Is he too skinny???

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sll517

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Hi all. New here but have been using the site as reference for months. After months of research, we finally got a bearded dragon from a reptile expo. On may 12th. He is beautiful and tangerine. I do have a question or two and im hoping someone can give me some insight.
He is skinny looking to me . im not sure how old he is but guessing 9-12 months as hes about 16 inches.
However, his skin has a wrinkled appearance when he turns to his side, which may be dehydration i read. He does have access to water in his viv (40 gallon breeder) and gets baths daily because he loves them. However he doesnt drink in the bath at all. I have tried a syringe but have little luck. And try not to forcd him thinking he could just be adjusting.
Also where his tail meets his back looks kind of bony. He eats large crickets and medium dubias 1-2x daily dusted with calcium of course. He will be eat about 30-40 crickets a day or about 10-15 roaches a day, As well as salad which he eats in the AM and then has access to another from 2-4.
Collard greens, butternut squash, papaya, romaine (occasionally) and dandy greens. He wont eat a full salad besides in the AM. The other he will eat about 3/4 in 2hrs.
His basking temp ranges from 100-102 and cool side is 80-84.
He has a aqua culture 75wt basking bulb and (i know) a coil 5.0 reptisun bulb. But i did go to the petstore and got the reptisun 10.0 tube this AM bc i read coils are terrible for them.
I thought maybe the bulb was the issue so resolved it ASAP.
His previous owner fed him kale, cukes, carrot and romaine daily and crickets (not sure how many a day)
Other than being on the skinny side, he is full of energy. He runs around the livingroom constantly, explores and cuddles. So im not sure if im being a paranoid parent or what. He does have an appt on weds this coming up week.
I will figure out how to post a photo
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
The wrinkly skin is fairly normal. The loose skin allows them to puff out and pancake as needed. A better indicator of hydration is water content of the poop and urate. If that doesn't look dried out he is probably getting enough water from his food. If he is eating and active then I wouldn't worry about his weight too much. It's good to keep track using a kitchen scale so you can see how it's trending though. If you post some photos of him I'll be happy to take a look and make sure he looks healthy overall.
 

sll517

Member
Original Poster
99056-9447520128.jpg
Thabk you for helping with the images. So this is Apollo. Hes really lazy in his viv, bath and sometimes when hes "roaming" he lays around a lot. His poop looks healthy. Well formed but does have a water conent to it.
Hes now eating collard greens daily along with his squash but a small dish will last him all day if i let it.
He eats about 12-15 medium/large dubia roaches split between two feedings a day. His AM feeding is with calcium.
I worry because this is our first beardie and I want to make sure he is happy and healthy
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
He looks quite healthy. His spine is a bit pronounced but that's just his build. He has fat pads that look full at the base of his tail and it looks like the top of his head has developed fat pads as well. The muscles on his arms and legs look nice and strong and he looks quite alert. I'd say he's healthy and just right in terms of size.
 

sll517

Member
Original Poster
Thank you! Weve been paranoid being a new beardie owner. Lol. So having some opinions from experienced owners calms my nerves some :)
 
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