Blue Tongue lizard is fussy

[Reptiles101]

My eastern blue tongue is very fussy, he/she doesn't like strawberries, banana, cos lettuce all types of fruits and veggies

will only eat crickets and meal worms, and the Vetafarm lizard food
any suggestions on why he/she doesn't like fruits and veggies?

any help would be greatly appreciated
thanks in advance

 

[Stevo2]

How long have you made it go without a meal before offering the fruit and veg?

 

[Reptiles101]

2 days

 

[Stevo2]

I would try longer, like a week, to try and motivate a feed response. Ours goes nuts for strawberries and blueberries

 

[Reptiles101]

Thanks will try and see if he/she go's for some fruits and veggies

 

[Hazordous-Herps]

What might help is, if you got some high quality dog food and got the strawberries and blue berries and covered them in the dog food. Is the Bluey a baby? If so I THINK a week is way to long about 4 days will make him hungry.

 

[Tristan]

my bearded dragon was being an *** for a long time and not eating woodies but would try to smash the glass down to take a meal worm out of your hand, so i gave him nothing for a few days then offered a woodie, and he turned and ran the other way so he got nothing for another few days then again i offered some woodies.

and wadda ya know he smashed em down, now he eats them when they are offered, but still loves his meal worms, i did the same thing with vegies he refused them but that's all he got for days and eventually he started eating what he was given.

 

[jinjajoe]

2 days

Sometimes it takes nearly a month to change eating habits. The Veta Farm pellets are complete diet and in reality can comprise 100% of the diet.

 

[saintanger]

mine is very fussy to, she only eats banana, defrosted hopper and snails. won't chase crickets or eat meal worms wont eat any fruit or veg. i have never tried dog food as i don't think it can be that nutricious. but will have to try veta farm pellets.

 

[jinjajoe]

If you want to feed veggies..... Supermarket frozen peas are the go.... Not the mixed veggies they just sort through it and pick out the peas !!! Mixed with dog meat and they have no choice but to eat both.... I have never owned a Bluey that will not eat frozen peas eventually even if not immediately....

 

[frostblue]

my bluies loved carrot in dog food, was one of the few times they would reliably eat veges. they also love blueberries. what you could possibly try if you really wanted to, mix a lil bit of water with the pellets, till its very slightly mushy, then sort of mold it around bits of fruit or vege.

 

[user 30368]

i am having the exact same issue with my shingleback. He only wants to eat canned insects and dog meat. He wont touch any fruit or veg. He has gone quite fat on this diet so now i am feeding him once a week on vegies. Its been 3 weeks and he still hasn't touched his food. So i will continue to do this until he sheds some love handles and starts eating healthy food again. If he doesn't eat on the day i give him food, then i try again in 7 days time.
I think mine will go a few months before he starts eating again. He's a big boy

 

[Reptiles101]

Thanks all you guys, will try frozen peas, and dog food, i will get some woodies for him/her and see if he/she wants to try them.
Thanks for all the ideas.

- - - Updated - - -

Do the peas have to be frozen, or do i cook them up in the microwave?, and what type of dog food wet or dry?

 

[JasonL]

also try dandelion flowers

 

[Dash667]

Keep the peas raw and always wet dog food

 

[dragonlover1]

lots of good ideas here ,my bluey loves snails (used to eat only chicken mince at my sons house) absolutely loves bananas (watch your fingers) likes blueberries but not strawberries,gave her dog food today , (no snails because garden too dry) took a few hours but she ate it .Just avoid any pet food with fish as it's bad for them

 

[ArcticMonkey]

Have you used these much yourself Joe? I'm getting into Bluey's this season and it would be very convenient to use this as a staple (with veggies/greens).

Sometimes it takes nearly a month to change eating habits. The Veta Farm pellets are complete diet and in reality can comprise 100% of the diet.

 

[jinjajoe]

the Veta Farm one only works well for Blotchies & Shingles...... Easterns whilst some will smash it others will refuse it. However if you are patient enough hunger will get them all on it in time. Once on the dried complete diet feed it makes life a whole lot easier.

Offering too much other food with it though will almost certainly reduce your chances of success. Skinks are creatures of habit & once you create the habit for something it can be tough to break.

 

[serpenttongue]

I've never known a blue tongue to refuse banana. Weird.

Offer snails from unbaited areas.

 

[dragonlover1]

blue tongues are, after all is said and done, scavengers and will eat almost anything.Although in my 55 years I have never seen them eat insects!