hakusmom

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Beardie name(s)
Haku
My close to 10 month old beardie, Haku, has been such a stickler for veggies. He never eats them. He used to snack on the occasional carrots and bell pepper, but now it seems like he’s gone on veggie strike. I’ve been giving him slurries but it doesn’t seem to help in any way. I got advice from another beardie owner (he has 3) who said to just stop giving him bugs for awhile and only salad. He said that eventually, he will recognize it as a food source and comply. So yesterday, I didn’t give him any bugs at all and he didn’t eat any veggies. Today, I tried putting superworms (his favorite) in his salad to try and still no take. He’s been eyeing it, and when I took the superworm out he wouldn’t even eat it because it touched the greens! I’m completely at a loss here. I feel as if since he’s still a juvenile I shouldn’t be withholding bugs from him, but veggies are just as important! What should I do??
 

xp29

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Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
Beardies are notorious for not wanting to eat their greens, there isn't any one right answer. You can try to spritz it with a little juice for smell, or adding live feeders like you did, you can try hand feeding, but nothing is guaranteed. You just have to keep trying.
 

hakusmom

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Haku
Beardies are notorious for not wanting to eat their greens, there isn't any one right answer. You can try to spritz it with a little juice for smell, or adding live feeders like you did, you can try hand feeding, but nothing is guaranteed. You just have to keep trying.
Should I keep withholding bugs from him? The person I got advice from said once he’s hungry enough he’ll go for it, eventually recognizing it as a food source
 

Groggyfroggie

Juvie Member
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Beardie name(s)
Draco
Maybe try one more day and then if he still doesn't touch the greens then give him some bugs a couple hours before lights off :ROFLMAO: They can be super stubborn!
 

xp29

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Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
Any beardie below adult needs protein to grow, i would not withhold the bugs more than a day or two. Once your beardie stops adding size and is just filling out, then it's ok to try to errrr persuade them.
 

Starlily

Member
Beardie name(s)
Lily & Percy
Hello,

Sorry to hear you're having trouble getting your friend to eat his greens!

What I do for my two little troublemakers is offer greens first thing (arugala, swiss chard, mustard greens, dandelion greens, etc). Then I wait and feed dubia around 11.

Some days they eat it, other days they do not. I don't concern myself too much with it at this stage.

You might try sprinkling some bee pollen on your greens (a lot of beardies really enjoy that). I've noticed recently that my friends really like raspberries and will eat more of their greens on the days I give them the berries (rarely they mischievously pick the bits of berry out and ignore the greens!).

In the short term, I believe he is ok to dine on mostly bugs and you're doing just fine! :) He's young so the majority of his food intake being from bugs is pretty standard. These little guys are smart and in my experience they take what they need so long as you're providing the right stuff.

I'm not sure you've come across this before and I know you didn't ask for it, but I use it often to check in when I'm trying new foods with my two: Nutrition Content - it's been very helpful and maybe you'll come across some ideas to try with your friend.

Have fun with it and experiment. Let us know how he is doing :)
 

hakusmom

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Haku
Hello,

Sorry to hear you're having trouble getting your friend to eat his greens!

What I do for my two little troublemakers is offer greens first thing (arugala, swiss chard, mustard greens, dandelion greens, etc). Then I wait and feed dubia around 11.

Some days they eat it, other days they do not. I don't concern myself too much with it at this stage.

You might try sprinkling some bee pollen on your greens (a lot of beardies really enjoy that). I've noticed recently that my friends really like raspberries and will eat more of their greens on the days I give them the berries (rarely they mischievously pick the bits of berry out and ignore the greens!).

In the short term, I believe he is ok to dine on mostly bugs and you're doing just fine! :) He's young so the majority of his food intake being from bugs is pretty standard. These little guys are smart and in my experience they take what they need so long as you're providing the right stuff.

I'm not sure you've come across this before and I know you didn't ask for it, but I use it often to check in when I'm trying new foods with my two: Nutrition Content - it's been very helpful and maybe you'll come across some ideas to try with your friend.

Have fun with it and experiment. Let us know how he is doing :)
Thanks for the advice! He’s on day 3 now so I think I’m going to get some slurry with calcium and vitamins in him then give him some bugs a few hours before bedtime. He has been giving me the stink eye, he is so spoiled but I’ve been standing my ground! About the bee pollen, I’ve tried just about anything. The beardie salad dressing, the pollen, bugs in the salad, edible flowers, nothing works on him! A vet told me that for his age, it’s not uncommon for them to be so stubborn and that I would probably see a huge change once he gets older. I think I may just give up on the salads and stick to the slurries. The greens are so expensive and they just sit in the enclosure and get dry and unedible!
 

hdochow

Sub-Adult Member
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Beardie name(s)
Sir Henry of Scales

xp29

BD.org Addict
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Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
The thing about greens is, if you leave them everyday a lot of the time your beardie will take a swipe at them through the say, its kindda like a drive by greens chomping lol. They don't always eat enough to be noticeable but still eat a little. So even though you don't see alot missing they still get some.
 

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Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

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