Picture courtesy of Holger Langmaier
Each seasoned reptile keeper is aware of that feeding reside bugs is more healthy than canned. We’re not going to debate that right here. However generally you want another. Both you’re quick on time otherwise you ran out of reside feeders.
Regardless of the cause could also be, it may be useful to coach your beardie to sometimes eat freeze dried crickets as a substitute.
However in case you’ve ever tried to provide a canned cricket to a lizard used to searching bugs, you understand they don’t simply take to consuming nonetheless, room temperature prey. When that’s the case, there are a couple of methods you’ll be able to make the most of to coach your bearded dragon to simply accept dried meals.
Right here’s what we recommend.
Don’t fake they’re reside crickets
That is maybe the best strategy to get your bearded dragon to eat just a little further protein. You mainly conceal the crickets and trick your pet into consuming them. How? You simply combine them in with the greens you’ll usually feed your beardie. They don’t must know they’re consuming crickets to get the diet from them.
Probably, your lizard won’t even understand it’s consuming freeze dried crickets and can eat them with the greens.
Do fake they’re reside crickets
One other strategy to entice a bearded dragon to eat canned crickets is to make them look alive by shifting them round.This suggestion can really be carried out a number of methods, and will be sort of enjoyable. It takes a bit extra effort than the above methodology, however it could work higher in case your beardie is lacking the crickets in its salad.
A technique to do that is to carry the cricket together with your fingers or plastic tweezers. (Plastic so that you don’t damage the reptile’s mouth.) Should you use your fingers, bear in mind that you might by chance get nipped within the course of. Then, shake the cricket round to get your pet’s consideration.
Alternately, you need to use a water gun or squirt bottle crammed with water to spray a stream at a plate of crickets to get them shifting round. The water may additionally unfold the scent of the canned crickets to make them a bit extra attention-grabbing.
A 3rd possibility is placing the crickets in a dish and making it vibrate. The way you get it to vibrate is as much as you. You will get fairly artistic with methods to make canned crickets dance. Some concepts are to the touch the dish with a vibrating again massager or simply bump it round with some tongs or your fingers.
Do nothing
Some bearded dragons take readily to freeze dried crickets with none fuss. If yours is that this selection, have enjoyable setting out crickets and watching your lizard snatch them up.
You will get freeze dried crickets, in addition to reside feeders and different bearded dragon meals choices, at The Tye-Dyed Iguana. Are available in and ask our crew concerning the choices.
