Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

I have not been on this forum in a long time hopefully there are still some of the same good folks there were before because I need some help. I was given a dragon that was not taken care of very well at all. It was housed incorrectly, fed incorrectly and is in pretty bad shape. However, I know with some TLC I can get her as fat as my boys, "Angus" and "Irwin". I need to know what would be the best staple diet to get some meat on her bones. She is really skinny and crix and mixed greens are not doing the job fast enough. Any suggestions for fatty foods other than greens and crix? Some kind of Beardie Twinkie or something Thanks in advance for any ideas.
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Peace!
KofSeattle
Reptile-Like
Here lizard lizard.........

You can add Rep-Cal Juvenile pellets to the salad. I say feed the juvenile pellets as they have a bit more protein then the adult pellets which would help out a malnourished dragon. These pellets are a complete food source meaning they have all the calcium, vitamins that they need.

I would not stop feeding the crickets daily, but you can add fattier worms such as superworms & wax worms to get him back up to a healthier weight. Wax worms are fattier but smaller in size then superworms. Superworms have more fat content then crickets, and happen to be large sized worms, about an inch and a half to two inches in length. Just do not feed too many at a time or without including the crickets as dragons will get a taste for these treats quite quickly, and will hold out for them. So feed a few with each cricket feeding. This has helped me in keeping my dragons as cricket eaters, but adding the variety of the worms too their meals. Worms are like beardie potato chips they love the taste and can't just eat one. If given alone or for an extended amount of time without crickets they will want those more then the crickets and will hold out for them. This is the reason to keep them eating the crickets.
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Webshots photos
www.Mystical-Dragons.com

Great advice, and well written.

I'm chuckling about the super worms being "beardie potato chips". I made my 24 inch girl a sign above her enclosure that reads, "WILL EXERCISE FOR WORMS".
I place a paper plate at either end of my herp room. First I drop a super worm on the one the farthest away and take her out.
She bolts right over to gobble it down and turns around. We've done it enough that she anticipates a worm at the other end of the room. The minute it hits the plate she's running full out to get it. She doesn't move this fast for anything else--ever!
Ten minutes of this and it's beardie arobics at it's best!

Definitely keep feeding crickets and salad, but supplement them with Rep-Cal. Make sure there is sufficient fluid intake. Dehydration is a problem that may not be immediately recognized. Superworms, mealworms and waxworms are very fattening and you should try these. I prefer Superworms over mealworms because they are bigger and are supposed to have less chitin. You can also try silkworms and green goliaths, especially if the dragon is picky eater. Good luck to you, you are doing a wonderful thing!
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"Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt. Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench. Care about people's approval and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity." - Lau-tzu - Tao Te Ching

When using the pellets, do they have to be soaked or can they be mixed dry with the greens? If they are a complete nutrition source.. do you still need to supplement with powder? Can/Does it replace greens or just add to it?

You should never take greens out of their diet. It not only provides nutrition and multiple trace elements but also moisture, helping kidney function. The pellets can be fed dry or lightly moistened, I prefer lightly moistened as it helps stimulate feeding in my experience. If you are looking to fatten this dragon, you should feed it superworms and silkworms or green goliaths. Keep feeding crickets as well, but the worms are much more fattening and will stimulate quick weight gain.
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Mollyskali

"Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt. Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench. Care about people's approval and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity." - Lau-tzu - Tao Te Ching

Putting the wrong kind of weight on this dragon whose body has already been through so much will not do him any favors. You want good healthy weight, not a bunch of fat that is going to put him at risk for heart disease, renal failure, and gout. Feed a balanced diet NOT a high fat one.

Just though that needed to be said.
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If you want to put on healthy weightyou can stick to prepared foods like rep-cal and t-rex. Mix either with water into a paste and then squirt it in his mouth with a syringe. I had one that was underweight and i used this method. he would run over and gape at me like a baby bird waiting for a quirt.
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Bennett

Home of the Florida Orange
www.beardiedragon.com

give them good carbs and are healthy for them, just use a grater on a raw sweet potatoe and put it on their salads, this is one of the things that we always add to rehab and underweight reptiles that eat veggies. I also agree with the rep_cal pellets as a good souce of "good fats" and other nutrients. I would use wax worms VERY sparingly, their bodies can not break down this fat and they store it in the liver which can create so serious problems later on.

Also, did you get a fecal to rule out parasites? The best diet in the world is useless if something is taken the nutrients they need.
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www.reptilerooms.com