My beardie sydney is 8 weeks old and she is off her crickets at the moment has anyone tried calci grubs? I dont want to give her mealworms as her staple as their nutritional content is low does anyone know much about calci grubs or know an alternative to crickets? Also she has just discovered the art of digging and digs and hides is this normal?

i have just got a baby beardie dragon and mine also digs,,,he also goes off his crickets for days then scoffs them the next,,,when i first got him he didnt eat anything for a week while he settled in but hes ok now,,,im sure its normal and i wouldn't worry as long as she dosn't look skinny or that she is losing weight rapidly,,,

__________________

Keep Dreaming Smudge! HAHAHA

if she does lose weight, feed her 2/3 mini mealworms or waxworms cut in half, you are correct they dont have much goodness about them and should only be used as a treat. but they are high in fat which also makes them ideal for skinny reptiles as it will help them bulk back up.

they can go off their food when stressed, you can always tell when they are stressed, and when they are shedding as well as being ill.

if you get them from a pet shop, always get a fecal test done at a vets and to get a check up done, as beardies from pet shops can be ill or have worms.

if they do go off their food always make sure they get fluids, mine likes misting, baths and playing in his water bowl, if you struggle with yours drinking i found a perfect way for them to drink on their own.

all you need is a large water bowl and fill it about 1cm deep, place your beardy in it, she may run back out that is fine, leave her to it and she will eventually go in it and drink, she may look like shes attacking the water but thats because when the water ripples it looks like food. because beardies only like moving food untill they get used to non moving food

It is just a case of introducing some variety into it's diet.

Gutloaded crickets are a great staple but reps often choose not to eat them... I can only presume that they don't taste very nice - they certainly don't smell very nice.

I have tried feeding my beardie any commercially sold bug you can imagine at some point.

I found calci grub supply to not be reliable enough to use them as a staple and besides the fact my reps didn't seem that interested in them, they never seemed to last very long - they either died or turned into cacoons. Once i forgot about a tub my reps didn't want to eat and when i opened it it was like a swarm of wasps!

My beardies main staple was locusts and if you can afford them they are a very good - hardly ever refused.

There is nothing wrong with mealworms - sure they have a hard shell but they eat anything and gutload really well. My beardie has never ever had any difficultly digesting them.

Roaches are also a great alternative to crickets, but they too are expensive.