No Veggies!

[packfan74]

Does anybody have a spoiled beardie like mine who will NOT eat his salad? If so, what are you doing to keep him healthy?

My guy is 14 months old. He got sick last Fall and completely went off veggies while on meds for parasites. It took me almost 5 months and 2 rounds of meds to get him feeling better.....however since then, he has stop eating crickets and veg altogether! The only way I've gotten any veg into him since December is to give him baby food via a dropper. He eats peas, squash, yams, apples and blue berrys as long as its via the dropper. He even takes his daily water this way now too.

The bulk of his diet is super worms or the occasional spoonfull of wax worms. He can put away 100 supers a week - easy!

So, the short of the long of it is, since I've created a "Diva Dan" (my beardie is a boy) in regard to veggies and it looks like I'm stuck w/his choice of feeding method, WHAT KINDS OF GREEN SLURRIES would be best to try in order to provide the most benefits? a/k/a, what exact combinations?

FOOT NOTE: the only time he will eat anything other than worms on his own is when he gets outside time. He loves to eat the clover and patunia in my garden. Since I initially suspected this was because of a UV problem, I tried feeding him his salad outside (in addition to buying a new UV bulb). It didn't work - he walked around the salad bowl and started eating the clover - did I say, Diva Dan, well there you go! Also despite the fact he's got 2 UV lights in his 45 gal tank, he will NOT eat ANYTHING while in his viv - he waits for me to take him out before he'll eat; Diva Dan stricks again!

Need slurry suggestions please.

 

[Bill]

we have dragons that do almost the same have you tried dubia? Have you tried just giving him collards for like a week and nothing else to see if he will eat it if he gets hungry enough?

 

[packfan74]

No, I can't do roaches - way too gross, plus can't stand the tought that they might get loose in my house.....if so, I'd difinitely have to burn the house down to make sure I got them! I'm staying w/worms -TU. I've yet to find a local source for horn or silk worms - wouldn't mind trying those. So far he's happy w/supers; he eats as many in a sitting as I'll give (20 is the record - I stop when he starts looking like a water balloon). He gets the most piggy when I dust them; he'll even eat the vitamin dust off the spoon

Yes, I've tried the starving thing, never worked. I got too scared after 4 days and gave in - he looked so pitiful. He use to eat kale and zucchini when he was young but will not touch it now He's never eaten collards, mustard / turnip greens or bok-choy despite almost a year of trying. I've never been able to get him to eat ANY fruit or any bright colored anything (peppers, tomatos, radishes, carrots, blueberries, kiwi, etc). He is one picky Diva Dan - great personality but a lousy eater

Yesterday he ate 14 plain (big) supers. Today he ate 1 teaspoon of baby food (peas, green beans, carrots & potatos), 1 teaspoon of fruit (bananas/strawberry), along with 10 dusted wax worms. Tomorrow's menu is all baby food. Tuesday, repeat steps 1 and so on - boring, hence the reason I'd like to try green shakes (a/k/a, slurries).

I've heard of other owners doing this w/their sick dragons to keep some veg going but I don't remember what the recipe was......1 part collards to 2 parts kale, blend til smooth...??? If anybody knows, pray do tell!

Thanks

 

[Bill]

I think the mixture would be ok but not to much kale I would use collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelions. Supers are very fatty if given to much can cause problems

 

[packfan74]

Oh - didn't know supers could be an issue. He's been stuck on them since I introduced when he was about 7 months old. Ever since, he's stopped eating crix and holds out for supers. I've tried to go back but have had no success - waisting $. He just lets the crix crimb all over him and completely ignores them until they die....besides its a total pain chasing them around in the tank at nite to get them out anyway. Not to mention that they're a bit more of an issue to store then supers due to the messier (hense smellier) gut loading steps but I did like to hear them sing at night; never bothered me at all; as long as I wasn't storing more than 20 at a time at is!

Thanks for the recommendation on the green milk shake. I'll try getting those items at the farmer's market this weekend and blending them into a slurry/smoothy; what ever you call it!

Cheers

 

[Brett]

If that don't work try making up your salad then putting a super worm in there. Movement triggers a feeding response in dragons so if you have something crawling around in the salad it could trigger him to eat it. They also make vibrating feeder bowls which may be a help, perhaps he will slowly convert that way.

 

[packfan74]

Been there, done that....didn't work.

Also was wondering how mush time out of his viv daily is OK. Currently he spends 3-4 hours out each day (sometimes more during the summer months). He really seems to enjoy running around the house with me. I take him from level to level throughout the day (I'm always in the same room w/him so he doesn't get into too much trouble or get too cold). He really enjoyed climbing the Christmas Tree and pretending he was the "Star" on top; very ET. He also has his own cat bed in the bay window of the living room. It overlooks the side garden (his version of YouTube). He also likes hanging onto the window screen in the kitchen cuz its at bush level with the front garden just beyond; lots of birds flutter through the front bushes - he likes bobbing his head and blowing up his throat at them to remind him that this is "His" house.

I always let him wake up/warm up in the morning before I take him out. Then its bath time and breakfast. After breakfast he goes back in his viv to digest under is spot light for a couple of hours. Then he's back out in the late morning to "play" either running around w/me as I clean or most days we have coffee and read together outside in the garden for an hour. I keep a close eye on him cuz last week a blue jay tried to skewer him when he got too close to the bird feeder and just before that happened, a sparrow tried discouraging him by sitting on his back, then his head! Took him in immediaely thereafter; he was not happy - tank danced at the sliding glass door for 30 minutes. The cats (we have 2) could care less about him and treat him as if he doesn't exists - that is until he kicks them out of the bay window after scaling the drapes to get there!

Reason I'm asking is cuz lately he has really been struggling when I try to put him back in his viv. He cranes as hard as he can to one side, folding is body into a C shape and tightening up his little muscels, or he tries to back up my arm as fast as he can when going in face first - all four legs planted in the "No, you can't make me" position. Sometimes I feel so bad about putting him back at night that I let him fall asleep snuggled up either under my shirt or on my neck before I gently put him in his viv after he's fully asleep......I swear its like I have a 2 yr. old again!

All this time out has improved the sore spot he gave himself on his chin from head putting the glass in his viv for hours on days I didn't have time to spend w/him. But I think I created a monster with this behavior too (small wonder he's a picky eater; I know, right). But he's SUCH a good boy, its hard not to let him chill w/me - he even enjoys car rides and short trips to the pet store to do his grocery shopping; one day I stopped for a quick lunch at Subway - nobody noticed he was on my sholder until I was checking out and then I though the cashier was going to need 911, she screamed so loud and looked like she was going to pass out - needless to say, we got it to go - lol!

Anyhoo, what do you think, 3-4 hrs of outside viv time OK or no?