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Advise needed on OBESE 3 year old dragon

Bree112

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
24
I just got my first bearded dragon last night. I'm a complete Rookie. I've dont tons of reading and trying to educate myself. She if it's a she is 805 grams. Way over weight. She came with 2 filthy tanks. I've spent all day cleaning just one. The huge tank I took outside cuz it stunk so band. I swear I could taste the smell on the back of my throat last night. She was in a single layer tank. Feed dehydrated meal worms and dehydrated vegetables. The lady says shes a good eater. I gave two blueberries and only found one this morning. Can they eat cold blueberries or should all food be room temperature? I fear her health has to be at risk. Any advise on how to get her exercised and on a good diet. My budget is a issue. I cant see me raising roaches and crickets right now.
 

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Skybug

Bearded Dragon Veteran
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
2,283
My goodness thats a big lizard, wowza, first off can you go over your lighting with us? That’ll be so important going forward, what kind of vegetables do you have on hand? Collard greens,kale, romaine lettuce, are good staples , stay away from iceberg lettuce, , fruit can be fed to wean her into veggies but really fruit should be a treat (my beardie doesn’t eat cold fruit , it’s probably better it be room temp) I noticed it looks like the beardie pooped in the tub , thats a good sign, if the lizards not eating salad try to mix bugs into it or a teeny tiny amount of organic apple juice or even some bee pollen (it’ll give the salad a buggy smell) id take her out as much as u can and let her crawl around till she doesn’t anymore.
 

HoomanSlave

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
Messages
691
Location
Hogwarts
I just got my first bearded dragon last night. I'm a complete Rookie. I've dont tons of reading and trying to educate myself. She if it's a she is 805 grams. Way over weight. She came with 2 filthy tanks. I've spent all day cleaning just one. The huge tank I took outside cuz it stunk so band. I swear I could taste the smell on the back of my throat last night. She was in a single layer tank. Feed dehydrated meal worms and dehydrated vegetables. The lady says shes a good eater. I gave two blueberries and only found one this morning. Can they eat cold blueberries or should all food be room temperature? I fear her health has to be at risk. Any advise on how to get her exercised and on a good diet. My budget is a issue. I cant see me raising roaches and crickets right now
Increase the amount of vegetable matter she gets. Stick to healthier foods - avoid fruits, carrots, and other sugary food. Feed fresh food, and offer her smaller, infrequent portions. Feed small portions of low-fat insects. Avoid fatty protein foods such as pinky mice and waxworms.

If you can, upgrade to a larger tank or invest in a playpen so that she has more room to run around and climb. Encourage her to explore and exercise by giving her tunnels, branches, etc. Monitor her weight carefully and keep track of it on a piece of paper.
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,690
Increase the amount of vegetable matter she gets. Stick to healthier foods - avoid fruits, carrots, and other sugary food. Feed fresh food, and offer her smaller, infrequent portions. Feed small portions of low-fat insects. Avoid fatty protein foods such as pinky mice and waxworms.

If you can, upgrade to a larger tank or invest in a playpen so that she has more room to run around and climb. Encourage her to explore and exercise by giving her tunnels, branches, etc. Monitor her weight carefully and keep track of it on a piece of paper.
First off the tank is too narrow- she needs more room a 75 gallon or 120 gallon (4x2x2) is recommended-- start looking on FB marketplace or Craigslist-- if you find one make sure you sanitize it really good w/ rescue or zoo meds wipeout- next correct lighting a long tube fixture like a zoo med or sunblaster or Arcadia-- next correct basking temps taken w/ a bright white basking bulb 95-100- for diet NO more dried mealworms or dried anything- salads salads salads!!!!! That will balance out the diet and get her weight down plus exercise -- get her out of her tank let her run your living room or outside but you MUST watch her outdoors- birds are big predator! Set her in the grass make sure she doesn't eat any toxic plants if you have them and No pesticides on the grass- she can eat dandelions they are good leaves and all-- I will post some websites for dubias and worms but for now do not feed any more dried anything- this is why she is so obese-- fruit is fed sparingly think greens- collards kale turnip mustard argula-- green beans - no spinach or broccoli-- I will post a website for nutrition-- if you have more questions please ask - UVB and basking temps are the most important things in the tank- I would get rid of the carpet and use paper towels for now get your tank upgraded and get some textured NON adhesive shelf liner-- cut to the size of the tank and clean w/ vinegar and water 50 50 solution-- keep track of her weight on a kitchen food scale weigh in grams--
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,690
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
kale is a great staple feeder
Here are some websites for insects/ worms
www.dubiaroaches.com great staple feeder they send small horn worms order medium they grow REALLY FAST
www.mulberryfarms.com butterworms and horn worms good treat worms
https://flukerfarms.com/crickets-live-feeder-insects/ -- they have really nice super worms if you order supers from here you will need a plastic container w/ holes in the lid and you will need bran to feed them --
reptilianarts.com nice silk worms another good staple feeder if you order bulk like 50 or more you will need food to feed them as well and clean containers out daily --
if you need any more help please ask
Feed the staple feeder 2 times per week but cut down on the worms for her the supers are fattening so to get her weight down I would feed sparingly - the horn worms are a hydrating worm
 

Bree112

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
24
My goodness thats a big lizard, wowza, first off can you go over your lighting with us? That’ll be so important going forward, what kind of vegetables do you have on hand? Collard greens,kale, romaine lettuce, are good staples , stay away from iceberg lettuce, , fruit can be fed to wean her into veggies but really fruit should be a treat (my beardie doesn’t eat cold fruit , it’s probably better it be room temp) I noticed it looks like the beardie pooped in the tub , thats a good sign, if the lizards not eating salad try to mix bugs into it or a teeny tiny amount of organic apple juice or even some bee pollen (it’ll give the salad a buggy smell) id take her out as much as u can and let her crawl around till she doesn’t anymore.
Well the big tank isnt the one I opted to deep sea clean today. There was so much needed to be done that I went for the small tank instead. I'm working with a broken foot that I'm not supposed to be on. As for lighting right now she has the red heat basking light. And was surprised that the other light is UVB . I put shredderred news paper in for now. This tank is way way to small for her. But hey at least its clean. ( steam cleaned) the other tank is about 3ft long, guessing 20 inches with and guessing 2 ft tall. It's out side in the rain. I have some the other stuff soaking in the sink after steam cleaning attempt. I bought a Mini zillian light 2' long. I havent order the bulbs yet. It's a bit confusing and I wanted to see what the lady was bringing with her. The hide she had was to wide to turn it for her to get in the opening. I bought this cabinet last week with intention to make my own habit. Again with out getting up on my foot this cabinet with just the enclosed glass part is about 3'x14"x4' -5'. Its big. I could get another foot at the bottom by enclosing it. This is my goal. I figured I'd get the other one clean as soon as possible. And work on the cabinet as much as possible. So.....that's what I have and what I'm aiming for. If you could keep my end game in mind compared to the 911 stuff I'd appreciate it. As far as no she didnt poop during her soak. I have hard water and that iron from the dripping faucet. She didnt eat anything today. All I had was the dehydrated stuff. Sorry. If felt it was more important for her and us to go with cleaning and sanitizing today. I kept her out of the cage the better part of the day. The furthest she move was about a foot. Of my friends shoulder and onto the back of the couch. She chilled for ever on the arm of the couch watch t.v. Appeared to be a fan of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean...lol. Her owner told me she held her until she got fidgety and would put her back in her cage. So........yeah! I'm going to go out tomarrow to get salad. No fruit.....she licked an apple today and shook her head and darted in reverse so fast it startled me. Probably tasted like sour patch candi with the food she's be on. The only ever fruit she was given is a banana. (3 natural surfers there) Can I give her bait from our local bait shop? Crickets that is.
First off the tank is too narrow- she needs more room a 75 gallon or 120 gallon (4x2x2) is recommended-- start looking on FB marketplace or Craigslist-- if you find one make sure you sanitize it really good w/ rescue or zoo meds wipeout- next correct lighting a long tube fixture like a zoo med or sunblaster or Arcadia-- next correct basking temps taken w/ a bright white basking bulb 95-100- for diet NO more dried mealworms or dried anything- salads salads salads!!!!! That will balance out the diet and get her weight down plus exercise -- get her out of her tank let her run your living room or outside but you MUST watch her outdoors- birds are big predator! Set her in the grass make sure she doesn't eat any toxic plants if you have them and No pesticides on the grass- she can eat dandelions they are good leaves and all-- I will post some websites for dubias and worms but for now do not feed any more dried anything- this is why she is so obese-- fruit is fed sparingly think greens- collards kale turnip mustard argula-- green beans - no spinach or broccoli-- I will post a website for nutrition-- if you have more questions please ask - UVB and basking temps are the most important things in the tank- I would get rid of the carpet and use paper towels for now get your tank upgraded and get some textured NON adhesive shelf liner-- cut to the size of the tank and clean w/ vinegar and water 50 50 solution-- keep track of her weight on a kitchen food scale weigh in grams--
First off the tank is too narrow- she needs more room a 75 gallon or 120 gallon (4x2x2) is recommended-- start looking on FB marketplace or Craigslist-- if you find one make sure you sanitize it really good w/ rescue or zoo meds wipeout- next correct lighting a long tube fixture like a zoo med or sunblaster or Arcadia-- next correct basking temps taken w/ a bright white basking bulb 95-100- for diet NO more dried mealworms or dried anything- salads salads salads!!!!! That will balance out the diet and get her weight down plus exercise -- get her out of her tank let her run your living room or outside but you MUST watch her outdoors- birds are big predator! Set her in the grass make sure she doesn't eat any toxic plants if you have them and No pesticides on the grass- she can eat dandelions they are good leaves and all-- I will post some websites for dubias and worms but for now do not feed any more dried anything- this is why she is so obese-- fruit is fed sparingly think greens- collards kale turnip mustard argula-- green beans - no spinach or broccoli-- I will post a website for nutrition-- if you have more questions please ask - UVB and basking temps are the most important things in the tank- I would get rid of the carpet and use paper towels for now get your tank upgraded and get some textured NON adhesive shelf liner-- cut to the size of the tank and clean w/ vinegar and water 50 50 solution-- keep track of her weight on a kitchen food scale weigh in grams--
 

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Bree112

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
24
First off the tank is too narrow- she needs more room a 75 gallon or 120 gallon (4x2x2) is recommended-- start looking on FB marketplace or Craigslist-- if you find one make sure you sanitize it really good w/ rescue or zoo meds wipeout- next correct lighting a long tube fixture like a zoo med or sunblaster or Arcadia-- next correct basking temps taken w/ a bright white basking bulb 95-100- for diet NO more dried mealworms or dried anything- salads salads salads!!!!! That will balance out the diet and get her weight down plus exercise -- get her out of her tank let her run your living room or outside but you MUST watch her outdoors- birds are big predator! Set her in the grass make sure she doesn't eat any toxic plants if you have them and No pesticides on the grass- she can eat dandelions they are good leaves and all-- I will post some websites for dubias and worms but for now do not feed any more dried anything- this is why she is so obese-- fruit is fed sparingly think greens- collards kale turnip mustard argula-- green beans - no spinach or broccoli-- I will post a website for nutrition-- if you have more questions please ask - UVB and basking temps are the most important things in the tank- I would get rid of the carpet and use paper towels for now get your tank upgraded and get some textured NON adhesive shelf liner-- cut to the size of the tank and clean w/ vinegar and water 50 50 solution-- keep track of her weight on a kitchen food scale weigh in grams--
That carpet was just gross! I have a kitchen grade scale already from infant possums. Thank God. To the grocery store tomorrow.
 

Bree112

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
24
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
kale is a great staple feeder
Here are some websites for insects/ worms
www.dubiaroaches.com great staple feeder they send small horn worms order medium they grow REALLY FAST
www.mulberryfarms.com butterworms and horn worms good treat worms
https://flukerfarms.com/crickets-live-feeder-insects/ -- they have really nice super worms if you order supers from here you will need a plastic container w/ holes in the lid and you will need bran to feed them --
reptilianarts.com nice silk worms another good staple feeder if you order bulk like 50 or more you will need food to feed them as well and clean containers out daily --
if you need any more help please ask
Feed the staple feeder 2 times per week but cut down on the worms for her the supers are fattening so to get her weight down I would feed sparingly - the horn worms are a hydrating worm
Silk worms I havent read about yet. And thank you I will look these sites up.
 

Bree112

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
24
My goodness thats a big lizard, wowza, first off can you go over your lighting with us? That’ll be so important going forward, what kind of vegetables do you have on hand? Collard greens,kale, romaine lettuce, are good staples , stay away from iceberg lettuce, , fruit can be fed to wean her into veggies but really fruit should be a treat (my beardie doesn’t eat cold fruit , it’s probably better it be room temp) I noticed it looks like the beardie pooped in the tub , thats a good sign, if the lizards not eating salad try to mix bugs into it or a teeny tiny amount of organic apple juice or even some bee pollen (it’ll give the salad a buggy smell) id take her out as much as u can and let her crawl around till she doesn’t anymore.
Increase the amount of vegetable matter she gets. Stick to healthier foods - avoid fruits, carrots, and other sugary food. Feed fresh food, and offer her smaller, infrequent portions. Feed small portions of low-fat insects. Avoid fatty protein foods such as pinky mice and waxworms.

If you can, upgrade to a larger tank or invest in a playpen so that she has more room to run around and climb. Encourage her to explore and exercise by giving her tunnels, branches, etc. Monitor her weight carefully and keep track of it on a piece of paper.
I was wondering about tube tunnels but didnt know if they would like um.
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,690
Hi Bree

Please DO NOT use this Mini zillian light 2' long.-- the last person that I know that had this one burned their dragon up --- please get this for a UVB but you must have a tank that is NO shorter than 18" tall --- the size of the tank or I should say dimensions are very important for basking temps and UVB--- certain UVB bulbs require certain placement and distance --- the cabinet needs to be atleast 18 inches tall or your going to have problems w/ your lighting -- all together --- 14" tall is way to short --- if you want to use the cabinet you have you need to make adjustments for those heights I mentioned --- depending on the tank or cabinet size will depend on the UVB length fixture you get -- I usually recommend a 24" fixture in a 40+ gallon tank -- the next thing is the red basking light your using GET RID OF IT -- colored bulbs are harmful to dragons eyes and long term use will cause eye damage --- they have better eye sight than we do and the colored bulbs distort their vison -- I am post links to what you should be looking for -- the next thing get a digital probe thermometer you accurate basking temps -- she needs a hide and she needs decor to sit on ---
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-reptisun-t5-ho-terrarium-hood.html 24" this is currently out of stock but you can find it on other sites like petmountain etc..
this bulb it is a 22" bulb https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-t5.html also out of stock
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-basking-spot-bulbs.html these are trial and error you MUST have a digital probe thermometer to get the actual basking temp -- it needs to sit on the spot where she basks for atleast 10 minutes --- the basking light needs to be directly over her along w/ the UVB
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-digital-thermometer.html I would get two one for the basking side and one for the cool side -- cool side temp needs to be 80 during the day and nite time NO lights on 65-75 -- dragons like cool and dark --
 

Bree112

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
24
Increase the amount of vegetable matter she gets. Stick to healthier foods - avoid fruits, carrots, and other sugary food. Feed fresh food, and offer her smaller, infrequent portions. Feed small portions of low-fat insects. Avoid fatty protein foods such as pinky mice and waxworms.

If you can, upgrade to a larger tank or invest in a playpen so that she has more room to run around and climb. Encourage her to explore and exercise by giving her tunnels, branches, etc. Monitor her weight carefully and keep track of it on a piece of paper.
I started cutting up some branches last week. I need to finish and get them sanitized. I plan to monitor her weight as much as possible.
 

Bree112

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
24
Rut row? So is she fat or just Giant normal?
 

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HoomanSlave

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
Messages
691
Location
Hogwarts
Well the big tank isnt the one I opted to deep sea clean today. There was so much needed to be done that I went for the small tank instead. I'm working with a broken foot that I'm not supposed to be on. As for lighting right now she has the red heat basking light. And was surprised that the other light is UVB . I put shredderred news paper in for now. This tank is way way to small for her. But hey at least its clean. ( steam cleaned) the other tank is about 3ft long, guessing 20 inches with and guessing 2 ft tall. It's out side in the rain. I have some the other stuff soaking in the sink after steam cleaning attempt. I bought a Mini zillian light 2' long. I havent order the bulbs yet. It's a bit confusing and I wanted to see what the lady was bringing with her. The hide she had was to wide to turn it for her to get in the opening. I bought this cabinet last week with intention to make my own habit. Again with out getting up on my foot this cabinet with just the enclosed glass part is about 3'x14"x4' -5'. Its big. I could get another foot at the bottom by enclosing it. This is my goal. I figured I'd get the other one clean as soon as possible. And work on the cabinet as much as possible. So.....that's what I have and what I'm aiming for. If you could keep my end game in mind compared to the 911 stuff I'd appreciate it. As far as no she didnt poop during her soak. I have hard water and that iron from the dripping faucet. She didnt eat anything today. All I had was the dehydrated stuff. Sorry. If felt it was more important for her and us to go with cleaning and sanitizing today. I kept her out of the cage the better part of the day. The furthest she move was about a foot. Of my friends shoulder and onto the back of the couch. She chilled for ever on the arm of the couch watch t.v. Appeared to be a fan of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean...lol. Her owner told me she held her until she got fidgety and would put her back in her cage. So........yeah! I'm going to go out tomarrow to get salad. No fruit.....she licked an apple today and shook her head and darted in reverse so fast it startled me. Probably tasted like sour patch candi with the food she's be on. The only ever fruit she was given is a banana. (3 natural surfers there) Can I give her bait from our local bait shop? Crickets that is.
Feeding her crickets sold as bait isn't very safe. They often have antibiotics added to them to keep the crickets alive longer, and they may also be treated with chemicals that make them more appealing to fish. If you can't purchase insects online, stores that specialize in reptiles typically have quality feeder insects for good prices.
 

Skybug

Bearded Dragon Veteran
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
2,283
I wouldn’t buy from bait shops,.... my go tos for bugs are (sunshinestateworms.com for super worms) (greatlakeshornworms.com for hornworms) (lunasroaches.com for discoid roaches)(cause i live in FL, dubia are illegal) most of these sites sell other bugs aswell.
 

Emilia Thuet

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
416
I’d definitely put in a fasting day for her to help get her to loose weight. So you’d be feeding her 6 times a week. It’s not the end of the world and my vet did suggest that with Cleo once to help her loose weight
 

Bree112

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
24
Feeding her crickets sold as bait isn't very safe. They often have antibiotics added to them to keep the crickets alive longer, and they may also be treated with chemicals that make them more appealing to fish. If you can't purchase insects online, stores that specialize in reptiles typically have quality feeder insects for good prices.
Could you give me your opinion about the picture I posted that she is a Giant Bearded dragon. Now I'm not sure about her weight. 804 grams. I took her out of the tank for 4 or 5 hours and she moved about 10' total. I think shes not used to having freedom? She's quite capable of moving when she wants.
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