Not much of an appetite

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MostBeast

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Just got my beardie a little over a week ago. He's probably about 2-3 months old. I fed him the morning after I got him, and he probably ate about 15 crickets. Since then, he's seemed somewhat uninterested in food. I always have a fresh bowl of salad available for him, and I let some crickets go in his cage but he just seems to ignore everything, but may eat a couple crickets a day if I'm lucky. And you can just forget the salad. He doesn't touch it. I was thinking about trying out BSF larvae(Phonix worms) but I've already comitted to a huge cricket setup, expecting a voracious 20+ cricket a day eater. Any advice here?
 

Rampagingraptor

Sub-Adult Member
Its likely your beardie is still having some reallocation stress, which can last for about 2 weeks. Just keep offering him food.
Also, you should list your tank setup as well, so we can rule that out. Stuff such as your basking light temperatures, cool side temperatures, what uvb light you are using, what UVB light (brand and whatever else you can tell us), tank size, and what you are using as substrate.
Also, if you are leaving the crickets in the cage with you're beardie, DO NOT DO THIS. Crickets have a nasty habit of biting bearded dragons in their sleep and causing stress to them. Just offer him food for 10-15 minute intervals 2-3 times a day, and then remove all crickets afterwards. You can always try feeding in a separate container, as well.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
As said above , most likely relocation stress.

It is OK to handfeed the new little dragon some crickets , he/she'll likely take 2 or 3 by hand (great way to bond with a little lizard too BTW) , and you can then offer the rest a few at a time in the enclosure for it to catch and eat. (once it's got the taste and discovers it's hungry).
Very easy to coax a little lizard to eat insects offered by hand (fingers), I simply place the little lizard on my chest or tummy with my hand gently restraining it, so it's facing me, have a few crickets ready before hand in a container, pull off one of the hopper legs , squash the head and squeeze out a little of goodness inside , then slip the fat end of the "drumstick" between the lips near the nose, the lizard will eat this and while it's munching on the drumstick place the head and gooy end of the cricket against it's lips (and gently prize the lower jaw / lip apart with the finger tip and slip some of the cricket in , the lizard will do the rest .

A couple of sessions of this and they get the hang of it and might even just about bight your finger off to get the cricket. :) Good thing he/she's little so finger tip nips wont hurt (much).

Pretty soon you'll have a cricket eating machine who'll chase down and devour all crickets quick as a flash and will be insatiable.
 
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