One small veggie a day?

[Tomek]

Hi everyone,
Many of you know, I am not a newbie to my bearded dragons. But, thought I would ask this question. My female is aver one year old and is about 17" long. For about 3 weeks now, she hardly eats. Temps are all good, nothing has changed, seems healthy not loosing weight. She will not eat any worms unless I force her to eat them. She will eat approximately 1 leafy veggie and that is all every single day. I got to the point where I not going to stress anymore about her. Although, I am curious to know if anyone else out there has a beardie that eats very very little like mine does.?

 

[jon21388]

my male stopped eating alot. I was told it was due to mating season. The only thing that are on their minds right now are making little beardies.

 

[Tomek]

That is interesting to know, but, I have a female? would that still apply?

 

[catUK]

My female has just turned 1 and is just over 17inches like yours. she is putting on weight rapidly but eating hardly anything and wont touch her beautifully made salad :roll: I was thinking maybe because she is putting on weight so quick it may be a growth spurt hence the slow down on food. I hope someone can give any reasons because sorry i am clueless as to why this has happened too. Its reassuring to know yours is the same as mine though

 

[FBradshaw]

Even females go through the "it's time to mate" mind set. Also at around that age they will start to slow down on eating.

 

[Tomek]

Well, that is all good to know. Because every single day, I place veggies, fruit and even worms in her cage and she will NOT touch it. Then when she finally does want to eat, she eats one little piece of mustard greens and thats it. It is very frustrating because I feel like I am just wasting food by putting it in her cage, BUT, do not want her to go hungry either :x

 

[catUK]

Well, that is all good to know. Because every single day, I place veggies, fruit and even worms in her cage and she will NOT touch it. Then when she finally does want to eat, she eats one little piece of mustard greens and thats it. It is very frustrating because I feel like I am just wasting food by putting it in her cage, BUT, do not want her to go hungry either :x

i empathise with your frustration! Wish mine would appreciate and eat her food too

 

[lauraj1055]

Mine too!!! My 1 year old Male and my 8 month old female BOTH have slowed down eating... My 8 month used to eat 14 - 16 medium supers at a time.. Now I'm lucky if he eats 3. And my 1 year old, maybe takes one bite of greens all day, and won't touch a phoenix worm or super worm.. NOT EVER HER FAVORITE BUTTER WORMS!

I've been told they do this during breeding season. I'm glad someone put a post up about this and a lot of us are going through the same thing, and not just me!

 

[lauraj1055]

I just read my post and don't know where my mind was (maybe my new baby beardie female I'm getting in about 3 weeks) But both mine are male.. OOOPS!

 

[Tomek]

There is a post about the mating season? where is it? I would like to read it. I am glad I am not the only one going through this. It seems like beardies have many moods that go on throughout the year. I have to say, they are a very difficult animal to read. I have had ferrets, turtles, dogs, etc and NONE of them were as complicated as my bearded dragons.

 

[sassyglizzard]

It could also be possible that your female has eggs. Around this age they start producing eggs, and once they get closer to laying they stop eating alltogether. This could explain why she hasn't lost weight even though she stopped eating as the eggs would make up for lost weight. Just a thought. One thing I've learned with my beardies is to not worry when they stop eating, or eat a ton. It just seems to really vary. I would regulate her excretion though. If she's not eating OR pooing, sometimes there are worries about impaction and the likes. Just keep an eye on her, but don't be frantic. That's my recommendation.

 

[catUK]

It could also be possible that your female has eggs. Around this age they start producing eggs, and once they get closer to laying they stop eating alltogether. This could explain why she hasn't lost weight even though she stopped eating as the eggs would make up for lost weight. Just a thought. One thing I've learned with my beardies is to not worry when they stop eating, or eat a ton. It just seems to really vary. I would regulate her excretion though. If she's not eating OR pooing, sometimes there are worries about impaction and the likes. Just keep an eye on her, but don't be frantic. That's my recommendation.

Can i ask? What happens if they lay infertile eggs? (mine is the same age and behaving the same as Tomeks)- do they need special attention?

 

[sassyglizzard]

The laying is treated the same as if they were fertile. A lay box must be provided so that she can lay them. Females will often hold onto their eggs if they are not provided an adequate spot in which to lay them. Due to the fear of egg binding (but in all honesty, it isn't really THAT common), it is best to make sure they have a lay box. After that, infertile eggs can just be disposed of. Let her burry them first though. They like to do this. Then dig them up and discard of them. Afterwards it is important to give them lots of food, water, and rest as they will be very hungry and tired. Calcium supplements are also a big deal when a female is making eggs.

 

[lauraj1055]

Can i ask? What happens if they lay infertile eggs? (mine is the same age and behaving the same as Tomeks)- do they need special attention?

They need extra calcium even if the eggs are infertile. I use liquid calcium especially at this time when my beardies aren't eating.. it's pretty impossible to dust feeders they don't eat anyway.

 

[catUK]

Can i ask? What happens if they lay infertile eggs? (mine is the same age and behaving the same as Tomeks)- do they need special attention?

They need extra calcium even if the eggs are infertile. I use liquid calcium especially at this time when my beardies aren't eating.. it's pretty impossible to dust feeders they don't eat anyway.

Thanks, i'll get some of that....although don't know how i'll feed her it, she's got VERY stubborn jaws of steel at times :roll: