Beardie will only eat one type of veggie. Help?

[victoriamcguire]

My 1 year old bearded dragon, Smaug, will only eat super worms and snap peas. I've tried to introduce him to other veggies along with the peas and worms, but it doesnt work. Are there any tricks I could try so my beardie will start eating more variety?

***UPDATE***
I've tried the first method listed below, and at first my beardie was resistant to the food, but once some worms into the mix he began to loosen up and try the veggies. I will keep everyone posted on how the progress is going, and hopefully within the next few weeks he will eat them without the worms crawling everywhere!

*NEW UPDATE*
My dragon is now eating a variety of veggies regularly thanks to Mustashio's tips! It took him a few days to warm up to them, but once he did he just gobbled them up! :mrgreen:

 

[Mustashio]

I'm kinda in the same boat. My 2yo has taken an unauthorized hiatus from vegis for the past year! I've tried everything! I would love it if he ate ANY vegi's let alone had one favorite!!

Having said that though, you can try and mix things up a bit by doing some "drastic" changes on one end of the spectrum or the other. By that I mean mixing some snap peas in with some vegis that are very fragrant like mint, cilantro or parsley. Sometimes they go for the BOLD! Or you could go to the other end of the spectrum and do plain pumpkin or any kind of squash! Mine used to love grated butternut squash! Another thing I've done is to make it really colorful! My classic mix for awhile (when Tashi was actually eating his vegi's ) was collard greens, purple cabbage, shredded orange butternut squash, some red bell pepper and some raspberries or strawberries and maybe blueberries too. It was so pretty even I would eat it! Clearly my dragon decided beauty is in the eye of the beholder though! Here is a picture of him when he was a baby and would eat 2 bowls of salad a day! Sigh...



And here is is turning his nose up now....



Sometimes you just have to try a gazillion things before you find something. I'd add those snap peas to everything though because he might get a mouthful of something else that he finds tasty in the same bite! They are really good at picking out what they like though too so don't be surprised if you find all the snap peas eaten and the rest left behind! LOL! Good luck!

 

[victoriamcguire]

Thanks so much for the tips! I'll get to the store asap and keep you updated on how it's going!

 

[gibleythedragon]

If for some reason he decides to never eat any more veggies like mine does, try making a puree of all the healthy greens they can eat (collard, mustard, escarole, dandellion) and make it like baby food consistency. Put a dab on his snout and wait til he licks. When he opens his mouth, place the end of a small syringe into his mouth and try to feed a full 10cc's per day. Works wonders for my dragon

 

[Mustashio]

If for some reason he decides to never eat any more veggies like mine does, try making a puree of all the healthy greens they can eat (collard, mustard, escarole, dandellion) and make it like baby food consistency. Put a dab on his snout and wait til he licks. When he opens his mouth, place the end of a small syringe into his mouth and try to feed a full 10cc's per day. Works wonders for my dragon

Yes, I've been on the syringe feeding bandwagon for the last few months just so he will eat some vegis and that is the only way I can get his calcium and vitamins in him since he has been turning his nose up at feeders lately too. How long have you been syringe feeding? Does your dragon eat feeders too? I'm worried my guy has become too reliant on syringe feedings (he does not mind them) and now is too lazy to hunt anything!!!

 

[gibleythedragon]

I have only been syringe feeding for a few months now. He still is very interested in live prey, but only during his most active hours of the day which is usually around 11am. We had some good weather (east coast) the other day so I took him outside. Right after I brought him inside he was very alert. I put him in a cardboard box with a few dubia roaches and he gobbled them right up. Try feeding at different hours of the day. Usually after 3pm he becomes very uninterested in any type of food. Also, a warm soak seems to wake him up a bit as well, raising the chance that he will eat. How long has it been since yours has eaten live prey? Is yours still brumating?

 

[Mustashio]

I don't think he is brumating anymore. He hasn't really ever "fully brumated", but he has done what he does for the last 2 winters. He had a head shed and has been quite active for a day and then will go back. I think he was really hoping for a girl dragon for Valentines Day!

I have been syringe feeding baby food for the last few months too, but I used to only do baby food a couple times a week because he would still eat feeders. Now he has stopped with feeders all together and syringe feeding baby food is the only way to get his calcium and multivitamins in him! If you want, here is my latest dilemma/thread.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=204677

I did a no-no and fed him through his brumation this time. Ooops! Lesson learned. But he did have a normal fecal just prior to brumating, and he poops nearly every day or every other day in his bath. They have not been normal in the way of consistancy of urates though, so we are investigating.

Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack the post OP. But these boards have been credited with saving Mustashio's life when he was little and so I try and soak up any and all advice from all you fabulous beardie slaves out there!