Happy Birthday "Rusty"!

[sea_devil]

Our bearded dragon "Rusty" just turned 1yr old in March and he's a beast! My son Kaleb takes great care of him and he's got such a great temperament. He's reached a little more than 20" in his first year, which is more than I expected. This is a picture of the Rusty the day we brought him home in April 2016 and today March 3rd 2017.

 

[Canicke]

WOW !!! what a GIANT he's become ! if I may - please don't be offended - Rusty needs more exercise or fewer calories. he's a bit chunky. what are you feeding him? he looks healthy - and is super handsome. your son looks very happy with him

 

[PatsyB]

Wowza! He is gorgeous but needs to slim down a bit like Canicke said. I put my boy on a diet, it was pretty easy. Just limited how many bugs per feeding and started feeding every other day.

 

[ReptileCraze81]

Sure is a chunky little fella but hes pretty

 

[Hdrydr31]

Very handsome for sure!! I would have to agree you wanna be careful of fatty liver disease.. what is your feeding schedule and what items?

 

[sea_devil]

In reply to all. He will fatten up a bit and then stretch/grow. He is 20.5 inches in length right now.

He is very well taken care of and on a good diet. The first year he has been on a diet consisting predominantly of
1)Phoenix Worms (BSFL)
2) Crickets
3) Freeze Dried Grasshoppers
4) Leafy Greens - Arugula, Spinach and Green Leaf Lettuce. He loves Arugula!

Supplement: Repashy "Calcium Plus"

He does prefer more greens now and a little less protein. His calorie intake has also slowed a bit, but might be time of year.

I have attached pictures of Rusty taken today March 9th, 2017 in his outdoor enclosure. He gets natural sunlight almost 3hrs per day. I live in South Florida and its been upper 80's most of Winter.

 

[Wendyj]

He is a beauty! My guy is a plumper too! How much does he weigh? My Charlie is 21 long and 600 grams. Heavy on the head when he sits there!

 

[PatsyB]

He looks good! The position he was in probably just mad him look bigger.

Just a tip, spinach is not a good feeder. It binds to calcium, meaning any calcium his body takes in just automatically binds to the calcium and goes out with the poop. The bones and muscles don't get any of it. Arugula is fantastic!

 

[sea_devil]

He looks good! The position he was in probably just mad him look bigger.

Just a tip, spinach is not a good feeder. It binds to calcium, meaning any calcium his body takes in just automatically binds to the calcium and goes out with the poop. The bones and muscles don't get any of it. Arugula is fantastic!

Very limited spinach, but I will eliminate this from his diet. My wife gets upset when I take her spinach salads anyway