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is my dragon too fat?

Dwaggie

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
21
hey guys!

i am wondering about the weight of my beardie girl and whether it's fine or if she's too chubby.
in general, she's alert, loves free roaming around in my appartment (only when i'm at home), will run if she feels like it, she appears to me as a healthy bean :)

however, someone pointed out, on a photo i posted, that she might be overweight.
since that is something i can't find any good info on, i hope that someone here can give me a good opinion.
i don't want to spend money on a vet for that question alone (esp. since she's doing well otherwise)

she's 47 cm from snout to tail tip (that's about 18,5 inch if the converter did it right) and she's 500 gramm / 1 pound heavy.
i attatched some photos so you can see her body type

as far as i can tell, she's not badly obese, she can scamper about and her belly doesn't drag on the floor when she walks.
but i admit i have some trouble getting her to eat greens. she'll happily eat colorful veggies (like red sweet pepper, carrot, sweet potatoe, tomato, courgette/zucchini slices, so far)
she's a real pig about any sort of bug, but i'm trying not to give her too many (so far i've given her zophobas/super worms (i think they're called. giant meal worms), dubia roaches (which i'd like to be my main/staple feeder), normal mealworms (used as crunchy pieces to get her to eat her salad) and a few crickets.

also, even if this is a bit off topic right here... but, i've read very different things about rocket and romaine salad. are they good or bad to feed? they're easy for me to come by, but different sources say different things about their staple-worthiness for beardies
 

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Canicke

Super Moderator
Staff member
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
1,669
she does look like she might be on the far end of the weight scale. a bit of a diet might not be a bad idea. romaine should not be a staple - not much nutrition. rocket (aka arugula) is good. but - switch it up when you can - mustard greens, dandelion greens - see the links below for some more suggestions (my girl - who is about 8 years old - is also hefty. she's a retired breeder. pretty much a slug. was used and abused for several years - I've kind of given her a retirement package :) )
 

Hdrydr31

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Staff member
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
5,574
I would agree she's a bit heavy but not badly.. I would cut out/down the superworms as they can be fattening. I would go the dubia route way better staple bug and you can really gut load them with the same greens and veggies so in a round about way she's getting some of that goodness.
I give my 2 exercise time in the kitchen sink when I do their baths :) and in warm sunny days I take them outside to run around on the grass with their leashes. My female is 2+ and she's 443gr and 17.5 long My male is 1+ and is 493 gr and 20.5 long. They both run around without bellies hitting floor
 

beeneufe

Hatchling Dragon
3 Year Member
Messages
58
Location
Canada
Currently dealing with a bit of a chubster myself. She's dropped some weight in a month, largely due to slowing down on the supers. I still give her a couple a week, but more as treats or when I am out of crickets. It was suggested by another member on a different post, but slipping greens into your beardie's mouth when they are chomping can help! They may give you a stink eye, but from my experience won't spit it out.

Baths are also a good place for exercise. Think of it as water aerobics.
 

Chicklet

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
57
You know I've been wondering about this with my beardie too. One of my friends on Facebook commented on a picture "that's the fattest lizard I've ever seen" then narrowed it down to beardies when I tried to protest. My vet (who I'm not sure I trust) said the best way to tell if they're fat is if when they bask they're more of a circle than an oval and she's still definitely an oval lol
 

Dwaggie

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
21
haha yeah...
i think she's close to being a pretty circle, but she's just so still oval XD
and she loves walking around the appartment, so she can and likes moving on her feet and exploring
right now, she's also shedding, and doesn't seem all too hungry atm
then again, i've not offered her any bugs since yesterday morning (it's now afternoon), and she might just be refusing to touch her greens. she did have some red pepper and half a cherry tomato. she's pretty picky, but the colorful veggies are always welcome (and... i think feeding her veggies is still better than bugs, if she doesn't touch her greens)
bugs are for tomorrow ^^
 

Chicklet

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
57
Our beardies are about the same length so I've been lurking. I think yours might be thicker than mine but only because someone told me to lay off the superworms and mealworms and now I'm super strict about them
 
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