Just Loose Skin?

[LucisAbsentia]

Alright, I swear I post a new question or concern like twice a week, but hey, I figure the more I ask about things I don't know, the better I'll get at taking care of Gabriel. Today's question is something like this:

Gabriel seems to have a lot of skin that peaks, in a way that looks like when beardies are dehydrated. However, I believe he is well-hydrated, considering his urates are well-formed, there's usually a bit of extra liquid when he defecates, and when I performed the whole 'pinch the skin' test on a part of his skin that is flat, the skin immediately recedes back to smooth. Plus, when he has just eaten a very large meal, or when he's lying flat and basking, his skin immediately stretches and goes smooth again. It's actually something I noticed right after he had pooped and emptied his belly. He has been growing a lot lately in girth (he's about to shed his body, actually) as he's about 13-14 months old. I also had the thought of malnourishment, but I'm not feeding him less than usually, he eats about 20-30 crickets every day and a bowl of salad, which he usually eats readily, especially if it's a fruit day. He's also been getting extra treats of waxworms, too. So is this something that usually happens? Does he just have more skin to cover his girth, and he's growing into it?

 

[CooperDragon]

I think the moisture in poops is a better indicator of hydration than the skin for the most part. Their skin appears loose sometimes because they can rapidly expand their bodies when they want to puff out in defense or if they want to pancake out to increase surface area for basking etc. It's good that his appetite is up. Fresh salads will give him plenty of hydration.

 

[LucisAbsentia]

hah well, his poop his definitely normal and hydrated. I feel a bit better then! As I said, it does flatten out entirely when he's a little flat pancake on his basking spot, so I'm going to go with it's just that loose-looking skin, unless something else happens that I feel indicates him not being well.