Is my beardie fat?

[Sauzo]

Ok so I just weighed Harley because she looks really chubby. She has what I would call a quadruple chin Anyways, she is 17 inches long and weighs 610 grams. I'm mostly wondering because when she sleeps and has her head down, it's like her quadruple chin gets in the way and you see her beard fat "squirting " out the sides. It's cute and all but I'm wondering if it is affecting her breathing when she sleeps cause sometimes she will make clicking sounds and then do the burping a couple times. Only really happens when she's asleep. During the day when she has her head up and is alert, she is fine.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....does she have a tail nip, or is her total actual length 17" ? If that is her real length, then she is quite chunky ! A good weight would be closer to 400....even a bit less. A dragon with a large frame could be about 450 or so, but any more than that would be getting up there. A younger dragon may carry extra weight without too much apparent trouble but it will catch up in a few years....there would be potential for joint problems, gout, lack of energy, possible organ damage....just like with humans. It's a good time to cut back on the feeders and get her on good leafy greens and squash. But I'm sure she's adorable in all her pudginess !

 

[Sauzo]

Lol yeah she is adorable. She especially loves to stretch out on the top of the couch back next to me during the day and at night, she wants to be wrapped up in her blanket and sleep on me. She's 1.3 years old and yes 17 inches is her real size, no tail nips. She might be 17.5 inches, kind of hard to measure her exact as she is very alert and always has her head up and usually cocked to one side or the other looking at something. And she is a slug, she loves to just find a good vantage spot aka the top of the couch back and then she plops down, stretches her back legs out and people watches or stares at the tv or at the boa cage. The only time I really see her want to expend energy is when there are silkworms, hornworms or dubias. And the one time she saw a wasp in the house, she jumped about 6 inches in the air and grabbed it and gobbled it down before I could even get over there to swat it.

She was very spoiled as a baby and got to eat tons of silkworms, hornworms, phoenix worms, butterworms, dubias so I think that contributed to her chubbiness now. :? Which carried over to now a year later since those are pretty much the only things she likes except for 4-5 pieces of collard greens dipped in calcium without D3 a day.

As for a "diet", what's a good plan? She doesn't really like eating greens but she does love her bugs. Do I just quit feeding her bugs and have a battle of wills till she gives in and eats greens?

 

[AHBD]

Ahhhhh....she has been living in the lap of luxury....with maids, butlers, posh pillows + such to lounge on,....every succulent insect that she desired and plenty of couch surfing + people watching. She may have been a liiiittle bit spoiled ! I guess you could cut down the insects ....how many do you usually give her ? If it's every day, go to just 2-3 times a week, about 15 -20 large insects. Less if it's hornworms that are giant , just a few of those will do. On the alternate days, offer a good looking salad, possibly late afternoon when she's more hungry and wondering when the dinner bell will ring. Offer her favorites...like collards, but add turnip, mustard, collard, dandelion clover leaf as well as the white flower [ if your yard is not sprayed and it's available ] and put a yellow or orange veggie on top to attract her [ shredded squash, carrot, apple, watermelon and even the flower of impatiens ] She should develop a taste for some type of veggie....just keep at it.

 

[Sauzo]

Lol yeah she definitely was in the lap of luxury and to say spoiled was an understatement :lol: Guess now she is gonna pay for 1.3 years old of luxury I've tried a lot of that stuff. The stuff she tolerates is dandelion green, collard greens, mustard greens, butternut squash, and mango. She hates watermelon, cantelope, peach, grapes, apple. Of course the ones she tolerates, it was more of "ok i'll eat a couple pieces because its the morning and I'm starving". Come afternoon or after she has bugs, its a no-go.

As for bugs, she usually eats about 10 large dubias a day. Sometimes she will only eat a couple. It's pretty sporatic, so I guess anywhere from 2-10 large dubias a day. So basically cut it down to about 4 large dubias a day and just make her eat greens?

 

[DragonsForBreakfast]

Throw some sweeter fruit, like apple and blueberry to get her interested. Blueberries in particular are good for digestion. Some good veggies, like peppermint and basil, have very strong tastes that beardies tend to either love or hate, so if she loves it you're set!

You can also switch to pellet food with greens so she is getting some protein, her diet stays balanced, but she is getting used to eating out of her bowl versus hunting.

A WARNING: I decided on the "battle of wits" way and Clifford ate nothing for five days instead of eating greens. He ended up getting a gastro, cuz some naturally occurring bacteria that is housed in the gut moved up into his stomach and he didn't have the energy to fight it off. I almost lost him. So moderation is super key. (I just came home and there was clear vomit everywhere and he was so dehydrated he could barely open his eyes).

 

[AHBD]

Sorry I missed your last post + question.....yes, greens are the way to go. Most fruits aren't very good for beardies due to the high sugar content, greens are far superior so it's a real plus if she likes them. So if you limit the insects + go big on the greens it will be much better for her.

Dragonsforbreakfast, sorry to hear about your dragon....what do you think is the cause of your beardie's vomiting ? If you start a thread on it, others can chime in + see if they can be of assistance. I hope he'll be O.K Be sure to offer oral fluids.