LouLou1994
New member
Hi everyone!
I'm a new (and proud) owner of a baby bearded dragon named Chester (after my hero Chester Bennington), however, I have had him for 4 days now and he barely eats anything alive. Might be relocation stress, but I discovered that he is terrified of crickets and anything that runs around (though the pet shop fed him those while he was still with his siblings). He puffs his beard and actually runs away - bit me once when I tried to hand feed them *ouch*. I tried putting him in another container but he vehemently detested that. He will eat 2 or 3 mealworms from a dish per day (though not particularly recommended which is why I need to find something else). He LOVES dandelion leaves and kale with sprinkled calcium - will even eat that from my hand. He is very active, poops daily, lets me handle him often, so I believe he is healthy. His vivarium is just under 4ft by 2ft, his temperatures are, according to professional recommendations, optimum for good health, he has places to hide and climb with plenty of light. I hand-bathe him with warm water, which he likes enough, so he should be hydrated.
I want to try other insects (dubias, locusts etc) but they might stress him out further. I am considering feeding him canned insects - apparently just as nutritious as a staple food - and want to try him on that until he is a little older.
Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to give as much information as possible. I'm an anxious worrier by nature, even though Chester could just be a little nervous himself right now. If anyone has any opinions on canned insects or would like to offer other options, I will take any information gladly and gratefully.
Thank you
I'm a new (and proud) owner of a baby bearded dragon named Chester (after my hero Chester Bennington), however, I have had him for 4 days now and he barely eats anything alive. Might be relocation stress, but I discovered that he is terrified of crickets and anything that runs around (though the pet shop fed him those while he was still with his siblings). He puffs his beard and actually runs away - bit me once when I tried to hand feed them *ouch*. I tried putting him in another container but he vehemently detested that. He will eat 2 or 3 mealworms from a dish per day (though not particularly recommended which is why I need to find something else). He LOVES dandelion leaves and kale with sprinkled calcium - will even eat that from my hand. He is very active, poops daily, lets me handle him often, so I believe he is healthy. His vivarium is just under 4ft by 2ft, his temperatures are, according to professional recommendations, optimum for good health, he has places to hide and climb with plenty of light. I hand-bathe him with warm water, which he likes enough, so he should be hydrated.
I want to try other insects (dubias, locusts etc) but they might stress him out further. I am considering feeding him canned insects - apparently just as nutritious as a staple food - and want to try him on that until he is a little older.
Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to give as much information as possible. I'm an anxious worrier by nature, even though Chester could just be a little nervous himself right now. If anyone has any opinions on canned insects or would like to offer other options, I will take any information gladly and gratefully.
Thank you
