Reptile & Amphibian Forums

and...

Marz

I manage my dragons weight. They get much less exercise in captivity and food is easier to get. If you let them get that fat the fat pads in their bodies get so large that they reduce the space required for other organs. In addition, fatty liver disease is another common cause for reduced lifespan in dragons.

I use a scale and weigh all my animals weekly. All my adults have a target range and I adjust their live food to keep them in the range. I alternate live food and salad days for my dragons so they are never without food. For most of my males it works out to 6-10 superworms. If they don't eat salad I cut back on the live food till they do.

Thanks for your .2s... these are adolescents and still growing.

And this is not my first rodeo...

My adults are not fattened up to the point where I have any issues.

Thanks for your concerns though just the same.

The adolescents are the one labeled as... fatty one and fatty 2... not the pics of my two adult hypos.

Those are adults obviously.

the adults are fat too...I find many dragon keepers (actually many pet keepers in general, not just in the reptile world) overfeed their pets. Too much fat can cause complications to an animal's health, but it doesn't mean every animal with excess fat will drop dead of fatty liver disease or any other 'fat' related problem. It does however, increases the risks of weight related issues.

The weight issue aside, you do have nice looking dragons and in the long run, I rather see overweight dragons that are healthy and active, than skinny underweight dragons who are suffering poor care.
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PHLdyPayne

The two adolescent dragons that I took pictures of just got done filling their tanks... that is why I took the picture. And hence... FATTY X2

They tank up well and then digest.

Some eat a couple insects and have slower growth rates. These two boys will pace the tank to and fro almost saying... "jimmony Christmas, feed me already man." I think they would eat to the point of bursting actually. They have incredible growth grates and are vibrant healthy dragons.

I use mercury vapor in conjunction with repti-sun bulbs... incorporating this with good sized enclosures and lots of shady hiding spots. I find the heat light and UVB from the same source to be awesome. I am a fan of properly used/placed mercury vapor bulbs.

Dragons are opportunistic sun bathers and will retreat to shady spots not wallowing in the sun for as many hours as some people force them to endure that dont provide shady relief.

They may bask for an hour or two then retreat for an hour or two then repeat. I believe that its imperative to have lots of shading hiding spots as you find in nature. This is the nature of most reptile sun worshipers.

I have had breeders tell me, I dont want my dragons hiding. I want them out in the open, and not a recluse. This leads me to believe they do not provide relief from the uvb in the way of shade.

Dragons are also social animals and need interaction and stimulants to thrive I have found. When put into total isolation in enclosures for long periods of time I find them to become very complacent and seemingly depressed. Although they all differ in sensitivity to this.

I offer them veggies every day... insects every other day. Sometimes I will do two days in row on insects. But this is not the norm. This way they can digest properly and their digestive system is not overtaxed.

The adult hypo male that looks fat in the picture is puffed up and swollen with air in a dominance display. He is hardly fat at all. Agile and robust in actuality.

My adults get exams and checkups etc.

Just had Aurora (the leucistic female) at the vet about 2 weeks ago. The vet said she looks to be at an optimal weight for her size actually.

I have seen some fat lazy lethargic dragons in pet stores and also the opposite side of the spectrum. Not sure how you could call these adults fat.

Anubis is 22 inches long and not a fat dragon.

Aurora is a beautiful vibrant healthy dragon and is not even the slightest bit overweight. She is the dragon form of a svelte and sexy Olympian. She literally runs around the tank and I take her outside often to bask and romp.

Thanks for the collective criticism.