Finicky eater

[ScooterRenee2022]

I just dont know if I’m doing something wrong.

 

[xp29]

This is his most recent pic and he hasn’t really grown much maybe a half in in about month and a half maybe two months. He does eat his salad everyday but he likes his staple too. I feel like I’m not giving him enough or he isn’t eating enough. He poops every other day. Not everyday like I thought he would have to. He also eats his salad only once a day then he basks for a while then goes to his shady spot. I told you he is really his own person. He picked this way of doing things and believe me does not want to change what he does I have even tried taking out something and tried to change it up for him and he kept pacing and pacing all over his tank. He started trying to jump up and down all over his tank like he was trying to get out. He was ripping up his carpet substrate. He went crazy. I had to put his tree back in and take his log out. Everything I try to buy him to change up his tank I have had to remove and leave the tank the way it has been since i first got him. He even tried eating the vine I bought him. He started pulling it apart. So he is only happy when i keep him on the same regiment and I don’t change anything. This is what I go through with him. And I have no choice but to do things a certain way. He really makes me angry at times. But I do love him.

Most beardies HATE change, I've noticed my males are worse about it than my females to. They usually will adjust but they can be cranky till they do. I've had better luck making smaller changes at a time till I get it they way I won't it. If I want to remove decore I add something first a few days before. It doesn't always fool them but sometimes I get lucky.

 

[Chris.]

He looks quite healthy in this picture.

He is still growing a bit, at 1/2 inch per month I would guess him close to 10 months old (just my guess).

His eating sounds good, mine will dip into the salads bowl a few times a day but only for three or four mouths full.

Basking for a bit and then going to "chill" is also fine and might change with the seasons as well. He dosn't have to poop every day. My boy will sometimes go a week without a poop.

If you think you are doing something wrong, meassure his lenght and weight once per week. If he's not loosing much weight, that is a very good sign you are doing a good job.
Mine get meassured every friday and over the last three weeks they both gained an average of 10g a week. The boy (19 months) doesn't grow much anymore, the girl (almost 4 months) is growing 1,5 cm (~0.6") a week.

 

[ScooterRenee2022]

That you so much. I was so concerned because he would go three or four days without going. I was giving him a bath once a week to help him and I would lightly massage his belly. But he still wouldn’t go for another day or two. I heard massaging his belly helps but I got that on google. I liked it when I found this site. It’s really helpful. Especially where you all are bearded dragon owners yourself.

 

[xp29]

That you so much. I was so concerned because he would go three or four days without going. I was giving him a bath once a week to help him and I would lightly massage his belly. But he still wouldn’t go for another day or two. I heard massaging his belly helps but I got that on google. I liked it when I found this site. It’s really helpful. Especially where you all are bearded dragon owners yourself.

Imho this is the best place to get reliable info. There are folk here with decades of experience with keeping and breeding. And pretty much everyone is happy to help

 

[Chris.]

That you so much. I was so concerned because he would go three or four days without going. I was giving him a bath once a week to help him and I would lightly massage his belly. But he still wouldn’t go for another day or two. I heard massaging his belly helps but I got that on google. I liked it when I found this site. It’s really helpful. Especially where you all are bearded dragon owners yourself.

They can for sure worry us a lot, they are strange animals at times
Mine are especially strange when they are about to shed but there are also some that seem to not be affected by that...

 

[ScooterRenee2022]

They can for sure worry us a lot, they are strange animals at times
Mine are especially strange when they are about to shed but there are also some that seem to not be affected by that...

Oh when he sheds he gets cranky and does not want to eat and yeah I’m realizing now that they have crazy personalitys. I guess I never really looked into thier personality’. Could I ask another question. When I got him they said he was a red bearded dragon but me and my some do not see red in him. Is there a possibility that they lied to me? I can take a better picture of him if you need me to.

 

[Chris.]

Yeah, they are all different. My boy gets really lazy when he's shedding and he's shedding really slowly, possibly because he is a leatherback. He eats like crazy thogh. He basically only moves right now if I put food in front of him.
The girl gets more fidgety and looses her appetite a little bit.

You are right, he doesn't look red in the picture. He might have some genes though that he isn't really displaying but I'm not sure if there is a "red" gene. I've heard of a breed called red monster but he doesn't look like one ether....

He is beautiful and that is important. Don't be surprised though if he changes his color a bit as he gets older

 

[xp29]

A lot of them don't develop their end color until they are adult. You can never look at a baby and be 100% certain what it will look like as an adult.