I've found my guys eat it better if it's fluffed as opposed to flat and matted together.

 

[xp29]

Well, if they are like humans, the size of ones stomach is the size of a portion to be full. Now, you can stretch your stomach tissue to accommodate more and as the tissue relaxes, it can hold more. But if they consistently eat more than they expend, the excess is stored as fat. Hence you have overweight and obese pets..people mean well when feeding them, and over time, domestic pets will eat for pleasure, not necessity, exercise less (because its harder to move around a larger body). Those veggies your dragon eats may be all he really needs. I give a big salad in the hopes he will find something he likes and eat it...he is extremely picky. But if he actually ate it all, he would be WAY too full (if he even could eat it all). I just give the leftovers to my worms, and I have the fattest worms in town haha. Thats my theory. It would be interesting if someone could post a portion size (i.e. number of leaves or whatever) for them to give us a clearer picture.

I actually very much keep in mind the size of their actual stomachs when feeding bugs or greens I don't want them hungry but I also don't gorge them either

 

[NickAVD]

I'm only offering leafy greens. Most of mine won't eat fruits or veggies like sweet potato. Sinatra got skinny on my after brumation so I was trying to get some weight on him. He is at a great size now so I'm more moderate with what I give him. A bowl of salad is a handful of sliced up collard mustard, and turnip greens. I do substitute dandelion and some lettuce (not iceberg) occasionally depending on what I can get. When a say hand full that's a hand full after it's fluffed and tossed so it's not as much as it looks like it is. I've found my guys eat it better if it's fluffed as opposed to flat and matted together.

I also try to give greens as a main food, but it seems to me that greens get boring and Foxy wants something else, then I try to give vegetables. I cut them very thinly, so that it is about the thickness of a leaf of greens and it is convenient to bite it. And I also fluff a pile of greens so that it is loose, but still one leaf a day is not what it should be. I am puzzled by the fact that he continues to go to the toilet once every two days. Where does he get it from? I am confused and for now I am just watching the process.

 

[Sue E.]

I also try to give greens as a main food, but it seems to me that greens get boring and Foxy wants something else, then I try to give vegetables. I cut them very thinly, so that it is about the thickness of a leaf of greens and it is convenient to bite it. And I also fluff a pile of greens so that it is loose, but still one leaf a day is not what it should be. I am puzzled by the fact that he continues to go to the toilet once every two days. Where does he get it from? I am confused and for now I am just watching the process.

Do you think he is sneak eating some? Mine will NOT eat greens in front of me, but Ive busted him at the dish a few times when I come into the room. I cant really tell if hes eating some or if they are just shrinking in size as they dry out lol.

 

[Bearded dragon lover]

Mine still refuses to eat veggies on his own. He eats a lot of veggies if I bring the bowl to him and move the veggies around with my fingers. He likes to see movement. I just bought repashy grub pie if any of you guys know what that is. He hated it. I don't understand what every single person says about BSFL. I got them and he hated them. The top product in the grub pie repashy is literally loads of bsfl, I thought he was not hungry but than he hate superworms and his veggies right up, so he just simply does not like the repashy.

 

[NickAVD]

Do you think he is sneak eating some? Mine will NOT eat greens in front of me, but Ive busted him at the dish a few times when I come into the room. I cant really tell if hes eating some or if they are just shrinking in size as they dry out lol.

I don't think he eats anything unless I'm looking at him. I try not to put too much greenery in and if he ate it, a significant amount would disappear.
I don't really understand what's going on yet, but it looks like he's not starving and a couple of leaves a day is enough for him.
Or he finds something somewhere in the house and eats it secretly, lol.

 

[Sue E.]

Mine still refuses to eat veggies on his own. He eats a lot of veggies if I bring the bowl to him and move the veggies around with my fingers. He likes to see movement. I just bought repashy grub pie if any of you guys know what that is. He hated it. I don't understand what every single person says about BSFL. I got them and he hated them. The top product in the grub pie repashy is literally loads of bsfl, I thought he was not hungry but than he hate superworms and his veggies right up, so he just simply does not like the repashy.

Oh man, I just bought some Repashy bearded buffet! Hope its not another wasted effort. Bee pollen was a fail. Im gonna go to walmart and pick up some gummy worm molds for the repashy to see if that entices him.

 

[NickAVD]

The top product in the grub pie repashy is literally loads of bsfl, I thought he was not hungry but than he hate superworms and his veggies right up, so he just simply does not like the repashy.

I have a grub pie and a veggie burger.
The veggie burger is definitely not his favorite food, but Foxy ate the grub pie sometimes. I made it into worms.

 

[Bearded dragon lover]

Bee pollen was a fail.

Oh for sure. Bee pollen was a complete fail for me. I have the veggie burger ordered and the buffet. I hope that maybe he likes the veggie ingredients more in the repashy.

 

[NickAVD]

Maybe this will help someone
Thread 'What to do if your dragon is not interested in Repashy?'

 

[Bearded dragon lover]

Welp I finally have gizmo on a complete veggie diet with him eating veggies everyday except every 4 days when I feed super worms with calcium, but here's the thing.... He refuses to eat anything but arugula leaves. I don't know what it is, but he lights up at the sight of arugula. I recently got arugula at my local kroger. They did not have full grown adult arugula but they did have bay arugula, so every morning and night I pick up a piece of tiny arugula and he chows down on like 8 pieces morning and night. So it seems like he only likes arugula.

 

[Sue E.]

Thats all Kai will eat too...when he eat veggies at all.

 

[Bearded dragon lover]

Yeah so I got gizmo eating arugula every single day. Much more than insects now, I mean he LOVES it but im just kinds worried because there is no variety in his veggie diet. He simply only like arugula.