Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My 11-week old male bearded dragon only eats when I feed him by hand. He eats both crickets and silk worms. I have tried to feed him by both putting insects in his cage and by putting him in a separate feeding cage, but he shows no interest in the crickets/silkworms.

Is this a problem? How can I get him to feed on his own? Is it simply a matter of letting him go hungry to feed on his own, or is this some kind of behavioral issue?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Mike

How long ago did you get him? When I got my first beardie she didn't eat for that first week, then she would only eat from my hand for at least 2 weeks. It also took me a whole month for me to get her to eat greens. I would just keep handfeeding him, but when you do release some crickets or silkworms into the cage so he knows they are there (as always take out the ones he doesn't eat). If he's like mine let him settle in.