Hi all! I have recently become the owner of a beautiful Bearded Dragon who was from a rescue. He has gained significant weight (as per the girl from the rescue, who I know and trust). Apparently he was extremely malnourished when she got him. He has gained a good amount of weight since she started working with him but he still needs to bulk up in his legs, hips and tail. He has been eating and drinking very well. Can you tell me if there is anything I can give him that will help him bulk up?

I have read that pinkies are a good thing but I'm not sure if that's the right course of action right now in his diet. I also don't want to overload the poor guy.

I'm not sure of his age, but he is probably close to an adult if not an adult. He currently measures 7 1/2" (snout to vent length) and his tail adds another 4 1/2". Thanks for any advice given!

I only give my Bearded Dragons a pinky once a month as a treat. A regular balanced diet is much better in the long run.

My original answer was going to be "If you want to build up his legs how about jazzercise"!

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Keep feeding him healthy gutloaded crickets. Power feeding is not the right way to go, especially pinkies because they have a horrible chance of impaction and are a unhealthy way to go. Silkies are the best way to go ofcoarse, they are the healthiest common feeder available. Remember, If you're unhealthy and underweight you don't want to eat unhealthy to gain weight. That could cause more problems

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The more you whine, the worse it will get.

Thanks for the info! Any help is appreciated. Now I have a real silly question, "what are silkies"? Are they what I would call waxworms?

Hey Tammy, ur gonna get alot of comments on teh pinky thing, but, i feed mine pinkies ocassionally with no problems. They are high in fat, but you will not want to overfeed him. Silkies are also a good source of nutrition and may help. Just make sure he has salad available at all times and feed crickets dusted daily and eventually he will gain weight.

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

Silkworms. www.mulberryfarms.com

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

I don't know if you ever saw my thread about Rocky, Tammy, but she was severely malnourished and literally just bones when we got her.. over the past few months she has improved by miles, even overcoming more weight loss when she laid 3 clutches of infertile eggs over summer! As of yesterday she weighs 316g!! That is such an achievement, and so great to see. She still has some problems - she has a problem with her jaw, which means we have to clean it daily with tamodine, and her teeth will probably be a problem in the future. Her legs and tail were so skinny but now there is no sign of bones anywhere, and she looks so healthy..

It was tempting at first to feed her up, but to start with we fed her a limited number of gutloaded crickets daily, dusted with extra calcium and vitamins. After we knew her digestive system was in order and she was adjusting to the change we gave her as much as she wanted to eat,. crickets, wax worms, meal worms, locusts, and the occassional pinkie, although that's only when we can trick her into eating them! Don't worry - your guy will gain weight slowly but surely, and in just a few months you will see such a difference. It's a good idea to check his weight weekly, then you will know he is putting weight on. For example we were worried that Rocky might have lost a bit recently because she is voluntarily eating less over winter, however she is still gaining weight, and quite quickly (over a week and a half she has put on 8g!), so it definately puts your mind at rest, and it's quite interesting to note how much weight they are gaining. I wish we had had the scales when we first brought her home.

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"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004

Bitis, I have heard and seen impactions in adults and more younge. Still everyone has their own opinion and ofcoarse this is just mine...

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The more you whine, the worse it will get.

Thanks for all the info guys! It is appreciated greatly. Mr. Stubbs is eating on his own terms which is fine with me. At least I know he isn't eating too much to overcompensate for the previous mistreatment. He is eating his greens, which he gets every day, also crickets, mealworms and waxworms. He doesn't have a voracious appetite, but I am happy with the amount he eats. I was worried because he hadn't pooped after he was home with me for the first 4 days, but then I came home from work and he had gone. He has gotten a bath and that was the first thing he did in the tub. So I'm now happy he is going on a regular basis. He is also getting very curious and wants to wander when I take him out. He got to meet Rex yesterday and hung out with him for a while. Rex is so amazing, he didn't even flare his dewlap at the little guy. We have been so blessed with Rex, he is so gentle with all of the other animals. I let them bask together while I did dishes at the sink. It was so cute I took some pics. I'll have Dom post them as soon as he can. Thanks again all!

Waxworms will fatten them up!!! I wouldnt go with the mealworms, they too can cause impaction. Our Deuce didnt go poo for a while after feeding mealworms and after a couple days I gave him a warm bath and nothing but whole mealwoms came out, since then no mealwoms. I do however feed superworms which have a softer exoskelton than the mealies do!

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Julie & Brad