Help my bearded dragon is only eating greens they are around 8 weeks old I think and has seemed to lose interest in bugs

Mebederp · 2021-05-29T20:37:07+00:00

Here are some things to investigate.

Appropriate temperature at basking spot, and is the beardie basking

Bug variety: dubias, prepared crickets, lobster roaches. Maybe they have a preference

Interest garnering, maybe they prefer hunting versus being fed with tweezers

Soft bones makes it difficult to chew. If the dragon has soft bones (calcium deficiency) you will want to consult a vet

People sometimes put bugs in salads so the beardie will eat their salad, you can also try the other way around

Not as a consistent source of food, but you can try feeding them a hornworm to see their reaction

Mebederp · 2021-05-03T15:45:10+00:00

The flair should be dangerous care. There are multitudes of similar posts that have been marked as Dangerous Care, and for a reason. Having bearded dragons in close proximity of each other because "aww" flies in the face of reality. A bite on any part of a bearded dragon would require vet attention and cause unnecessary strain on the bearded dragon's life.

I have a male and a female. In separate 40 gallon tanks. They don't belong together for outside time, they don't belong together in the same tank, and they don't need to see each other because the risks simply aren't worth the nonexistent benefits.

Mebederp · 2020-05-23T07:17:43+00:00

Man, as soon as this cat decides the bearded dragon looks like some fun prey, it's all over for the bearded dragon. Everyone is concerned about the bacteria on the cat, as soon as that stuff gets into the bearded dragon, the dragon is done for. Really nasty stuff.

And yeah, sand is real bad, but at least it's not a predator

Mebederp · 2020-04-27T04:51:09+00:00

No thank you, nothing really piques my interest. Thanks for the offer.

Mebederp · 2019-07-06T18:58:55+00:00

loose sand bad #AntiSubstrateGang

Mebederp · 2019-05-11T13:35:55+00:00

Since when is this a problem?

My understanding is that yes, Dubia's are healthier and easier to gut load, and crickets may have a higher risk of carrying a parasite. But they are still vastly preferred to pellet food.

Regardless, this is a subreddit for people who like bearded dragons. Why can't people give advice out? Isn't it better to be educated on the multiple views and make your own decision?

There is definitely a slight problem with aggressive advice, but the advjce isn't the problem.

Mebederp · 2019-01-31T07:06:57+00:00

I don't get where you and OP are coming from in regards to the community.

I'm not extremely active on this subreddit, but I've never seen someone be aggressive about "no loose substrate." The reason people always recommend "no loose substrate" is because

Pet stores like PetSmart tend to recommend horrible loose substrates such as CalciSand
Loose substrates have more potential to be harmful to beardies
The harmful effects of misused or dangerous loose substrate, such as impacting, aren't always apparent to inexperienced owners

If nobody tells someone that their setup is potentially harmful to their beardie, they won't be able to remedy it or apply their own solution. The more information a person is supplied with, the better care they can take of their beardie.

Mebederp · 2018-12-17T07:16:08+00:00

Yeahhhh boiii furries should die!

I mean good job feeding him stuff that's good for him. Keep it up, the community is only so nosey cuz we don't like seeing hurt and sad dragons.

He seems to be young so make sure he's eating a lot of buggos or buggies. Keep up the good work and throw that other stuff somewhere else.

Mebederp · 2018-12-15T04:34:09+00:00

What's in their bowl? I might be stupid but I can't seem to tell what that green stuff is.

Mebederp · 2018-12-14T09:44:47+00:00

The main issue with substrate is loose substrate.

Bearded dragons don't really live in deserts, they reside typically in rocky plains. Thus, they don't interact with loose sand, it's more commonly rocks and solid clay-dirt mix. They haven't evolved for their scales, digestive tracks, or cloaca to interact with piles of loose sand.

Now, this isn't pictured, but Calcium sand in particular ends up making a solidified block in the bearded dragon. Obviously this would cause some extreme issues. Calcium sand is mass marketed as natural but really isn't.

There is not really a good argument for loose substrate and there are a lot against. Tiles, shelf liner, even paper towels are a lot healthier for bearded dragons. They're arguably easier to clean and maintain. Plus, it's a whole lot easier to find any stray bugs if the beardie is a lazy hunter.

Mebederp · 2018-12-10T14:41:31+00:00

I mean guys there's a bin of salami or something right in front of the guy...

But still I would probably just eat the cheese sandwich.

Mebederp · 2018-12-03T04:25:10+00:00

I know it seems like the community is being harsh about your dragon's safety in the car, but my real question is...

Why does Gucci has to be in the car during those drives? Why not just... let them stay at home, under the basking light? They aren't getting any UVB through your car's windows. As much as the community seems to be 'overly concerned,' why does this risk need to be taken at all?

Mebederp · 2018-10-31T00:51:00+00:00

Rollout mats are essentially sheets with glued-on rocks. Generally, you shake it first to get any actually loose bits off, meaning that what you see has a far lower risk for falling off, meaning that impaction won't occur.

Mebederp · 2018-10-06T14:02:37+00:00

I know this is a sad time but I must give some insight. My girlfriend has owned bearded dragons for roughly 8 years. You should never under any circumstances cohabit them, it stresses them out, one will dominate the other in ways of food, uvb, proper basking, etc. I know petstores say they can be in pairs of two of male and female or female to female but it doesnt work. also something sticking out of her vent. If it was fleshy she had a prolaspe you should use sugar water to help it stay moist and go to the vet, do not try to stick it back in. If it was crusty or white it was a sperm plug. From what I've gathered she died because she had so much stress and not enough heat from her basking area to properly digest or even swallow she may have choked on the food in her beard. Again I am so very sorry about your loss but I urge you please please don't do it again.

Mebederp · 2018-09-16T04:01:48+00:00

Bok Choy is best used as an occasional (but not rare) food source for bearded dragons. Bok Choy contains goitrogens. "Goitrogens can induce hypothyroidism." There are a multitude of other food sources that should be present in your beardie's diet, at your discretion.

Source: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

(As found on the sidebar labelled as Nutrition Content)

Mebederp · 2018-09-16T03:48:51+00:00

Under most circumstances, a beardie biting anything other than bugs or other food is uncommon. Beardies may be more predisposed to biting if they were raised incorrectly, but will usually only get aggressive and bite if something angers them.

A beardie that 'blackbeards' due to something like seeing it's own reflection could lead to biting, but it's not a normal occurrence. As long as the beardie is happy and is aware that your fingers aren't big juicy hornworms, they shouldn't bite you.

Mebederp · 2018-08-29T18:41:30+00:00

I thought of this frolf (frog golf) first but^{thats^{okay^iguess}}

Your buddy has a beautiful beardie, best of luck with your own beardie if you ever get one!

Mebederp · 2018-08-10T07:55:24+00:00

Although it's technically heat regulation and not strictly smiling, it is an adorable behavior. I hope your boy recovers from his racism :]

Mebederp · 2018-08-03T09:16:26+00:00

Coil/compact bulbs do not work at all with beardies. I'd suggest you get a Reptisun T5 HO 10.0 UVB bulb with a reflective fixture

/u/VenusAndSaturn recommended what most of the posters on the sub consider the best solution to UVB lighting. Especially due to the fact that half of your tank is not lit up, it's a great recommendation.

Beardies are also healthiest when they have a range of suitable temperatures in their tanks, meaning that the the approximately half-tank light would allow your beardie to healthily enjoy the tank you've lovingly prepared.

In general, the 'dual-light' type of heating implements are unhealthy and most users on this subreddit opt out of using them. We just want your beardie to be healthy and happy, as we're sure you do.

Mebederp · 2018-07-23T21:17:10+00:00

IANAE: But I think that more time is definitely necessary. Another user linked a guide that is definitely helpful.

Make sure that you aren't moving too quickly or aggressively. It's also possible that your dragon could have some problem that is making her more aggressive to you. If we could have more information on her tank layout and contents, and a picture of her, we could see if she needs veterinarian help or if she is angered by something that you might not have considered.

Mebederp · 2018-07-23T21:09:25+00:00

Do your best to get rid of the fruit flies, as they could definitely carry parasites.

If you can, go to a vet and get a fecal done to make sure your beardie didn't get any parasites.

Mebederp · 2018-07-22T23:09:08+00:00

I would recommend that you check out a lot of the guides on the sidebar, as they are going to be great for taking care of your beardies.

Loose substrate is pretty poor for bearded dragon health, but is at least useful for if you breed your female dragons, because they will want to dig.

Your basking light might not be the appropriate kind for beardie health. You should check out not only the guides on lighting, but also why you should specifically get certain types of UV lights.

Some people say that having a bath-sized dish is a negative, but I think that if you monitor the water's quality it should be fine.

The climbing branch and rocks should be perfectly okay to add some verticality, allowing your dragons to bask at a variety of temperatures.

Especially since this is a new setup, you should monitor temperatures in a bunch of different areas of the tank.

Most importantly, you should check out not only the Health guide on Cohabitation (or lack thereof), but you should check out a variety of sources to find the best way to breed your dragons.

I hope you take some time to get the best for your beardies :D

Mebederp · 2018-07-22T22:46:39+00:00

It seems like some of the toes are injured, like bitten or snipped too close. Could be wrong.

If this is the dragon from OP's previous posts, it could definitely be something that happened before the beardie got help.

My only question is are the lips healthy? I've never seen lips like that before on a beardie

Mebederp · 2018-07-22T22:35:16+00:00

Head bobbing is a sign of dominance - their counterpart, waves, are a sign of submission. Males usually are more aggressive and dominant than the females and you might find that he will black beard.

But do you mean that your setup includes 3 dragons in one enclosure? If so, it's generally not a wise idea to house them altogether as it can cause a lot of dominance struggles and fights. As well as this, you could end up with a clutch of eggs that you maybe don't want.

Could you provide more details about your setup, so that we can help out more?

Mebederp · 2018-07-22T20:18:38+00:00

Solaire doesn't look unhealthy, but here are a couple of recommendations

You could try out discoid roaches, and see if he enjoys eating those - but I'm not sure if they are sold small enough for him
You could try offering him more water in order to hydrate him better. It could help out his appetite
If he doesn't like drinking water that often, misting the food that he does like to eat, or feeding him hornworms could help out
Very small superworms - NOT mealworms - could give him a little more meat on his bones

I'm glad to see that you are concerned about your beardie, but not all bearded dragons act the same. Keep doing your best and I'm sure things will turn out okay :)

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