Suggested diet for 16 year old male beardie

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Meg10101

Member
Hello,

Anyone have any suggestions for daily feeding schedules for very old bearded dragons. Want to know what others do with an oldie?

He’s pretty much been on the same diet for the last 10 years - green, carrots, cucumber, beans etc available daily. Then crickets and hoppers 2/3 every other day, wax worms are now a no go even as a treat as he just throws these back up these days. He also has vitamin supplements.

I just lost my girl who was the same age - so I’m just being super paranoid about him and want to make sure he’s as healthy as he can be. I honestly can’t cope losing him as well anytime soon!

He’s also started sliding around on his tummy rather than use his legs - which his sister never did even in her last days. Anyone had this with a geriatric? I took him to the reptile vet and she said he was very healthy for his age, no lumps and no pain.

Would love to know other geriatric beardie parents daily schedules!

Thanks!
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hi Meg,

I'm going to come out and say it, if you've raised a dragon to be 16 years of age, don't change anything. Despite what someone's advice might be, or what is considered "best" practice, the proof is in the pudding.

You've raised a dragon to an age years over what many people even consider to be the max lifespan of a dragon.

Change nothing. You've obviously been doing something right.

That being said, every time we get someone with such an old dragon, I like to get info on their care for my own intrests. Would you mind going over your setup such as what UVB you use (or have used for most of his life), his temperatures, pictures, his typical diet when he was younger, and now. Dusting schedule you used.. etc..

-Brandon
 

Meg10101

Member
Original Poster
Hey,

Sure so it’s been a while since mine were babies but I will try and remember!

Lighting since 3 weeks old:

UVB and UVA strip light and 60watt basking lamp. I have a timer set up 7am - 7pm lights on and then 7pm -7am lights off no lights no added heating etc. When it’s really cold in winter I will leave a water bottle in there, just incase (but only have been doing this since they became 13+ years - they never use it!)

Substrate/ viv environment:

Age 0-10 Lots of different fake plants, climbing logs, hiderways, rocks to bask on. Removed the fake plants at about 2 years old permanently as they kept eating it when I wasn’t looking!

Age 10+ removed some of the higher climbing logs and replaced with hammocks or lower logs. As it became too much and they didn’t use the higher platforms. My billabong now has a soft bed to sleep on, which he is so attached to he curls right up onto it in the evenings.

I have always used beech wood chippings from day 1 and never had an issue. They are antibacterial and they can carry out normal digging behaviour.

I used to have a wallpaper up for my first girl Liza, but she used to rip it to streds. I think it stressed her out, so never used anything like this again.

I cover the vivs at night with sheets so that no light disturbs them.


Food:

Age 0-10: crickets (size appropriate for their age) every other day. Hoppers maybe once or twice a week. Greens everyday, all fruits and veg that’s not toxic to them. I like to mix it up, carrots and apples are a fav! I would always make them chase the food, and never hand it to them.

No dusting until age 13+ as billabong started shaking a bit in the morning. It’s now stopped so I think he was deficient in vitamin D.

I don’t have super strict feeding schedules with them - if I can’t get the live food for a few days they will just have greens.


Check-ups:

Never been to the vet with any of them before the ages of 15 - only when Sheila started going odd colours at age 15. She was found to have a lump in her stomach, which was likely cancerous. She died about 5 months after diagnosis, but was treated like a princess and I never made her chase her food after that.

Billabong went to the vet as I thought he had a respiratory infection, but he was just dribbling excess water. I had never had a lizard drool before so panicked!


Care:

Cuddles and walks everyday! Lots of staring out of windows. My first lizard Liza who was 14 when she died, loved her baths. But Sheila and Billabong hate them - they scramble and fight so much it just stresses them out!


Hope this helps! I feel like I’ve never got too technical with them - and just learned what they need by spending so much time with them. I know what they love and hate and what stresses them out.

I probably do loads of things that an expert would not recommend but it seems to have worked very well for me!

Other notes:

When they were babies they would not go to sleep unless I took them out and let them fall asleep on my hand. I would then gently put them back and they would fall asleep. This went on for about a year! Anyone else had this with little ones? I know I definitely babied them and let them get away with these little habits - but how can you not!

I still try and send some pictures if I can work out how!
 

Gormagon

Extreme Poster
Just like Claudius said, "Don't change a thing!!!", He looks real healthy for a 16yo dragon. As a matter of fact, if you hadn't told his age, I would have guessed way lower than 16.
They like a schedule and, yours works quite well.......kudos my friend!!!
 

Meg10101

Member
Original Poster
Okay I won’t! Haha! Yep he looks good those were taken yesterday, he definitely doesn’t store as much fat anymore and is much skinnier than when he was younger. And the last image is of Sheila at 15 years, the vet couldn’t believe it! But they were born in 2005 in early summer, and I got them super young as the person who had all these babies couldn’t cope!

Thanks!
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Well, he sure looks so sweet, his face is precious. How is he doing now?
They do tend to lose their fatpads as they get a little older. Have you gotten him to eat
much? You could try adding some water mixed with juice such as grape, apple or cherry,
a few times per week, for hydration & flavor for him.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie
 

Meg10101

Member
Original Poster
He is doing really well. He still has a very good appetite and yes his fat pads have definitely reduced on his head, but he still has a nice thick tail!

He loves apple and cucumber and blueberries so he gets liquid that way and also water droplet him.

He can’t walk amazingly well, but he does love to come out for cuddles and quick wander around. :)
 
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