Why is my beardie not eating calcium powder? Food is paramount, so is calcium. Learn how to help your bearded dragon eat calcium powder.
There are many reasons why your bearded dragon won’t eat calcium powder. There have been such cases, and sometimes it causes panic to the dragon owners who have no idea how to help their dear friends.
Well, it’s time to stop worrying because this article has all the answers you are looking for. We are going to explore everything that concerns a bearded dragon not eating calcium powder and the possible solutions.
Contents
Bearded Dragons Won’t Eat Calcium Powder?
There are many different ways to give calcium to your lovely beardie pet.
First, food supplies a certain level of calcium but is less than what the body requires. Secondly, calcium is provided occasionally as a supplement.
Typically, if there are insufficient calcium and Vitamin D3 in the bloodstream, the body extracts calcium from the bones. The behavior results in a condition called Metabolic bone disease (MBD).
Always ensure that your Bearded Dragon is well supplied with calcium through supplementation and giving food with calcium. However, there are bearded dragons who won’t eat calcium powder as we are going to see.
Wild Bearded Dragons Do Not Eat Calcium Powder
Bearded Dragon Calcium Requirements
It has been a concern question of why we need to supplement captivated bearded dragons while the wild ones don’t eat calcium powder.
New to bearded dragon? Check out the bearded dragon care sheet now! We had listed out all the things you need to know about bearded dragons as pets. Check it now!
I’m glad now you will know the truth concerning these fascinating wild creatures.
The bearded dragons in the desert have direct exposure to the sunlight in most cases.
They receive the UVB rays from the sun to their skin, which activates vitamin D. Vitamin D then converts to the active vitamin D3, which must be available for adequate absorption of calcium.
These animals do not need calcium powder; they can get enough calcium from the food, such as snail shells. Vitamin D3 allows them to absorb enough calcium from such foods. For more information, visit Illinois Aces.
Why Won’t Bearded Dragons Eat Calcium Powder?
It is common for the bearded dragons to refuse to eat calcium powder, either on food or licking it up.
When you notice that your Dragon is portraying such behavior, don’t panic, it’s something you can easily manage.
Let’s have a look at the instances where it is likely for the bearded dragons to refuse to eat calcium powder.
- Aversion to Specific Brands
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There are many available brands to supplement calcium to your beardie. However, a bearded dragon can have an aversion towards a specific brand for different reasons.
Perhaps the product can be unpleasant, or they may dislike it for other reasons.
- When the Beardies are New to Calcium Powder Supplement
Also, if you apply too much calcium in the diet, the chances of the beardie rejecting the food are high. It is mostly experienced when you introduce calcium powder on their food.
It is interesting to know that bearded dragons can see and smell the powder, and they will see that it’s not a typical food to them.
Baby bearded dragons are also capable of rejecting calcium powder simply because they are not familiar with it.
- Shifting from One Brand to Another
Changing a regular calcium powder to a new one may be the reason why your beardie is refusing to eat calcium powder.
Some dragons will not take a portion of food without calcium powder; some even go ahead and lick it straight away. But the moment you shift from the brand they are familiar with; it can make them turn away from the food.
For some pets, it will be a matter of time, and later, they will adapt to the powder supplement. But to others, you may be waiting until it is forever; they will entirely not accept any other brand.
- Some Beardies Cannot Eat Any Brand of Calcium Powder.
Your Dragon can ignore any kind of food with calcium powder. It is a clear indication they dislike the supplement, and no matter what you try, you will just be wasting your effort. You cannot force them to have what they don’t want, right?
How To Deal With That?
Just to reiterate, it is a must for your bearded Dragon to get a calcium supplement. I’m well pleased now that you are aware of why your pet refuses to eat calcium powder.
The other important thing remaining is to know how to deal with such a situation.
In case your bearded Dragon doesn’t eat calcium powder, there are many ways to settle it. Stay with me to learn more. Here are several ways to make your beardie eat calcium powder.
- Stick to Using Only the Brands that Pleases your Pet.
If your beardies do not prefer a particular brand of calcium powder, withdraw it entirely from them. Look for the products that they can eat freely and stick to using them.
- Dust the Food Lightly During the Beginning
When introducing calcium powder to the beardies, start with small amounts in the food they love the most. Light dusting won’t discourage them from eating, and then you can increase the levels gradually with time.
It enables them to adapt to the supplement slowly by slowly, and eventually, they can take more. It is also useful to dust the food through a shaking method to avoid over dusting.
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- Retain the Previous Brand
It is a practical solution when the bearded Dragon can’t eat calcium powder from the new brand to which you shifted. If that is the case, resume the old calcium powder they typically use. Don’t insist on them eating what they don’t prefer.
- You Can Change from Powder to Spray Form
If it turns out that your bearded Dragon will not eat calcium powder even after so many trials, you can go for calcium sprays. They are also practical and can provide the necessary calcium to your pet.
- Gut Loading
Gut loading helps to load potential food like crickets with very high amounts of calcium and other nutrients that will be passed on to the bearded dragons.
- Damped Calcium Instead of Dusty
Dump the calcium powder and allow insects like locust to walk through the material.
It will stick on the underside. As long as the dragons don’t see any traces of the powder, they will comfortably eat the insects.
Another way to provide calcium to the bearded dragons is by using silkworms.
The silkworms have a perfect calcium to phosphorus ratio that can be ideal for the bearded dragons.
How To Train Your Bearded Dragon To Eat Calcium Powder?
Providing calcium supplements to your pet’s diet is very important for their health.
You should start giving the beardies calcium from an early age. Once they get accustomed to eating calcium powder, they tend to love it more and more as they grow.
The following are a few tips that will help in training your bearded Dragon to eat calcium powder.
- Begin offering dusted feeder insects, greens, and salad when your beardie is young. Start with minimal amounts of the powder. You have to train your pet to like and eat calcium powder at an early age.
- Note the favorite food for your bearded dragons and carefully coat it with light calcium powder before feeding. The dragons tend to love insects more; hence, there is a probability they will eat all of the dusted insects.
- Apply the shaker method, to gently mix the powder and the insects. Here is an ideal shaker container.
- For the juveniles, apply calcium powder every alternate day, for babies, use once in a day, and 3-5 times for the adults per week.
- Provide the food to the Dragon immediately to prevent the powder from brushing off. The standard ration for the beardies is 1/8 cup of food in a single feeding.
- Feed them by hand. It will be successful if your pet has become accustomed to being handled. Start that by holding the insect between your two fingers and extending it to the pet’s mouth.
- Use tweezers if you are feeding them from the enclosure. You have to train them to use a bowl when eating. When they eat food, they as well get a dose of calcium.
- Watch your bearded Dragon while they are eating. Observe how they behave.
How Long Can A Bearded Dragon Go Without Calcium?
Yes, a bearded dragon can stay without calcium, but only for a maximum of two weeks. Beyond that time, your beardie may be exposed to metabolic bone diseases and other critical problems.
Though, it is not even recommended to leave your Dragon for two weeks without this vital supplement.
As a responsible dragon owner, you need to know the importance of supplementing calcium in your pet’s diet. And also understand the negative side of calcium imbalance. Having the full information with you, you will not even want to deprive your bearded Dragon of calcium.
Conclusion
As I finish, I believe now you have an excellent knowledge of why bearded dragons won’t eat calcium powder. And not only that, but you can also be of help when the beardies ignore the dusted foods. It is only a matter of tricking them, and eventually, they quickly eat the powder.