I have a 5yo Female Chinese Water Dragon (~21 inches). She seems very bored with her current diet of crickets and salad, so I am trying to make every attempt to change her diet and spice things up a bit. I have been offering crickets in a feeding dish everyday, but she very rarely goes for them and I end up removing them.

I fed her her very first pinky last Wednesday and she devoured it! I also offered her a nice chunky earthwrm a couple days ago and she ate that right up-- I did try and offer her another, but she showed no interest in eating another earthworm.

My main question is, how often can I feed her pinkies? Will regular pinkie feedings (1 per week say) make her picky and deny other food items like her salad and crickets?

I have just ordered some butterworms and Large Black crickets, for variety. Hopefully these new prey items will interest her. I'd also like to purchase some silkworms. No sure what size to buy though or where is a good supplier of these. Anyone familiar with Mulberry Farms?

What do you guys think about the pinkies? Suggestions much appreciated! Thank you!

I don't think once a week would be too much.

What you have to remember is that the pinkies are basically a treat item for your dragon. So if the rest of the time your dragon is getting crickets, mealworms, silkworms or earthworms - along with any veggies it will eat, a pinkie per week isn't going to hurt.

The danger is mostly in the dragon deciding not to eat anything BUT the treat item - like waxworms, pinkies and butterworms.

Basically view it as a slice of chocolate cake. Once in awhile it's a nice treat, but if it makes up the bulk of your diet, you will become very unhealthy.

But water dragons do tend to get bored with their diet, and so have to have the food switched out frequently.

__________________
"Let's eat, Grandpa!"
"Let's eat Grandpa!"

Punctuation. It saves lives.

Thank you, Typhanie. I was just a bit apprehensive about her getting picky, so maybe I will feed a pinky every 2 weeks to be safe and see how that goes.

By the way-- Your quote is BRILLIANT! Hillarious and so very true. LOL

No problem. I had the same fears with mine - but he was a healthy eater as long as I switched out his food when he got bored with it. If it's any consolation, he reached a point where he more or less stopped caring, and stuck with one staple food. That was an easier time.

Thanks!

__________________
"Let's eat, Grandpa!"
"Let's eat Grandpa!"

Punctuation. It saves lives.

Have you tried mealworms or superworms?

And hello Buffalo! I grew up in Amherst!

__________________
My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

No way! I actually just moved back to Amherst after living aroad in Wales. Small world! =)

Are superworms and mealworms considered "treats" like wax worms are?? I have fed the superworms (aka Kingworms) before, so I will get some on a more regular basis is they are decent nutrition.

No, they are good staple insects.

__________________
"Let's eat, Grandpa!"
"Let's eat Grandpa!"

Punctuation. It saves lives.

That's funny. I grew up just south of main street off of Eggert road, on a little street called South Drive.

I still have a few friends in the area as well as my family, so I usually visit once or twice a year.

__________________
My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.