Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i resently purchased a baby beardie and have been trying to get him to eat juvie repcal pellets. he just isnt interested. i have tried everything from dropping them in one at a time to simulate movement, to mixing them in with his salad which by the way he wont touch either, to hand feeding. i have been able to get some down him with hand feeding because i can just gently push on the end of his nose and he opens his mouth then i pop them in. how can i get him to eat them and his salad on his own. thanks for any help

Have you tried soaking them in fruit juice first?

How long have you had him?
how old is he?
have you asked the breeder he came from?
what are the temps in the cage?
what does he eat? How much?
... any other additional info?
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Bennett

www.beardiedragon.com

hey thanks for the reply. yes i have tried the fruit juice a few times. he still isnt interested. i have had him about a week. he will pound crickets but wont touch anything else. not sure how old he is cause i got him from a pet store. he has AMAIZING colors. the pet store said they ran out of normals so the breeder sent them reds. i got him for $60. my temps are good. he has a basking spot of about 95-100. he has an powersun uv light. well let me know what you think. thanks

for little BDs I would get the temps up to 110-115. it will help with their appetite as well. just make sure they stay hydrated. keep moist pellets in the tank for him. most BDs dont settle in to their new digs for a week or 2 so you probably need to just be patient and keep trying. As he is new, I would not hold back crix yet to get him onto pellets. let him settle in for a few weeks first. You can try feeding pellets to the crix as well as crushing the pellets into a powder and dusting the crix with them just to get them smelling like pellets. that way you can fool him into eating pellets later.

Post some pics of the handsome little guy too.
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Bennett

www.beardiedragon.com

wow thats a great idea. i never thought of crushing up the pellets and dusting the crix with them. thanks for the help. i'll keep you posted.