How do I get him to drink and eat veggies?

[PirateLife4Me'13]

Hi Everybody,

I just got a bearded dragon last Friday and I can't tell if he is drinking water the water I have in his terrarium for him. I had a Beardie when I was in high school but I can't remember everything that I did with her cause it was too long ago and my memory is horrible. So when I spray in his terrarium for humidity I am also hoping he will drink drops off the sides but like I said I can't tell. I don't want him to be dehydrated. Last night was the first night he actually got in his water bowl because I had been putting him in there to show him it was water and so last night he just sat in it for a while which made me feel good for 1. He knows there is water there now for sure and 2. Hopefully that gave him some moisture to his body and maybe he drank some.

Also I'm having a very hard time getting him to eat greens. I bought some kale because that is what my first bearded dragon loved. I just can't get him to eat it. I mean I even put mealworms under and around the kale (which now from other research I know isn't good for him because of the hard skin, so I'm in the process of trying to get/raise my own dubia roaches and phoenix worms). I also have this like jello type papaya substance I got in the terrarium kit from Petsmart (had a great deal on the whole set), and I even mushed that up so I made him a nice little "salad" so to speak and I took a picture so I could tell if he ate any of it, but I don't think he has. So I don't know what else to try?

 

[Dark Angel]

I am not very experienced with Beardies but mine usually drinks when I give him a bath every other day. Unfortunately due to humidity issues in South FL I can't spray him but he loves his bath time. Luckily mine has always been a pig when it comes to food, crickets and or greens so I can't help you on the second issue. Mine loves kale, cucumber and collard greens.

 

[Eavlynn]

Welcome back to bearded dragon keeping and to our forum

I find the best way to give water is via a plastic eye dropper (not glass). Just drop it on the end of their mouths and let them lick it up. I do this all very other day.

I wouldn't spray the enclosure at all. Bearded dragons don't require humidity, and elevated humidity levels can have unpleasant consequences.

If your dragon is young, he may not be interested in greens yet. Insects are going to be his main staple for a while. When you do get around to greens, collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, and dandelion greens are all good staples. It's best to avoid kale as its high in oxalates.

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[PatsyB]

Here's a link to good food choices, bugs and veggies. Kale is okay but it needs to be mixed with other greens because it binds to calcium. http://greathousefarm.com/Greathouse-Reptile-Nutrition-List.pdf. Meal worms are a bad choice too. Go with supers over meal worms. Dubia are really good, hornworms, silkworms, BSFL.

Like Eavlynn said, don't spray inside the tank. You can raise the humidity too much and depending on your substrate, bacteria buildup can happen.