my bearded dragon is a picky eater, i gave her a cooked spaghetti noodle just to see if she would eat it.....?

Question

is that okay? she seemed to enjoy it. is it healthy for her, to add as maybe a side dish to her normal food?
here is a little backround about her first (i'm not sure if that will make a difference or not but oh well).
she is 4 years old and she was on and off anorexic for a total of probably 3 years during which time i had to force feed her baby food using a syringe. just recently she has started eating again on her own. the only foods she will eat are superworms, mice, waxworms, and romaine lettuce. in a 24 hour period she eats about 5 superworms, 2 waxworms, a pinkie mouse, and about 20-30 bite-sized pieces of lettuce.
anything she likes, i usually give to her, because she is such a picky eater and i want her to have as much variety as she can in her diet so she won't get bored with her food and turn anorexic again. the food that i mentioned above is THE ONLY foods she will eat. believe me, i've tried everything else.
so is it okay to give her cooked spaghetti noodles?

Answer 1

I wouldn't recommend feeding your beardie pasta on a regular basis. It's not something they would find out in the wild, so it's hard to tell what it could do to her.

You should try a variety of greens and veggies. Try some turnip, kale, romaine, dandelion, endive, escarole, mustard, collard, green beans, squash, peas, sweet potato, chicory, watercress, red bell pepper, and cilantro. These are all good veggies for your beardie.

Some live animals you can offer her include Crickets, locusts, cockroaches, mealworms, waxworms, silkworms, butterworms, red worms, earthworms, superworms with an occasional pinky mouse.

You can also try to offer her some fruit, but not a lot and not often as it can cause the runs, and can dehydrate her. Maybe offer her some fruits about 1-2 times a week tops. You could try blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cantaloupe, mango, kiwi, and grapes.

There is a lot of different things you can offer in your beardies diet, so keep trying, and she will eventually like something.

Answer 2

Do I think that your beardie is going to suffer immediate drastic effects from that one cooked spaghetti noodle? Certainly not. But you really shouldn't make a habit out of it. The pasta is filled with way too many carbs and really isn't any good for her, whether she enjoys it or not. Variety is VERY important in a beardie's diet (afterall, it's the spice of life!) and there are many different things you can try that are safe and delicious for her! Try some new greens. My guys love mustard greens and collard greens. Squash and Zuchinni (both regular and butternut) are favorites as well. You should try so stray away from "people food" altogether. Aside from an occasional hard boiled egg (maybe once or twice a month) as a supplement. Another favorite treat is canned yams. But they're very high in sugar as well as fat so you should only offer them once every few months if at all.

Did you take your little girl to see a vet when she starting showing anorexic behavior? Afterall, anorexia isn't a disease, but usually a symptom of something more serious. She could have an underlying deficiency, or maybe even a parasite. It may be a good idea to get her checked out just to be on the safe side.

The foods you're offering her now are all pretty good picks. I'm surprised she'll eat waxworms, all my beardies HATE waxworms! You should only offer her pinkies sparingly. Maybe only once a month. They are an excellent source of protein, but you don't want to overdue it. Try to make the bulk of her diet fresh fruits and veggies. An adult bearded dragon should be eating fresh greens daily, and protein only once or twice a week. The extra protein is needed when they are young and growing, but when they're adults all of those crickets, worms and mice can cause a protein overload as well as one very fat bearded.

I hope this helps, and good luck to you and your little beardie!

Answer 3

probably not that good to pack her with pasta. I recently looked everywhere, for someone else who's iggy ate her mac and cheese and it gave their pet bad gas you can search the questions and find it. you might want to avoid lettuce just because there is nothing nutritious in it. it is good for moisture but if they pack in the lettuce it will fill them up and not leave room for nutritious greens such as collard greens, kale, mustard greens that are packed with good vitamins. try to stick with food that is normal for a beardie thats ben tried and tested or ok'ed by a vet/dietition. you may ask your vet when you take her in for a wellness checkup but I bet he says no pasta.

Answer 4

Your beardie is getting what she needs. Please dont feed her pasta products. The carbohydrates are not good for her. You should never feed something that they would never find in the wild. Try some different greens if you want to experiment new foods. Mine likes musterd greens and kale.