Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my adult female is not eating her greens, she will eat bugs and thats about it now, she is 17. 5 inches long pretty fat and running all over her cage temps are right 105 basking cool side 88 at nig cool 75 hot 86, she just doesnt wana geat them what are some things i can try, like if i rub it on her mouth she will eat it but other than that she doesnt, i know she is hungry bc i give greens no eating then put some grass hoppers in the and there all gone.

thanks fro anybody help

The best way to get a beardie successfully eating greens is to have exposed them to greens since they were a baby. Seeming how your dragon is already an adult its too late for that but there are still some things you can try. Here are some tips to try and convince your beardie that salad is yummy!

1. Try dangling, wiggling, or dragging the greens across the cage floor, anything to convince your beardie that its not a piece of collard green, its actually just an unusually bright oddly shaped cricket! Seriously though, the movement sometimes is enough to stimulate their hunting sense and they will attack the greens.
2. Feed greens first. Don’t try offering greens right after your BD has feasted on crickets, instead offer the greens first. Put them in the cage in the morning and leave them their all day. Don’t be afraid to make your beardie go for a day without food, it wont hurt her. Feed her the greens when she is hungriest.
3. Try throwing some meal or silkworms in with a dish of greens. Mix it up real well so your beardie has no choice but to get a few mouthfuls of greens if they want the worms.
4. Make sure you are using a variety of veggies. All beardies have different tastes, and yours may not find the veggies you have been offering palatable. Also try veggies of different colors. You may have to spoil your beardie by offering her the yummier veggies instead of the plain old traditional greens for awhile if she isn’t taking to them. Try colorful ones like shredded carrots, shredded purple cabbage, all sorts of squashes, mixed berries, sweet clover, various bell peppers and edible flowers.
5. Sometimes it really takes dropping the veggies right into their mouths to get them to eat them. If that’s how it is, so be it. Trick your beardie into tasting as many veggies as possible, eventually she will catch on.
6. The final and most important tip I have is to be persistent! Continue offering greens to your beardie no matter how many times she turns her nose up at them. That may the only way to win her over.

Increase the times you offer greens while gradually decreasing the amount of bugs you are feeding, most beardies will eventually give into their natural "programming" and become veggie-maniacs!

-----
0.1 Bearded dragon (Hannabil)
0.1 mexican Black kingsnake (Morticia)
1.1.2 Leopard Gecko's (Pogo, Louise, Orion, Jeffrey Nothing)
0.0.1 Tokay Gecko
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink
0.0.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn (Autumn)
0.1 Bullmastiff (Asha)
4.1 Cats (Poe, Tucker, Abhid, Felicity, Emmy)

P.S please excuse the sand everybody, thats an old picture from back before i knew any better!
-----
0.1 Bearded dragon (Hannabil)
0.1 mexican Black kingsnake (Morticia)
1.1.2 Leopard Gecko's (Pogo, Louise, Orion, Jeffrey Nothing)
0.0.1 Tokay Gecko
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink
0.0.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn (Autumn)
0.1 Bullmastiff (Asha)
4.1 Cats (Poe, Tucker, Abhid, Felicity, Emmy)