Overfeeding?

[cmgirty]

So I recently inherited a Bearded dragon (eg: My roommate brought his from his parents house and now I'm taking care of it). I'm pretty sure he is a couple years old. His name used to be Spike but now it's Miss Jennifer Lopez because that is a nice non threatening name. I have issues but I'm becoming more acclimated every day. Anyway when I buy him crickets he eats them all. I buy 2 dozen at a time, dust them, and then pop them in there. Theyre gone like they never existed all of them within a good hour. He doesn't eat them when we try to feed him he's a fan of hunting them I guess? I've been tossing in reptile pellets and at first he didn't eat them but now they're gone. I will be picking up some greens and things after work today but I'm worried about over feeding him cause I love him even though I'm terrified of him.

 

[LLLReptile]

As long as he's wolfing down the food like that, I wouldn't worry about over feeding him. As long as you're alternating between greens, insects, and pellets the way you describe, he's unlikely to get overfed.

You'll be able to see when he starts getting a little tubby as well, and can cut back at that point. But definitely don't worry about over feeding - for example, the average customer with a pet beardie feeds their beardie about 100 crickets a week, in addition to anywhere from 50 to 100 mealworms or superworms. AND greens!

They also will start getting picky if they are being overfed, so if your beardie ever starts getting picky about his food, that may be a sign that he has been getting fed a bit too much.

Sounds like you're on the right track though, so just keep on offering him a variety of things and take it from there!

-Jen

 

[cmgirty]

Thank you so much! I think his starting to eat more might have to do with him being more comfortable because now I don't scream and jump 10 feet every time he moves. I'm glad that a hundred crickets a week isn't some insane crazy amount.

 

[Paradon]

I generally feed the same way as she describe also. It's hard to overfeed when you feed the right food. Just cut back if he is getting really fat; otherwise, I wouild just keep feeding him the way you do.

 

[NoxnGeorgieT]

No need to address the feeding issue--the other posters have totally covered it. However, I'm curious why you're afraid of him. Is it just because you don't have a lot of experience with reptiles or is he being aggressive in any way? If you're just not used to him, don't worry--beardies are usually very gentle souls and most are pretty naturally tame. A friend of mine's brother is a total reptile nut and lives in inland Australia, and he has stories of walking right up to beardies in the wild and picking them up and handling them with no problems! They're seriously that mellow, which is one of the many reasons why people love them. If it makes you feel any better, I had my first beardie for over ten years and he never once bit me or did anything remotely aggressive. My new beardie has a lot more attitude and is going through beardie adolescence right now, and the worst he's done is give me a hard time by gaping at me. Of course, there are always exceptions, but even if you have a skittish beardie now, he can probably be quickly tamed with a little patience--see the many threads on taming a beardie on this site.

If you're scared to handle him, I suggest that you start by just watching him, getting used to how he moves and what his routine is and all that. Also, let him get used to you. As you watch him, talk to him--let him get used to your presence. You can also put a t-shirt or something that you've worn into his cage and let him get used to your scent before you try to handle him. If he's still skittish, practice just putting your hand in his cage and leaving it there for a little bit--let him learn that your hand isn't a scary monster of doom. (Also, you don't want to just put your hand in/near the cage when you feed him, because that's a good way to get bit--if the only time he ever sees your hand is when you feed him, he will naturally start associating your hand with food.) When you do pick him up, scoop him up gently from underneath and make sure you fully support his legs and tail. If he's thrashing his tail around, that means he's feeling unbalanced. My guy likes it when I scoop him up and cradle him in the palm of my hand with his tail running along the inside of my forearm--he wraps his limbs around and clings to my hand like a little monkey. He also likes to perch on my shoulder or chest. Just take it slow and I'm sure you'll be BFFs before you know it.

 

[cmgirty]

I've just always had a reptile/snake phobia thing my whole life but I'm getting over it.


Here's me holding him for the first time yesterday

and here's him sleeping like the little angel he is dreaming of Burritos and tacos

I'm getting the hang of it. I still jump when he moves suddenly or runs towards my face while I'm laying on the floor.
Pretty soon I'll have it though. He likes when I scritch by his ears.

 

[WingedWolfPsion]

My gosh, that poor guy is in really rough shape! Since you are new to reptiles, and have just 'inherited' him, I'm really surprised I'm the first to respond to these photos.

The bearded dragon is suffering from a serious medical condition with a mouthful of a name, "secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism". In short, he is severely deficient in calcium, and has been for a long time--long enough for his jaw bones and other bones to become weak and deformed. He is also slightly thinner and darker than I would want to see a bearded dragon.

Can you give us details on his caging and setup? Calcium deficiency can be caused by lack of calcium in the diet, and/or lack of UVB light and vitamin D3. Bearded dragons MUST have a strong UVB reptile light, at the appropriate distance from them for basking. They must have high heat, and all insect prey should be dusted in a quality calcium powder. Use of a calcium powder containing vitamin D3 once or twice a week is also recommended.

Poor diet and lack of UVB are the usual cause for this problem. It's vitally important that the conditions and the diet be corrected immediately, to prevent further damage, and allow his bones to strengthen. His jaw will never look normal again. This condition doesn't happen over night, it's caused by inappropriate diet or lighting over a long period of time.

You definitely don't need to worry about this dragon becoming overweight at this point--he could still stand to put on many more grams before he'll be up to a typical weight for his size, and some of that may be edema from the hypocalcemia. Be sure that the greens you choose are nutritious, and don't contain excessive oxalates. Turnip tops, dandelion greens and flowers, and mustard greens are all good choices. (Avoid lettuces, cabbages, broccoli, etc). Feed greens every day, and a light dusting of calcium wouldn't hurt, given his condition. Insects can be fed every other day, as many as he will eat in 15 minutes.

As most will agree, you should make an appointment with an experienced reptile veterinarian, to get him a checkup. The vet may recommend additional supplements, and can check for other health problems that may be present.

 

[Paradon]

I think the vet will give him calcium injection if you take him to the vet--which is the best thing for it right now.

 

[NoxnGeorgieT]

Oh, what a sweetie! Such a cute little face! Totally agree w/previous posters--you really do need to get him to a vet ASAP. Since the poor guy has bone density issues, you're gonna want to get an x-ray so you know what you're dealing with as well as have the vet check for parasites. (And you may want to limit how much you handle him until you have a better sense of how bad of shape his bones are in.) He's lucky to have you to take care of him now. I hope you've officially adopted him--clearly you're a much better beardie parent than your roommate.

P.S. Here's the website to consult about what to feed: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html