Cause and Effect

[YavannaV]

I didn't think beardies were supposed to be able to learn cause and effect type activities. For the past few weeks though I've refused to give my 7mo old dragon, Dregan, his morning worms until after he's eaten some of his salad. I'd just pick him up and place him by his food plate if I noticed he had yet to touch it. When it was half gone, I'd put worms in his bowl. The last 3 days he's made the biggest mess of his greens and strewn them all over his enclosure. He has never eaten his greens while I'm watching but he doesn't mind a bit if I see him eating his worms or crickets. Before 3 days ago, he was always really neat with his food and never really knocked it out of his plate.

Today, I stealthily watched him from across the room peaking in from the hallway to see why he was making such a mess. Within a couple minutes of me giving him his salad, he swiped out a large amount off the plate, kicked it around with his legs and went to stand in front of his worm bowl waiting to be fed. He didn't even eat a bite of the greens.

Has anyone else noticed this type of behavior with their dragons?

 

[bltkpo]

Bindy salad dances all the time. As does my boy, Hawk. He eats his salad though Bindy's not so sure atm haha.

One way to work around this is offer salad in the morning, and do bugs later in the day. This way, if he is hungry throughout the day, he may nibble his salad.. and then get his supper

Your beardie is still pretty young too. He may not have an interest in salad yet at this point. Bindy is a year, and she still turns her nose up at it. She much prefers her salad at the end of the day once it has became dry and crispy Then I can hear her crunching on it anywhere in the house!

 

[RioReptiles]

Sounds like he has trained YOU very well!

 

[Esther19]

I haven't observed this behavior in any of my beardies. I think yours must be gifted. I do believe, regardless of the fact that reptiles have a fraction of the grey matter that mammals do, that they are entirely capable of the behavior you mentioned. That must have been hilarious watching him!