Could feeding Hornworms as a staple feeder for just a few weeks cause my beardie to gain a lot of tummy weight very quickly?
I don't know how to post a picture to show his size . If anyone can explain how I'd be eternally grateful!!
Snowflake is a 4.5 month old Snow morph, and we are not 100% positive on sex. Breeder thought female, vet suggested might be male based on femoral pores size.
Here's what happened: When I ordered my Silkworm eggs from Mulberry Farms, they had a buy 2 get 1 free deal on Hornworm cups, so I naturally ordered 3 cups. They arrived just fine, and Snowflake LOVED them, so I ended up ordering 3 cups again. But, since HW grow SO FAST, we ended up feeding them to him every day for several weeks, before they could grow too big and end up wasted. As a result his insect diet was about 50% BSFL and 40% Hornworms & only 10% dubia for approximately 3-4 weeks. (We ended up pupating an entire cup of the second HW order because they did get too big to feed).
Here's my first question: I've read how beardies grow EXTREMELY fast the first year, but it seems now that his tummy looks A LOT more "plumpy" and round... almost bloated looking, than it did just a few weeks ago. Could this be from the Hornworms? Or is it just normal weight gain and as he grows more it will balance out with his length again? (He's not getting HW nearly as often now, they're an occasional treat instead of a staple.) He's definitely growing in length, but I'm worried that he gained mass too fast because of the quantity of HW he ate.
Second question: If he DID put on too much weight too fast, should I reduce his insect feedings to balance it out, or will that happen naturally over time as he grows since we have cut back on the HW already? I don't want him to end up with fatty liver disease or overweight health issues as an adult.
Final Question: Does the following plan seem like a suitable diet to keep him healthy? I've read SO MUCH about how variety in bearded dragon diets is the key to long healthy life in captivity. We want Snowflake to THRIVE, not just survive. ?
Here is his current feeding regimen:
Protein/Insects: 2x per day
Silkworms every day- usually about 20-30 total med-large worms per day. Worms fed exclusively only fresh Mulberry leaves (I ended up with over 800 worms from that egg order ?)
Some days the second/supplemental feeder insect is Dubia roaches, (med size, about 5-10 of them, gutloaded with Flukers cricket food) and some days it is BSFL (large size, he can usually put away around 25-30 of those during his 10 minute feeding. No gutloading on these). Hornworms as a treat occasionally now (1-2x per week). We did give him about 7-8 butterworms over the course of about 2 weeks as well, but since he likes the HW better I never re-purchased the butterworms. I've heard Silkworms and BSFL are the best for staple insects, so that's what we have tried to focus on. Dubia are included too because I've heard they are also a very healthy feeder and have good fiber and protein.
He eats salad every single day. Here's a breakdown of that:
Greens: Collard, Mustard, Turnip Greens, & Endive mixed up. I usually buy 2 one week and then switch to the other 2 the next week, and he gets 2 different ones each day. That way there's all four offered/rotated on a regular basis each week. Always fresh and organic too if available. He also gets a few cilantro leaves or fresh mulberry leaves added in several times per week, and I usually spiralize carrot or yellow squash or diced red/yellow bell pepper or butternut squash on top to give the salad color. VERY small amounts of those. Very rarely (1x week) I may add blueberry, mango, or strawberry instead as a treat. We dust with calcium 4x-5x week and Calcium +D3 2-3x week. I also often dust with bee pollen powder. He's a VERY good salad/greens eater, as he gets offered that first and then insect feeders an hour or two later. His salad stays in the tank all day, but we take him out of the tank to feed him the insects.
Habitat:
He's in a 90 gallon aquarium. Ceramic tile substrate with paper towels. Two 18 inch Reptisun 10.0 UVB lights mounted inside. Natural rock, wood, and a vine hammock/wall as decorations/climbing/basking/hide areas. A felt bed made by my daughter and a small stuffed toy. ? A pretty decent sized water dish (he often climbs inside it, lol). One heat lamp 75 watt, one basking bulb 100 watt, and a 150 watt ceramic heat emitter for overnight warmth. Multiple hygrometers inside... Cool side usually 85-90°, mid tank around 99°, and hot side 103-107 with his basking spot around 110-112°. He's got lots of places to hide and if the hot side of the tank gets up to 110° I usually cut off one heat lamp for a while. Humidity around 30% throughout. It's been a bit of trial and error to get the temps right in such a large tank. He frequently climbs up to bask and gapes his adorable "smile" for us.
He seems to be doing well overall but my biggest concern is that big ol' tummy he's got now. I feel like it plumped up super fast. It's so much more round and almost looks like he's bloated now. He does poop/urate multiple times per day, and gets baths 2x week, so I'm not thinking he's impacted. I'm pretty sure he's getting decent UVB light for digestion. The UVB bulbs are about 2.5 months old. He can run/walk easily, but his tummy touches the floor unless he really extends his legs up all the way.
I'm asking for advice/input on both the big tummy issue, as well as his current diet. Are there any changes I should make to improve his habitat? Am I overdoing it on the salads/greens while he's still a juvenile? Should I cut back on his worms until the tummy evens out with his length?
Thanks in advance for any advice/input. This site has been such a help when I have worries or concerns, everyone is so helpful and informative! I'm sorry this post got to be so darn long. Snowflake is our first Beardie and we love him to pieces so I just want to give him the absolute best chance and a happy, healthy, long life!
Have a wonderful day!
~Brandi
I don't know how to post a picture to show his size . If anyone can explain how I'd be eternally grateful!!
Snowflake is a 4.5 month old Snow morph, and we are not 100% positive on sex. Breeder thought female, vet suggested might be male based on femoral pores size.
Here's what happened: When I ordered my Silkworm eggs from Mulberry Farms, they had a buy 2 get 1 free deal on Hornworm cups, so I naturally ordered 3 cups. They arrived just fine, and Snowflake LOVED them, so I ended up ordering 3 cups again. But, since HW grow SO FAST, we ended up feeding them to him every day for several weeks, before they could grow too big and end up wasted. As a result his insect diet was about 50% BSFL and 40% Hornworms & only 10% dubia for approximately 3-4 weeks. (We ended up pupating an entire cup of the second HW order because they did get too big to feed).
Here's my first question: I've read how beardies grow EXTREMELY fast the first year, but it seems now that his tummy looks A LOT more "plumpy" and round... almost bloated looking, than it did just a few weeks ago. Could this be from the Hornworms? Or is it just normal weight gain and as he grows more it will balance out with his length again? (He's not getting HW nearly as often now, they're an occasional treat instead of a staple.) He's definitely growing in length, but I'm worried that he gained mass too fast because of the quantity of HW he ate.
Second question: If he DID put on too much weight too fast, should I reduce his insect feedings to balance it out, or will that happen naturally over time as he grows since we have cut back on the HW already? I don't want him to end up with fatty liver disease or overweight health issues as an adult.
Final Question: Does the following plan seem like a suitable diet to keep him healthy? I've read SO MUCH about how variety in bearded dragon diets is the key to long healthy life in captivity. We want Snowflake to THRIVE, not just survive. ?
Here is his current feeding regimen:
Protein/Insects: 2x per day
Silkworms every day- usually about 20-30 total med-large worms per day. Worms fed exclusively only fresh Mulberry leaves (I ended up with over 800 worms from that egg order ?)
Some days the second/supplemental feeder insect is Dubia roaches, (med size, about 5-10 of them, gutloaded with Flukers cricket food) and some days it is BSFL (large size, he can usually put away around 25-30 of those during his 10 minute feeding. No gutloading on these). Hornworms as a treat occasionally now (1-2x per week). We did give him about 7-8 butterworms over the course of about 2 weeks as well, but since he likes the HW better I never re-purchased the butterworms. I've heard Silkworms and BSFL are the best for staple insects, so that's what we have tried to focus on. Dubia are included too because I've heard they are also a very healthy feeder and have good fiber and protein.
He eats salad every single day. Here's a breakdown of that:
Greens: Collard, Mustard, Turnip Greens, & Endive mixed up. I usually buy 2 one week and then switch to the other 2 the next week, and he gets 2 different ones each day. That way there's all four offered/rotated on a regular basis each week. Always fresh and organic too if available. He also gets a few cilantro leaves or fresh mulberry leaves added in several times per week, and I usually spiralize carrot or yellow squash or diced red/yellow bell pepper or butternut squash on top to give the salad color. VERY small amounts of those. Very rarely (1x week) I may add blueberry, mango, or strawberry instead as a treat. We dust with calcium 4x-5x week and Calcium +D3 2-3x week. I also often dust with bee pollen powder. He's a VERY good salad/greens eater, as he gets offered that first and then insect feeders an hour or two later. His salad stays in the tank all day, but we take him out of the tank to feed him the insects.
Habitat:
He's in a 90 gallon aquarium. Ceramic tile substrate with paper towels. Two 18 inch Reptisun 10.0 UVB lights mounted inside. Natural rock, wood, and a vine hammock/wall as decorations/climbing/basking/hide areas. A felt bed made by my daughter and a small stuffed toy. ? A pretty decent sized water dish (he often climbs inside it, lol). One heat lamp 75 watt, one basking bulb 100 watt, and a 150 watt ceramic heat emitter for overnight warmth. Multiple hygrometers inside... Cool side usually 85-90°, mid tank around 99°, and hot side 103-107 with his basking spot around 110-112°. He's got lots of places to hide and if the hot side of the tank gets up to 110° I usually cut off one heat lamp for a while. Humidity around 30% throughout. It's been a bit of trial and error to get the temps right in such a large tank. He frequently climbs up to bask and gapes his adorable "smile" for us.
He seems to be doing well overall but my biggest concern is that big ol' tummy he's got now. I feel like it plumped up super fast. It's so much more round and almost looks like he's bloated now. He does poop/urate multiple times per day, and gets baths 2x week, so I'm not thinking he's impacted. I'm pretty sure he's getting decent UVB light for digestion. The UVB bulbs are about 2.5 months old. He can run/walk easily, but his tummy touches the floor unless he really extends his legs up all the way.
I'm asking for advice/input on both the big tummy issue, as well as his current diet. Are there any changes I should make to improve his habitat? Am I overdoing it on the salads/greens while he's still a juvenile? Should I cut back on his worms until the tummy evens out with his length?
Thanks in advance for any advice/input. This site has been such a help when I have worries or concerns, everyone is so helpful and informative! I'm sorry this post got to be so darn long. Snowflake is our first Beardie and we love him to pieces so I just want to give him the absolute best chance and a happy, healthy, long life!
Have a wonderful day!
~Brandi