Is my beardie big enough for pinkies?

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heyitsmar

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Hello, first time poster in here. I recently took my beardie to the vet and he got a clean bill of health (yay!). Ive always considered my beardie to be somewhat smaller than others as a large cricket sometimes seems larger than the scale used to measure their food (between their eyes). This concerns me as I don't want him to choke or get impacted by the cricket shedding their exoskeleton. So my question is that my vet (first time seeing my beardie) told me that I should be giving my beardie pinkies now. I am so terrified because i don't think he is big enough for pinkies. He's over 2 but for the longest time I've felt that he was the runt, if that is even possible. Should I just give him the pinkies? Is there a substitute food item that provides just as much nutrition to the beardie? Any information would be helpful and appreciated :)
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hi there,

I'd go ahead and find a new vet. He clearly hasn't been around dragons long enough or hasn't seen enough to know much about them. So many health issues occur in adults from diets rich in fats and proteins like that. If that is his common advice, hes going to unfortunately have some serious issues with his patients in the future.

Such a shame, but unfortunately many vets really just dont know what they are doing when it comes to exotics. The fact that beardies have gotten so popular has tended to make regular vets feel more confident in seeing and treating dragons.

A 2 year old simply doesnt need that much protein and fat. There is nothing a pinky offers that healthy feeder insect choices dont.
What pinkies do offer is impaction risks and increased chances of fatty liver disease developing.
This is not to say pinkies cant be offered, but there really is not reason to. Full grown adults can handle them, but that doesnt make them a good choice.

A healthy diet of varied salad items and feeder insects 2 or 3 times a week will do a lot better for a dragons health and well being then being fed pinkies.

Trust your gut. If you dont feel comfortable with advice given to you at the vet, just trust yourself. Ultimately it's your decision and as long as you have your dragons best interests at heart, you cant really go wrong. :)

-Brandon
 

heyitsmar

New member
Original Poster
Thank you for that. You have put my mind at ease. I didn't feel comfortable and my gut told me too keep with where I was going since he is in such good health but I didn't know if I should listen to him since he is the "Professional". I will look into other options as far as insects.
 

MCHRKiller

Hatchling Member
Switch to dubia roaches...crickets for an adult IMO are just not worth the hassle of dealing with them. My 3 year old eats 10 adult roaches and whatever veggies I can con him into eating and he is a very healthy weight/size.
 

Ellentomologist

Hatchling Member
Hello,

First of all, I agree with everything in this thread so far. If you're looking to find a more trustworthy reptile vet, you might try this site to find one - it's the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians. It's globally recognized and for the most part the people who are part of it either took an exotics course (which are woefully neglected in vet school) or are hobbiests themselves as well as vets. Specifically you want this page to find a reptile vet near you.

Second of all if you want advice on feeders, bugs are kinda my thing. Someone suggested dubia roaches and I 100% agree, however some regions can't get dubias easily. Most of the time there's another roach available, though few are as good as the dubia when it comes to convenience.

Best of luck,
-Ellen
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
So I used the site that Ellen posted in the first sentence -- and the vet I take Hiccup and will be taking Blaze to is the only one that came up --- I for sure thought there would be more than one- the first vet I took Hiccup to after I got him I was not happy w/ so I called around to find the vet that the dragons are going to now --- hopefully this will work for all
Karrie
 
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