5 YEAR OLD BEARDIE SHEDDING EVERY 2 MONTHS

*REPOST DUE TO LACK OF RESPONSES*
Hello all!
So I’ve had my girl clementine for about 6 months now, I rescued her from a friend who couldn’t care for her properly. She’s had vet visits and seems to be in good health (despite her REFUSAL to eat anything but insects, so I hand feed her baby food every day). The only thing is she has shed WAY too many times since I first got her. It’s probably been 4 times in the past 6 months and she is almost 6 years old we think. Also should point out that she hasn’t gained that much weight due to the feeding and pickiness issues, so it can’t be just from her getting bigger. If anyone else has had experience with this please let me know!

Set up:
Basking heat lamp (white)
Reptiglo UVB 18” tube (3 months old)
Tile substrate
She has a water dish that she can lay in to soothe her presumably itchy scales
A few cork climbing and basking logs
And a hanging furry hide/bed
Her diet: every day purée collard green, calabasa squash, carrot, hibiscus, bee pollen mix that I hand feed her along with crickets 2x a week

At her age she should be maintaining weight, but not gaining (overall). As adults their appetites aren't always very high so even if she goes for a few days without eating, that's not unusual. I'd keep trying to get her used to eating fresh veges if you can and reserve the baby food for if she starts to become really ill or lose a lot of weight (there could be an underlying health issue if this happens). As far as shedding goes, it doesn't necessarily have to do with growth. While frequent shedding is more common with young dragons, her skin may just be regenerating or repairing something at a relatively fast rate. I generally consider shedding as a sign of good health.

CooperDragon":1u4eqna5 said:

At her age she should be maintaining weight, but not gaining (overall). As adults their appetites aren't always very high so even if she goes for a few days without eating, that's not unusual. I'd keep trying to get her used to eating fresh veges if you can and reserve the baby food for if she starts to become really ill or lose a lot of weight (there could be an underlying health issue if this happens). As far as shedding goes, it doesn't necessarily have to do with growth. While frequent shedding is more common with young dragons, her skin may just be regenerating or repairing something at a relatively fast rate. I generally consider shedding as a sign of good health.

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Thanks for responding, that’s good to hear. I’m always so paranoid that something is horribly wrong with her :0! This week I’m going to only offer her shredded collards and a little kale (maybe some squash if she goes for any). I think the reason she hasn’t ever eaten her salads is because she is always full from the puréed food so she never has to. Is it okay if I also hold off on insects until I notice her eating her greens? Last time I tried this I gave in because I felt bad :/

Yeah you can hold off on bugs for a while until she digs in to the veges since she seems otherwise healthy.