Help! Young Beardie Not Eating Enough Crickets

[willige54]

I just got a new baby beardie last week and it doesn't seem to be eating enough crickets. I have the exact same cage setup that had with a previous beardie who recently died of cancer. I have a 50 gallon vivarium, so I place about 7-10 small crickets in a smaller plastic container and place beardie in that for feeding. Beardie should be eating crickets like mad, but appears to just not like being in smaller plastic container. Appears to be more concerned about getting out of plastic container than eating. Placing small crickets in 50 gallon vivarium does not appear to be very efficient way of feeding......crickets scurry quickly and hide under objects in vivarium. Beardie will chase a few crickets or will eat one if cricket walks by where beardie is located. Beardie appears to be very healthy and very active. Maybe beardie is still stressed at this time of new surroundings?

 

[CooperDragon]

Relocation stress is very likely an issue. If he doesn't seem to like being placed in a feeder tank, try feeding in the main tank in small batches. Maybe 5 or so crickets at a time. That way you can keep track of where they are and chase them toward the dragon as needed. Once they're eaten, offer another batch. Keep that up for 10-15 minutes and see if it helps.

 

[willige54]

Relocation stress is very likely an issue. If he doesn't seem to like being placed in a feeder tank, try feeding in the main tank in small batches. Maybe 5 or so crickets at a time. That way you can keep track of where they are and chase them toward the dragon as needed. Once they're eaten, offer another batch. Keep that up for 10-15 minutes and see if it helps.

Thanks for that idea. I actually tried that using a small Dixie cup but crickets were crawling out between time of getting them out of cricket cage and vivarium. Today I used plastic feeder container. As soon as Mr Ed saw me holding plastic feeding chamber and getting in his vivarium he went and hid! I put him out in the open on the floor of reptile carpeting and gently sprinkled in crickets, a few at a time. He ate the first one, but didn't seem interested in the remaining ones. If a cricket crosses his path in the vivarium sometimes he will snagg it and sometimes he ignores it. He is having one normal poop per day. He seems very healthy and energetic! He runs/jumps from his ramp to his perch to the top of his rock cave, through his water bowel, etc. Today he is molting so he must be growing. I think he has relocation stress. I've only had him one week.

 

[apache1983]

I had this same problem and today I soaked mine for the first time and once they were put back in their tank which is 40 gallons five minutes later they ate several crickets. i removed my cave for them though and the crickets had no where to hid so they ate them up.

 

[willige54]

Mr Ed is still not eating crickets that I can see. However, still very active and healthy. I have seen him in water bowl drinking. I have been letting about 20 calcium dusted crickets loose in front of him in 50 gallon vivarium. He doesn't even chase any. The crickets are mostly dead or hid under one of the structures in the vivarium by night. I have just started putting Mr Ed in plastic feeding chamber again inside vivarium (no top on chamber) to try and get him use to this, since letting crickets loose is not working. He actually did not immediately panic today when I put him into chamber. It took him a minute or so before he madly tried to escape the chamber. I think I am just going to get him into the habit of using the feeding chamber since this is a much more efficient way to feed him and keep track of how much he eats. (Feeding chamber is just clear plastic, small carrying case, without the top.). I guess Mr Ed will eat when he gets hungry? Relocation stress should be over by now, I have had him 2 weeks? He seems to be very comfortable in his vivarium. Does anybody know will very young beardies ever just starve themselves?
I raised my previous beardie in exact same vivarium set up and feeding chamber.