Eating issue - adult beardie randomly went off veggies

I know this is a common problem (or at least in regards to babies/juvies not eating greens) , but I've searched through old threads, googled, tried everything everyone suggested and I'm kind of at a loss.

My beardie is 8 now and I've had her since she was a baby. She's always been a good veggie eater, and she has also readily eaten the rep-cal bearded dragon pellets her entire life, and of course loves silk worms and crickets etc. Really she just hasn't been very picky. I went off to college last year and left her with my parents so I can't say much about her eating habits in that time, however, when I came back, I noticed that she's really not eating as much veggie/green wise as she used to.

She still eats her protein (mainly crickets) just fine, but as she's 8 years old, she's been on a lower protein diet for years now so that's not really her main food source.

I started worrying when I noticed that I was taking out trays of veggies that looked like they hadn't been touched, and to accompany that, there hasn't been a noticeable dent made in the pellets so I know she's not compensating immensely with those or anything.

I tried varying her diet so I could jump start her eating again, giving her fruits and veggies she normally doesn't get, with no luck. After that I tried hand feeding her, no luck. Then I tried smushing up stuff and putting it on her nose (she licks the food but won't eat it), no luck..... the only thing I've witnessed her eat is a few chopped up carrots one morning randomly and I haven't been able to get her to eat any other veggies since then, that I've witnessed. Maybe she's taking a few bites that I'm not noticing, but either I'm being paranoid or she does seem to be looking a little thinner... however she's still defecating regularly and she's still very active. I bathed her yesterday and she drank a ton.

She has UVB, temps are 95* basking and 80-82 ambient. 40 gal tank, shelf liner for substrate.

Am I worrying for nothing? Is there some other trick I can try?

I'm glad you asked this because our beardie has recently turn her nose up at EVERYTHING we have tried to feed her expect the occasional cricket. She is probably 5 or 6. We got her as an adult and she used to LOVE her salads, tear up her roaches and chow on some superworms. Now she won't even bother with her favorite fruit treats. She's not loosing any weight but she isn't eating anything!!

I hope some one comes along with some other ideas because like you, I feel like we have tried everything!
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^I'm glad it's not just me!

It's so frustrating because after spending so much time trying to remedy the situation, even sitting out with her for 45 minutes trying to feed her various concoctions by hand... she just turns her nose up at it all!

I just threw some collard greens in there in a vain attempt to give her something more familiar.. and since she ignored me, I picked her up and put her near them lmao and she just stood there, but a few seconds later, she did eat 2 bits of chopped up apple that I had tried to feed her this morning. Better than nothing I guess.

As they get older they don't need all the nutrition that a growing beardies does so she just might be slowing down. What I used to do to get beardies to eat greens is put the worms in the greens and the movement of worms in greens will get their attention. I have trained a beardie or two to eat greens this way, they accidentally eat one and realize they are yummy.

With yours I think its just a matter of age and/or maybe a brumation slow down period. 8 year old female beardies have stop producing eggs and their food intake probably drops with the less need for nutrition.

It does sound like a couple females in brumation. They'll cycle themselves without us. You could try upping the hot spot temp to 100.f and see if that helps. It sounds like normal brumation activity though. Keep offering don't change your feeding schedule. Don't try hand feeding they'll get used to that and then act like spoiled brats.


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If they've been eating veggies regularly for many years and your husbandry has stayed the same over that time, it sounds like they are just slowing down a bit with age.

Have you tried the dark green ends from Romaine lettuce. It is much more palatable to them then greens like collard, mustard, etc and may trigger a better feeding response.

Deleted, posted twice by accident.

I don't have a BD, and I just want to ask...

thoughts on feeding them once and awhile pinkies, or hopper mice?

reason I ask, is I'm breeding mice, and I know my snakes will be too big for them. would it be alright to feed baby mice, or hoppers to BD's?