advice needed

[Michele654]

Goodmorning. my name is Michele, and I am a proud parent of a bearded dragon girl. Her name is Kiwi. Kiwi came to me one day a little over a year ago. A friend, who has the parents, began a new job and was working full time so couldnt' give the care and time needed to the newborn hatchlings, so I took on the job. I am formerly a veterinary assitant but reptiles where never my forte, until I met Kiwi and her siblings. I was very attached to Kiwi, and she to me, because she was the smallest of the beardies and was often roughed up. She almost lost an 1/8 inch of her tail as a baby because of a feeding frenzy once. I luckly saved her tail with the use of my Aloe plant. I massaged it onto the tail everyday for a month and it healed nicely. I've had many health scares and crisis with Kiwi as she was a weakest beardie who happened to be born from unhealthy parents. She was so weak at one point she stopped eating so I decided to make her an health booster elixer I call it. I added arugula, collard greens, dandelion greans and spaghetti squash into a blender with HepVitamins and Calciums dust along with real natural Aloe gel/liquid from my plant. Mixed it to a thick slush and fed her with a baby syringe tropplet. She started showing signes of MBD so I panick and trippled her UVB/UVA lights and heat. You should see her now..wow not the same baby girl at all.
Anyway from that day on I became very protective of her such as feeding her seperatly and taking her out of the cage and keeping her with me on my shoulder. In other words I spoilt her rotten....lol and she knows it....Infact right now I'm having a hard time with her being stubborn about eating her morning crickets.
About two weeks ago I started buying mealworms to get her to eat her greens. She used to love greens and her breakfast crickets. She used to get her mealworms in the evening mixed with the greens. But, since I started with the mealworms she stands by the side of her cages in the morning, where she knows her mealworms are hidden, waiting impatiently while the crickets run all over inside the cage. Mealworms dont' dust well with calcium powerder so she has to have her crickets. OR perhaps I'm wrong and she is only going through a stage where she no longer needs the food intake she had as a juvenile. She is 13 months old now. She's healthy, happy and spunky little beardie now...lol
Also I have another question, do you find they ease off eating when they are about to molt? This was never an issue as a juvenile but perhaps it is common in soon to be adult beardies?
I could use a little help here on her feeding habits. So far she gets about 15 large crickets and 5 mealworms with greens in the mornings. Should I cut off the mealworms for a while? Any suggestions?
Hope to here your advice and suggestions soon.

Kiwi's Mom,
Michele

 

[Michele654]

Except taken from my Introduction post. cause I didn't know you had a diet section...sorry for the mix up won't happen again.


I'm having a hard time with her being stubborn about eating her morning crickets. About two weeks ago I started buying mealworms to get her to eat her greens. She used to loved greens and her breakfast crickets. She used to get her mealworms in the evening mixed with the greens. But, since I started with the mealworms she stands by the side of her cages in the morning, where she knows her mealworms are hidden, waiting impatiently while the crickets run all over inside the cage. Mealworms dont' dust well with calcium powerder so she has to have her crickets. OR perhaps I'm wrong and she is only going through a stage where she no longer needs the food intake she had as a juvenile. She is 13 months old now. Also I have another question, do you find they ease off eating when they are about to molt? This was never an issue as a juvenile but perhaps it is common in soon to be adult beardies?
So far she gets about 15 large crickets and 5 mealworms with greens in the mornings. Should I cut off the mealworms for a while? Any suggestions?
Hope to here your advice and suggestions soon.

Kiwi's Mom,
Michele

 

[ladyknite]

Wow Michelle
First off, welcome. Congrads on your success with the rearing of hatchlings. A task not so easily taken on. From your description of your "elixer" it seems you did some homework. Nice job in providing those essential vitamins, greens and supplements when things were rough.

Mealworms aren't my favorite feeder bug for dragons. Their chitin to meat ratio is too far off balance. If i must use a worm, I prefer to use superworms or hornworms.

Although shes 13 months old, she's not quite an adult. Although her feeding habits and mannerisms may change over the next few months. Its also quite possible that shedding is annoying this time and hindering her appetite. No worries, just try to mix it up a bit. I'd try to vary her feeders in the morning so that she's getting the proper amount of dusted bugs. A few crix, a few worms, maybe a roach or two????

 

[ladyknite]

I'm sure someone will fix that.

I answered in your introduction post. ;D

 

[renich]

Hi and welcome to our forum. I decided to merge your topics. I didn't want your questions to be lost in our intro board.

I am not a fan of mealworms either. It is difficult for beardies to break down their outer shell. Another worm to try are phoenix worms.

Another thought is that bearded dragons tend to change their likes and dislikes on the whim. I think you are experiencing a picky stage. They can gorge on a particular feeder and then decide that they don't want anything to do with that feeder any longer. Same with greens. Try changing it up.

They do tend to slow down their eating habits when shedding occurs.

 

[Michele654]

Goodmorning all. Thank you so much for the advice you've given me. I'm going to give her the usual large dusted crickets and 5 superworms in the morning. But for now I will wait for the evening to give her greens and hornworm because I want to start introducing fruits again. I will have to be present when she tries fruits because I'm going to have to coax her a bit. Last time I tried a tiny piece of strawberry it didn't go over well with her. She sort of forced herself to swallow it then immediately stomped over to her bowl and with her little paw tossed out all the little red strawberry pieces then starred at me from the corner of her cage.
Any suggestion as to what fruits are most enjoyed by Beardies? I read someone say in a post that banana are a bit hit. Isn't banana hard to digest and should it be mashed or just sliced bits?
Also someone told me carrots are not good for beardies because of the high level of oxilate. Kiwi used to really love her shredded carrots but I cut if off when she was in her health crisis. Should I try giving it again or avoid it?

Michele

 

[zebraflavencs]

Michele... This might help you out a bit:
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html
If it is in Green, that's for daily... If it is in Black, that's for treats 1-2 times a week.
And yes, dragons do tend to back off on their feed when working on a shed.
If you do the strawberries, pare off the seeded outside... also rasps are a big favorite here, as well as kiwi, again seeds removed.
Janie.

 

[renich]

You may want to consider giving her salad in the morning. Most have had luck with starting out with salad. Your beardie is at his hungriest and will eat it over the much loved proteins.

Consider trying butternut squash. put it in a mound with the greens on top.

 

[corrine]

Princess loves strawberries, mango, apple, blueberries, and kiwi

 

[Michele654]

Hi again..little update... I tried as you have all suggested and the Raspberries were a hit. I gave her greens with the rasp and her superworms in the morning. She didn't jump into it till late in the morning. When I noticed she had eaten most of it I then gave her the crickets. She ate them all right away. I was very relieved. Also I think the long bath last night helps her ski and encouraged her appetite...she was in the tub for about 20 minutes. She would have stayed longer but I was beat.

Thank you all.

 

[renich]

Excellent news! Glad to hear she is doing well.