New owner, A few questions

[eadnams]

Just got a Baby Beardie, have a few questions about food:

1) Does he HAVE to eat crickets? What are some easier to handle alternatives for a baby? I have difficulty keeping my hand steady enough to grab them with tweezers from their container.

2) How can I get him to eat his veggies? Are they picky? Does he even need much yet? I have some squash chopped out for him, but hes ignored it.

3) (Off topic) Is there a minimum age for bathing?

 

[Teleste]

1. Crickets or dubia roaches are highly recommended. I use egg crates in my cricket bin and I shake the egg crate so crickets fall into my jar.

2. Babies will become interested in veggies eventually. Collard or turnip or mustard greens are recommended daily. My baby loves butternut squash and mashed sweet potato.

3. No minimum age. Keep the water below head level, not much higher than the belly. I bathe my baby once or twice a day.

 

[eadnams]

Ah, im using tweezers right out of the bin with the crate, and its a PAIN. So you go Bin with egg crate, shake into jar, then feed from the jar? Just pour them in?

 

[Teleste]

Yes here's the routine:

Crickets live in a clear plastic bin with small egg crates on the bottom. They like to hide in the bottom of it.

I pick up an egg crate and smack it onto the open jar, knocking and shaking them into the jar.

I add Rep-Cal Calcium with D3 powder and Herptivite multivitamin powder, shake well to dizzy them.

I put my dragon in a small plastic bin I use for feeding. I usually drop about 1-3 at a time and he gobbles them up very fast.

Hope this helps!

 

[nursejones813]

A trick I use for crickets, is toilet paper or paper towel rolls. Put one in the bin you have your crickets in. The crickets will hide in it. Shake it into a Baggie. Dust with my supplement, then drop them in his tank.

 

[eadnams]

Mine didn't seem to want to eat in another container(or much at all) this evening, only had Him for a day... Still a little stressed? Also, was not fond of a bath

 

[nursejones813]

They usually take about 2 weeks to settle in

 

[eadnams]

Ah. He ate all I'd give him as long as I dropped the cricket within 5 inches of him in the viv.

 

[eadnams]

Was looking at Dubias, but they appear to be illegal here. So... Silkworms?

He is also not touching his squash and supplement mix as far as I can tell.

 

[eadnams]

Actually appears to be a VERY picky eater..? Do they typically not want to eat right after they wake up?

 

[Teleste]

Mine is 4 months old and only interested in crickets right now. I haven't tried any other live feeders.

They are most active the warmer they are, thus the quicker your tank reaches 95-100 degrees the quicker they will be blasting around with energy.

 

[eadnams]

He ate the exact same food last night with no issue tho, but in the morning he doesn't seem to have an appetite. Worried since he's eating only one meal a day...

 

[eadnams]

Now been over 24 hours with no apparent eating-- Installed a ReptiSun 10.0 tube the other day, he seems to be getting as close as he can to that, and not in the basking light much at all (feels downright cold sometimes). Gonna try a few other types of food, maybe he's just picky?

 

[eadnams]

Well, turns out it was the repti-cal. He does NOT eat anything dusted with it.

...Weirdo.

 

[Soulwind]

Couple of things:

Don't stop dusting his feeders, even if he doesn't seem to like it.
He NEEDS that calcium to prevent metabolic bone disease.

His UV tube should be shining over his basking area. He should be
exposed to Heat, Light, and UV all at the same time while basking.

[typically we just say to make sure the UV light is covering 1/2 - 2/3'
of his tank, including his basking area]