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New to beardies...cant get him/her to eat

94swick

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
1
Got my beardie at petsmart (didnt know any better when i did) and i got him/her 2 weeks ago. I have been all over the internet looking for answers and cant seem to find exactly what im looking for. if its something that needs a vet to look at im better off taking him back because i dont have the money to pay for a bunch of tests on a dragon i just got. He doesnt eat hardly anything for a dragon his size. He's 8 inches and eats maybe 3-4 roaches a day and thats it. i was first feeding him crickets which was about 8-9 a day. i offer him food 3 times a day. all food is smaller than the space between his eyes, he's got a 115 degree basking area which is a ramp so its anywhere between 95 on the warm side of the tank to 115 at the highest point. cool side gets as low as 78. he is very active from what i can observe. he NEVER will eat greens. ive tried a ton of different fruits and veggies and he wont take any of them. ive tried baby food and even drip it on his snout like water and he wont eat it. also he barely drinks any water. maybe a drop or two a day. if i try to put the greens in his mouth he does nothing. if i force feed he just spits it out. im worried he's got something. please help. i would rather keep him if he has a minor issue and work with it but i dont even know where to start.
 

Tabasco

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
98
Sometimes it takes a while for them to settle in. Does he look healthy? Try giving him a hornworm once a day. Never seen a dragon that does not love them. You can get them from east coast feeders, cheapest Ive found.

Post a picture or two of him.
 

Patricia Box

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
3
I got mine from Petsmart. He was eating in the beginning and he stopped eating and he seemed to be depressed. His color was a dark green and wouldn't change to his lighter color. I did take him to the vet. If your really worried call an exotic vet and see if you can buy food that you can hand feed him. I did this for about 3 weeks and now he's going crazy on crickets again. now I have to introduce vegetables to him/her.
 

City

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
6
Location
Nova Scotia
if your bearded dragon is new, it might still need to settle in. You seem to be worried about your lizard getting water, to prevent this you can mist them, give them a (shallow!) water dish in their cage, or give them warm baths regularly (do not put the water past the dragons shoulders, i usually keep it around their knee/elbow height. this can also help with digestion... be prepared.) but plants are essential for having a healthy dragon. if it still doesnt take to them for a while i would recommend maybe getting supplements. pet smart is notorious for having low quality animal care so it might be a error on their part.
 

SmaugMommy

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
13
My dragon wouldn't eat when I first got him either. I think it just takes time for them to adjust to a new place/new routine. Unless he doesn't eat anything for a very long time and starts losing weight, I wouldn't worry about him. He will eat when he's hungry. Sometimes my Smaug goes a couple days without eating, but he is a happy and healthy guy. He still sometimes can't be coaxed into eating his greens, but if I make them wiggle around like a bug, he will sometimes eat them. He just loves the chase. :)
 
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