Is a Pogona minor (Rankin’s dragon) picky eaters?
Polo wouldn't eat anything but frozen crickets
I've heard that not only Polo, but also other rankin's dragon don't like to eat vegetables as much as bearded dragon. As for polo, it doesn't even try to eat live crickets.
This seemed to be the case since he was at the store, and even before I accepted him, I was discussing with the shop clerk what he would eat. Even if he would eat its, I was not comfortable with having a bunch of live crickets at home, so I asked the clerk if frozen crickets would be okay.
The clerk said he hadn't tried giving frozen crickets to him much, so I'll check if he eats frozen crickets, and he quickly defrosted frozen crickets from the store and gave them to Polo.
Polo had a very good appetite for frozen crickets. He may have grown up eating them when he was a child. However, crickets alone are not good for him, so I started putting calcium on them to make up for the lack of calcium.
calcium (Ca)
I've tried several different kinds of food, but this calcium is best for now that Polo is most comfortable eating. In case of some other calciums, Polo wouldn't open his mouths if he know there is calcium in crickets.
Originally, I thought it would be better for him to eat natural foods, so I tried to give him as much as I could of things we could eat, such as komatsuna, carrots, and crickets(but I do not eat crickets).
However, Polo refused to eat vegetables. Even if I fed him, he would spit them out.
Even the crickets…
For a while, Polo refused to eat frozen crickets also, and when he did eat them, they came out undigested from him, and he became thinner and thinner.
I've written in my blog before about how I consulted a doctor. He told me to feed him artificial food because it is nutritionally balanced.
Polo would not eat artificial food too. I didn't really want to do it, but I dissolved some artificial food in water and put it in a syringe and force-fed him. Of course Polo didn't like it, but I did it for his sake.
Polo's food
Polo has been violent. He even bit me once. I hoped many times that he would eat on him own, but it was not possible.
The other day, I brought it to his mouth, thinking that he would not eat it as well.
(Polo)「pak」
(Me)「What?」
I was shocked to see what had happened. Finally, he took a bite of his own the artificial food. And one bite after another!
Polo's weight has been steadily increasing and stabilizing at around 70g since he was force-fed. Now that he is eating artificial food, he is growing well and his molt has started again.
So, this video is really a moving image for me.
I'm not sure if the way I'm raising him now is right either. I will do my best while listening to the advice of various people.
Thank you for reading also today.
