Hand-feeding - Question

[ca3782x]

I have previously posted on here about the trouble I've been having getting my new 6 month old dragon to eat. I tried everything. Feeding in the enclosure, feeding outside the enclosure in a large plastic bin, removing hiding places in the enclosure so bugs couldn't hide, hand-feeding - nothing.

Yesterday I was browsing the pet store and I found giant reptile feeding tweezers. I figured it couldn't hurt to try them out. The good news is that he is taking the bugs this way, crickets, worms etc. I pick them up with the tweezers and place them in front of him (still holding them with tweezers) and he eats.

My question is this - Am I going to have to feed him this way forever? I've never seen a bearded dragon refuse to eat like this before. Of course I will feed him however necessary I was just curious if anyone has experienced anything like this before?

 

[kyleena29]

It could be he's still getting used to his new place. Have you tried leaving bugs in a small dog bowl?

 

[kingofnobbys]

I hand feed all my gang = skinks and dragons, it's a bonding ritual .

 

[nathb1]

I know mine loves to be hand fed still at 9 months and the three month old like when we cripple the crickets and give her some and put them in a pile for her to eat lol she doesnt want chase them yet. She also eats in her enclosure and refuses to eat outside of it so..

Sometimes its best to continue what you have been doing if you are worried about weight and him not eating enough.
I know Dixie (9 month old) eats alot more when I hand feed her, as soon as she sees my hands she stops eating and kind of looks at me and say ohh you gonna feed me now? haha She is a bit lazy ..
Sometimes in the morning before work I don't have much time to hand feed , I feed her a bit and leave it. But make sure the second feeding she gets fulled up by hand feeding her.
But im not worried about her weight either just turned 9 months and she is 425 grams and 18 inches as of last week so...

 

[YoursTruly]

I know mine loves to be hand fed still at 9 months and the three month old like when we cripple the crickets

I thought I was the only one who crippled crickets!

My dragon is about 7 months old, and they are still too fast for her, so we break their hind legs before dusting them and feeding them to her. After she chases down 15-20 (and even then, I have to push them toward her!), She gets hand-fed another 10 or so. She's a spoiled brat, for sure! But for the first two months we hard her, she barely ate anything. Now I so badly want to make sure that she gets her two meals of 20-30 crickets that I make it as easy as possible for her. Same with her salad. I chop it up really small and show it to her so she knows it's there.

 

[nathb1]

I know mine loves to be hand fed still at 9 months and the three month old like when we cripple the crickets

I thought I was the only one who crippled crickets!

My dragon is about 7 months old, and they are still too fast for her, so we break their hind legs before dusting them and feeding them to her. After she chases down 15-20 (and even then, I have to push them toward her!), She gets hand-fed another 10 or so. She's a spoiled brat, for sure! But for the first two months we hard her, she barely ate anything. Now I so badly want to make sure that she gets her two meals of 20-30 crickets that I make it as easy as possible for her. Same with her salad. I chop it up really small and show it to her so she knows it's there.

I am sure we are not the only ones that does that!They are spoiled!

 

[YoursTruly]

They sure are! I would do almost anything for mine!

 

[nathb1]

They sure are! I would do almost anything for mine!

Same here!
This is what happens when i leave Dixie to eat crickets by herself! They end up on her head!

 

[YoursTruly]

She's a nice fat girl, she looks like she can manage!

:lol:

My girl is so spoiled that after chasing a few, she demands to have the rest either placed right in front of her majesty or hand-fed.

Within the first month of getting her, she was diagnosed with ADV, had an eye infection, and couldn't digest food properly due to me being given improper care information. It was a rocky start. So now I am determined to spoil the **** out of her and make her as fat and happy as possible!

 

[nathb1]

Yes they deserve it, they are such sweet animals and love to eat! haha

 

[Mandrakesmom69]

You know it's definitely possible that you will have to feed him like this for a while.. each one is different, i know however, i had a baby who had metabolic bone disease and, even tho he has grown so much since his treatment, he still relies on me for putting water on his noise or putting food right in front of him. He had grown so much but yet still relies on me for what he knows i will provide. They are so much like children but if you do what he/ she needs then they can grow happily. We are slaves to our beardie! Lol.. i will probably have to do this for him the rest of his life but hey.. they're worth it!

 

[YoursTruly]

Exactly! And if I have to do this for my little ADV baby to lead a happy, fat life then I have no problem doing it. Yes, it's time-consuming, but I don't mind. I feel like it builds our relationship, too.

 

[kingofnobbys]

They soon learn it's a great perk having a human slave who will
- dust the bugs
- get them out one at a time and place conveniently where all they have to do is take it and eat it

The risk in handfeeding (especially when young and when they haven't got the hang of the handfeeding lurk) is you get nipped finger tips occasionally by accident.

All mine are handfed , I do it as a bonding thing . (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.)

They will eat superworms , silkworms and mealworms when I present them to them , placing them somewhere close where they can see them, but crickets are given by hand .

 

[kingofnobbys]

They sure are! I would do almost anything for mine!

Same here!
This is what happens when i leave Dixie to eat crickets by herself! They end up on her head!

In all fairness to Dixie , that is one tiny cricket .... probably not worth her effort catching it.

 

[ruben0311]

I no longer hand feed Fred, he tore a small piece off my finger... tongs and only tongs now haha.