Old Rescue Beardie Needs Help

[Ellefm]

Hi everyone- I recently received a beardie to care for in place of their previous owner who was in a bad place. He is about 8 years old and was fed exclusively meal worms (quantity unknown, owner would just leave a bowl in his tank all week)
To make a long story short, I need advise on whether or not he’s underweight and if so, how best to get him to a healthy state. I realize the odds are stacked against us as he is older and has likely been in this condition for a while, but I want to try to give me a fighting chance.

I have read SO MANY conflicting opinions about diet and I’m feeling a bit at a loss. I understand diet should be 70% veg 30% insects.

I have tried to introduce veggies and at this point he will periodically eat cabbage, broccoli and lettuce (though I’ve read lettuce should not be given due to lack of nutrients?). He has enthusiastically eaten crickets and super worms. I also can get him to eat 2-3 ‘bearded dragon buffet’ pellets if I entice him with live first.

I feed him veggies and a few live insects everyday, which I’ve also heard conflicting opinions.

I would appreciate any advise and opinions!

 

[Sadie]

Hi everyone- I recently received a beardie to care for in place of their previous owner who was in a bad place. He is about 8 years old and was fed exclusively meal worms (quantity unknown, owner would just leave a bowl in his tank all week)
To make a long story short, I need advise on whether or not he’s underweight and if so, how best to get him to a healthy state. I realize the odds are stacked against us as he is older and has likely been in this condition for a while, but I want to try to give me a fighting chance.

I have read SO MANY conflicting opinions about diet and I’m feeling a bit at a loss. I understand diet should be 70% veg 30% insects.

I have tried to introduce veggies and at this point he will periodically eat cabbage, broccoli and lettuce (though I’ve read lettuce should not be given due to lack of nutrients?). He has enthusiastically eaten crickets and super worms. I also can get him to eat 2-3 ‘bearded dragon buffet’ pellets if I entice him with live first.

I feed him veggies and a few live insects everyday, which I’ve also heard conflicting opinions.

I would appreciate any advise and opinions!

Please start w/ salads -- here is a nutrition website ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
Next get him on a staple feeder -- dubia roaches crickets or silk worms -- they like variety also start w/ some super worms horn worms they are good for hydration butter worms -- those are all good treat worms and since hes been on meal worms for so long I would opt out of feeding those -- please no more lettuce cabbage or broccoli -- please go by the nutrition website -- also a good staple feeder is prickly pear pads they can be purchased off of amazon -- kept in a ziploc and in your veggie bin --- he should be getting 80% salads now and 20% insects but since he was never fed a staple feeder I would offer him some insects like the crickets or dubia every day --- a good balance diet is going to put weight on him but you want to do it over a coarse of time and not all at once -- you want him healthy and w/ all that you feed him w/ the worms insects and salad he will be healthy -- please go over the lighting your using UVB NO coils please --- and basking temps please use a digital probe thermometer NO stick ons they are inaccurate for basking temps --- they need to be 95-110 --- those two things I have just mentioned are the MOST important thing in that tank right now --- everything else will fall into place -- is he getting around ok any signs of MBD?

 

[HoomanSlave]

Hi everyone- I recently received a beardie to care for in place of their previous owner who was in a bad place. He is about 8 years old and was fed exclusively meal worms (quantity unknown, owner would just leave a bowl in his tank all week)
To make a long story short, I need advise on whether or not he’s underweight and if so, how best to get him to a healthy state. I realize the odds are stacked against us as he is older and has likely been in this condition for a while, but I want to try to give me a fighting chance.

I have read SO MANY conflicting opinions about diet and I’m feeling a bit at a loss. I understand diet should be 70% veg 30% insects.

I have tried to introduce veggies and at this point he will periodically eat cabbage, broccoli and lettuce (though I’ve read lettuce should not be given due to lack of nutrients?). He has enthusiastically eaten crickets and super worms. I also can get him to eat 2-3 ‘bearded dragon buffet’ pellets if I entice him with live first.

I feed him veggies and a few live insects everyday, which I’ve also heard conflicting opinions.

I would appreciate any advise and opinions!

I would recommend staying away from superworms until you're confident he has no MBD and he's eating a variety of foods. They can be addictive and they're high in phosphorus. Go for high-protein and high calcium feeders such as dubia roaches (discoids or red runners if you're in Florida), black soldier fly larvae, silkworms, and hornworms. Weigh him using a kitchen scale to tell if he's underweight (380-510 grams is a healthy weight). Set up an appointment with an exotic vet to discuss healthy ways to put weight on him and get him tested for calcium levels and parasites.

Broccoli is very high in phosphorus and oxalic acid, so you'll need to cut back on that quite a bit, especially when he may have developed MBD. Cabbage is okay in moderation (it's high in calcium and vitamins but low in fat), but it shouldn't be a staple because of all the goitrogens it contains that can lead to health issues. Cabbage can be fed 1-2 times a week, with a small leaf or two mixed into the salad. The lettuce can lead to digestive issues and doesn't have much nutritional value. You can add a small amount of the veggies he does eat to a healthy salad (staple green+squash+sweet potato and/or another veg) to tempt him to eat the salad.