How long should i expect my new beardie to not eat?

[Jebediah]

So we got little Flame on Wednesday last week (5 days ago now). He is 4 months old approximately. I have done a lot of research on this forum and his viv is well set up - basking temperature just above 100 degrees, Arcadia t5 tube etc. He seems to be settling in well - there have been no obvious signs of stress or aggression. Have been leaving a nice mixed salad out for him every day, but he hasn't touched that, which i suppose is to be expected.

From what i could ascertain he was eating mostly mealworms, so i thought it would be best to start him on that as he was used to it, even though i know they aren't great for him. He didn't go anywhere near them. On day 3 i offered him some dubias and he gobbled up 3 of them but didn't go for any more. Since then, he hasn't touched any food at all.

I have tried putting the food near him, as well as just putting it in a dish on the floor of the viv. I even dangled it in front of his face.

So my questions are as follows:

1. Should i be worried (because i am a new beardie parent i obviously am)?
2. How long can i expect him to not eat?
3. Is there anything i can do to encourage him?
4. In general, how should i feed him the roaches if he doesn't go for them right away? Should i leave them in the viv in the bowl, or take them out and try again later? I find if i leave them for more than a minute they 'play dead' which i imagine doesn't help his attack instinct.

FWIW he has done 2 healthy looking poops (from the pics i have seen shared on the web), and has drank water that i have dropped on his head.

Thanks

 

[SANDSTORMtbeardie11]

So we got little Flame on Wednesday last week (5 days ago now). He is 4 months old approximately. I have done a lot of research on this forum and his viv is well set up - basking temperature just above 100 degrees, Arcadia t5 tube etc. He seems to be settling in well - there have been no obvious signs of stress or aggression. Have been leaving a nice mixed salad out for him every day, but he hasn't touched that, which i suppose is to be expected.

From what i could ascertain he was eating mostly mealworms, so i thought it would be best to start him on that as he was used to it, even though i know they aren't great for him. He didn't go anywhere near them. On day 3 i offered him some dubias and he gobbled up 3 of them but didn't go for any more. Since then, he hasn't touched any food at all.

I have tried putting the food near him, as well as just putting it in a dish on the floor of the viv. I even dangled it in front of his face.

So my questions are as follows:

1. Should i be worried (because i am a new beardie parent i obviously am)?
2. How long can i expect him to not eat?
3. Is there anything i can do to encourage him?
4. In general, how should i feed him the roaches if he doesn't go for them right away? Should i leave them in the viv in the bowl, or take them out and try again later? I find if i leave them for more than a minute they 'play dead' which i imagine doesn't help his attack instinct.

FWIW he has done 2 healthy looking poops (from the pics i have seen shared on the web), and has drank water that i have dropped on his head.

Thanks

My beardie did the same thing when i first got her too -- she didn't eat for a couple of days but the more they warm up the more they will eat until they are full -- it could even depend on the personality. Hope this helped

 

[bossdragon]

When I first got my beardie, I fed it what the pet store fed it for like a week just bc it was food he was used to, then tried feeding it other things. It probably isn't eating bc of stress in moving, but if it sees something it recognizes, it might eat it.

 

[Jebediah]

When I first got my beardie, I fed it what the pet store fed it for like a week just bc it was food he was used to, then tried feeding it other things. It probably isn't eating bc of stress in moving, but if it sees something it recognizes, it might eat it.

I had the exact same thoughts, but he never touched the worms that he was getting before. With the Dubias he at least is eating 2 or 3 a day now. I think tomorrow i will try him in a feeder tank, to get him to focus on his food. I'm just guessing and should probably leave him be, but hey ho :?