Won't eat crickets, need recommendation

[Sizzle]

Setup :

- Basking spot temp 105-110f (using digital probe thermometer), hot side ambient temp 94f, cool side ambient temp 80f

- Tank is a National Geographic 40 gallon breeder tank.

- Lighting is a 34" reptisun 10.0 uvb I bought online and a 100w basking bulb

- Substrate is reptile carpet which I switch out with another reptile carpet for cleaning cycles.

Bearded Dragon is currently 6 months old, 12-13", and 130grams.

My Problem:
Beardie hates crickets out of nowhere. I am unable to feed him phoenix worms as they're too small and doesn't care for them due to that. I am also in Canada so I am unable to get dubias. I am nervous about mealworms and superworms and the only other feeder I can think of is Silkworms but because of their short lifespan, it's virtually impossible to make it a staple. He loves eating greens so at least he is eating something as of now but he obviously needs more protein.

I have tried using repashy's Grub Pie but of course he doesn't like that at all.

At the local pet store I can get butter worms and wax worms but due to their high fat content, of course that can't be a temporary staple (until he gets over his hatred for crickets)

Any recommendations?

 

[PodunkKhaleesi]

Butterworms are a tad better than waxworms, which have an extremely high fat content. Wax worms are often referred to as beardie ice cream because the nutritional content is minimal and many beardies lose their minds for them (and have been known to go on hunger strikes until given more). Mealworms are pretty high fat and have a hard shell that’s tougher on a beardie’s digestive system. Superworms aren’t much better, but if I had to choose between the two, I’d go with superworms. But I haven’t heard many people advocate feeding a beardie superworms until they’re at least 15-16,” and even then you’d probably want to limit these to a treat food. You might be able to feed the smallest size of hornworms to your beardie, as they’re initially very small (although they grow exceptionally fast so your size window would narrow pretty quickly). I personally love throwing hornworms into the mix for my beardies because the lizards love them and they have a high moisture content, which is great for hydration. Dubias, silkworms, and BSFL are my favorite feeder insects because they’re among the most nutritious, so if there’s a way for you to get your hands on any of those it would be ideal. But your beardie may just be going through a cricket snubbing phase (one of mine refused crickets for three weeks in favor of dubias and BSFL, and now she’s accepting crickets again with the other insects. Sometimes they just go through picky toddler phases). It’s great that she loves her salads, though it’s a little unusual for one that young to shun bugs in favor of greens. If you can’t obtain a more diverse array of feeders you may have to keep throwing crickets at her until she goes off strike. One thought: sometimes a beardie will snub crickets if the size is off. They should be smaller than the space between her eyes but if they’re too tiny sometimes a young beardie won’t bother with them. They can also feel overwhelmed if too many insects are surrounding them. I’m hoping you can get ahold of some alternate feeders, as variety is beneficial for a growing dragon. That’s a tough situation if so many insects are either illegal or hard to come by where you live. ?

 

[kingofnobbys]

Try locusts in leu of crickets .... they do get bored with the same insects every day.
I'd persist with the current staple and maybe assist feed the crickets by hand to him while he goes through this adolescent phase.

Silkworms are worth a try too.... a medium (2 in) silkworm is equiv to several 1/3 size crickets so he only needs eat 3 to 4 medium silkworms per meal to get a good meal.

No harm in giving one or two mealworms or waxworms as bribes to get him eating. Sometimes this is what it takes. He still needs at least 2 meals of live insects per day at 6 months.

The change in weather can put juveniles off , as can hormonal imbalances and impending sheds.
He might have become shy about eating with you around to see him, and prefer your leaving his crickets with him during the day, make sure there is fresh greens leafies and gated/ chopped coloured veg avail (this will draw out the crickets and he might accidently nibble some when he nails his criclets.

Make sure the photoperiod is kept at 14- 16 hrs per day and his daytime tank temps are kept warm , and his tank is kept warmer than 24 degC overnight too.