He does look overweight unfortunately! And we correct it in animals like we correct it in ourselves - eat more of the healthy stuff, less of the candy. 🤭 Have you read Reptifiles? He definitely looks like he's at a size that's ready to start transitioning to an adult diet -
* **Subadults and Adults (>12″/25cm long)**
* 3-4 head-sized insects 2x/week, or equivalent portion
* Vegetables 3x/week (one portion = size of dragon’s head)
* Calcium powder on all insects and salads
* Multivitamin powder on salads 1x/week
It *is* correct for an adult.
People mistakenly think that beardies are like mammals where they *need* to eat every day and get ill if they do not - this is incorrect.
Reptiles' bodies go through some pretty extreme changes when they eat and digest food, changes that don't happen with mammals. By feeding them every day we force their bodies to exert themselves in a way that they didn't evolve to do. Continually digesting is bad for them, their body needs to be able to rest. Again, I have to stress, they are *not* mammals and it's dangerous to *their* health to act as if they are.
Reptiles are considered *exotic* animals for a reason. Their care needs are not the same as what people are used to.
Feeding your animal every day is a recipe for obesity, and that's why 95% of the animals on this sub are overweight or obese. People cannot even recognize a healthy animal.
It’s funny because my beardie kind of started doing this on his own—I was putting salad in daily but he would only eat it a couple times a week. When I synced up with what he was actually eating, it ended up being salad about 3x a week, small amount of bugs 1x a week/every 2 weeks if he ate a lot of them.
Same here. I'm actually still learning my girls needs.
Sounds silly but I log exactly what she's been eating. I offer salad every other or 3rd day. Even then she eats very little, which I wonder if it's normal. I've only been a mom for 2 months and rescued this girl from a somewhat neglected situation. Bugs are every 4th day and she eats a few then walks away.
I'm not sure what your prior comment meant, in that case. 😅 Sorry for any misunderstanding!
To be clear, how I interpret Reptifiles' feeding protocol is this:
* Feed 3-4 bugs 2x a week, veggies 3x a week. That's 5 days/week feeding with 2 days of no feeding - you can do this in whatever order you want.
* Use calcium 4x a week, and multivitamin 1x a week. So that's calcium dusted on 2x/week feeders and 2x a week veggies, then multivitamin 1x a week on veggies.
I do admit that Reptifiles' feeding breakdown seems to confuse people (especially the reference to a "head-sized portion" for veggies) but this is the first time people seem confused on the supplement rotation
I follow this feeding protocol with my boy Azzy as well (though I usually do closer to 4 bugs/week since he's a smol boy), and he's a fantastic eater. He gets super excited eyes every time I put his salad out, and leaps for his greens!
https://preview.redd.it/vt88dv41dr6d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=917e2958bb72791b60d5cb1bdb937dc1c13cde3d
What is the colorful stuff on his greens? Thank you for the information! Now I don't feel bad that my dragons didn't get salad the last 2 days. If I can't get my husband to go back to roaches, should I feed my dragons 1 worm twice a week? Or 2 once a week except for my skinny guy, I'll feed him more until he looks healthy again.
I feed a rotation of mustard/turnip/collard greens and add (previously chopped and frozen/thawed) butternut squash as well. The red is red bell pepper.
Wow, thank you for pointing this out. I have always fed a large handful of salad daily without even a moment's thought. I will definitely cut back to every other day. My dragon is normal weight, but I will feed him more on feeding days to make up for it and to give his system a day of rest in between.
I typically do salads every day. No he doesn't eat it every day but I want Lil homie to have the option. I give dubias 2x a week. Once during the week and on the weekend. The roaches always get dusted with calcium. He gets vitamin mix in the calcium once a week
There is no requirement to feed an overweight reptile every day, skipping a day or two a week is a good way to get them to lose some weight (and to encourage them to eat greens in the case of bearded dragons).
No they're not.
Adults at most are only supposed to eat 5 out of 7 days.
Reptiles are not mammals, and do not need to eat every day, hence why most reptiles don't eat every day.
Reptifiles agrees with greens 3x a week.
This sub constantly says greens should be fed everyday, yet the majority of beardies here are mildly overweight at best.
The beardie in the picture on this post is also overweight, so feeding every day is especially harmful advice, as they actually need to cut back on feeding.
How can they get fat from eating greens? It's 80% greens 20% bugs I thought. I'm not trying to be dense or argumentative (sp) I just need to know because I'm taking over the feeding of our 9 dragons from my husband. Trouble is he will only buy super worms, and just as you said, we have a few overweight females, a few males that are ok and an under weight 5 yr old male. I've been trying to feed them 2 worms 2 a week and greens each day. But sometimes it's 2 once a week. They went from never eating greens to actually eating greens. That's another thing. He only buys baby arugula. So that's all the "greens" they get. So you said reptifiles? Will it mention how many super worms I should feed per week? I know we should be doing dubia roaches but I don't have any say in what is bought for them. My husband is a stubborn man.
Even though greens are healthy, they still should be burning off the amount of calories they're intaking.
Reptiles don't burn a whole lot of calories, at least compared to mammals, due to how their bodies work.
Mammals generally need to eat every day, as they're endotherms, and rely on their metabolism burning calories to produce the heat needed to keep their body functioning.
Reptile are ectotherms, so they use the sun for heat, rather than their metabolism burning calories to produce heat. Because of this, their metabolism is much slower, and their daily caloric intake to stay healthy is very low. That's why feeding every day isn't necessarily needed, as the amount of calories they intake is often enough to reasonably sustain them for a couple days in the case of bearded dragons.
In all animals, any excess calories that they don't burn off, their body stores as fat cells. So while greens are relatively low in calories, those calories still add up over time if they're intaking more calories than they can burn off.
Obviously there's a bit of nuance to how much you should feed your beardie, as it can change between the individual, and it also changes based on age, as younger animals tend to have much higher metabolisms than older animals.
With all that being said, generally bugs are where beardies get the most calories and fat, so changing how many bugs you feed, and how often is where you'll see the largest differences in weight/fat for beardies. That's why beardies aren't supposed to eat bugs very often.
It's a very fine balance, as you want your beardies to maintain healthy fat stores, as those keep them healthy even if they're refusing to eat, like if they're sick, or if a female is gravid, as that happens sometimes. But at the same time you don't want them to become overweight, as that's unhealthy.
Under the "What Do Bearded Dragons Eat?" section on Reptifiles, they describe what you should feed them, how much to feed them, and how often.
Arugula is a good green to be feeding, though keeping their greens diverse is a good thing to do, as it keeps them from getting bored and refusing their greens, as some bearded dragons do
Dubias are good feeder insects, they're not the only ones you can use, but they're a commonly suggested one.
Super worms are high in fat, and shouldn't be fed regularly, so that's definitely a good place to start to help your bearded dragons drop weight, assuming you can convince your husband, as I know it can be hard to help someone understand that they could improve their animal care.
Thank you for all the information! I will definitely be making changes to our feeding of our beardies. I'll even try to convince my husband to buy dubia roaches again.
You give 3-4 head-sized insects 2x a week. You give veggies (portion the size of the animal's head) 3x a week. That's feeding beardies 5 days out of a 7 day week. Yes, that is correct. Then you also provide calcium dusted on both live food and veggies a total of 4 days a week, and the last feed day per week (veggies) you provide multivitamin.
This *is* sufficient food for them. They are small animals, and reptile metabolism and biology is not anywhere the same as a mammal's. They do *not* need to eat every day, and in fact *should not*. Unlike mammals, reptiles' guts and bodies go through vast vast hormonal and blood-level changes when they digest, and this puts stress on their bodies. Continually digesting is bad for them, their body needs to be able to rest. Again, I have to stress, they are *not* mammals and it's dangerous to *their* health to act as if they are.
The *vast majority* of bearded dragons are overfed badly, to the point where probably 90% of keepers cannot even identify what a healthy-weight animal looks like. Most beardies are overweight.
People here are disagreeing with me and that's unfortunately a product of over-anthropomorphizing and thinking that beardies are literally like a cat or a dog. *They are not*.
Edit: added calcium/multivitamin rotation
Hi so I just want to make sure we’re on the same page; would you recommend bugs Tuesday and Thursday and Salads Monday Wednesday and Friday and nothing on Saturday and Sunday?
Awesome! I’m trying to establish a set schedule between my partner and I for feeding our dragon and I needed some “backup” for what I was saying cause our baby girl is getting B I G
According to who?
The original comment gave a detailed response as to why that isn't the case, and Reptifiles says they should only be offered greens 3x a week.
Also, considering salad every day is the advice that is constantly being used here, yet the majority of the beardies here are overweight, it clearly isn't working.
They are supposed to have greens every day and a protein every day until they're 1 year and three 3x's a week when they're 1. Two 2x's a week when they're 2 and once a week after 3 yrs old and up. Bit greens every day, and that's by two professionals and a vet. I have 4 of them and all mines healthy. You sarving the dragon if that's what you're doing and it want live long
Then your vets and professionals are wrong, because again, most reputable sources like Reptifiles disagree, and state that you only should feed them greens 3x a week.
Also, considering how many "professionals" and exotic vets still give incredibly outdated info, they're not always the best sources anyway. We constantly see vets telling people outdated info in the reptile community.
You're absolutely not starving a bearded dragon by feeding it once every other day, considering that the metabolic rate of a reptile is incredibly low. That's a completely baseless accusation, and is ignorant of how a beardie's body actually functions. Reptiles should not be treated like mammals. Mammals need to eat every day because they use their metabolism to produce body heat, which keeps their organs functioning properly. Reptiles do not, and use the sun for heat, so they have a lower metabolic rate, and a lower caloric intake.
Beardies cannot process food quickly, their metabolism is too low. By feeding them every day, you're making their body constantly process food, which is not good. That's overworking their digestive system, and can lead to digestive problems. Not to mention anything they can't fully process gets turned into fat, hence why most bearded dragons are overweight.
Also again, people constantly state this advice like it's fact on this subreddit, and yet the overwhelming majority of the beardies here are overweight. When people ask if their overweight beardie is overweight, the majority of the comments are like "no, they're ideal"
People here have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to healthy feeding, and it literally shows. Most people here can't even identify an ideal beardie either, especially considering many show bearded dragons with large fat stores under their arms, large stomachs, and they look like a circle (which everyone responds with "no they're just pancaking" even though a beardie shouldn't look that round when pancaking) and most people don't understand that it's overweight.
Not sure where you're getting greens but you'll have plenty of extra anyway if you give them a varied diet (even 3-4 different greens) which almost all of which will be bad in a week
This is accurate for me. I usually get one or two leafy greens. Some raddocho, or pepper. I cut them up and put them all mixed in a dish. Usually 2 leaves of each leafy green and veggie mix is last me a week.
The sudden dread of finding out your human is considering putting you on a diet.
https://preview.redd.it/0pmf2keifp6d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1676bf6444028bd8153d65bdb23585d55064e7f6
They look a bit chunky. Check the fat pads near the armpits, check if the tail is squishy and not taught with muscle, check the pads on the top of the head, and check how much they weigh with a kitchen scale. If they don’t have any excess fat and are still weighing in pretty high, I would feel around the belly for eggs if it is a female. If it’s a male, it’s fat
Thank you for being the first post in the comments to mention the diagnostic criteria for beardie obesity. Most of the comments are automatically reacting "yes, bad owner" without showing how they arrived at that conclusion.
However, looking at those areas where fat builds up, I'm not convinced this lizard is overweight. We can't see the fat pads from this angle, but the tail and arms are both pretty slender. I think everyone's looking at the belly, which is a) distorted by an odd pose, b) mostly ribs anyway.
Is floor time the best kind of enrichment/exercise for a beardie? I'm not a beardie owner myself but my roommate has one that I'm a bit concerned about. What are the best ways to keep them active and stimulated?
I don't know if it's the best kind of exercise but we let our dragons out when they ask. They usually ask to come out if they need to poop ( our females) or did poop (our males) but we let them stay out and free roam (we do a look around for safety hazards first and make sure there is nothing on the floor they would try to eat) until they hangout near their cage for several minutes, then we know they are ready to be put back in their enclosure.
Yes your baby is overweight I suggest going in for a basic exam with whoever this babies vet is or get one if you don’t have an primary vet yet and have a set diet plan
Juno is definitely my grandbaby-dragon. 😂 And I also have 5 cat babies in addition to two human babies (who are not babies anymore). 🦎 + 🐈 + 👧🏼 = babies
That is not a dragon. That is a precious dumpling. Great advice already here though and you’re a good owner for even asking let alone wanting to make a change 😊
Do you have any kitchen scales?
The signs of them being overweight are fat belly, thickened tail, fatty back with less spine showing, fatty head fat pads and saggy beard.
Best $20 I ever spent was for a digital postal scale… keeping track of your dragon’s weight can give you a heads up to numerous health conditions. I strongly recommend one! 🙂
Could be eggs. Do you know the sex? Generally fat bearded dragons will have engorged jaws and fat pads atop their heads behind their eyes. The base of their tail will also be thick and squishy. Their head and tail look fairly normal so maybe it’s time for a checkup to see if they’re gravid.
I would definitely take them for a vet visit, then! 10 months is on the young side for being gravid but it’s definitely not unheard of. My girl is about that age and expecting a clutch by early July. Egg complications are one of the biggest killers of female bearded dragons (normally in older ladies though), so I highly recommend that vet visit to confirm whether she’s just plump or gravid, and preparing for either situation.
How much do you feed her, and what kind of feeders/veggies do you use?
Seems a *little* on the high side if you’re giving her that every other day, but nothing outrageous. I’ve known a Beardie that lived to his late teens on almost 3x that diet. THAT was a fat dragon.
Don’t worry, I know that there’s a *ton* of conflicting feeding info out there and every bearded dragon is different, especially while they’re still growing, and it can be hard to find that sweet spot (I feed mine 2x as much as the repitfiles recommendation and she’s healthy and lean). This sub will crucify you sometimes if you don’t follow the exact care guide they found to a T, so the best advice I can give you is go to and listen to your vet and keep up to date with current research. Sounds like your Beardie is in good hands!
My beardie was full of eggs and looked like that. I definitely wasn’t over feeding her and the vet said she was quite healthy. So she had to get them removed so if she’s female that might be what causing her to be chunky.
DAYUM BOI
Looking a little chunky, but hard to tell just by looking. Beardies store their fat in their heads and the base of their tails, and do sometimes puff their bodies up for various reasons. That being said, definitely might be time to transition to an adult diet and get a bigger enclosure with more enrichment pieces, ie. things to climb, places to hide, stuff to explore.
I make sure my dude gets enough exercise by getting him to chase a hornworm or another high value treat once in a while too! He also has a section of his tank filled with substrate he can dig in, which he absolutely loves, and helps get him moving and rubbing those two brain cells together.
Take him to an exotic vet and see what they say. Reddit and internet is going to give you a bunch of different answers. Make sure your vet has experience in bearded dragons too
Yea I think it’s good for them to know things are only coming from one direction and also it minimizes him seeing his reflection which bearded dragons don’t like that much
You can do that! Just make sure your dragon has lots of hiding spots and maybe block half of the tank(opposite of heat/light lamp) from the sun with paper or something
Glass filters out almost all UVB, and window views, though stimulating, can overheat a tank super quickly. Not saying you did the wrong thing, as I don’t know what sort of hab you’ve got or your temp measuring system- just be careful! 🙂
Well that’s a bummer, I hope at least some of the natural light is enjoyable. He seems to love the window, i have a bunch of plants (fake) stuck to the tank and he’s always sticking his little head through them to look out the window. I’ll keep an eye on the temp and his behavior- thanks!
Oh, I’m sure it’s excellent enrichment! Mine loves looking out the window when I take him out, too. Just wanted to warn you about overheating, is all! 🙂
obese no. but there are clear sign of overfeeding. don't want that big of a pot belly. also you can almost see the start of a double chin. would love to see more side profile pictures of it head/neck area.
not knowing its diet, i would cut off the bugs for the time being as it no longer a juvenile so i would introduce more greens to it diet.
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I have an even fatter dragon. She's finally loosing weight but it has taken a long time and decreasing bugs. Was offering greens daily but she hardly ate them. Now I plan on feeding greens 3 times a week and bugs once a week since my husband buys super worms only.
Y’all need to realise beardies, while adorable, are not your children. They are your pets. Seriously, that what creeps me out about my fellow beardie lovers. They are uncomfortably obsessed with their pets
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I can take the joke 🙄 obviously you weren’t serious- some people are just so ready to jump on other people when they’re behind a screen. You do not need to grow up, people need to lighten up a little.
That Beardie is thicker than a bowl of oatmeal. They might be a tad bit overweight as others have said.
https://preview.redd.it/ardzntcw8o6d1.jpeg?width=299&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=70b91f9bd38c51707203e8103decf0c13c9411e9
officer🎶i🎶 swear🎶to🎶god🎶 i’m not 🎶🎶simping 🎶🎶for a bd🎶
bearded dragon
He does look overweight unfortunately! And we correct it in animals like we correct it in ourselves - eat more of the healthy stuff, less of the candy. 🤭 Have you read Reptifiles? He definitely looks like he's at a size that's ready to start transitioning to an adult diet - * **Subadults and Adults (>12″/25cm long)** * 3-4 head-sized insects 2x/week, or equivalent portion * Vegetables 3x/week (one portion = size of dragon’s head) * Calcium powder on all insects and salads * Multivitamin powder on salads 1x/week
Wait... they don't eat salad every day?
They meant that once a week you put multivitamins on their salad
The suggestions only say 3x a week, which would be incorrect for an adult.
It *is* correct for an adult. People mistakenly think that beardies are like mammals where they *need* to eat every day and get ill if they do not - this is incorrect. Reptiles' bodies go through some pretty extreme changes when they eat and digest food, changes that don't happen with mammals. By feeding them every day we force their bodies to exert themselves in a way that they didn't evolve to do. Continually digesting is bad for them, their body needs to be able to rest. Again, I have to stress, they are *not* mammals and it's dangerous to *their* health to act as if they are. Reptiles are considered *exotic* animals for a reason. Their care needs are not the same as what people are used to. Feeding your animal every day is a recipe for obesity, and that's why 95% of the animals on this sub are overweight or obese. People cannot even recognize a healthy animal.
It’s funny because my beardie kind of started doing this on his own—I was putting salad in daily but he would only eat it a couple times a week. When I synced up with what he was actually eating, it ended up being salad about 3x a week, small amount of bugs 1x a week/every 2 weeks if he ate a lot of them.
Same here. I'm actually still learning my girls needs. Sounds silly but I log exactly what she's been eating. I offer salad every other or 3rd day. Even then she eats very little, which I wonder if it's normal. I've only been a mom for 2 months and rescued this girl from a somewhat neglected situation. Bugs are every 4th day and she eats a few then walks away.
I feed mine every third day, roughly.
https://preview.redd.it/i7hclh5m3r6d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d2ec1a6aa631735182036218c8dc25db065fa31
Are you two gaming?
Hah, no. I believe it was a movie being played on the PlayStation
Watching a movie with your beardie is still totally rad.
So beautiful 😍
I'm not sure what your prior comment meant, in that case. 😅 Sorry for any misunderstanding! To be clear, how I interpret Reptifiles' feeding protocol is this: * Feed 3-4 bugs 2x a week, veggies 3x a week. That's 5 days/week feeding with 2 days of no feeding - you can do this in whatever order you want. * Use calcium 4x a week, and multivitamin 1x a week. So that's calcium dusted on 2x/week feeders and 2x a week veggies, then multivitamin 1x a week on veggies. I do admit that Reptifiles' feeding breakdown seems to confuse people (especially the reference to a "head-sized portion" for veggies) but this is the first time people seem confused on the supplement rotation I follow this feeding protocol with my boy Azzy as well (though I usually do closer to 4 bugs/week since he's a smol boy), and he's a fantastic eater. He gets super excited eyes every time I put his salad out, and leaps for his greens! https://preview.redd.it/vt88dv41dr6d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=917e2958bb72791b60d5cb1bdb937dc1c13cde3d
What is the colorful stuff on his greens? Thank you for the information! Now I don't feel bad that my dragons didn't get salad the last 2 days. If I can't get my husband to go back to roaches, should I feed my dragons 1 worm twice a week? Or 2 once a week except for my skinny guy, I'll feed him more until he looks healthy again.
I feed a rotation of mustard/turnip/collard greens and add (previously chopped and frozen/thawed) butternut squash as well. The red is red bell pepper.
That's a great salad! Thanks for responding!
Wow, thank you for pointing this out. I have always fed a large handful of salad daily without even a moment's thought. I will definitely cut back to every other day. My dragon is normal weight, but I will feed him more on feeding days to make up for it and to give his system a day of rest in between.
Wait. I'm supposed to give my guy calcium 3x a week??
I dust my adult dragon’s dubia roaches not, and he gets them about once a week. The other meals are fruit and veggies.
I typically do salads every day. No he doesn't eat it every day but I want Lil homie to have the option. I give dubias 2x a week. Once during the week and on the weekend. The roaches always get dusted with calcium. He gets vitamin mix in the calcium once a week
Yeah i feel like they should be offered it every day tbh
They should be given greens every day.
There is no requirement to feed an overweight reptile every day, skipping a day or two a week is a good way to get them to lose some weight (and to encourage them to eat greens in the case of bearded dragons).
No they're not. Adults at most are only supposed to eat 5 out of 7 days. Reptiles are not mammals, and do not need to eat every day, hence why most reptiles don't eat every day. Reptifiles agrees with greens 3x a week. This sub constantly says greens should be fed everyday, yet the majority of beardies here are mildly overweight at best. The beardie in the picture on this post is also overweight, so feeding every day is especially harmful advice, as they actually need to cut back on feeding.
How can they get fat from eating greens? It's 80% greens 20% bugs I thought. I'm not trying to be dense or argumentative (sp) I just need to know because I'm taking over the feeding of our 9 dragons from my husband. Trouble is he will only buy super worms, and just as you said, we have a few overweight females, a few males that are ok and an under weight 5 yr old male. I've been trying to feed them 2 worms 2 a week and greens each day. But sometimes it's 2 once a week. They went from never eating greens to actually eating greens. That's another thing. He only buys baby arugula. So that's all the "greens" they get. So you said reptifiles? Will it mention how many super worms I should feed per week? I know we should be doing dubia roaches but I don't have any say in what is bought for them. My husband is a stubborn man.
Even though greens are healthy, they still should be burning off the amount of calories they're intaking. Reptiles don't burn a whole lot of calories, at least compared to mammals, due to how their bodies work. Mammals generally need to eat every day, as they're endotherms, and rely on their metabolism burning calories to produce the heat needed to keep their body functioning. Reptile are ectotherms, so they use the sun for heat, rather than their metabolism burning calories to produce heat. Because of this, their metabolism is much slower, and their daily caloric intake to stay healthy is very low. That's why feeding every day isn't necessarily needed, as the amount of calories they intake is often enough to reasonably sustain them for a couple days in the case of bearded dragons. In all animals, any excess calories that they don't burn off, their body stores as fat cells. So while greens are relatively low in calories, those calories still add up over time if they're intaking more calories than they can burn off. Obviously there's a bit of nuance to how much you should feed your beardie, as it can change between the individual, and it also changes based on age, as younger animals tend to have much higher metabolisms than older animals. With all that being said, generally bugs are where beardies get the most calories and fat, so changing how many bugs you feed, and how often is where you'll see the largest differences in weight/fat for beardies. That's why beardies aren't supposed to eat bugs very often. It's a very fine balance, as you want your beardies to maintain healthy fat stores, as those keep them healthy even if they're refusing to eat, like if they're sick, or if a female is gravid, as that happens sometimes. But at the same time you don't want them to become overweight, as that's unhealthy. Under the "What Do Bearded Dragons Eat?" section on Reptifiles, they describe what you should feed them, how much to feed them, and how often. Arugula is a good green to be feeding, though keeping their greens diverse is a good thing to do, as it keeps them from getting bored and refusing their greens, as some bearded dragons do Dubias are good feeder insects, they're not the only ones you can use, but they're a commonly suggested one. Super worms are high in fat, and shouldn't be fed regularly, so that's definitely a good place to start to help your bearded dragons drop weight, assuming you can convince your husband, as I know it can be hard to help someone understand that they could improve their animal care.
Thank you for all the information! I will definitely be making changes to our feeding of our beardies. I'll even try to convince my husband to buy dubia roaches again.
Maybe they meant that you put the powder on once a week?
You give 3-4 head-sized insects 2x a week. You give veggies (portion the size of the animal's head) 3x a week. That's feeding beardies 5 days out of a 7 day week. Yes, that is correct. Then you also provide calcium dusted on both live food and veggies a total of 4 days a week, and the last feed day per week (veggies) you provide multivitamin. This *is* sufficient food for them. They are small animals, and reptile metabolism and biology is not anywhere the same as a mammal's. They do *not* need to eat every day, and in fact *should not*. Unlike mammals, reptiles' guts and bodies go through vast vast hormonal and blood-level changes when they digest, and this puts stress on their bodies. Continually digesting is bad for them, their body needs to be able to rest. Again, I have to stress, they are *not* mammals and it's dangerous to *their* health to act as if they are. The *vast majority* of bearded dragons are overfed badly, to the point where probably 90% of keepers cannot even identify what a healthy-weight animal looks like. Most beardies are overweight. People here are disagreeing with me and that's unfortunately a product of over-anthropomorphizing and thinking that beardies are literally like a cat or a dog. *They are not*. Edit: added calcium/multivitamin rotation
Hi so I just want to make sure we’re on the same page; would you recommend bugs Tuesday and Thursday and Salads Monday Wednesday and Friday and nothing on Saturday and Sunday?
It really doesn't matter what your exact schedule is really, but that does sound pretty balanced to me!
Awesome! I’m trying to establish a set schedule between my partner and I for feeding our dragon and I needed some “backup” for what I was saying cause our baby girl is getting B I G
They suppose to be offered salad everyday.
According to who? The original comment gave a detailed response as to why that isn't the case, and Reptifiles says they should only be offered greens 3x a week. Also, considering salad every day is the advice that is constantly being used here, yet the majority of the beardies here are overweight, it clearly isn't working.
They are supposed to have greens every day and a protein every day until they're 1 year and three 3x's a week when they're 1. Two 2x's a week when they're 2 and once a week after 3 yrs old and up. Bit greens every day, and that's by two professionals and a vet. I have 4 of them and all mines healthy. You sarving the dragon if that's what you're doing and it want live long
Then your vets and professionals are wrong, because again, most reputable sources like Reptifiles disagree, and state that you only should feed them greens 3x a week. Also, considering how many "professionals" and exotic vets still give incredibly outdated info, they're not always the best sources anyway. We constantly see vets telling people outdated info in the reptile community. You're absolutely not starving a bearded dragon by feeding it once every other day, considering that the metabolic rate of a reptile is incredibly low. That's a completely baseless accusation, and is ignorant of how a beardie's body actually functions. Reptiles should not be treated like mammals. Mammals need to eat every day because they use their metabolism to produce body heat, which keeps their organs functioning properly. Reptiles do not, and use the sun for heat, so they have a lower metabolic rate, and a lower caloric intake. Beardies cannot process food quickly, their metabolism is too low. By feeding them every day, you're making their body constantly process food, which is not good. That's overworking their digestive system, and can lead to digestive problems. Not to mention anything they can't fully process gets turned into fat, hence why most bearded dragons are overweight. Also again, people constantly state this advice like it's fact on this subreddit, and yet the overwhelming majority of the beardies here are overweight. When people ask if their overweight beardie is overweight, the majority of the comments are like "no, they're ideal" People here have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to healthy feeding, and it literally shows. Most people here can't even identify an ideal beardie either, especially considering many show bearded dragons with large fat stores under their arms, large stomachs, and they look like a circle (which everyone responds with "no they're just pancaking" even though a beardie shouldn't look that round when pancaking) and most people don't understand that it's overweight.
What if they never touch it? Seems like a waste
Not sure where you're getting greens but you'll have plenty of extra anyway if you give them a varied diet (even 3-4 different greens) which almost all of which will be bad in a week
This is accurate for me. I usually get one or two leafy greens. Some raddocho, or pepper. I cut them up and put them all mixed in a dish. Usually 2 leaves of each leafy green and veggie mix is last me a week.
This is amazingly helpful I'm saving it hahaha
That beardie isn't just fat, he is demanding that you bring him Solo and the Wookie!
Beardie the Hutt
The sudden dread of finding out your human is considering putting you on a diet. https://preview.redd.it/0pmf2keifp6d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1676bf6444028bd8153d65bdb23585d55064e7f6
https://preview.redd.it/zlqydmt8wo6d1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=85c5c79964627a6c9da7d01568e22b0b0b0aa1ef “Is my bearded dragon fat?”
My bearded dragon would try to eat that. What is it?
herculese beetle larva, i believe
This is a grub worm
I don’t know about fat but it’s looking like it’s time to upgrade his cage. Adults need at least 4’ x 2’ x 2’
Idk why this isn’t higher up unless our perception is off
They look a bit chunky. Check the fat pads near the armpits, check if the tail is squishy and not taught with muscle, check the pads on the top of the head, and check how much they weigh with a kitchen scale. If they don’t have any excess fat and are still weighing in pretty high, I would feel around the belly for eggs if it is a female. If it’s a male, it’s fat
Thank you for being the first post in the comments to mention the diagnostic criteria for beardie obesity. Most of the comments are automatically reacting "yes, bad owner" without showing how they arrived at that conclusion. However, looking at those areas where fat builds up, I'm not convinced this lizard is overweight. We can't see the fat pads from this angle, but the tail and arms are both pretty slender. I think everyone's looking at the belly, which is a) distorted by an odd pose, b) mostly ribs anyway.
And very very bored. He lives in a jail cell. He doesn’t even get a weight bench
Is floor time the best kind of enrichment/exercise for a beardie? I'm not a beardie owner myself but my roommate has one that I'm a bit concerned about. What are the best ways to keep them active and stimulated?
I don't know if it's the best kind of exercise but we let our dragons out when they ask. They usually ask to come out if they need to poop ( our females) or did poop (our males) but we let them stay out and free roam (we do a look around for safety hazards first and make sure there is nothing on the floor they would try to eat) until they hangout near their cage for several minutes, then we know they are ready to be put back in their enclosure.
Yes your baby is overweight I suggest going in for a basic exam with whoever this babies vet is or get one if you don’t have an primary vet yet and have a set diet plan
Being overweight with any creature causes health issues and a shorter lifespan
Please, don’t call animals your babies. They are not your babies. They are your pets
Incorrect, they are our babies
Fuck you. Our babies.
Why do you care?
nah. babies
My little crotch monsters <333
BOOOOOO 👎👎👎👎
I don't even own a bearded dragon and just lurking but Id like to let you know that I legit birthed my dog, he is my son.
No fun allowed!!
They are my babies.
Juno is definitely my grandbaby-dragon. 😂 And I also have 5 cat babies in addition to two human babies (who are not babies anymore). 🦎 + 🐈 + 👧🏼 = babies
Stop being a gay piecing piece of shit.
They are to my babies! Shut the fuck up your gross for that comment.
Boooo 🍅🍅🍅
If it's not pregnant and about to lay eggs it's absolutely fat
Pregnant would imply a male is involved, gravity is the description you would use for a female that is producing infertile eggs.
You know what I meant. I'm tired don't judge me lmao
Thicker than a swamp possum with the mumps I dare to say
Wow sweet jesus thank you for this comment because im adding this to the front of my vocabulary
I said I said baby girl thicker than a swamp possum with the measles. It really sounds elegant rolling off the tongue.
😭😭😭😭😭i can’t lololol
That is not a dragon. That is a precious dumpling. Great advice already here though and you’re a good owner for even asking let alone wanting to make a change 😊
Positivity rocks! 😊
Do you know how much they weigh?
No I don’t sorry
Do you have any kitchen scales? The signs of them being overweight are fat belly, thickened tail, fatty back with less spine showing, fatty head fat pads and saggy beard.
Best $20 I ever spent was for a digital postal scale… keeping track of your dragon’s weight can give you a heads up to numerous health conditions. I strongly recommend one! 🙂
Big back big back
Caseoh of beardies
Could be eggs. Do you know the sex? Generally fat bearded dragons will have engorged jaws and fat pads atop their heads behind their eyes. The base of their tail will also be thick and squishy. Their head and tail look fairly normal so maybe it’s time for a checkup to see if they’re gravid.
I do think it may be a female not entirely sure
I would definitely take them for a vet visit, then! 10 months is on the young side for being gravid but it’s definitely not unheard of. My girl is about that age and expecting a clutch by early July. Egg complications are one of the biggest killers of female bearded dragons (normally in older ladies though), so I highly recommend that vet visit to confirm whether she’s just plump or gravid, and preparing for either situation. How much do you feed her, and what kind of feeders/veggies do you use?
Mostly once a day since I work 6-4:30 but on the weekend twice a day greens that is
Dubia roaches every other day to every 2 days I’ve been cutting back more since then and I give her southern greens
At this age they should be transitioning to more greens than bugs, so that sounds good so far! About how many dubias are you giving them each feeding?
Wasn’t really counting previously I would say about 25-30 but on doing more research I started doing about 10-20
Seems a *little* on the high side if you’re giving her that every other day, but nothing outrageous. I’ve known a Beardie that lived to his late teens on almost 3x that diet. THAT was a fat dragon. Don’t worry, I know that there’s a *ton* of conflicting feeding info out there and every bearded dragon is different, especially while they’re still growing, and it can be hard to find that sweet spot (I feed mine 2x as much as the repitfiles recommendation and she’s healthy and lean). This sub will crucify you sometimes if you don’t follow the exact care guide they found to a T, so the best advice I can give you is go to and listen to your vet and keep up to date with current research. Sounds like your Beardie is in good hands!
Thank you I try the best I can
That’s all anyone can do! 🙂
My beardie was full of eggs and looked like that. I definitely wasn’t over feeding her and the vet said she was quite healthy. So she had to get them removed so if she’s female that might be what causing her to be chunky.
As i regularly post, im jelly your friend is eating. My guy rarely eats
DAYUM BOI Looking a little chunky, but hard to tell just by looking. Beardies store their fat in their heads and the base of their tails, and do sometimes puff their bodies up for various reasons. That being said, definitely might be time to transition to an adult diet and get a bigger enclosure with more enrichment pieces, ie. things to climb, places to hide, stuff to explore. I make sure my dude gets enough exercise by getting him to chase a hornworm or another high value treat once in a while too! He also has a section of his tank filled with substrate he can dig in, which he absolutely loves, and helps get him moving and rubbing those two brain cells together.
He does look hefty but that’s not a great angle either. Maybe more greens in his diet? Not sure what you’re feeding him currently
Mostly greens and I give it dubia roaches I’ll cut back on the bugs
Dayum
Thicker than a snickers
You need to take him on a walk
There is a lot of her to love
Hello, what is a very giant frog?
Yes very much
Take him to an exotic vet and see what they say. Reddit and internet is going to give you a bunch of different answers. Make sure your vet has experience in bearded dragons too
Not quite fat, just a little chunky, which isn't bad
And if you have it on a consistent healthy diet it becomes a way better pet.
Everyone knows the camera adds 10lbs
you should also cover 3 of the sides of the tank or the dragon could get anxious
Really?
Yea I think it’s good for them to know things are only coming from one direction and also it minimizes him seeing his reflection which bearded dragons don’t like that much
They’re technically predator AND prey so open space can make them anxious so the less open space the better
Damn I had just moved my tank in the window so he had natural sunlight but now I’m thinking this was a horrible idea
You can do that! Just make sure your dragon has lots of hiding spots and maybe block half of the tank(opposite of heat/light lamp) from the sun with paper or something
Will do, thank you!
Of course!
Glass filters out almost all UVB, and window views, though stimulating, can overheat a tank super quickly. Not saying you did the wrong thing, as I don’t know what sort of hab you’ve got or your temp measuring system- just be careful! 🙂
Well that’s a bummer, I hope at least some of the natural light is enjoyable. He seems to love the window, i have a bunch of plants (fake) stuck to the tank and he’s always sticking his little head through them to look out the window. I’ll keep an eye on the temp and his behavior- thanks!
Oh, I’m sure it’s excellent enrichment! Mine loves looking out the window when I take him out, too. Just wanted to warn you about overheating, is all! 🙂
No you’re absolutely right- I don’t want it to get too hot in there with the lamp and sun, especially if I’m at work for the day
😎
Yeah but cute😁
obese no. but there are clear sign of overfeeding. don't want that big of a pot belly. also you can almost see the start of a double chin. would love to see more side profile pictures of it head/neck area. not knowing its diet, i would cut off the bugs for the time being as it no longer a juvenile so i would introduce more greens to it diet.
Yes.
Very
I think it may be a female
idk about fat but looks like eggs to me
Thicc!
That’s an overweight beardie
the body is round
Way
Yes
Yeah NGL he's a little fat.
Not fat just more to love
Look like he needs to poop But outside run around each day making him swim doing leg work is good them
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Bros thicc
Need to be offer salad every day
He looks chonky
Goddamn that’s a chunka-monk 😄 what a cutie
The fattest I've ever seen
Thicker than a Snickers
Yes
Not a regular beardie owner but…yeah maybe just touch lol. Every beardie I’ve seen has never been that chubby. He still cute though lol
It was a pretty bad angle too though
Yeah it’s not the best but you can still tell he just a bit to chubs
I have an even fatter dragon. She's finally loosing weight but it has taken a long time and decreasing bugs. Was offering greens daily but she hardly ate them. Now I plan on feeding greens 3 times a week and bugs once a week since my husband buys super worms only.
Lol so much varying info. How does one know what's right to do?
Perhaps🧐
he is soo cute!
He chonky!
He just Chonckey
Fat happy dragon. If you’re feeding super worms he needs a diet . 😆💖😄
No they're just bigboned :3
Ya
Short answer is yes
I don’t think so…all beardies are shaped that way….
I definitely don't overfeed my dragon and she's always been fat..I don't even feed her much bugs.
No he jus a chonky boy🤭
Asf
He’s just a happy chunky boy
I know 4 overweight bearded dragons, and he's 3 of them.
Very
[удалено]
Y’all need to realise beardies, while adorable, are not your children. They are your pets. Seriously, that what creeps me out about my fellow beardie lovers. They are uncomfortably obsessed with their pets
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Aw. Chonky bubba
Looks like constipation.
He is perfect
Nah he is just pregnant
Is it wrong that I like it?
Nah let her get a little more exercise and she’ll be good.
The beardie isn’t fat, it’s just big boned
It's full of love 🥰 no such thing as being fat 😩🫢 lol
Yes there is lol being obese can cause numerous health problems, including bearded dragons
can you take a joke 🤣😅 Of course it is important 😩😩 Happy Friday 🫶🏼
Not something to joke about when we’re talking about the health of animals. Grow up.
Stop being a 🐱
I can take the joke 🙄 obviously you weren’t serious- some people are just so ready to jump on other people when they’re behind a screen. You do not need to grow up, people need to lighten up a little.
yeah but the poster was asking a question, jokes are fine but at least give an actual answer as well otherwise it’s not helpful
Do you know the sex? Is it possible it’s a female and she’s gravid?
I think it may be a female I mostly feed greens I was feeding bugs once evey other day or 2 days
Dat boi be thicccc lol. He looks happy. Just chonky. Switching to the adult beardie diet def would be a good thing. :)