Why won't my baby dragon eat more

[Shayanne]

I got my bearded dragon last week. I try to feed her mealworms with calcium and she eats one or two a day. She also eats a couple of pieces of lettuce. I'm worried that she is not getting enough food. What should I do?

 

[Akire]

Congrats on your baby beardie!

There can be many reasons why she has a decreased appetite. She may still be settling in. My first word of advice is to stop feeding mealworms. They can actually be deadly to babies! It's because they have a high chitin content that is harder to digest. Babies have been known to become impacted [deadly condition/digestive tract becomes blocked] from mealworms. Not to mention they are lower in protein and higher in fat. Crickets, Dubia roaches, Black Soldier Fly Larvae/Phoenix worms are all highly recommended. Make sure any food is no bigger than the space between her eyes.

My next suggestion, no lettuce. If it has the word lettuce in its name then don't feed it (if it's an emergency and just for a day then that is fine). The reason being lettuce has very little nutrition for beardies and high water content. It commonly causes diarrhea. Some excellent vegetables to feed are Collard, Turnip, Dandelion and Mustard. If you have a Walmart nearby, they sell a big bag of Country Greens for like $3. It has Collard, Mustard and Turnip greens. That is what I buy. Excellent price and super nutritious! You want to include non-leafy vegetables as well. Squash is great; my boy goes crazy for Butternut Squash (also found at Walmart). Bell Peppers are great. Carrots can be given occasionally. Fruit can be given as a treat.

Here is a great food chart to help- http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

What kind of UVB are you using and what is her basking spot temperature? Those are two things that can have a very big impact on appetite.

 

[Shayanne]

So I have a 13w uvb bulb and her basking spot is between 90-100.

 

[kingofnobbys]

So I have a 13w uvb bulb and her basking spot is between 90-100.

There's your most likely course .

A 13W compact (even a very high output 10%UVB) version is way too weak to use in any beardie's viv.
Very little UVA and UVB will be getting to the basking spot and even less elsewhere in they viv , see this for data and comparision of UVB sources : viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611

As AN ABSOLUTE MINIMUM you need :
>> to ditch the 13W compact
>> replace it with a 26W UVB200 AT LEAST (a 12%UVB T8 or a 12%UVB T5HO tube will be MUCH BETTER
>> move the UV source UNDER THE MESH LID (easy to hang it under mesh lid using cable ties pushed through the mesh and tightened around the reflector hood
>> ensure the T8 or T5HO tube (in a reflector hood) or the 26W UVB in a hood or dome is positioned so 180 - 200 microW UVB / sq.cm is seen at the basking spot and about 100 microW UVB / sq.cm is seen elsewhere in the viv.

I believe a long term lack of UVA is the source of the problem, along with VitD3 deficiency due to inadequate UVB.