My bearded dragon won't eat much. Why is he only eating greens?

Some of it depends on the age of the beardie. If young, make sure any live food is small enough for it. Meal works, crickets or even pinkie mice Here's a good recipe for a reptile salad. Basic Salad Recipe 1/2 cup shredded raw green beans 1/2 cup shredded raw orange-fleshed squash (such as acorn, banana, kabocha, spaghetti, and pumpkin) - you can occasionally alternate with carrots 1 medium or 2 small raw shredded parsnips (in areas where these are seasonally hard to find, you can substitute with asparagus or cooked or canned lima, navy or kidney beans that have been well rinsed and minced or mashed. If you use beans, add extra calcium to offset their high phosphorus) * 1/4 cup mashed/minced fruit (strawberries, raspberries, mangos, papaya, figs, cantaloupe, cactus pear) Alfalfa ** Multivitamin and calcium supplements * If parsnips are a seasonal vegetable where you live, you can use 1/2 cup shredded asparagus, trading off with 1/2 cup drained, rinsed, and chopped canned cooked lima beans, plus additional calcium to make up for the lousy calcium:phosphorus ratio in beans. Cooked beans are acceptable for short term use only due to their phosphorous content and other chemicals that can impede the uptake of minerals and trace elements. Asparagus is comparable in protein to parsnip, but does contain oxalates, so should not be a long-term staple. ** The quantity of alfalfa you use will depend upon the alfalfa product you are using. You want to add about 15 grams of protein. That is about 1/2 cup of alfalfa rabbit pellets, or about 1/4 cup or less of alfalfa leaf tea or a tablespoon or so of alfalfa powder. The older the healthy iguana is, the less protein they need, so you may end up using only a couple of teaspoons for an adult iguana. Thoroughly mix all the Basic Salad Recipe ingredients together. Makes about 3.5-4 cups. Add in a multivitamin supplement (any multivitamin supplement for birds or reptiles is fine, but the best, actually, is powder from a crushed Centrum tablet) and a calcium supplement. You do not need to get a calcium supplement that has phosphorous or D3 in it, as the iguana is already getting considerably phosphorous from the plants and multivitamin, and their D3 is best manufactured in their bodies by regular exposure to direct sunlight or special UVB-producing fluorescents. And more good info on husbandry and feeding isnhere. If temperature is not correct they also may not eat. http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html

The stress associated with new surroundings can certainly affect appetite. Low temperatures can also affect activity, appetite and digestion in reptiles. Give Lightning a few days to acclimate. Confirm adequate temps, both basking and ambient, in his enclosure. You can also survey the area around the cage for any negative stimuli, reducing or eliminating them if possible. Continue to offer fresh greens, fruits and appropriately sized prey. Warm soaks in a 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte may treat or prevent mild dehydration. The soaks will also warm him up and, if you massage his abdomen during the soaks, they can stimulate defecation.

The black beard Is indeed an indication of stress or anger. It may be due to his new surroundings or something could be wrong in his environment. You can review care and feeding here: http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html Confirm proper temps and humidity. Also, provide a hide large enough for him to enter on each side of his enclosure. As long as Boris is at least 16-17 inches long, superworms are fine to feed. Gut load them for 24 hours prior to offering to maximize nutritional value. For variety, you can offer appropriately sized crickets, dubia roaches or phoenix worms. Try offering greens in the morning about an hour or two after the heat lamp comes on. He may be hungrier at this time. Once he eats his greens, you can offer prey. Sometimes, a sprinkle of dried mealworms on the greens will stimulate the appetite. Since he is "new" to you, an exam with your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles would be recommended to confirm good health or to diagnose and treat any preexisting conditions.

Check the temperatures in his enclosure. It may be too hot or too cold. Either can affect his appetite and activity. Check his mouth for injury or sores. Offer a varied diet or greens, squash, mango, papaya, crickets, dubia roaches and horn worms. You can find more options for feeding online. Prey should be gut loaded prior to feeding to maximize nutritional content. Soak Marley in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte for 15-20 minutes daily. This will help prevent or treat mild dehydration.

Confirm proper temperatures. Low temps can affect activity, appetite and digestion in reptiles. Soak Jax in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte. This will provide heat and may treat or prevent mild dehydration. Be sure prey is appropriately sized, no bigger than the space between the eyes. Look for pinhead crickets or freshly hatched/molted dubia roaches. Gutload them for 24 hours prior to offering to maximize nutritional value. Fluker's Repti-Boost can be used as a supplement. If Jax does not begin eating, have him examined by your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet to diagnose illness or injury.

I commend you on adopting such a wonderful creature! She may need time to adjust to her new home and enclosure. Make sure it is large enough for her and located away from loud noises, vibrations, direct sunlight or high traffic areas. The commercial pellets are an excellent diet. You should also offer dark, leafy greens, diced vegetables and prey such as crickets or dubia roaches. These can be purchased from your local pet store. Gut load prey for 24 hours prior to offering to maximize nutritional value. Dust with a calcium supplement 3-5 times per week. Use a multivitamin 2-3 times per week. Make sure the temperature in her enclosure is appropriate. Low temps can affect appetite and activity in reptiles. The cage should be in the mid 70s F on the cool side and mid to high 80s F on the warm side. A basking spot of 90-100 F is recommended. She will also need a UVB light source running the length of her cage and about 12-14 inches away. This is vital for calcium, metabolism. You can soak her in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte for 20-30 minutes to warm her up and to rehydrate her. If her appetite does not return, have her rechecked by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles to diagnose illness or injury. Submit a stool sample to diagnose intestinal parasites.

Thanks for reaching out about Smaug and including photos. Adult bearded dragons are omnivorous eating bugs and vegetation. With the vegetables, red, yellow and orange vegetables are also important. Insect have inverse calcium to phosphorus ratio and are a poor long term diet. Gut loading the insects is important to provide appropriate nutrients. If he doesn't get as much bugs, he might be hungry and eat the vegetables. By the photos, he is a little overweight indicated by the thickness of the tail and fat pads in the axillary (armpit) area. Good luck.