Won't eat Veggies/fruits

[NBGwen]

Be warned - long post - sorry!

Sooo...if you've read in the health section or intro section then you know that I got my Evee and Gonzo from my local SPCA and that they are older (5 and 6 years old) and that I have no idea what their precious owners did or didn't do for them. I DO know that they must not have done much research due to Evee's health issues (getting better every day!).

As the subject suggest, I can't get these two to eat veggies, greens, fruits or anything other than insects on their own. Evee gets supplemented by me and is being syringe fed at this time. Gonzo won't even go near the feeding dish. I've tried everything short of making him open his mouth and putting the food in myself.

I've put the food in a processor, I've given chunks, strips, baby food mixed in, sliced, chopped, tried freeze dried bagged food, and so much more. I'm at the end of my rope with how to get them to eat fresh non-insect food. Evee I get - her jaw is finally starting to heal, so she has zero interest in chewing that stuff. Gonzo on the other hand

I have the feeling that their previous owners never gave them greens or anything. When I first got them, Gonzo would maybe take a single piece of collard greens and maybe a piece of strawberry but at least it was something. He usually loves supers too but has been turning his nose up to them even (thankfully eating some silks and horns, but even refusing crickets too :| ). He's been shedding off and on since a bit after I got them, so I know that can affect it, but he seems 'off' the last few days. I'm more aware of it now because I just bought a load of feeders and I'm not going through them very quickly.

Temps are excellent (I did double check! I use 150w basking bulb for the day and have a 150w ceramic heat emitter on 24/7 - it's a 75g tank and he can climb up his tree for more warmth and down to cool off a bit or go to the other end as well).

Now, the biggest I am having with their tanks is moisture. I have NO standing water in either enclosure BUT the humidity in NB, Canada right now is atrocious. Our summers tend to be freaking muggy as all get out and the hygrometer in Gonzo's tank has been reading between 40 and 50...my feeder containers have to be checked when I get up and when I feed the babies in the evening due to the condensation in them (ugh). We have a heat pump and HRV unit but the humidity outside is just too damn high.

I have a third (smaller) tank that I am considering cleaning up and using just for feeding them. Something I could plunk one at a time in and just let them loose with the feeders and lose greens/veggies/fruits instead of a bowl. I'm just looking for thoughts on what has helped others with fussy beardies.

Sorry for the rambling, we're expecting thunderstorms here and the pressure makes me headachy/brain foggy...

thanks in advance for the idea!
Gwen

 

[CooperDragon]

40-50% humidity is nothing to worry about in my opinion. You may want to take action above about 65% on a regular basis but otherwise I wouldn't do much. One of those Eva-Dry rechargeable dehumidifiers near the tank may help if needed.

As far as food goes, that's a tough one. For Evee I'd just keep syringe feeding for now and not worry about solids much less veges. For Gonzo, it may take a lot of patience and time. If they aren't used to their veges then it's difficult to transition them if they're older. Keep trying different options, try hand feeding, just be persistent. If he is at a good weight then you may want to try only offering veges for a week or two and see if he comes around. Sometimes tough love can break their stubbornness. That's only a viable option with dragons who are overall healthy and are being stubborn more than anything.

 

[NBGwen]

Ah k...I always thought humidity over 40 was really bad.. I don't think it's ever gone over 50 thankfully.

I suspect the tough love will have to be the way it is with Gonzo. He is very healthy. We leave for vacation week after next so that probably will be the best tI me to try it...ugh. He is the older of the two...the vet weighed him, I can't remember what his weight is but I know the vet was happy with it.

 

[CooperDragon]

Sounds good. If the vet was happy with his weight then as an adult he can go for quite a while without food if need be. Their natural habitat is quite large and varied so I don't believe they are super sensitive to humidity save for tropical levels. At the southern end of their habitat near Adelaide, the humidity can get quite high at times. I think it's sustained high levels of humidity in an enclosed space along with other inadequate components of the setup that lead to issues like respiratory infections. That's just my take on it though.

 

[NBGwen]

Makes sense. Deserts are so variable between day and night and seasons...

Well...bright side to making him go without feeders for a bit is saving some money lol...i've been seriously considering raising silks and others. I can't find any reasonably priced in this area and it's cheaper to mail order them then buy them at the local shops! Just don't know if I would have enough energy for it.

 

[CooperDragon]

I've thought about picking up silk eggs and raising them too, especially when they're out of season, but seems like too much equipment and attention for me to bother. Some folks on here raise them successfully though.

 

[NBGwen]

O'be read about that too...just having the medium ones I have now is work lol...I'm always worrting about not feeding them enough or having too much condensation going on