Pymgy Beardie Not eating

[reptilefan95]

Hey all my pygmy beardie who i got a few days ago hasnt eating his crickets?? He ate two yesterday, i know thats not enough, they are live should i try to kill the crikets first? He is drinking well not sure if he isnt used to crickets or just hasnt settled in yet, im feeding him in a click clack not his home, Any advice???????

 

[falconboy]

Yes, he could be stressed with his new environment. I've found in particular if I attempted to feed out of their normal enclosure they were even more unsure.

What size crickets and how old is the beardie?

As long as he eats SOMETHING, don't stress.

Oh, and how is your enclosure setup - substrate, temps etc.

 

[reptilefan95]

thanks falconboy,

The beardie is 2 and a half months

the crickets are small

He ate three yesterday ill try again later on today

His enclosure temps are 36 on the hotspot
26 on the hot end
22 on the cool end
He has a hide a waterdish two branches and the substrate is newspaper.
Any more advice?

 

[reptilefan95]

Do those temps sound right? should i try to feed him frozen crickets thawed out?

 

[Tinky]

Refrigerate crickets to slow them down.

 

[reptilefan95]

Or do you think i should freeze then and thaw them out so he can eat them dead? do they eat dead food is it good for them?

 

[leamos]

fridge some for 20mins, dead crickets will be ignored. Give him a bowl of mixed salad everyday give it a few more days he'll eat better once settled

 

[reptilefan95]

thanks alot mate as we speak he is watching telly with me!

 

[Tinky]

Try watching celebrity chef, or one of those cooking shows to see if this improves his apitite.

 

[reptilefan95]

lol, i dont think they have mushed up veggies and tasty small crickets on the menu! Another quick question how do you guys get the crickets out of there box? do you just refredgerate them all and pick a few?

 

[Chris1]

u can use slightly diluted baby food thru a syringe till he starts eating properly, that will ensure he is hydrated and has something in his tummy,....

just put a drop on his nose and he'll lick it off, just keep adding more.

 

[reptilefan95]

No he is eating a few crickets and is 2 months so he is alright, though i think the breeder stvos fed them woodies or cockroches so maybe he is not used to crickets! can anyone answer the question on how to get the crickets out of the box ?

 

[coz666]

get yourself a plastic dusting container (bucket) and pour the contents into that the crickets are too small to jump out, make sure you cover em good with calcium and vitamins, and pick em out with ya fingers, or tip the bucket enough that they can jump into the enclosure. also try woodies, they are better source of food.

 

[reptilefan95]

OK i put them in the fridge for twenty mins and are now in a 20 litre container with him, but he doesnt seem to be interested? is that a problem?

 

[Chris1]

i chuck all my crickets in an old beer vat,...(with egg cartons/food) then just take an egg carton out and tap the crix off into the dusting container (which is a plastic jug)

 

[reptilefan95]

How long should i leave him in there for with them?

 

[coz666]

i find that they wont go for anything that doesnt move. and i have neer understood making food cold, i would have thought it would make it harder to digest???????
dont be to fussy, u said it had fed. try again tommorrow. mine will eat woddies and sometimes mealworms and really doesnt eat very much and remember that it is a pygmy and will only have a belly
about this___ big. at 2 months old so 3 small crickets probably would fill that.

 

[reptilefan95]

ok he didnt eat any so i will try with some smaller crickets tomorow im gonna try and get him to eat some veggies, also would compost worms be good for him?

 

[coz666]

Be aware crickets can do some severe damage to small reptiles a, as they start eating them.
worms hmmm if you know they are clean and free of toxins then yep.

 

[reptilefan95]

They are from my uncles compost garden i make sure that the dragon is only with the crickets for an hour max and i check up on him i just made a vegetable mix for tommorow so hopefully he will have a go at that!