Fatty, fatty 2x4!

[Ashleydmj]

I have seen some severely obese dragons first of all... A pattern I have noticed with these guys is that they have have weird beards. They look all rugged as if they need to comb out their beard... There eyes also seem to be popping out of their heads! I see this commonly with the chubby Beardies but I've also seen this rugged and bulgy eyed look with average weight dragons. What are your thoughts? Is this mal-nourishment and improper lighting? I'm curious because I have seen several that almost look as if they are a whole different line of dragons but I'm assuming it has to do with improper care..?
Just something to discuss

 

[Goodtruant]

I do think that many beardies are over fed. As growing babies beardies are little eating machines. We hear, 30-40 little feeders per meal, 3 times a day. And the little beardies can eat that much, easily! In the wild beardies are opportunistic eaters. There is not a steady supply of crickets at their disposal. They might eat 100 bugs one day, but not see a single bug for a couple more days. That is why they eat so much at one time, their instincts tell them that there might not be any more food for a while. It's not so much of a problem when they are little and growing like weeds. All of the protein is used up as energy to grow and dart about.

As adults beardies do not need nearly as much food, especially insect protein. However owners tend to still feed their beardies alot of larger prey. And since the beardies are now big they will be offered feeders like superworms, which are higher in fat content that some other available feeders. This, along with lazy dragons stuck in a cage all day, leads to overweight dragons.

I think over feeding can be just as bad as under feeding. I know if I ate just as much as I did when I was 18 now, I'd be huge! There's a balance there somewhere. We all know how hard it can be to get your beardies to eat their vegetables, but I think (as adults, +/-2 years old) offering them greens everyday, and feeding them insects every two or three days is healthy for dragons. One, if they're really hungry they will eat the greens. Two, they will be really excited to see feeder insects and really go after them (exercise!). And three, they will have a healthier diet.

 

[icelore]

I agree with Goodtruant. While proper care and nutrition is important, I've noticed little information/interest in aligning our husbandry to what dragons would experience in the wild. While I'm not very well versed with reptiles, I have been active in small animal rescue and rehab for over 17 years, and there is a strong movement in that area on enrichment activity that I don't see in the reptile world.

As an example, a lot of people who are very knowledgeable and provide proper care for pet rats have adults who are over weight and lethargic. Again, in line with what Goodtruant said, when you take into account how they would eat in the wild vs how they are fed in captivity, add in activity levels (rats would normally roam 5-7 MILES every night - they don't get that in a cage no matter how much free-roam time they get), and you have animals who, while healthy, are not exactly in peek shape. I think a very similar thing happens to beardies and most other captive small animals.

As I mentioned, many people now are pushing for enrichment activities to keep their pets healthy, but I'm not sure what the equivalent would be in the reptile world. Things like foraging boxes (so animals have to actively look for their food because it's not all provided in one place) and puzzle rewards (boxes packed tightly with paper, cardboard, and high reward food to encourage activity) are popular for small mammals as it mimics some of the skills they would use in the wild and keeps their brains and bodies engaged and active. Personally, since I'm a fan of this idea, I've been researching bearded dragonsin their natural habitat to see if I can come up with anything that will make his life a little more interesting and enjoyable when he gets older. Hopefully I will run into some other people who have ideas along the way!