Refuses to eat anything but superworms.

[Sapphire]

I've had my dragon since April, and he's always been a voracious eater. Salads, crickets, roaches, worms, whatever I offer, he'll eat it. However, since about mid-November, he has refused to eat anything but superworms. At first he was eating his salad as well but lately he doesn't even want that. I keep trying to give him roaches as well (I'm breeding them, he needs to start eating them or I'll get overrun!) but he usually will ignore them. He might eat one or two a day, or every other day. I want to say that this could be because it's winter, but I think he would eat a million superworms if I let him. Problem is, he has trouble digesting superworms so I can only give him 6-7 at a time, otherwise they come out the other end still partly intact.

Any advice on how to get him to eat roaches?



(Just so everyone knows, I'm using a reptisun 10 which I just replaced in October, his basking spot is about 100 degrees, he's 21" long and about 9 months old.)

 

[techdave]

I'm having the same kind of issue with Tiamat, except that he's not eating any kind of feeder. It was suggested that he's might be getting ready to brumate. Maybe it's the same thing with yours. But at nine months, that might be kinda young. Btw, how are you measuring your temps? Usually when feeders come out the other end partially undigested, it's a heating problem. What are the temps at night?

 

[quigleysmom]

I feel your pain. I am in exactly the same position. Mine will eat his salad but wont touch his feeders. In the last 4 days he has eaten two feeders. I am feeding a little baby food just to make sure he is getting some protien because he is only 9 months old too.

 

[Jess]

When Dudley isnt brumating, he will eat just about anything, but supers are by far his favorite!
Sometimes I will go a couple days with out offering live food (he usually gets live food every other day) so he will be a little less picky about what ever new food Im trying to feed him. Some times it works, and some times he just waits until I give up and feed him supers again. :roll:

But with brumation, Ive found that they will give up their least favorite foods first, but keep eating their favorite foods for a while still. That sounds like what your little guy might be doing.

 

[Sapphire]

Thanks for the responses. Good to know I'm not the only one with this problem, lol. He used to love roaches, but now he doesn't even look at them when I offer them. Throw in a superworm, though, and he runs to it and devours it. *sigh* Hopefully his appetite will improve as we get closer to spring/summer. Maybe I should buy some baby food and try to feed him that way just to make sure he gets something in his system.

@Techdave: I'm using the acurite digital thermometer w/ probe. I think part of the reason that he sometimes has digestion issues is because when I got him he had hookworms and roundworms, and we had a long battle with coccidia as well, so he's had a lot of antibiotics going through his system at a young age. I'm afraid it might have messed up his digestive tract. I should try giving him acidophiliz before superworms to see if that might help...

 

[jeritta]

It's going around. Ash will only eat baby food and no feeders. She runs and hides from her feeders. She is even slowing down on her salads.
Sounds like we are all in the same boat.

 

[healthybeardie]

Okay, I'm a little relieved reading all these posts. Luther gave up his salads about 3 months ago (he used to relish them). He has a very lethargic appetite. Maybe 1-2 dubias a day or every other day.

He is 21 inches long, 11 months old. He used to weigh a whopping 730 grams back in September. Now he is around 680 grams. I miss the little eating machine. He's only brumated for a couple weeks (on and off) but has been up for the last month.

I'm really concerned because now my dubia colony has exploded and I have way more dubia than what we need and getting another pooper just is not an issue.

Maybe the BIG appetite thing is only the first year of growth? This is all very new to me. Maybe Luther will not eat like he did when he was a baby/juvie.

 

[jeritta]

Ash is the one who has really slowed down her eating. She acts like she is afraid of her dubia she hides from them but she has now stopped eating anything but babyfood. Gobi and Amigo who are usually both eating machines are really in the last 2 weeks slowing down. Both are 8 and 9 months old. I think they are too young for true brumation but that they are still feeling the effects of winter. They are going to sleep earlier and earlier each night and sleeping later each morning. They would both stay up until 10 or 11 at night and be up by 6 everyday now they are asleep by 8 at night and dont wake up until 9 or 10 the next morning. The only one still eating and playing is Cadmus the 4 month old pigdragon.
So don't feel alone it is going around with the refusing to eat and acting weird. We are all having it this year.

 

[Sapphire]

Ash is the one who has really slowed down her eating. She acts like she is afraid of her dubia she hides from them but she has now stopped eating anything but babyfood. Gobi and Amigo who are usually both eating machines are really in the last 2 weeks slowing down. Both are 8 and 9 months old. I think they are too young for true brumation but that they are still feeling the effects of winter. They are going to sleep earlier and earlier each night and sleeping later each morning. They would both stay up until 10 or 11 at night and be up by 6 everyday now they are asleep by 8 at night and dont wake up until 9 or 10 the next morning. The only one still eating and playing is Cadmus the 4 month old pigdragon.
So don't feel alone it is going around with the refusing to eat and acting weird. We are all having it this year.

That's reassuring. Mine has started to go to sleep earlier too. His lights now go off at 6, and sometimes he's asleep before that. I was holding him a few nights ago at about 4 and he snuggled up against my neck and was trying to sleep. I can't wait til spring. This is stressful!

 

[kimmie]

You're not alone. I got Angie in April as well. She was a HUGE lover of crix and would often eat as many as 70 in a feeding. Then I had her eating Hornworms, Phoenix Worms, Silkworms as well. She totally turned away from crix (thank god really) and I need something so tried Supers. Now she'll NOT eat much anything else but those ...and maybe her salads. I got some waxworms a few wks ago because she laid her first clutch and I needed to fatten her up after that. She's not too thrilled about those - maybe eats a few and I've even seen her spit a few out!

I've even tried roaches as well and ended up giving my colony away because she showed NO INTEREST at all (why keep a colony if she's not eating them).

So we're STUCK on supers for now - they are easy to get, easy to keep and they don't stink nearly as much as Crix do. I'm hoping when the winter months are over, I can get some hornworms in and try them again!

 

[JonnySteele]

Mine is doing the same, about a 7-8 month old beardie and now is only interested in superworms!!! He will the the crickets walk right infront of him, but if you throw super worms in, he will attack them. He also doesnt want his greens anymore. And like stated above, his lights go off around 9pm and ive found him sleeping before they went off recently.