Beardie not eating by herself?

[killeroguro]

My new beardie(8 months old, female, acquired 5 days ago) has not been eating much at all. She's been eating around 3 crickets per day, but doesn't want any part of the superworms or veggies I offer her. I give her baths daily because she does not want to drink out of the water bowl I have or her. She only eats crickets, as far as I have seen, when I catch them myself and hold them in front of her. Today she has eaten 6 crickets already, but only because I sat with her for a while and put a cricket in her mouth every time she opened it, which she ate immediately. I'm posting this on here because I want to know a few things; is it okay if I keep feeding her like this for now, or will it make her become dependent on me doing that for her to eat? Will she eventually start eating crickets by herself if I don't hand feed her? I know that moving homes can be pretty stressful for beardies and that it's normal for their eating habits to be a little out of whack for at least a few days after a move, but I'm an overly worried dad and want to make sure she'll be okay. So yeah, any advice on what I should do would be helpful!

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, it's probably just stress and she will adapt to her new place soon enough + feel comfortable enough to eat more. It's good that she prefers crickets, some beardies get hooked on superworms and those are not as nutritious.

Can you post pics of her + her set up as well as list the exact types of bulbs you have ?

 

[killeroguro]

i have been taking her out to get some good uv from the sun for at least about an hour per day, her uvb lamp (reptisun 10.0 t5) is arriving within a few days, and her basking lamp is a zoo med repot basking spot lamp.

 

[PrettyinPurple]

Once her UVB light comes in and she's adjusted to her surroundings more, she will probably start gobbling the crickets down! I would keep offering veggies so she can get used to them, but its' normal for younger bearded dragons to avoid them. How active is she?

 

[killeroguro]

when she's in the tank all she really does is bask, but when she's out(especially when she's outside my house) she likes to explore and of course taste lots of stuff

 

[daughterofMyou]

Most dragons are too wary to eat much when they first find a new home. Just keep offering her food and she should eventually grow comfortable enough to hunt.

I don't know if it will help the not-eating situation, but I'd suggest swapping your dragon's loose substrate for something like reptile carpet or ceramic tile. If and when she does eat, and does so off the floor of her tank, she could ingest some of the substrate - potentially bunging herself up and causing impaction.

 

[killeroguro]

don't worry try it's not loose, it's a carpet thing that's meant to look like it's loose!

 

[daughterofMyou]

don't worry try it's not loose, it's a carpet thing that's meant to look like it's loose!

Ah, good good! I'm glad