ThisIsBerk
Member
My beardie is overweight (1.75 years old, female, 500 g, ~20 inches)...vet says she is overweight due to the fat pads on her sides extending almost the entire length of her abdomen, since simply weight is hard to use to measure obesity (see photos below for what she looks like). I've been trying to get her to lose weight for almost 9 months at this point. By doctor's recommendations I've cut her back to two gut-loaded dubia roaches every third day, and a salad of darker greens and lighter/water-heavier greens every day (no squash due to eliminate the sugars in her diet) (she only eats a couple bites a day, but she's never been a huge salad eater, she'll eat it if you hand feed her or aren't around to watch her :lol: but never a full salad dish). I soak her near daily, and try to get her to move around by climbing over blankets/stuffed animals around my couch (she'll just not move otherwise). I've even tried giving her a hamster ball filled with dubias to chase, to which she just stared with zero interest. But nothing I do works, she remains at 500 g. Any tips on how to help her shed those grams, I'm literally banging my head against a wall over this .
Quick care summary: Gets supplements with roach feedings roughly twice a week (herptivite 1-2 times a month, calcium supplement the rest of the feeds alternating between with and without vitamin D). 40 gallon breeder (waiting for my 4x2x2 to come in this month), hammocks on both sides, reptile carpet, branch on the hot side, rock hide on the cool side, water dish (for humidity, which runs low in my tank). Heat lamp is a flood light 45V, also has a UV T5.0 strip bulb and a CHE. Hot side is mid 90s F on the basking point, 80-90 F on the hot side floor, 80-85 F on the cool side, temperature drops to mid 70s F at night. Humidity averages 20% right now (not a super exact number, don't trust my hygrometers personally). Gets soaks daily since she refuses to drink any water in any form (she's actually terrified of water, but that's a Berk quirk that I've accepted at this point :lol: ).
Quick care summary: Gets supplements with roach feedings roughly twice a week (herptivite 1-2 times a month, calcium supplement the rest of the feeds alternating between with and without vitamin D). 40 gallon breeder (waiting for my 4x2x2 to come in this month), hammocks on both sides, reptile carpet, branch on the hot side, rock hide on the cool side, water dish (for humidity, which runs low in my tank). Heat lamp is a flood light 45V, also has a UV T5.0 strip bulb and a CHE. Hot side is mid 90s F on the basking point, 80-90 F on the hot side floor, 80-85 F on the cool side, temperature drops to mid 70s F at night. Humidity averages 20% right now (not a super exact number, don't trust my hygrometers personally). Gets soaks daily since she refuses to drink any water in any form (she's actually terrified of water, but that's a Berk quirk that I've accepted at this point :lol: ).