Leaping Lizards!!

I wish I had a picture of it, it was so funny.

Yesterday my little Gnomeo was dozing on his log under his basking light. Eyes were half closed, his tail tucking around, his little head slightly bobbing up and down. He was just enjoying life with a look of contentment upon his little Gnomeo face. It was about his dinner time (wax worms served up over a nice kale and bok choy salad). I painstakingly pulled out about 15 or 20 of the little squirmers, put them in his dish and then laid it in his viv. He at this point is still chillaxin' on his log. I shut the screen and he literally lept off his log across the cage, two feet right in his dish and wolfed down all those worms in 4 bites! I feed him, I swear I do LOL! He then preceded to nose around his salad looking for more worms. Funniest thing I ever saw :lol: .

Now he is 2yrs old, gets salads twice a day, which he eats very well, worm treat every evening and 30 or so calcium crickets every day. Am I feeding him too much or with the way he is acting should I be feeding him more you think?

Ravyn

 

[AtlasStrike]

At 2 years old, 80% of their diet should be veggies and greens. That is a lot of bugs. I would definitely cut back on both crickets to maybe once every other day. Wax worms should be fed sparingly as they are very high in fat. Try halving the amount and bringing it down to once a week while adding more salad.

How long is he and how much does he weigh?

 

[Ravyn]

Not sure how much he weighs but he is only 15.5inches long and about 5 inches across his back when he is laying down and about 4.5 inches when he is standing up, does that make sense?

I figured I was giving him too many bugs but he loves them sooo much, how can I say no? Right now as I type he is across the room standing in his salad dish giving me the stink eye LOL.

Ravyn

 

[Ravyn]

Oh sorry, was just rereading my first post it should say 30 calcium coated crickets every OTHER day, not every day.

Ravyn

 

[AtlasStrike]

Haha, that is a big difference!! I would still cut down on the waxies because even if he is not overweight, a high fat diet can cause serious health complications. You can (and probably should) also diversify his salad. Both kale and bok choy are great, but neither is recommended as a staple green. http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html is a fabulous reference for that sort of thing.

 

[Ravyn]

Haha, that is a big difference!! I would still cut down on the waxies because even if he is not overweight, a high fat diet can cause serious health complications. You can (and probably should) also diversify his salad. Both kale and bok choy are great, but neither is recommended as a staple green. http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html is a fabulous reference for that sort of thing.

Thanks! I don't know why I thought they were good for a staple diet. Well, I will be off the grocery tonight and also will look for a digital scale to weigh him. I feel he is small for 2yrs old at least length wise, will he grow more?

He is hating me right now, he is standing at his food dish waiting for me to drop his worms in LOL. But he does love his salads so I know he won't starve.

Ravyn

 

[AtlasStrike]

I've heard they usually finish the majority of their growth by 1-1 1/2 years. He is pretty small, but some dragons are just smaller than others, and as long as they are healthy, it shouldn't be an issue. How long have you had him? A lack of UVB or malnutrition early in life can cause permanently stunted growth. There is also a specific kind of beardie that never gets very large. I cannot remember the name right now, but some one else will definitely know. They are native to a specific region and are just smaller than others. There are also German Giants, which get huge. You never know if you don't know the parents.

 

[Ravyn]

I have only had him for about 2 weeks. He was given to me by my friend who never ever held him, only took him out to bath and his UVB light was on top of a screen. After scouring this website, I fixed his UVB and raised his temps. But all in all he seems healthy. He has his first vet appt after the new year so he will get a thourough check up then .

Ravyn