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

For mine, it was just putting the food in a shallow dish where they could see it (from basking spot). Try not handfeeding for one day, but using the feeding tank for crix. I put silkworms in with veggies in a bowl for a few hours to see if they will eat them (and they usually rush over for silkies).
I also handfeed for taming purposes and because i LOVE them! but i also wanted to train them to bowl feed insects, greens, and pellets, incase of a Vacation and someone else has to feed them and so they don't go hungary when I go to school or work for long hours.
-Sara