Obese 7 month old hiding in the cold side of it's tank

[Schmonatan]

Hello!

So, my 7 month beardie recently started to go to the cold side of it's tank, dig in there and not move. I can attract her from her "cave" with dubia roaches and she eats them, but after some time she goes back to the cool side to dig again. She started to show such behavior about a half a month ago.
She is not gravid.
I took her to the vet just several days ago and the vet said that we are fat (actually showed us with the echo, I really hope it is reversible) and with accelerated growth plus, some fat is on the liver....Yeah....
So the question is - should I make her move to the basking side or just leave her alone? We are on a diet now, I feed her every other day, but, for instance, today she is in her "cave" all the time, and she spent the night there.
Her eyes are aware and open, she reacts on me.
Yesterday we had a bath and she was quite active, after that I put her on her basking place and she had her time there, but then dug in in her favorite place.
I know there is a lot, but maybe someone knows what to do. And not to.

 

[CooperDragon]

I would probably start by tracking her weight using a kitchen scale and keeping a chart in a spreadsheet. That will let you watch the weight trend over time. I've found this to be a good measure of overall health (one tool anyway). If her weight is stable and she is preferring the cool side of the enclosure, it could just be that she is going through a sleepy stage which happens from time to time. As she gets older you'll be able to follow her routine a bit more easily. If her weight is decreasing, it could indicate an underlying health issue and should be addressed by a vet.

As far as diet goes, it can be tough to give her a balanced diet if she is inactive and not eating much. Hopefully that will change soon. At 7 months she is still pretty young, but I'd go easy on treats beyond main meal and fatty bugs for now if the vet indicated a possible weight problem. Offer a variety of veges like squash, greens, occasional fruit like blueberry or raspberry and see if she starts showing some interest.

 

[KarrieRee]

Hello!

So, my 7 month beardie recently started to go to the cold side of it's tank, dig in there and not move. I can attract her from her "cave" with dubia roaches and she eats them, but after some time she goes back to the cool side to dig again. She started to show such behavior about a half a month ago.
She is not gravid.
I took her to the vet just several days ago and the vet said that we are fat (actually showed us with the echo, I really hope it is reversible) and with accelerated growth plus, some fat is on the liver....Yeah....
So the question is - should I make her move to the basking side or just leave her alone? We are on a diet now, I feed her every other day, but, for instance, today she is in her "cave" all the time, and she spent the night there.
Her eyes are aware and open, she reacts on me.
Yesterday we had a bath and she was quite active, after that I put her on her basking place and she had her time there, but then dug in in her favorite place.
I know there is a lot, but maybe someone knows what to do. And not to.

Get her out for exercise -- let her roam your LR but you need to watch her -- NO cats or dogs that may bother her --- feed her lots of salads -- that is not going to make her fat -- as long as she is getting basking time that is good -- you can also take her outside but you must watch and stay w/ her -- you dont want her getting under something that you cant get her out of same w/ the house --

 

[Schmonatan]

I would probably start by tracking her weight using a kitchen scale and keeping a chart in a spreadsheet. That will let you watch the weight trend over time. I've found this to be a good measure of overall health (one tool anyway). If her weight is stable and she is preferring the cool side of the enclosure, it could just be that she is going through a sleepy stage which happens from time to time. As she gets older you'll be able to follow her routine a bit more easily. If her weight is decreasing, it could indicate an underlying health issue and should be addressed by a vet.

As far as diet goes, it can be tough to give her a balanced diet if she is inactive and not eating much. Hopefully that will change soon. At 7 months she is still pretty young, but I'd go easy on treats beyond main meal and fatty bugs for now if the vet indicated a possible weight problem. Offer a variety of veges like squash, greens, occasional fruit like blueberry or raspberry and see if she starts showing some interest.

I'm starting to think that she is getting ready for brumation?
But why at 7 month all of a sudden? Could it be a good thing for her to brumate and use her excessive fat?
She is sleeping in her digging place right now.
Treats and fruits are no-no for us right now.
She likes squash, zucchini and cucumbers, but doesn't like leafy greens...

Get her out for exercise -- let her roam your LR but you need to watch her -- NO cats or dogs that may bother her --- feed her lots of salads -- that is not going to make her fat -- as long as she is getting basking time that is good -- you can also take her outside but you must watch and stay w/ her -- you dont want her getting under something that you cant get her out of same w/ the house --

If she is about to brumate I wouldn't bother her much...

 

[KarrieRee]

She needs greens --- kale turnip collard argula mustard -- too much squash will cause watery poops - along w/ cucumbers

 

[CooperDragon]

It can take a while to get them interested in new foods. It's tough to really force it on them, but just do your best to make a variety available even if it's ignored for a while. Keep rotating different things to offer and eventually a favorite is likely to be found. 7 months is a bit young for brumation, but not unheard of. They slow their metabolism down so don't really even get into their fat stores too much. My guy usually drops only 4-5% body weight over several months during brumation.