beardy dont eat crickets at the exact time?

[curtbone123]

ok hi everyone for some of you who dont know i just got my bearded dragon this saturday passed at the reptile expo i got a female she 8 inches long ok here is the problem yesturday she ate 3 crickets and today she only ate one cricket now i dont wanna leave more crickets in the cage because they go and eat on her so like i said she ate one cricket today should i wait until the second feeding to give her more crickets? i dont know if im saying all this right

 

[catUK]

It'll take a while for her to settle in and build up an appetite. In my opinion, others may say i'm wrong, it is ok to leave the crickets in for a while (just not overnight) to see if she eats them. As long as there's salad in her viv, the crickets will much prefer to munch on that- they are not meat eaters and nibble at beardies when they are really hungry and nothing else is available. Just keep trying. When i feed my beardie, sometimes she doesn't eat them straight away but will always eventually eat them- sometimes i have to move them for her to notice as she's gotten to the stage where she expects food to come to her (diva) :shock:

 

[curtbone123]

It'll take a while for her to settle in and build up an appetite. In my opinion, others may say i'm wrong, it is ok to leave the crickets in for a while (just not overnight) to see if she eats them. As long as there's salad in her viv, the crickets will much prefer to munch on that- they are not meat eaters and nibble at beardies when they are really hungry and nothing else is available. Just keep trying. When i feed my beardie, sometimes she doesn't eat them straight away but will always eventually eat them- sometimes i have to move them for her to notice as she's gotten to the stage where she expects food to come to her (diva) :shock:

uh oh sounds like you have a spoiled one lol but i feed her the crickets in a small container and then she eats them but like i said today she only ate one and no more after that so i figured thats all she want for right now and i was gonna wait until the second feeding to see if she be more hungry and eat more but like you said it takes a while for them to settle in

 

[william212]

I've been wondering about the practice of imposed feeding schedules on Beardies.

The conventional wisdom seems to be feedings at set intervals (probably rising from owner lifestyle and historical pet rearing) and for many, feeding in a separate container where the Dragon isn't given a real opportunity to stalk it's prey.

In the wild, one can presume that Bearded Dragons are opportunist and grazers. As food presents itself, they will eat either until satiated or the supply runs out. When satiated, they will graze as hunger/opportunity presents itself.

Additionally many write that they remove uneaten crickets (are there not greens in the tank for the crickets to further gut-load?), eliminating the opportunity for a Dragon to graze on a stray cricket when greens aren't to it's liking.

 

[curtbone123]

I've been wondering about the practice of imposed feeding schedules on Beardies.

The conventional wisdom seems to be feedings at set intervals (probably rising from owner lifestyle and historical pet rearing) and for many, feeding in a separate container where the Dragon isn't given a real opportunity to stalk it's prey.

In the wild, one can presume that Bearded Dragons are opportunist and grazers. As food presents itself, they will eat either until satiated or the supply runs out. When satiated, they will graze as hunger/opportunity presents itself.

Additionally many write that they remove uneaten crickets (are there not greens in the tank for the crickets to further gut-load?), eliminating the opportunity for a Dragon to graze on a stray cricket when greens aren't to it's liking.

that maybe true but i rather not risk it i mean i might give it a shot but i definietly wont leave them in there at night what you saying is true tho i agree as long as i have food in there the crickets will eat that instead of the dragon BUT! crickets love to hide also in places you cant find them so you just have to be careful not to put to many in the tank

 

[BeardieGrandma]

all great points william212 about the grazing and opportunistic feeding (if in wild seems that that's how food would come along, not in a drove of 50 or so crickets all at once ) and imposed feeding schedules they get while in captivity. I imagine with out getting all cerebral on the topic that an imposed feeding schedule would be more convenient for the owner and the beardie would learn to adapt and eat when those times happen. My own beardie has taken to standing where the 'salad bowl' goes in the morning after the lights have been on for 45 minutes or so and looking at me to deliver it...LOL

As far as leaving crickets in the tank, being a new owner, convenience, and the myriad of other things that one obsesses over in making sure the beardie is healthy, warm, well-fed, tamed, etc...I would personally not leave the crickets in the tank or feed them in the tank to begin with (in the interest of time and having to chase them down before lights out). I feed our girl in a separate bin where I can keep the cricket massacre contained (calcium powder, cricket legs and cricket poop are usually left after the killing spree). She is never going to have to fend for herself in the wild (God forbid unless she breaks out and runs away and lives in the bushes in the back yard for 3 weeks until I find her again - seen many of those stories on this board) so I'm not too worried about keeping her hunting skills at optimum levels. They do seem to get spoiled easily though, so I try not to baby her too much and make her chase the crickets around the bin instead of dropping them right under her nose.

As far as the baby not eating much since the OP started this thread, I would say it's probably relocation stress, and yes, I would keep the feedings on schedule for your own sanity. Babies won't eat for a number of reasons:

Relocation stress - may take a week or two for them to adjust. Keep handling down 5-10 minutes 2X a day.
Crickets might be too big and baby is intimidated. Make sure they are smaller than space between the eyes, error on the small side.
Too many crickets presented at feeding time. 20 crawling bugs around a baby might be too much for them to deal with. Try dropping in 1 or 2 at a time.
UVB lights might not be optimium. Everyone advise to use the Reptisun 10.0 tube bulb that spans across the tank- no round UVB bulbs.

 

[william212]

Agreed.

What lead me down this path was a cat we had a few years ago who suffered from feline hyperesthesia. After spending $$$$ on vets and having home consultations from pet therapists, one of the recommendations to keep her happy was to give into her hunting instincts and hide her food-dish (in not too impossible a place to find) in different spots and give her predator/play interaction.

Being an indoor cat, these weren't skills she needed but it helped her express her innate nature.

Ever since then I've been sensitive to how with best intentions we take animals out of the environment their minds have evolved to cope and confine them to ours. Granted for many animals this isn't that big a deal, for their hierarchy of needs (shelter, food) and capacity to intone their environment is limited, but as you move up the scale (compare an ant farm to an African Grey Parrot) there does come a point where owners deprive their very beloved pets the very essence of the pet's nature.

The question I've been considering is how much of stratifying this nature does it take to have a "satisfied" - dare I say "happy" - reptile?

 

[curtbone123]

all great points william212 about the grazing and opportunistic feeding (if in wild seems that that's how food would come along, not in a drove of 50 or so crickets all at once ) and imposed feeding schedules they get while in captivity. I imagine with out getting all cerebral on the topic that an imposed feeding schedule would be more convenient for the owner and the beardie would learn to adapt and eat when those times happen. My own beardie has taken to standing where the 'salad bowl' goes in the morning after the lights have been on for 45 minutes or so and looking at me to deliver it...LOL

As far as leaving crickets in the tank, being a new owner, convenience, and the myriad of other things that one obsesses over in making sure the beardie is healthy, warm, well-fed, tamed, etc...I would personally not leave the crickets in the tank or feed them in the tank to begin with (in the interest of time and having to chase them down before lights out). I feed our girl in a separate bin where I can keep the cricket massacre contained (calcium powder, cricket legs and cricket poop are usually left after the killing spree). She is never going to have to fend for herself in the wild (God forbid unless she breaks out and runs away and lives in the bushes in the back yard for 3 weeks until I find her again - seen many of those stories on this board) so I'm not too worried about keeping her hunting skills at optimum levels. They do seem to get spoiled easily though, so I try not to baby her too much and make her chase the crickets around the bin instead of dropping them right under her nose.

As far as the baby not eating much since the OP started this thread, I would say it's probably relocation stress, and yes, I would keep the feedings on schedule for your own sanity. Babies won't eat for a number of reasons:

Relocation stress - may take a week or two for them to adjust. Keep handling down 5-10 minutes 2X a day.
Crickets might be too big and baby is intimidated. Make sure they are smaller than space between the eyes, error on the small side.
Too many crickets presented at feeding time. 20 crawling bugs around a baby might be too much for them to deal with. Try dropping in 1 or 2 at a time.
UVB lights might not be optimium. Everyone advise to use the Reptisun 10.0 tube bulb that spans across the tank- no round UVB bulbs.

ok so you said keep handing down the crickets 5-10 mins 2x a day? or handle her 2 times a day for 5-10 mins?

 

[BeardieGrandma]

Handle her only 5-10 mins in the AM and same in the PM. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

 

[curtbone123]

Handle her only 5-10 mins in the AM and same in the PM. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

oh its ok nun taking at all and i know im late but merry christmas!!!! and i handle her like that all the time everyday and yesturday i saw some blood in her tank too!! :shock: that scared me i dont know whats going on im about to take her back to the breeder i brought her from because i dont have enough for a vet right now