healthy weight gain

[Mimiworkslave]

Sorry, I have all the questions but Lionel is very important to me and I want to make sure I do everything right for him. I have had him a week now and he has gained 2grams (32g in all at approx 6 months old). He is a bit fussy with his greens, some days he will eat them, other days he won't (guess he is temperamental like his mommy) but has no issue eating his bugs on alternate days.

I weighed him again to make sure he is gaining and not losing weight but I wondered whether there was a guide as to how much he should weigh? I don't think the shop were particularly good at giving him anything other than bugs which might be why he turns his nose up a little but I will persist and try different greens for him.

Any advice would be gratfully recieved

 

[MsCarter]

Every dragon is different and grows at his/her own pace. I would continue to make sure he's not loosing weight and to make sure he doesn't look too thin. Other than this all should be fine. there may be times he makes massive gains one week and barely any the next and this is perfectly fine

 

[Mimiworkslave]

thank you, that's what I was going with, I guess as long as he is gaining and not loosing then there isn't too much of an issue. will keep an eye on him though

on a side note, he seems to absolutely love his mashed carrot, he was nomming on it like it was his equivalent of chocolate glad he has found something other than kale he likes :lol:

 

[MsCarter]

That is great that he's taking so well to his veggies. Just remember both carrots and kale are high in vitamin A too much of which can be a bad thing. Try butternut or yellow squash and collard greens

And yes as long as he's gaining that's a good thing. He's just a baby right now so what seems to be a small gain to us can be huge for him

 

[Sharpy]

Hi
I apologize if I have misunderstood your post!
At 6 months old your beardie should still be having two/three
Insect feeds a day not alternate days!

 

[Mimiworkslave]

Oh, ok sharpy, thank you for that. How long should I be giving him bugs every day? It's all new to me. I was worried because I see pictures of other people's 6monthera and Lionel looks quite small in comparison

 

[Sharpy]

Oh, ok sharpy, thank you for that. How long should I be giving him bugs every day? It's all new to me. I was worried because I see pictures of other people's 6monthera and Lionel looks quite small in comparison

Hi
My dragon is also small he's 11 months old & only just reaching 15inches 215g.
They grow st different rates & not all end up really big!

I keep bugs & salad available 24/7 ( dubia roaches in a dish) l
Because of my work schedule! I plan on keeping him on daily bugs til he's about 18 months!
Some people start to lesson the amount of bugs sooner but I believe not til about a year old.
Sorry I can't be more helpful I'm still a novice myself.

Kay

 

[Mimiworkslave]

Ok thanks, that might be why he doesn't like eating much on the "non-bug" days. I will try him on a couple daily see how he gets on.

I keep hearing so many different things, it's hard to know who to listen to sometimes ?

 

[MsCarter]

Yes, as mentioned if he is only 6 months old I would feed two bug meals everyday along with a salad. Once he's around 10months-a year you can reduce it to 1 bug meal a day (from my experience they will let you know when they are ready for 1 protein meal a day by eating less and refusing a meal) once he's about 18months old than you can back off of the protein a little an being offering insects every other-every 3 days if this is what he seems to like. Each dragons different and some eat more than others. He will let you know

 

[Mimiworkslave]

Thank you, I heeded your advice and that of a local trusted expert and increased his feeder crickets to a more suitable diet. He gained 5g this week and looks much healthier and happier. Thank you do much

 

[Betheix]

I am a proud mama, and show everyone pictures of toothless, every one says he is fat. We feed him live crickets and superworm for breakfast and dinner. Fresh salad every morning, and his "kibble", we haven't found a fruit he likes yet, except mango but the books say only occasionally (what does that mean anyway?) I have only given him a very small piece twice. But being overweight is not good either

 

[Mimiworkslave]

I am a proud mama, and show everyone pictures of toothless, every one says he is fat. We feed him live crickets and superworm for breakfast and dinner. Fresh salad every morning, and his "kibble", we haven't found a fruit he likes yet, except mango but the books say only occasionally (what does that mean anyway?) I have only given him a very small piece twice. But being overweight is not good either

I'm overweight myself so I'm not one to judge. Not sure what is deemed overweight for a baby beardie, but I know at 7 months he is still growing. He seems happy enough though and he has his first check up at the vets on Monday

 

[Taffer]

Ok thanks, that might be why he doesn't like eating much on the "non-bug" days. I will try him on a couple daily see how he gets on.

I keep hearing so many different things, it's hard to know who to listen to sometimes ?

From what I was reading in a book or a website, you should feed your beardie insects a 2-3 times a day, as much as they want to eat in about a 10 minute period, then remove any remaining insects. When my beardie got to about 19 inches she started turning her nose up to crickets and started eating more salad, and it was a quick change (maybe over a couple of weeks, or I was just slow to figure it out).

I found it easier to feed my beardie in a separate bin so you don't have to worry about chasing down any insects in your beardie's living enclosure and know your beardie won't be bitten while they sleep by a stray cricket that didn't get removed. Plus, it's easy to just dump the crickets back into their feeder tub. If we left our beardie in the feeding tote a few minutes more she would usually poop there too, and it actually potty trained her. If she doesn't poop in the bin and has the urge to poop in her aquarium, she will start running around and trying to get out when she has to poop. We went about 5 months without her pooping in her tank once.

My female beardie "Monster", at 10-11 months old was right at 20 inches long (she is 1 YO now). I wouldn't say she over eats because she's lazy (or efficient) most of the time when she eats crickets - she waits for them to get in range and then gobbles them up, and seldom puts much energy into chasing anything she eats, but when she is out of her aquarium she runs around like she owns the house. Monster would not eat salad at all until she was about 9 months old, but one of her favorites is Basil. Once she stopped growing like crazy she started to love her salads.

The only thing she goes absolutely crazy for is dandelion flowers and she will follow the flower around the aquarium like a crack addict trying to get to the flower.

I'm assuming you're dusting your crickets and using a quality UVB bulb inside the tank (and replacing it every 6 months [they degrade over time]) and keeping the basking temps good? These also help growth, digestion and keep the body healthy. I follow Monster's queue for basking temps. I use an Infrared thermometer to check the heat, and have a flat rock from Home Depot for the basking spot with an adjustable basking light. If Monster is not staying at the basking spot much, or gets under the basking light and then later moves to the side (not directly under the light), I take that as the light is a little too hot and turn it down a touch. I've found the perfect temperature for the rock is 93 degrees. She is warmer than 93 there because she is closer to the bulb than the rock, but any hotter and she starts opening her mouth to regulate her temp or moves.

I don't think I'd say your beardie is fat. Their bodies are made to get rather flat and wide, which I'm assuming is so they can present a bigger surface to absorb heat.

You may also want to check out other feeder insects besides crickets if you have not yet. If you can tolerate having roaches in the house, they provide more meat per insect, and have a much higher meat to exoskeleton ratio. Dubia Roaches are a good choice for many because they are a tropical roach. If they escape, it's due to human error, and they won't live long outside of their bins, and they won't infest and reproduce because they breed at 90-95 degree temps best, and most homes are about 68-72. They are horrible climbers (the adults), so as long as you have a slick side tote container, they won't be able to get out. The adult males have wings, but they don't fly. At best they can hover a brief moment, or glide down, but they cannot gain altitude to fly away out of the tote. Here is a good link for Dubia Roaches.

https://www.southtexasdragons.com/uploads/1/2/7/8/12783285/std_2012_dubia_roache_info__care_sheet.pdf

 

[Mimiworkslave]

Ok thanks, that might be why he doesn't like eating much on the "non-bug" days. I will try him on a couple daily see how he gets on.

I keep hearing so many different things, it's hard to know who to listen to sometimes ?

From what I was reading in a book or a website, you should feed your beardie insects a 2-3 times a day, as much as they want to eat in about a 10 minute period, then remove any remaining insects. When my beardie got to about 19 inches she started turning her nose up to crickets and started eating more salad, and it was a quick change (maybe over a couple of weeks, or I was just slow to figure it out).

I found it easier to feed my beardie in a separate bin so you don't have to worry about chasing down any insects in your beardie's living enclosure and know your beardie won't be bitten while they sleep by a stray cricket that didn't get removed. Plus, it's easy to just dump the crickets back into their feeder tub. If we left our beardie in the feeding tote a few minutes more she would usually poop there too, and it actually potty trained her. If she doesn't poop in the bin and has the urge to poop in her aquarium, she will start running around and trying to get out when she has to poop. We went about 5 months without her pooping in her tank once.

My female beardie "Monster", at 10-11 months old was right at 20 inches long (she is 1 YO now). I wouldn't say she over eats because she's lazy (or efficient) most of the time when she eats crickets - she waits for them to get in range and then gobbles them up, and seldom puts much energy into chasing anything she eats, but when she is out of her aquarium she runs around like she owns the house. Monster would not eat salad at all until she was about 9 months old, but one of her favorites is Basil. Once she stopped growing like crazy she started to love her salads.

The only thing she goes absolutely crazy for is dandelion flowers and she will follow the flower around the aquarium like a crack addict trying to get to the flower.

I'm assuming you're dusting your crickets and using a quality UVB bulb inside the tank (and replacing it every 6 months [they degrade over time]) and keeping the basking temps good? These also help growth, digestion and keep the body healthy. I follow Monster's queue for basking temps. I use an Infrared thermometer to check the heat, and have a flat rock from Home Depot for the basking spot with an adjustable basking light. If Monster is not staying at the basking spot much, or gets under the basking light and then later moves to the side (not directly under the light), I take that as the light is a little too hot and turn it down a touch. I've found the perfect temperature for the rock is 93 degrees. She is warmer than 93 there because she is closer to the bulb than the rock, but any hotter and she starts opening her mouth to regulate her temp or moves.

I don't think I'd say your beardie is fat. Their bodies are made to get rather flat and wide, which I'm assuming is so they can present a bigger surface to absorb heat.

You may also want to check out other feeder insects besides crickets if you have not yet. If you can tolerate having roaches in the house, they provide more meat per insect, and have a much higher meat to exoskeleton ratio. Dubia Roaches are a good choice for many because they are a tropical roach. If they escape, it's due to human error, and they won't live long outside of their bins, and they won't infest and reproduce because they breed at 90-95 degree temps best, and most homes are about 68-72. They are horrible climbers (the adults), so as long as you have a slick side tote container, they won't be able to get out. The adult males have wings, but they don't fly. At best they can hover a brief moment, or glide down, but they cannot gain altitude to fly away out of the tote. Here is a good link for Dubia Roaches.

https://www.southtexasdragons.com/uploads/1/2/7/8/12783285/std_2012_dubia_roache_info__care_sheet.pdf

Thanks. Yes his lighting and vitamins are being catered for and I dust his crickets with calcium. I was thinking of trying him on some
Roaches to mix up his diet a bit, just keep things nice for him. At 37g I don't for a minute think he's overweight, and he seems happy enough so I'm happy. Will just keep an eye on him to make sure he's eating pooping and gaining weight

 

[Taffer]

Thanks. Yes his lighting and vitamins are being catered for and I dust his crickets with calcium. I was thinking of trying him on some Roaches to mix up his diet a bit, just keep things nice for him. At 37g I don't for a minute think he's overweight, and he seems happy enough so I'm happy. Will just keep an eye on him to make sure he's eating pooping and gaining weight

Are you also giving vitamins via dusting too?

I didn't weigh my beardie as she grew, but she grew very fast. When she was about 6-7 weeks old she was 9 grams, and when I weighed her again about 7-8 days later she was 12 grams. How old is your beardie at 37 grams?

I didn't think about it before, but feeding roaches is easier because you can just put them in a slick side bowl and the Dubia roaches won't be able to climb out, so your dragon can eat them throughout the day as he wants them. Even if a roach gets out, from what I've read they don't bite so it would still be safe for your beardie.

You said you are interested in feeding roaches to your beardie, so I listed what I bought for starting a breeding colony. Most of the under tank heaters (UTH) I read said they were made to put on glass, but I read several posts where people put them on the bottom of a tote and have had no issues when using a thermostat to regulate the temperature via the amount of on/off time. I'm going to buy a few floor tiles from Home Depot so the UTH isn't sitting directly on the carpet just to be on the safe side. They say not to put down any substrate, but since newborn Dubia like to burrow into something and there isn't going to be much frass (roach poop) when the first few are born, I put down about a cup of cricket feed. The newborn nymphs will be able to burrow into this and I figure most of it will be eaten over time as more frass is produced for the nymphs to burrow in. If the roaches don't eat it, the cleaner beetles should, or it will be tossed with the first sorting/cleaning in a few months.

This is pretty much everything I bought for my roach colony (most of it arrives today).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y8zvvrISvU#t=425.5440842 (video of how to set up the bin...may want to start with fewer holes as this guy is in a climate controlled warehouse).
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002AR2YK/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (under tank heater to keep the breeding roaches between 90 and 95 degrees)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NZZG3S/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (thermostat to turn the under tank heater on/off to keep the bin at the correct temp range)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PCQ7KTQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

I bought about 60 Buffalo Beetles for cleaning, but here is an alternative. I don't have much experience with cleaner beetles so if someone wants to chime in with their experience, please do!
http://www.readyreptilefeeders.com/abante/index.php?rt=product/product&path=68&product_id=119