Hey Bearded Dragon Fans,
Our nonprofit reptile rescue works more often with snakes than anything else, so I still have a lot to learn in the lizard world. Nevertheless we do work with just about every reptile under the sun, including Bearded Dragons. The last Bearded Dragon we took in had been overheated in its first home and consequently suffers from poor balance and slow responsiveness. My question though is in regard to her diet. She loves bugs (crickets, worms, roaches) but rarely touches her veggies (collard greens, kale, romaine, etc) and never eats her Flukers Bearded Dragon pellots. Her habitat has a hiding spot, a basking spot, and a cool side.

Am I doing something wrong that she is being so selective about her breakfast?

Will a diet almost entirely made up of bugs hurt her in the long run if she continues to refuse veggies and pellots?

Thanks everyone. And if you're a repsonsible and experienced herper and you'd like to get involved in reptile adoption, foster care, or need to give up a reptile, please visit our rescue online.

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Jesse Rothacker
Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary
www.forgottenfriend.org
"Find out how YOU can get involved in reptile rescue . . .

Are you trying to feed veggies and bugs at the same feeding? I feed ours veggies in the morning and then crix in the evening. I have no doubt that given a choice between the veggies and the bugs at the same time they would go for the bugs. I imagine the choice between something that is moving is a part of it. Invokes predator instinct.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Does the basking spot have UVB lighting ?
Here's a link to our caresheet for Bearded Dragons
http://www.herpcenter.com/article.php?a=38

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Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

I feed mine more veggies than crix. (they only get crix twice a week) At first they snubbed the veggies but now it's a feeding frenzy when they get their plate.

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Answers are great. But I prefer questions!

Visit me at www.jaysreptiles.com

No need to worry - Bearded Dragons will often go for live food over veggies any day! Try, as Merlin suggested, feeding veg in the morning, and live food later in the day. We did this with our adults when they were younger and refused to eat veg, and they were "soooo hungry" they HAD to eat the veg! Also try a variety of veg, many prefer different fruits and veggies, e.g. our adult male and one of our juv females love their greens (which are more likely to mimic the veg they would eat in the wild), while one of our adult females eats raspberries like they are going out of fashion! Another of our adult females likes grapes. Our trio of adults are still not too keen on veg, they will pick at it as and when they like, but prefer live food, and ofcourse, being the picky and spoiled lizards that they are, they prefer certain live foods over others! As long as your Bearded Dragon gets some veg in his/her diet s/he should be fine. They don't have to eat more veg than live food, the guidelines are just that - guidelines. Another trick you can try is drop the veg into the dragon's bowl in the tank, the movement makes them more interested and they come over to check it out, or add mealworms to the veg, which will again create movement in the bowl. This is how we get our babies to start on veg.

Good luck, and well done for all your great efforts with rehoming reptiles.

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"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004

Veggies should ALWAYS be offered first thing in the morning and be left in there all day until they go to sleep.

You could also try putting a worm or two on the salad... this makes them come over to the salad to eat the worm, but sometimes in the process they will take in a leaf or two of greens... and sometimes they will notice the salad and decide to munch on it.

You could also try sprinkling the greens around the floor of the cage. This helps them realize that they have greens and that they taste good! They typically always eat them off the floor.

Also, it helps if the salad dish is near the basking spot... sometimes they get lazy :P okay not sometimes... ALWAYS... they always get lazy!! lol.

I put a little bit of Fruit babyfood on the vegies and Spike Goes for it right away he loves his vegies soo much now thta in the morning he will sometimes nudge and bite hhis vegie dish lol it so funny when her does that.

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2 Pinktoe tarantulas (Charlotte and Romeo)
1 Bearded dragon (Spike)
1 Golden labrador retreiver (Titus)
1 Bloodhound golden (summit)
1 Meyers parrot (checo)
1 Budgie (Mario)
1 Dwarf Rabbit (Sky)
5 Fish (1,2,3,4,5)

How old is your dragon?

Young dragons usually don't eat many veggies/pellets (my two didn't start eating pellets till around 9 months of age) which really isn't a big deal. Young dragons need TONS of protien to help them grow, 30-100 crickets a day! As they get older, they need more veggies than protein.

~Kourtney~

hi you said you only fed your berdie crix 2x a week is this enough

They are talking about adult Bearded Dragons. Babies and juveniles need crix daily.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!