Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a bearded dragon thats 6.5 inches and keeps getting bigger and bigger fast. He eats crickets really good too and seems perfectly fine but doesnt eat any veggies at all. Is this a problem ? Also, at what age or size should he be eating veggies ?

This is a problem. While they are young dragons need more protein for growing, but without the veggies they are not getting a balanced diet. More importantly as they age their diet adjust to a much higher veggie intake and a much lower protein diet. If the dragons do not learn to eat their veggies while young they will not be healthy as adults (because they still won't want to eat them and they need them for survival). Might I suggest putting the veggies in the cage in the morning and saving the crickets until later. Just like use if we are offered desert or spinich which are we going to fill up on? Hint ask your mother - LOL..............

I had to resort to hand feeding to get mine to eat veggies. I tried everything. I actually had to pry open his mouth gently and help him taste it. LOL Eventually, he started eating veggies eagerly, but only from my hand. It was a few months before he'd eat them from his dish. I still hand feed him plus put in his dish. I also bought him a juvenile pellet from Fluker's that he LOVES. (My cat also loves the pellet...another story. LOL) He gets crickets and mealworms several times a week now, his veggies, and we're using up the juvenile pellets. He's growing like a weed! Until I started forcing veggies and pellets on him, he was a runt. He was eating tons of crickets, but not growing like he should. And oh yeah....I supplement with his calcium and vitamins.

Veggies ARE important. LOL

Veggies are important, especially as the dragon gets older. If he is only 6" long then it is likely he is still quite young. Offer greens daily, feed him crickets or other suitable insects (ie silkworms, roaches, butterworms) twice a day till he is about 6 months, then drop insects to only once a day.

Best way to get them to eat their veggies is to cut them very fine, put a bit into a dish then add crickets (or other insects as indicated above). As he goes for the insects, he will inadvertantly take some greens and get a taste for them. Always use a mixed variety of greens, such as collard greens, dandelion greens (and flowers), endive, escaroli, turnup greens, mustard greens and other dark leafy greens high in calcium and other nutrients.
-----
PHLdyPayne