Newbie question... but the help would be appreciated

[portuviejo]

Hi I have had my Arena (1 yr. old ?female?) for about 2 months now and I have tested every type of food on her to experiment what she likes vs what she doesn't.*Might I add that when I aquired her she was on the slim side* I have read a great deal on what to feed beardie's in terms or age of beardie , nutrition and quantity of food.

With that being said I decided to feed her butternut & hubbard squash as her morning staple (full dish) and treats and night (crickets, superworms, waxworms, butterworms, silkworms, hornworms, pinkies/fuzzies - all dusted accordingly). I also experimented to figure out how much she can eat within the 5 -15 minute time frame.... she has no limit!
it seems when it comes to live feeders she rejects nothing. if it moves she loves it. I don't think she cared much for the taste of the superwom, as her appetite settled, but once they were moving in her domain she couldn't refuse. I stopped feeding her those as her attitude changed and their smell turns me off and she was back to her normal self

example - i feed her before her treats and then throw in 10 - 15 crickets.... gone and wanting more
6 superworms.... done and wanting more
8 waxworms... cleaned and screaming for more
5 silkies.... more
8 butterworms... keep 'em coming
2 giant hornworms and a fuzzy or two... you get the point

i've read that some people have difficulties feeding their beardies's but i have yet to. like i said she was a tad on the slim side when i purchased her so i fed her the waxies and pinkies to fatten her up (many times) and she hasn't really put on weight. her stools appear every day pretty much so i know she's digesting well. NOT TO MENTION SHE IS NOT THE BIGGEST DRAGON... 16 inches MAX.

she may not be the largest in size but i'm sure she has the largest appetite. she happily gobbles everything up.
any input would be appreciated :shock:

 

[portuviejo]

btw these HEAVY TREATS ARE EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. JUST IN CASE YOU WANTED TO KNOW
i guess my question is... is this normal?

 

[Catalyst]

That is a ton of food, and it sounds like too much for a 16 inch 1 yr old dragon to be honest. By now her diet should be shifting more toward greens and lightening up on the live food. By the time she's 18 months old she should be cut down to 25-50 bugs a week so you should start easing off on the live food now to make that adjustment. Too much fat and protein as an adult leads to fatty liver disease among other problems.

If you really want to feed pinkies (they're unneccessary but may be a part of a healthy diet), feed them no more frequently than one every two weeks, and cut back on the other live food she gets that week to compensate for the higher protein and fat she's getting from the pinky.

Only use a couple of waxworms a week, they're high in fat and not healthy for your dragon to eat on a regular basis.

Squash shouldn't be her main vegetable/salad. You want to make a salad that's about 80% greens (collards, dandelion greens, endive, escarole, turnip greens, mustard greens are all good options) and then the rest can be a variety of veggies (including squash, peppers, etc.)

It's safer and healthier to provide her with a healthy diet to try and gain weight than to weigh her down with fatty foods like pinkies and wax worms. It could very well be that she's just a slender dragon, better that than having one who's too chunky and needs to be put on a diet. You could also get her a fecal test at the vet to make sure that she's not carrying any parasites that could affect her weight.

 

[diamc]

I totally agree with everything Catalyst posted. And, getting a fecal done would be a good idea because if she is harboring parasites, that could very well be the reason she isn't gaining weight.

 

[portuviejo]

ok thanks that sounds like great advice! just to mention that list wasn't what i give him every night, it was one of things as a treat every night, and i do only feed her a pinkie or fuzzy once every two weeks. i'm interested to know what type of parasites a BD can acquire and why, although a fecal exam doesn't sound like a bad idea... would a parasitic disorder cause abnormal behaviour in Arena, because she seems to be a pretty cheerful dragon as fas as all the ones i have met...