WHYYYYYYY!!!!!!

[tylerl19]

WON'T MY BEARDIE EAT????? HE JUST WONT EAT MORE THAN MAYBE A FEW CRICKETS A DAY AND HE DOESNT EAT HIS SALAD AT ALL EITHER. HE IS 6 INCHES LONG NOW AND IVE HAD HIM FOR ABOUT A MONTH MAYBE? AND HE WILL NOT EAT A LOT. HE DIDN'T EAT LOT AT SCHOOL AND I JUST BROUGHT HIM HOME FOR A MONTH FOR XMAS BREAK. HE HAS THE SAME TANK SAME DECORATIONS SAME LIGHTS ( HEAT BULB AND 10.0 UVB) AND HIS TEMPS ARE RIGHT ( 100-110 BASKING, 80 COOL SIDE, 75 NIGHT) I HAVE TRIED FEEDING HIM OUTSIDE HIS TANK (IN ANOTHER TANK) TO SEE IF HE WOULD EAT BUT HE JUST WOULDN'T. HE GETS A 20 WARM BATH EVERY OTHER DAY. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG AND WHATTTTT DO I DO

 

[neecie]

Have you tried phoenix worms.................they seem to be a big hit. silkies too.

 

[tylerl19]

i live in maine...i dont even know where to get those. are those a good enough daily food nutrition wise?

 

[Superfictious]

I've heard that cricket size really matters. People will get a baby Beardie, and it'll devour large amounts of small crickets (no bigger than the space between their eyes) but will only eat a few medium to large crickets.

 

[neecie]

Yes, those are everyday staple along w/veggies......always offer even if not eaten. I have ordered mine online, but live in CA. Google phoenix worms and silkworms and see what's on the east coast. Maybe some folks in your vicinity will make suggestions.

 

[protiemama]

phoenixworms.com or really any online feeder supply would have them. Sometimes I find them at Petco or Petsmart. They are loaded with calciun and great for little guys. On-line is the best way to buy feeders, much cheaper and usually great quality.

Stay warm up there, I've been watching your weather. I'm so glad to be in Tn. right now. Hope you keep your power.

Sandy h

 

[neecie]

Hi, it's me again. I just re-read your post. A little beardie should only eat small crickets -- you mentioned large ones too. Know you said not eating, but had to drop this line. Coastal Silkworms has an east coast location. I also ordered butterworms from Beaver Bait Co in Indiana (currently out till january).......those butters were a BIG hit too.

 

[xJaZx]

I live in New Hampshire and I usually order everything online. I used Mulberry farms for the worms and when I was feeding crix I used Reptilefood.com <- they were GREAT

 

[TheDragonKeepers]

My usual answer: try chicken babyfood. Use a syringe and squit it on the lipplates on the front of the mouth. It often gets them licking up and hungry for more

 

[citrusdragon]

I have a 6 inch baby I've had from Bloodbank for around a month and he's a light eater. I've tried everything, his set up is by the book. What I do notice is he poops daily, and I make sure he drinks daily.
He keeps growing, but he's far from some of the "pigs" I've had. I have decided not to worry. He must be eating because he poops. He's a very "clingy" dragon so I believe his personality is very shy and he just doesn't eat for others to see. I have seen over the last year what people post as eating habits, and I have seen similar cases in my collection, but I don't compare eating amounts from dragon to dragon. I would try new things and don't be discouraged. You could get a fecal test done, but other than that you might need to wait until it reaches a stage where its body demands more food.

Just a thought

Jeff

 

[TheDragonKeepers]

Jeff - know what you mean - Kyle can be like that sometimes. I found the best policy is to leave a bowl of pellets, fruit and salad for her to pick at during the day. Some of it vanishes, so it must be working!

 

[gregorydragon]

Tyler,
I know how you feel. I have a 5 month old beardie. He is only 12 inches, which I think is on the small side, although not necessarily tiny. Between 3 and 4 months of age, I didn't have roaches and he would go a few days in between eating crickets. There are two things that I have been able to get our beardie to eat: Roaches and hornworms. Other than that, I think he would rather starve. I tried phoenix worms, silkworms, butterworms, roaches, crickets, and hornworms. He has eaten zero butterworms (out of 50) :| , 4 silkworms (out of 50) , 5 phoenix worms (out of 150) :x , and every hornworm I put in the cage, but I don't think these are a good staple. He has probably eaten less than 500 crickets in a 3 month period. I have no idea how many roaches, but he consumes 30-50 a day consistently :headbang: .

Jeff

 

[tylerl19]

I just bought him some "calci worms" from P**CO and I will see how he likes those, a lot of the meal worms i have just molted or shed, whatever you call it, they are soft and whitish so i put 15 in there to see if he would eat any...and there were 5 left when i got home so he ate 10. I also got 12 crickets but he refuses to eat them when i put them in his feeding 10g tank and freaks out when he is in there so he prefers to eat them when he pleases. I have NEVER fed him large crickets so I am sorry if i said that on accident or someone mis-interperated what i had said. he is WAY too small for those guys! He is obviously growing since he has shed his tail and recently the rest of his body. he has recently discovered that he likes to play in his bath and hand wave then splash it down over and over again :laughing6: he doesnt seem to be sick i just get worried about the amount of food he eats compared to how much everyone elses does.

 

[NegativeCreep]

I just bought him some "calci worms" from P**CO and I will see how he likes those

If he likes the calci worms, they are the same thing as Phoenix Worms. The PWs are much cheaper, and they are good for staple feeding. Good luck.

 

[K9KidsLove]

Hi...He might be going thru a little relocation stress from being moved from school back to your house. Also, just like humans, some dragons naturally eat less food than others. As long as he maintains his weight and you continue to soak him, he is most likely OK. If he does start to look like he is losing weight, I would take a fresh poop sample in a baggie to a reptile vet for a fecal to check for parasites, coccidia, bacteria, etc.

What are you using to take temps in his tank...stick on, temp gun, digital thermometer with a probe on the end of a wire? If you are using the probe, are you leaving it on his basking spot 45 minutes to get an accurate reading?

What size tank is he in?
How close can he get to his UVB?
You said you have a 10.0 UVB. Is it a compact, a coil, or a long fluorescent tube? ReptiSun or ReptiGlo?

What do you have on the floor for substrate?
Good luck
Patsy