Suddenly stopped eating crickets. And now eating less worms

[Momomo]

Hi all,

My beardie all of a sudden refuses crickets, even though he used to love them and had no problems chasing them. Now even if I hold one in front of him, he turns away or even runs away. He is around 8-9 months old btw. I see multiple possible reasons that could cause this, which I am going to list further on, but did anyone have the same problem? Is this forever? I used to feed him superworms in the morning, and crickets in the evening and I don't wanna switch to an all-superworm diet (can't get roaches in Canada). Ok, so here goes the possible reasons/changes that all occured roughly at the same time he stopped eating crix:

1.) I just found a guy who raises superworms and claims they are very healthy, so I bought 100 of them and that's when my beardie started refusing crickets. Perhaps the supers are too good?
2.) This current batch of crickets I also bought from a different supplier and he ate some in the beginning and then stopped, could it be that the crickets are somehow bad and the beardie does not like them?
3.) It has been kind of cold in my apartment for the past week and I have been struggling to get the temps right, but Momo (my beardie) does not seem lethargic, although he does have a few stress marks on his belly.
4.) I put in a new RepitSun 10.0 tube, he had a compact UVB before. Possibly a bit stressed out, hence the stress marks?

Sorry for the long post. What do you guys think?

Thanks.

 

[SeanC]

Stress and temps could definitely be a player, but I would think that they would refuse to eat all together (I could be wrong on that point). Lightning has also not really been eating crickets. He loved them when we got him about 2-3 weeks ago. I have also been giving him superworms, which he eats more than the crickets but he has slown down on his bug intake. I'm giving it a few days to see how it goes with him. I imagine they could just have had a change in taste, I've read a few posts on here about that happening. I would say as long as he is eating greens and still eating SOMETHING for bugs then I wouldn't worry about it too much. It's good that you switched to the 10.0 tube. I feel the pain also about not being able to get roaches in Canada. I'm still trying to find someone who has them up here.

 

[Momomo]

Thanks for your reply! Forgot to mention possible cause #5: His tail and head are currently shedding, so that's adding to the stress. Although he never refused crickets completely when he shed before, just ate a little less.

 

[Momomo]

Ok now I am really getting worried . Momo started becoming less interested in his favorite superworms too!! He only ate 5 this morning and then turned away and went to his basking spot. I honestly don't see any other changes in behavior except him eating less live feeders. He is still eating his salad though. Help!!! Do I need to take him to the vet?

 

[SeanC]

Getting a fecal test done for parasites is cheap and never really hurts if you think something is up. He could be slowing down due to it being winter. It's so odd that my Lightning is being about exactly the same as Momo. He has also been slowing down on the worms, sometimes not eating at all for the day but then gobbling up lots the next. Hopefully someone else on here will have another suggestion.

 

[cstagni]

Same here. Rex is about 8-9 mths old (18"). She actually stopped aggressively eating crickets (50-60/day) back in early Nov. First I switched to meal worms which she loved... but a few weeks later refused them and still wouldn't exert the energy to chase a cricket. I then started putting crickets in the freezer for a couple of minutes to slow them down and she would eat them all as soon as they start moving.

I went back and fourth through the same BS for few more weeks before she decided to stop eating both. Veggies only for a couple of weeks. I then tried the Super Worms and that's where we are now. She turns her nose up at anything smaller (mealworms) and still crickets.

I've come to the realization that this pet is just as hard to please as my wife and children... and they all think my purpose on earth is to serve them... Haha. Just kidding.kinda

I've been using this site as a go by since we got her and I've yet to have a problem that I couldn't find the answer to... Or at least recommendations on how to identify the problem.

I sure hope its the winter season changing her eating habits, because I'm not looking to play these games all year long.

 

[Mirandor]

This is so bizarre! Got linked here on my thread about the exact same problem, and not only is it the not eating and close age gap, we both switched from coil to tube bulbs recently. Good luck with y'alls! Thinking about trying something new and ordering some phoenix worms since Mohinder is still too small for supers and that's all my pet store has besides crickets and maybe he's just bored. Let me know how you get this resolved, because hopefully it will be soon!

 

[Momomo]

Update: I took Momo to the vet for a check up, she said he looks fine and may just be full for now cuz I fed him a lot. She said if he is still eating his salad, he will be fine. The only thing she has in mind is that it might be parasites that are causing the loss of appetite. Fecal test results should be in tomorrow or Monday, I will update this thread then.

 

[Momomo]

Here goes another update: Momo tested positive for pinworms, so we are on meds now Hoping we can get rid of them fast. So anyone whose beardie is not eating , I suggest a fecal test for parasites.

 

[Momomo]

Not sure if anybody cares but I'll say this anyway: Momo is now parasite-free!!! Happy and healthy! Yay For the posters above: I hope your beardies are doing great too!