Not eating veggies

[stephanieh]

3 weeks ago I adopted an 18 month old bearded dragon from someone who could no longer house him. He was in a 40 gallon tank and very picky with food - basically was only fed superworms. We upgraded him to a 120 gallon bioactive terrarium which he absolutely loves about a week ago. I was hoping more space and better lighting/temperature would amp up his appetite, but so far it hasn't. He was also shedding and super lethargic when we originally got him, but now that the shed is over he is moving around more and his appetite seems to have picked up.

That being said, he's only interested in worms. He gets veggies every day, but in the entire time he's been here I'm pretty sure he's eaten like 3 leaves total, and on accident at that. I've tried hiding his worms in the food, but he almost never misses. I've tried sticking the veggies in his mouth as he chews (that's what the previous owner supposedly did) but he just moves away or spits it out. I've tried rolling the leaves to look like worms, but he doesn't seem interested. I have been trying to wait him out a bit but don't want to go full cold turkey since he's still pretty new to us (he only gets worms like 3x a week, so I figured he would get hungry between that and eat the salad he is offered daily, but no luck thus far). I have offered him a mixture of different greens - butternut squash, celery leaves, green and purple arugula, cabbage, baby spinach and bok choy, cherry tomatoes, parsley and mustard greens, but no luck with anything. The few times he has gotten some veggies in, I've been hand feeding worms and he got a worm and a leaf or two by accident, after which he stops eating from my hand and walks away from me. A few times, he has looked interested in the salad bowl, licked it (this mostly happened w the squash and tomatoes), but not picked it up to eat it.

Any tips on starting an adult beardie on veggies? Are there any fan favorite veg out there?

 

[Sadie]

3 weeks ago I adopted an 18 month old bearded dragon from someone who could no longer house him. He was in a 40 gallon tank and very picky with food - basically was only fed superworms. We upgraded him to a 120 gallon bioactive terrarium which he absolutely loves about a week ago. I was hoping more space and better lighting/temperature would amp up his appetite, but so far it hasn't. He was also shedding and super lethargic when we originally got him, but now that the shed is over he is moving around more and his appetite seems to have picked up.

That being said, he's only interested in worms. He gets veggies every day, but in the entire time he's been here I'm pretty sure he's eaten like 3 leaves total, and on accident at that. I've tried hiding his worms in the food, but he almost never misses. I've tried sticking the veggies in his mouth as he chews (that's what the previous owner supposedly did) but he just moves away or spits it out. I've tried rolling the leaves to look like worms, but he doesn't seem interested. I have been trying to wait him out a bit but don't want to go full cold turkey since he's still pretty new to us (he only gets worms like 3x a week, so I figured he would get hungry between that and eat the salad he is offered daily, but no luck thus far). I have offered him a mixture of different greens - butternut squash, celery leaves, green and purple arugula, cabbage, baby spinach and bok choy, cherry tomatoes, parsley and mustard greens, but no luck with anything. The few times he has gotten some veggies in, I've been hand feeding worms and he got a worm and a leaf or two by accident, after which he stops eating from my hand and walks away from me. A few times, he has looked interested in the salad bowl, licked it (this mostly happened w the squash and tomatoes), but not picked it up to eat it.

Any tips on starting an adult beardie on veggies? Are there any fan favorite veg out there?

Sounds like he's going thru relocation stress- appetite will be off but it's the uvb and surface basking temps you want spot on - that's going to help w/ the moving and appetite - what are you using for a uvb? Brand and bulb what are the basking temps and how are you getting them? Once we figure that we can move on to ways to get him to eat his salads

 

[stephanieh]

Sounds like he's going thru relocation stress- appetite will be off but it's the uvb and surface basking temps you want spot on - that's going to help w/ the moving and appetite - what are you using for a uvb? Brand and bulb what are the basking temps and how are you getting them? Once we figure that we can move on to ways to get him to eat his salads

He has a brand new 22" Arcadia 14% uvb bulb. Warm end of his tank stays around 85 degrees (zoo med tank thermometer) with a 150 watt heat bulb - he also has an undertank heating pad on that side to try to increase the temp further and I am open to suggestions for increasing the heat more. He has a few different basking platforms but he opens his mouth to cool when he's on the one above the undertank heat pad which I take as a good sign. Cool side where he loves to dig stays around 75 degrees. Humidity in the tank is also definitely too high (usually 50-60%) because I live in a swamp below sea level. These are all approx the same readings the person I got him from kept him at.

 

[Sadie]

He has a brand new 22" Arcadia 14% uvb bulb. Warm end of his tank stays around 85 degrees (zoo med tank thermometer) with a 150 watt heat bulb - he also has an undertank heating pad on that side to try to increase the temp further and I am open to suggestions for increasing the heat more. He has a few different basking platforms but he opens his mouth to cool when he's on the one above the undertank heat pad which I take as a good sign. Cool side where he loves to dig stays around 75 degrees. Humidity in the tank is also definitely too high (usually 50-60%) because I live in a swamp below sea level. These are all approx the same readings the person I got him from kept him at.

Ok the heat pad underneath I would get rid of- cool side during the day should be 80's 75 is more for night time- warm end should be 95- 100 that's basking surface temps taken w/ a digital probe thermometer- mid tank should be in the 90's - if your not getting that surface basking temp I would add another single done and a 75 watt bulb but you must have those probe thermometers- humidity is good - nothing over 70%

 

[Sadie]

How tall is your tank and where is the uvb? Inside the tank or top of screen?

 

[stephanieh]

I have a digital probe thermometer for another reptile - I checked with it and it's pretty much accurate to the other thermometers' readings. I will get another 75 watt bulb to put on the warm side of the tank and hopefully it starts warming up more.

How tall is your tank and where is the uvb? Inside the tank or top of screen?

Tank is 2 feet tall and the uvb is inside the tank. My digital thermometer reads the same as the in tank analog ones do but I will probably get a second light to help with temp regulation.

 

[Sadie]

I have a digital probe thermometer for another reptile - I checked with it and it's pretty much accurate to the other thermometers' readings. I will get another 75 watt bulb to put on the warm side of the tank and hopefully it starts warming up more.

Tank is 2 feet tall and the uvb is inside the tank. My digital thermometer reads the same as the in tank analog ones do but I will probably get a second light to help with temp regulation.

Ok- please make sure distance for the uvb is 17-18 inches directly above the basking decor -
It's a strong bulb expires in approx 1 yr from install- please no more cabbage baby spinach or tomatoes - I can post a nutrition website for you tomorrow

 

[Sadie]

Ok- please make sure distance for the uvb is 17-18 inches directly above the basking decor -
It's a strong bulb expires in approx 1 yr from install- please no more cabbage baby spinach or tomatoes - I can post a nutrition website for you tomorrow

Ignore the kale info its a good staple feeder http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

 

[Sam-E]

I have seen where someone took superworms and ground them up with a little water to create a slurry then dipped the leaves into the mixture. I guess it helps mask the taste of the leaves to make it more worm-like. Maybe Sadie would have a better idea if this is a good idea or not.

 

[Sadie]

Yes that would work - haven't heard of that idea but sounds good-

 

[stephanieh]

I will try this - he is still not eating veggies and when he accidentally eats them he gets mad and spits them out if he can or breaks off the rest of the leaf so that he only eats as much as is already in his mouth. I have also heard that bee pollen is good, but he doesn't seem to have interest in fruit so I'm not sure if I should make the purchase

 

[Sadie]

I will try this - he is still not eating veggies and when he accidentally eats them he gets mad and spits them out if he can or breaks off the rest of the leaf so that he only eats as much as is already in his mouth. I have also heard that bee pollen is good, but he doesn't seem to have interest in fruit so I'm not sure if I should make the purchase

Some dragons eat it some don't mine did not- it's up to you if you want to try it

 

[stephanieh]

Hi friends - I have updates! He has started eating veggies (still not to the extent I want). I have been cutting up yellow squash into little worm-y shapes and he loves it, which is amazing progress, and I feel a lot better about the amount of water/vitamins he's getting in his diet now. He also loves apple (I know you're not supposed to feed it every day, but I've been cutting it up really small and mixing with his salad to encourage eating greens... not sure how well it's working, but he definitely will eat greens from my hand if he's going for a chunk of apple.) I have also been feeding the really tiny mealworms in with his salad to encourage accidental veggie consumption - he has good aim so when I tried with superworms he didn't end up getting any greens.

My question now is, what leafy greens do your beardies like?? He still won't eat any of the leaves on purpose. Bok choy seems to be the least offensive flavor to him, arugula is a definite no-go and he spits it out so I'm guessing he doesn't like the more bitter elements (haven't tried kale, but I don't like kale so I don't want to waste a ton of it buying a whole bunch just for no one to eat it.)

Also, I haven't really seen anything about this topic: I know you're supposed to provide a variety of veggies in a salad, but would there be health consequences if he was primarily eating squash/gourds? I definitely think the ratio of veggies to protein has improved A LOT (maybe like 60:40 now as opposed to like 10:90 when we first got him), it's just that that 60% of veggies is almost all squash. Are there any other colorful veggies that could be good to supplement the nutrients in leafy greens?

 

[Sam-E]

Great news about the increase in consumption. I feed my dragon at least 3-4 types of veggies at a time. I use collard greens as his staple since it lasts longer than others and we typically are able to have him eat them all before they go bad. We also use mustard and turnip greens as an additional staple, but they go bad much sooner and usually are trashed before fully eaten. I add carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, asparagus, bell pepper, bok choy, parsnips, cactus fruit, cherries (a favorite), apples, mango, and I want to add okra if I see it in store. I do everything but the staples in a rotating order with fruits very rarely. I live in Wyoming and it can be a challenge to find and afford good veg. We also are growing the staple greens indoors this winter.

 

[Sadie]

Hi friends - I have updates! He has started eating veggies (still not to the extent I want). I have been cutting up yellow squash into little worm-y shapes and he loves it, which is amazing progress, and I feel a lot better about the amount of water/vitamins he's getting in his diet now. He also loves apple (I know you're not supposed to feed it every day, but I've been cutting it up really small and mixing with his salad to encourage eating greens... not sure how well it's working, but he definitely will eat greens from my hand if he's going for a chunk of apple.) I have also been feeding the really tiny mealworms in with his salad to encourage accidental veggie consumption - he has good aim so when I tried with superworms he didn't end up getting any greens.

My question now is, what leafy greens do your beardies like?? He still won't eat any of the leaves on purpose. Bok choy seems to be the least offensive flavor to him, arugula is a definite no-go and he spits it out so I'm guessing he doesn't like the more bitter elements (haven't tried kale, but I don't like kale so I don't want to waste a ton of it buying a whole bunch just for no one to eat it.)

Also, I haven't really seen anything about this topic: I know you're supposed to provide a variety of veggies in a salad, but would there be health consequences if he was primarily eating squash/gourds? I definitely think the ratio of veggies to protein has improved A LOT (maybe like 60:40 now as opposed to like 10:90 when we first got him), it's just that that 60% of veggies is almost all squash. Are there any other colorful veggies that could be good to supplement the nutrients in leafy greens?

http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
kale is a good staple feeder