fat beardies?????

weve never had beardies before, and they seem to like to eat. they have an asortment of greens in their cage all day long, and they eat about 12 superworms a day... there about 14" long and about 200g. is this size normal,, or do they look too fat:D
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/w.../WP_000310.jpg
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/w.../WP_000311.jpg

thanks spooky

so i supose this is about right???
spooky

Well I don't like super worms for any herp. They are extreamly fatty. Adult beardies especially girls get a bit of gut. I'd switch them to crickets or roaches that are properly gutloaded and they'll trim down If they are over weight.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Homegrownscales

Well I don't like super worms for any herp. They are extreamly fatty. Adult beardies especially girls get a bit of gut. I'd switch them to crickets or roaches that are properly gutloaded and they'll trim down If they are over weight.


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thanks for the reply! how do you know what over weight is?
thanks
spooky

i would lay off the superworms a bit, they are a bit fatty. Have you weighed him recently and also how old is he? Young beardies should have a diet thats mostly protein based (meat.. crickets/roaches etc) and also salad, but as they get older you should feed less crickets/ meat and more salad.


while it is hard to tell what over weight might be for a beardie- this site may help you a bit... http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Growth.html


to me he looks happy and healthy (a fat beardie is a happy beardie :D)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LaFilleClochette

i would lay off the superworms a bit, they are a bit fatty. Have you weighed him recently and also how old is he? Young beardies should have a diet thats mostly protein based (meat.. crickets/roaches etc) and also salad, but as they get older you should feed less crickets/ meat and more salad.


while it is hard to tell what over weight might be for a beardie- this site may help you a bit... http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Growth.html


to me he looks happy and healthy (a fat beardie is a happy beardie :D)

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hey,,, thanks for the link!!!! going by the length and the weight of the chart that you gave us,,, were about right! we just dident know. maby well cut down on the amount of supers that were feeding just to be safe. we have a dubia colony starting, so when we get a surplus,, well start feeding them those..
thanks again
spooky

That beardie doesn't look fat to me, he has a belly, but not much in the way of fat pads. I'd say he needs more food, but supers aren't recommended until beardies are 16 inches or more because the chitin increases the risk of impaction. Go with crickets/roaches and maybe some butter worms and silk worms. Give them more salad. Raw, grated butternut and acorn squash are always a big hit, and cactus pear, collard greens, mustard greens and dandelion greens are great to feed. Just introduce all new foods slowly so you don't give them a tummy ache.

thanks for the replies.. we just wasent sure about the size,, leinght to weight ratio..
thanks again
spooky

Most of the information here looks pretty good.

Again, usually dragons shouldn't get supers until they are 16", and you need to keep an eye on them, as supers are fatty, however they are a fine staple diet. Just make sure they are getting their calcium and multivitamins.

I'd say the first picture has a bit of a belly, but nothing that really stands out.

And dubia are pretty easy to care for, and I don't plan on going back to crickets. Another itneresting thing for the dubia colony, I recently found and ordered some cleaner bugs to put in my colony. They feed on waste, and organic matter. So they should help with old food, and roach molt/dead roaches. When I get them in, I'll let you know if they are worth it or not.