veggies

Question
QUESTION: plz help my 3 month old beardie and hes just not eating his vegies [AT ALL] iv heard to put wax worms in his salad to make him more intrestid but he just picks them out. i had even starved him for a day and a half to see if he would eat them but he would just sit there and starve. plz tell me wat i should do.

ANSWER: Hello Nick,

Well, your 3 month old dragon wont be real keen on his greens & veggies quite yet.  Patience is the best thing.  Keep offering them, but I would not use a steady stream of waxies to put into the salad.  Instead use phoenix worms, or silkworms to entice him.  There are also some dragon bites that are soft that you can use to mix in with the salad also.  Mix a few pieces of fruit like apple, blueberry or mango in to add some color, or perhaps some butternut squash or bell pepper varieties.  They love color.
You can try also, to throw the greens around in the tank to make them appear as though they moved.  You can throw the greens right at him too & see if that gets his attention.  
At his age, do not withhold protein though, as it could stunt his growth.  He is still growing & he needs a good amount of protein right now.  How much are you feeding him?  Make sure that he is fed at least 2 times a day & then leave the greens & veggies in with him too.  Right now, though, keep trying with the greens & veggies but he still needs his insects, too!

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: i think iv been feeding him correctly? i put 2 silk worms and 5 gut loaded crix evry morning around 7;00 and put a salad there with bellpepers and some aples. and wen i get home the worms and crix r gone but no vegies. then i feed him 5 more powdered crix. i will try put veggies around his tank like u had sed maybe thats wat makes him eat

Answer
Hello Nick,

I know it is very frustrating, they are stubborn aren't they?  One of these days though, he will surprise you.
A 3 month old should be eating more than that.  I would leave more food in there for him, like at least 5 silkies & 15 or so crickets.  
It sounds like you are doing everything else correctly & giving him the option of variety.  Just keep at it.  He just is not recognizing it as a solid food source, but eventually he will.  If he perhaps runs across food in his pathway he might feel as though he is hunting perhaps.  Be careful not to place it where he goes to the bathroom.  Does he have a regular spot where he tends to go?
You are only powdering the feeders once a day, correct?  
I would just increase his protein intake to allow him to reach his growth potential.  

Tracie