beardy is thin

[seasickeel7]

Hello, ive got about a 3-4 month old baby beardie that is looking kind of thin, ive posted in another thread about a dominance issue going one because i actually have 2 one boy and the girl, the boy is being more dominant, but at the moment i dont have the money seperate the 2 babies. I've also been reading other topics about baby food as a substitute. Can i use this to possibly make her gain weight or would it matter because of the others dominance over her? im just really conscerned because she isnt where she needs to be weight wise and a section of her beared is always black but not fully is that cause by the stress also? i know i kinda go over abunch of off topic subjects but i dont know what else to do please forgive me

 

[Lennifer]

The smaller one is probably losing weight due to the other Dragon having dominance issues & not allowing him/her to. It is best to seperate them asap & if u don't have the money for a new enclosure, maybe you can find one of them a new home. Do u feed them both inside the enclosure? If so, I would suggest taking them out to feed them (in a seperate container) so u can be sure that they are both able to eat. The baby food is usually used to feed them if they are not eatting on their own, not neccesarily to "fatten" them up. They need lots of protein at this age to keep their bones growing healthy & strong. You should be offering live feeders 2-3 times a day, as many as they can eat within a 10-15 minute period.

~Sandy

 

[Lennifer]

Sorry - I forgot to add the word "eat" at the end of my 1st sentence! lol
The dominant dragon is probably not allowing her to eat.

~Sandy

 

[LJean]

I was also going to ask if you feed them in their tank or in a seperate container. Feeding them seperately would be your best bet to be sure she is getting enough to eat. Do you have a large rubbermaid type container you can use to house her in until you can get another enclosure?

Yes, the blackbeard happens when they are stressed, scared or in pain.

 

[seasickeel7]

well she eats i know she does because when i feed them i always like watching them eat and i do have a seperate container to feed her in so i guess il start doing that....i was just wandering about baby food because may she would eat more of that by herself then with him if that makes sense....i dont want to even think about re-homing one of them because i love them both but i will if i have to if its best for the dragon..thanks again

oh and i just thought of it i have an adult beardie with a much bigger tank could i partition a small part of that just for her or the other one?

 

[Lennifer]

How big of a tank is your adult Beardie in? The minimum requirement for an adult is a 40 gallon breeder, so if it's bigger then that, u could def put a divider in until u can get the little one his own enclosure. The only thing is that it may stress out your adult Beardie because u would be changing his enclosure & making it smaller. Hmm? Def a good thought tho.

~Sandy

 

[seasickeel7]

I want to say its a 75 gallon....but im not exactly sure i just know about three to four of current twenties im using could fit easly and the ault im not that worried about she always like to stay in one spot....shes kinda old and lazy as you should say but what could i use as a devider?

 

[Lennifer]

Hey that's great! I just searched online for u & I found some dividers @ Herp Supllies.com! If u don't like those, then I would try talking with someone @ PetSmart or Petco because I believe they use dividers for the reptiles that they sell. Good luck!

~Sandy

 

[seasickeel7]

thanks for your help i will consider those deviders but im also going to try if i can find something around town its kind of urgent because everyday she looks more frail and i take her out and had feed her but anyway thanks for your help and i will look at my options and then take action

 

[NegativeCreep]

I think that even if you take her out to feed, she probably won't eat much anyways. She is constantly in stress, which would diminish her appetite anyways. I would do everything you can to separate them. If you use a divider, please make sure they each have proper heat gradient, UVB, and they cannot see each other.

Baby food, IMO, is for emergencies (yes, this is sort of an emergency). There is no substitute for live feeders and fresh veggies. The best thing to do is separate them ASAP (or find one a new home if you can't separate). Malnutrition in a dragon that young could cause problems later in life.

 

[Elora]

Im sorry but leaving her in with the other beardie is only going to make things worse and worse. There really isnt anything you can do but separate them or divide the cage. Good luck.