Bearded Dragon Fattening

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Hello, users of BeardedDragon.org! I need to 'fatten up' a bearded dragon...what foods can I feed him to plump him up? I mention this because he is a little thin, not deathly thin, but a little thin nevertheless, and I mean to put a bit more meat on his bones. Do super worms do this? Nightcrawlers? How about hornworms? If so, how many do I feed him per day? He is a full-grown male, from 20-24 inches.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hi there,

That is the wrong mindset to have IMO.

Your one and only goal should be to have a healthy bearded dragon. You do that by feeding a healthy diet full of good and proper foods full of nutrients.
I understand that by fattening up, you actually just mean get him back to a healthy weight, I just have a thing about people saying that. The best way to "fatten" up a dragon, is to feed it the proper diet it should have been getting this whole time :)

So, to give you advice really, we'd need to know what his daily diet is looking like right now.
What is his weight in grams?

-Brandon
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I agree he needs a balanced diet of greens worms and a staple feeder insect- w/ you feeding all that hes gonna add some weight and have a balanced diet as well --- here is a website for nutrition http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder
Adding worms to his diet is good - like super worms butter worms when you can find them everyone seems to be out at this time meal worms horn worms they are a hydrating worm and silk worms which are another good staple feeder -- wax worms are very fatty and should be limited to feeding - too many of these can cause liver issues - if you need websites for any of these worms let me know and I will post some for you
Karrie
 

SavannahDragons

Member
Original Poster
I obviously know that he needs a balanced diet; what do you think I'm going to do, only give him 30 super worms a day for a month or something until he gets fat, Claudiusx? I am obviously asking this because I want him to be healthy, jeez. Of course, I don't mean to make him into a chunk ball or something. Alright, this is his usual diet:

3-5 superworms every other day
Crickets, hornworms, or roaches the alternating days
'Salad' every day...
Vegetables I offer:
1. Bell Pepper
2. Dandelion (Greens, sometimes the flower)
3. Apple/ Carrot/ Oranges
4. Brocolli
5. Grapes (Occasionally)
6. Romaine
7. Others (That I know are good for beardies)

He gets frozen pinky mice (thawed, obviously) rarely when I get extra for my monitors. This is occasional, very occasional, mind you. He's had two his whole life, 3 months apart.

I also give him pellets maybe once, twice a week.
These such pellets are bearded dragon specific ones, normally.
 

SavannahDragons

Member
Original Poster
The reason why he's a bit skinny right now is because I haven't been able to go to the Pet Store as much for maybe 2 months or so....he has been getting a fewer amount of veggies, worms, insects. I will let you know that this isn't my normal feeding, to give him a tad less than he needs, but it was unavoidable. Now, I can go to the store more, and I want him to be a healthy, happy Lizzie. The above feeding schedule is normal, but reduce it a bit and you will see what he has been eating these past 2 months.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I would keep track of his weight - kitchen food scale will work and weigh in grams-- watch and see how he's gaining and go from there - you want him to gain weight slowly- I would add collards kale turnip and mustard greens to his diet take out the oranges and broccoli
Karrie
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
On the nutrition website broccoli says to feed rarely-- Broccoli (raw)
1:1.4 3. 0%. 4% 3. 0% 91% High vit. C (9%), mod. oxalates, goitrogens
Not exactly sure but in people broccoli can give gas and upset stomachs so I am assuming for the same reason -- citrus it says feed occasionally -- I thought I read somewhere not to feed at all I misread so feeding occasionally isnt gonna hurt -- keeping track of his weight is just gonna give you info if hes eating enough and maintaining his weight or losing - besides that when it comes time for brumation your gonna want his weight when he starts - its good to keep track of it when he starts it and comes out of it or during it --- sometimes people will think they are brumating when in actuality they are sick and getting sicker - dragons need to either maintain weight during brumation or they can loose a little weight but not alot -- plus you want them at a healthy weight going into brumation - so a kitchen food scale is good to have on hand - and since I have a real picky eater in my house and doesn't eat all the time I weigh one of my dragons like every month or so to keep track of his weight --
Karrie
 

DragonPete

Sub-Adult Member
KarrieRee":uox4zyn1 said:
I would keep track of his weight - kitchen food scale will work and weigh in grams-- watch and see how he's gaining and go from there - you want him to gain weight slowly- I would add collards kale turnip and mustard greens to his diet take out the oranges and broccoli
Karrie

I heard broccoli should only be used on rare occasion due to oxalate content, like spinach and that citrus shouldn't be fed at all. Unfortunately ever BD food list is a little different. I've been researching wild greens/weeds and found that wood sorrel is also high in oxalate. It looks very similar to clover but the leaves are heart shaped and have flowers with petals as opposed to the white or purple flower balls. Clover is a good green. My boy has been getting some fresh clover and dandelion greens with his salad items. I also only feed a small amount of fruit a couple times a week because of the sugar that they really don't need. I stick with greens and veggies mostly and being about 3yo he only gets a protein meal every 3 days.
Just FYI There are no chemicals of any kind used in my yard or neighbors yards. ?
-Dee
 

Draven88

Hatchling Member
The concern with oranges is too much citric acid. Unfortunately I cant seen to find the original source that I found this on right now. It noted a possible link to increased uric acid from what I remember, always better to be safe.
 

SavannahDragons

Member
Original Poster
I don't really give them oranges often, maybe twice a month? Is that okay, because my beardies undeniably love citrus foods. I mean, if you hold up a cricket and a slice of orange, the cricket will have a lucky day indeed.
 

Draven88

Hatchling Member
Unfortunately I really cant speak to how much if any is OK for the oranges personally that would be a good question for a trained professional veterinarian in my eyes. (found a few similar articles on searching) What I do know is that to much sugar content and or citric acid can upset a beaded dragons digestive system. That can lead to diarrhea and making digestion even worse. Since its not providing anything they cant get from another known good food, I just don't see it as worth the possible risks.
 

WinFam01

Juvie Member
I see you feed bell pepper...do you give the colored ones? Ours won't touch the green ones but loves the orange red and yellow. She also loves orange & yellow squash, I think it's the colors!
She does like fresh green bean too though!
 

SavannahDragons

Member
Original Poster
I haven't tried green beans with all my bearded dragons, but Luke (1 year, 8 months) loves them. They all love squash, or at least will eat it, and yellow bell pepper too.
 
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