Is anyone else seeing improper or at least questionable feeding and weight charts becoming popular ?

[AHBD]

It is exciting for sure ! But there's so many out there now.
Here's a set up with lots of climbing areas, they love to climb and run. At this size they jump right down to eat shredded greens, then appropriate sized crickets.

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/40059-3914815742-jpg.29926/full

Keep in mind that with 25-35 average per clutch it's nearly impossible to house singularly.

 

[xp29]

I would be glued to that all day watching them lol.
I got the idea from a local reptile shop. They use a rack system and the 48 inch ZooMed uvb. If I use an extremely wide hole mesh so as to not block the uvb (something the reptile store skimped on) I can set up a multi-level rack with shared uvb, split the basking bulb over two tanks, I won't spend a small fortune in lighting. And at a minimum I'm not housing more than 2 or 3 hatchlings per tank.
Even if I have to spring for full boat on the lights and tanks I'm going to separate them. It breaks my heart every time I see a nip because it can be avoided.

 

[AHBD]

See if you can count how many are in their deluxe outdoor playpen. Note there ALWAYS has to be shade and you must be nearby for their safety. I sprayed them once a day while outside too, they loved it and would drink that way. Feeding them several times a day keeps the toe + tail nips at bay.

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/40059-5779592479-jpg.29981/full

 

[xp29]

See if you can count how many are in their deluxe outdoor playpen. Note there ALWAYS has to be shade and you must be nearby for their safety. I sprayed them once a day while outside too, they loved it and would drink that way. Feeding them several times a day keeps the toe + tail nips at bay.

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/40059-5779592479-jpg.29981/full

I can count 15.
I use a ferret cage outside for my adults. I keep half in the shade and half in the sun. We have falcons here so i have to be extra careful. They have tried to get my beardies and my ferrets in the past

 

[hdochow]

I've been seeing weight charts pop up that claim that a 1 month old dragon should weigh 4 grams, a 9 inch dragon 20 grams and a 24" dragon should weigh 400-550 grams. Also people are passing around info saying that a baby-juvenile dragon needs only 4-6 insects per day. Has anyone else come across this ? See what you find when you search those topics online. I know that it's best for beardies not to grow too fast or to be stuffed at every meal but what I'm reading is alarming.

I haven't, but I don't look for information on other websites. That being said, I have seen people quote them on here more recently.

I saw a lot of bad information when I first rescued Sir Henry, but did not realize it was bad until I found this site. After that I don't even bother to look elsewhere. I know I would spend 24/7 trying to correct it and stress my self to the point of a stroke or heart attack! Helping people on here is more than enough.

 

[AHBD]

I don't either, I'm not on Facebook but on Reddit is where I read it and loads of people are jumping on the bandwagon. The thing that alarmed me is when I saw it I typed in " how much should a b.d weigh "to see what came up and the newest articles are the ones with this info.

 

[xp29]

I don't either, I'm not on Facebook but on Reddit is where I read it and loads of people are jumping on the bandwagon. The thing that alarmed me is when I saw it I typed in " how much should a b.d weigh "to see what came up and the newest articles are the ones with this info.

Those same dumba..... dummies will be on here soon asking us whats wrong with their beardies then arguing we are dead wrong because that's not they read on reddit.
I just feel bad for the poor beardies

 

[J4ckdaw-]

Those same dumba..... dummies will be on here soon asking us whats wrong with their beardies then arguing we are dead wrong because that's not they read on reddit.
I just feel bad firvthe poor beardies

I was on Reddit before I found the forum, thank god I left though. That sub was chock full of false info and toxic users. Not a fun place to be, and definitely not a good place to learn.

 

[J4ckdaw-]

I've been seeing weight charts pop up that claim that a 1 month old dragon should weigh 4 grams, a 9 inch dragon 20 grams and a 24" dragon should weigh 400-550 grams. Also people are passing around info saying that a baby-juvenile dragon needs only 4-6 insects per day. Has anyone else come across this ? See what you find when you search those topics online. I know that it's best for beardies not to grow too fast or to be stuffed at every meal but what I'm reading is alarming.

I agree, 4-6 crickets for a baby is absurd. And especially of the smallest size, those poor babies will be so hungry. I am all on board for getting rid of obesity in pets (especially in reptiles) but it’s all kind of ridiculous. At least he had the decency to mention that if your beardie starts losing weight with that set diet, to alter it to your liking but the fact that they start losing weight to begin with! It’s horrific!

And the weight charts are downright unrealistic, not all beardies will sit at that weight. Leo’s 125-220 grams heavier than what a chart I found online said, and he is 100% not overweight. And in most cases it relies on length as an outstanding factor in weight. I get that they could set an ‘average’ for weight but still, for many beardies it’ll be waaaaay off. Leo included.

Overall, I’m kinda in the neutral zone about this ‘beardie vet’. I don’t doubt he’s researched bearded dragons in the wild, and I don’t doubt he wants the best for this community but not everything has to be identical to as it would in the wild. He’s got some good points, husbandry wise, but less so diet wise. Not dissing anyone’s opinions though, all are valid.

 

[hdochow]

I also tend to think of those charts the same as I thought of growth percentile charts for children when my daughter was little. It is just a baseline at best, but each individual situation has to be evaluated independently. It is better to compare them to themselves over time, than it is to compare them to other dragons.