Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Bowser is doing great so far, he really seems to be packing on some weight. I'm not sure if this is because he got here on the slim side or because I may be overfeeding. I've been feeding once a day, in the morning. I gradually put larger and larger handfulls of greens and he eats just about every last piece within a few hours. I've had to remove probably less than ten pieces that he didn't eat. He's probably eaten about six dendelions and two small pieces of banana which he didn't seem to like as much as I would have expected from redaing all of the posts here. So... it's been 16 days and I'll post the first picture I took of him along with one from today for comparison; he had no signs of a shed two weeks ago and now seems to be growing faster than his skin can keep up. Is it possible to overfeed or will he know a healthy time to stop eating? Thanks for any input. Looking at the pictures I realize it would have been a good idea to take the pics with a reference object.....
HH
repost of first pic

this morning

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1.1 U. Maliensis (Koopa,Zilla)
1.0 S. Hispidus (Bowser)

Hi,

Your chuck looks much better in the second picture. Maybe I shouldn't say "much", but better anyway. In the first picture, he looks slightly thin...not emaciated, just a little thin. He also looks a little "deflated", or not puffed up, so that makes it a little hard to judge. His tail in the first photo is not too thin, and his legs show some muscle, so I wouldn't say he looked bad. In the second photo, he looks nice and plump, with more of a belly and more muscle on his legs, more the way I would say he should look, so I think you must be doing a good job.

My chuck also doesn't seem to like bananas much. He loves dandelion flowers and nasturtium flowers. He also goes CRAZY for fresh cilantro. In my experience, he will eat what he wants and then leave the rest, and maybe come back after an hour or two to eat some more. I only leave fresh greens or dandelions or things of that sort for longer than an hour, though. If I offer him some frozen veggies like carrots and green beans, or some fruits (basically, anything that is wet or cooked or a little mushy), I will leave it for 15-30 minutes and then discard whatever he doesn't eat, because I don't want it to sit in the dish and spoil. He's really kind of a pig, though...he seems to like almost anything he's offered. He really packs it in, which makes sense when you think about it. Leafy vegetables don't have many calories at all, so you'd have to eat quite a bit of that kind of stuff to keep up your energy. That's why I like to offer a variety that includes things like carrots or sweet potato--things that are higher in calories. As far as I can tell, you seem to be doing things right.

Angus

Thanks for the reassuring reply, I know people with obese pets and I don't want to be that guy. My Uro's usually leave about 1/4 of what I put in for them which is about the same as what I give Bowser but he usually eats it all. Thanks for the ideas with cilantro and sweet potatoes, we usually have both at hand I'll give them a try.
HH
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1.1 U. Maliensis (Koopa,Zilla)
1.0 S. Hispidus (Bowser)

I think Bowser looks great. Chucks are supposed to be nice and round. My baby eats like a pig too. Tiny eats way more than my uros do. It seems Bowser has adjusted nicely to his home and looking good because of your good care.

Kathy

Thanks, I really am enamored, hopefully he continues to grow and I can positively sex him by August and possibly get him a female partner.
HH
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1.1 U. Maliensis (Koopa,Zilla)
1.0 S. Hispidus (Bowser)