My bearded dragon won't eat crickets. How do I feed them safely?

Make sure the crickets aren't too big. They should be no bigger than the space between Medusa's eyes. Confirm proper temperature as well. Reptiles need adequate warmth to digest food. Low temps will affect appetite and activity. She should be fed twice daily. Gut load prey for 24 hours prior to feeding. Dust with vitamins/minerals every other day. Vegetables can also be offered every other day.

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

You can use a piece of fruit temporarily but that may attract fruit flies or other undesirable insects. Water can be provided using a very shallow bowl or a commercial insect gel. Be sure to "gut load" them with healthy foods and supplements for 24 hours prior to feeding Lucky Man. This will maximize nutritional value. Crickets can eat cereals, dry oatmeal, nuts ad seeds. If you feed fruit and vegetables, remove them frequently to prevent rotting.

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.

Feed him as many appropriately sized (no bigger than the space between his eyes) crickets or dubia roaches as he will eat in 10-15 minutes. Baby beardies are eating machines consuming as many as 80 crickets or more daily! Juveniles will eat more live pretty than vegetables. Offer about a tablespoon or two of finely chopped spring mix for him. Change it daily. You can also offer squash, peppers, asparagus, pumpkin and yams just to name a few other veggies. Avoid iceberg lettuce, celery and light colored greens. These offer little in the way of nutrition.

Check the temperature in the cage. Low temps will affect appetite in reptiles. Next, make sure prey are appropriately sized. they should be no bigger than the space between her eyes. If she is chilled, soak her in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte. This will provide heat and hydration. Supplement her diet with a product such as Fluker's Repta-Boost. You can find it in the local Petco ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/flukers-reptaboost-insectavore-and-carnivore-high-amp-boost ). Review dragon care at the link below. http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Lizards/Bearded-Dragon/

Hello. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Great question! Yes, bearded dragons should be fed live prey. They will not usually eat something that is already dead. Hope this answers your question. Best wishes.