Is he (becoming) obese?

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phobosdthorga

Juvie Member
So the current diet for Iggy as of late after much research has been, after the basking light has been turned on for at least two hours in the morning, is all he can eat crickets/woodies and then afterwards, a plate of salad to graze on for the day that is rotated as/if it becomes stale. I've noticed that since I picked up Iggy from the pet-shop a few weeks ago, he has put on an immense amount of more weight and I'm not sure if this is leading to him becoming obese. Below he's doing a slight pancake so bear that in mind:

95175-1504915329.jpg

I also know not to pick up Beardies in this manner for very long but I had to in this instance:

95175-701248651.jpg

I will try to get better photos as today progresses. A few days ago some scales were purchased on eBay [ 1 ] and I'm awaiting for their delivery to be made, which will be a few business days from now, supposedly. But I kind of need answers now so any replies will be greatly appreciated, thank you.

[ 1 ] - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/281092374098

EDIT: Awwr, when I put him back into the vivarium he now clings to my hand. Iggy's been doing this for the past few days as of now, so is this also normal?
 

CooperDragon

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He looks fine to me. I'd let him continue eating plenty of bugs. If you can get him eating some veges too that's helpful but not necessary. Just make them available so they are familiar to him. Just give leftover salad to the bugs. As he reaches about a year old (ish), then I'd start slowing the bug feedings to once per day and eventually once or twice per week by 18 months if you can get him eating a fair bit of veges.

Clinging is normal. I think it's partly for stability and partly comfort. If you are comfortable to bask/lounge on, why move? =). If you really want him to go in the tank it won't hurt to give him a nudge to free your hand. They don't tend to hold a grudge.
 

phobosdthorga

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CooperDragon":1q8xz54j said:
He looks fine to me. I'd let him continue eating plenty of bugs. If you can get him eating some veges too that's helpful but not necessary. Just make them available so they are familiar to him. Just give leftover salad to the bugs. As he reaches about a year old (ish), then I'd start slowing the bug feedings to once per day and eventually once or twice per week by 18 months if you can get him eating a fair bit of veges.

Clinging is normal. I think it's partly for stability and partly comfort. If you are comfortable to bask/lounge on, why move? =). If you really want him to go in the tank it won't hurt to give him a nudge to free your hand. They don't tend to hold a grudge.

He has stopped eating today as detailed in this thread, so I'm quite worried: https://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=237956

But okies! I have started to give the left-overs to the bugs as you advised and they love that even more than the fresh food I had been given them :) They've nearly eaten it all up! Iggy is very good with his veggies though, so much so that I sometimes have to withdraw them so that he has the right protein ratio to veggies. But thank you otherwise ^ ^

That would make sense though, but even when I try and place Iggy on his favored basking spot which is much warmer than I, he still tries to cling to me :)
 

phobosdthorga

Juvie Member
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I weighed Iggy this morning with my new scales just after he did a poop, which is the first in three full days, of which I also had to give him olive oil to help with the pushin'. But the scales say he weighs 172 grams which doesn't seem right. Is that a good figure for a 5-6 month old Central Bearded Dragon? He has put on an immense amount of more weight since I picked him up from the pet store a few weeks ago, as I mentioned above, so I can't begin to imagine how much he weighed back then. Plus when he first arrived at my house, he was pretty darn dehydrated too. So yeah, with all that said, Iggy does have a bit of a gut these days :)

I would appreciate any and all replies!
 

CooperDragon

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Yeah that's pretty good, especially if it's trending upward. Just keep a log so you can follow how he's going. I find it easiest to use google docs/excel so you can plot weight vs date on a chart and set a trendline like this

76248-3282945170.jpg
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
He looks fine to me too. He's supposed to be growing at this age, and from what I've heard (never raised a little one myself), they don't increase in length and width at an even rate -- sometimes they get wider before they get longer and vice versa. And you're lucky that he already likes veggies, too. :)
 

phobosdthorga

Juvie Member
Original Poster
Thank you, everyone, I've been monitoring Iggy's weight the past few days and over the course of four days, he went from 172 grams to 189 grams c_c That's a 10% increase in body-weight! I only performed and recorded measurements after he recently did a poop, of course, but this is still surprising. I didn't know they could double-down on the weight like that. I have also noticed that he has been getting wider before (eventually) getting longer too so you are correct about that, SHBailey :)
 

CooperDragon

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It may drop again too. Just keep watching that trend since the daily fluctuations can happen.
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
A big meal or a big poop can make a surprising difference, too, as well as changes in hydration status, so don't let it scare you too much. Like Cooper says, as long as the overall trend for a growing beardie is a gain in weight and length, it's probably all good. :)
 

phobosdthorga

Juvie Member
Original Poster
I just want to re-visit this topic once again, after having monitored Iggy's weight and other important factors for some weeks now. Does everything appear normal? I know I'm likely being over-paranoid :(

95175-9527068464.jpg
 

phobosdthorga

Juvie Member
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CooperDragon":osqtbeba said:
Yeah that's a nice upward trend =)

Awesome! ^_^

I was more questioning the actual weight of Iggy relative to his supposed age in months though. Some have said he might be more than 5.5 months old given his size though, but is his actual weight in grams okay?
 

CooperDragon

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Yeah I think so. They all grow at different rates so it's hard to say in terms of an exact number. Health is a combination of stable or increasing weight trend, good appetite, alertness, activity levels, etc. At his age I would like to see a steady upward weight trend as he grows which is what you are seeing on your graph =)
 

phobosdthorga

Juvie Member
Original Poster
CooperDragon":16qhbxrj said:
Yeah I think so. They all grow at different rates so it's hard to say in terms of an exact number. Health is a combination of stable or increasing weight trend, good appetite, alertness, activity levels, etc. At his age I would like to see a steady upward weight trend as he grows which is what you are seeing on your graph =)

Thank you and yes, all the things you have mentioned have been very much in the positive for Iggy :) He does have his bad days, like all of us, but he is generally a very bright and healthy young Dragon!
 
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Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

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