Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have 2 female and 1 male beardie, all @3 months old. One of the females is still very small and now her tail has started turning gray/black. I never really worried about her size because she eats as well as the others, but doesn't seem to put on any weight. She's about 1/2 the size of my other female and I need some help on what to do to get her to put on some weight. Are there any vitamins I can use? I dust her food and crickets and she eats them just fine. Also the tail has me worried, any suggestions or ideas?

I have 2 female and 1 male beardie, all @3 months old. One of the females is still very small and now her tail has started turning gray/black. I never really worried about her size because she eats as well as the others, but doesn't seem to put on any weight. She's about 1/2 the size of my other female and I need some help on what to do to get her to put on some weight. Are there any vitamins I can use? I dust her food and crickets and she eats them just fine. Also the tail has me worried, any suggestions or ideas?

are they in the same enclosure? if so you might want to look into seperating them, she might do better in her own space. Also you should get her checked for parasites, get a fecal exam done. Do you have UVB lighting and a basking spot of 105-115? what kind of substrate are they on? do you dust with a multivitamin? has she been through a shed lately? the tail might be a result of stuck shed, i would give her a soak and see if you cant help out there, also try some veggie oil on the area, that can help shed, if the tissue isnt already dead beyond coming back this can help. Not saying thats what it is as it could be color change, some beardies do get a darker tail towards the end. I would get her to a vet and get a professional opinion, wihtout seeing the dragon here no one can diagnose the problem with her. Do you offer them fresh dark leafy greens daily? Tell us about your set up and perhaps we can give some suggestions...

My setup is a 7'x2'x2' tank. My basking spot is @110 and I have plenty of cool spots for them to cool off when needed, nothing cooler than 80. All my beardies eat leafy greens everyday and crickets a couple times a week. I use ReptoCal to dust everything. Is there something better? As far as it being shed skin on the tail, I haven't seen her shed yet. My male has shed 3 times since I've had him. I thought about putting her in her own cage, but with the size of my setup the male stays at one end and the females are at the other. I feed mainly mustard greens, anything better? I have tried somef ruit just for a change, but no one seems to like it. Thanks for the help

Posted by: jobuddha at Wed Jun 25 15:20:13 2003 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]

My setup is a 7'x2'x2' tank. My basking spot is @110 and I have plenty of cool spots for them to cool off when needed, nothing cooler than 80. All my beardies eat leafy greens everyday and crickets a couple times a week. I use ReptoCal to dust everything. Is there something better? As far as it being shed skin on the tail, I haven't seen her shed yet. My male has shed 3 times since I've had him. I thought about putting her in her own cage, but with the size of my setup the male stays at one end and the females are at the other. I feed mainly mustard greens, anything better? I have tried somef ruit just for a change, but no one seems to like it. Thanks for the help

at 3 months old i would be feeding them 2-3 times daily, they really need the protein to grow at this age. As for dusting i think you mean RepCal? thats a good multivitamin and should be used 3 times weekly at that age, should be dusting with Rep-Cal calcium w/D3 once daily at that age also. As for mustard greens i beleive that their phosphorus to calcium level leans much higher to phosphorus, yuo want to use something like collard greens as a base to your salads, they are very high in calcium, you can add things like escarole, endive, dandelion greens and then mustard geens and kale off and on. Could the tail be that she is going into shed? at that age they are usually shedding all the time. I would get your dragons to the vet to get a fecal done, just to rule out parasites, you might want to have her looked at also just to be on the safe side... hope that this helps some....you also are going to have to seperate the male from the females in the next while , he will be ready to breed (physically able and willing )far before they will. Females should not be bred until 18 months of age and of a healthy weight and size, same goes for males, you dont want him around your females until he is done growing and his muscles are properly developed. Some do breed males early but i agree with those who wait the few extra months just to be certian you are giving him the best chance at health also, breeding males too young can put them at risk of prolapsed hemi-penes and also can be stressful for them always after the females. Males can tend to stop eating and concentrate on the females, when he should be eating and concentrating on growing =)