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Hi everybody! My new bearded dragon has been making me rip my hair out with his eating habits. I wouldn't exactly call him a picky eater but he sure can be a fussy one. He's like the little kid that refuses to eat what's good for him. Let me start out by saying he lives for crickets, he absolutely adores them and never hesitates to eat one. He also ate a single dubia roach which he seemed to like quite a bit but here's the issue, mealworms. He had mealworms in his dish at Petco so I bought some. When I first put the mealworms in his dish he dove at them and chowed down,,,,,,,and then the next day all of a sudden he doesn't like mealworms. Didn't touch them for days then yesterday I gave him some and he ate a couple but only when placed in front of him or when they escaped from the dish. He'll eat them on the ground, he even ate I dead one I beheaded so it wouldn't squirm when I tried to hand feed him. Is the dish the problem? Does he not like the dish for some reason? He ate from a dish at the store without issue. Does he sometimes like mealworms and other times not? I didn't see any of the mealworms I put in the dish earlier so maybe he ate them but they probably just got out and are hiding in the tank somewhere.
The other issue is that also like a little kid, he won't eat his veggies which is funny because once again I saw him eat some leafy greens at Petco the day before I got him so obviously he knows how to eat vegetables. I knew ahead of time variety is the key so I went out and bought him some fresh collared greens, escarole, parsnips, sweet potato (which we already have) and even some mango. I didn't get a chance to put all of it in his dish but I will, I chopped up a bunch of it and mixed it together, especially the sweet and tasty mango and he won't touch any of it and it goes to waste. The veggies and fruit dry up under those lights and make the tank smell bad. The strange part is that with enough encouragement he'll eat a little bit of this stuff out of my hand but not in the dish, I even put some live mealworms in with the salad and he still wouldn't eat it . Again, is it the dish? He ate veggies out of a dish at Petco. I've heard that if a beardie won't eat the fruits and veggies feed them to the crickets and cut load them with it so they'll get the same nutrients. Problem is in my house we go through crickets quick first of all and secondly while I think that's a good idea I think it will deprive him of the variety that's so good for him. I have an idea though, you know those cans of dead crickets they sell in the reptile section? What if I bought a can and rubbed the fruits and veggies with them so they'll have that cricket scent all over them? He loves his crickets.
The other issue is that also like a little kid, he won't eat his veggies which is funny because once again I saw him eat some leafy greens at Petco the day before I got him so obviously he knows how to eat vegetables. I knew ahead of time variety is the key so I went out and bought him some fresh collared greens, escarole, parsnips, sweet potato (which we already have) and even some mango. I didn't get a chance to put all of it in his dish but I will, I chopped up a bunch of it and mixed it together, especially the sweet and tasty mango and he won't touch any of it and it goes to waste. The veggies and fruit dry up under those lights and make the tank smell bad. The strange part is that with enough encouragement he'll eat a little bit of this stuff out of my hand but not in the dish, I even put some live mealworms in with the salad and he still wouldn't eat it . Again, is it the dish? He ate veggies out of a dish at Petco. I've heard that if a beardie won't eat the fruits and veggies feed them to the crickets and cut load them with it so they'll get the same nutrients. Problem is in my house we go through crickets quick first of all and secondly while I think that's a good idea I think it will deprive him of the variety that's so good for him. I have an idea though, you know those cans of dead crickets they sell in the reptile section? What if I bought a can and rubbed the fruits and veggies with them so they'll have that cricket scent all over them? He loves his crickets.
they can be very picky and many of us have had the very same issues.. lol Don't waste your $ on those canned crickets they are soo nasty lol they are huge and gross.. Just keep offering a variety of bugs crickets, dubia, waxworms, butterworms, superworms (once big enough), hornworms.. gut loading the feeders is a great way of getting lots of good stuff in them.. keep offering the greens but every dragon is different and while they are actively growing they will eat more protein than greens anyways.. leafy greens should be offered not as much fruit as they don't need alot of sugar. place your greens on the cooler side of your enclosure, I've not had any problems with smelly salads.. 
