We’re getting used to seeing bearded dragons that carry around a little bit of extra weight, but is this really normal?
Much like with other creatures on earth, if a bearded dragon becomes overweight then it is at risk of experiencing some health issues that can cause some big problems for your precious pet.
When your bearded dragon gets to the point that they can be considered fat, they are at risk.
It’s worth noting that when a reptile is out in the wild, it has to search for its own food. This is certainly not the case when it is in captivity, as they will have almost constant access to food.
This is great for their survival, but it does mean that the creature is far more likely to become obese.
How Can I Tell If My Bearded Dragon is Overweight?
You can usually feel a bearded dragon’s fat pads without much trouble if they are overweight. There are 5 different places that you can check for this fat, which include the following.
- Behind the Arms – Check the fat pockets that are located behind your bearded dragon’s arms. They will bulge out if your pet is overweight.
- Spine – you won’t be able to feel the ribs or the spine
- Tail – the tail base will be thick
- Abdomen – you will notice that it is distended
- Jowl – again, this will be distended.
You should also take a look at the fat pads on the head. These are usually very easy to notice. You will notice that the head curves a little thanks to the fat pads, and there will also be a squishy bulge on the head.
Of course, if there’s a bulge it doesn’t mean that the bearded dragon is definitely fat, but it’s worth paying attention to it.
So, you may be wondering why it’s such a big deal if your bearded dragon is overweight. There are a few reasons.
- They may experience organ dysfunction
- They can experience dystocia (egg binding and egg retention)
- They are more likely to have prolapses
- They aren’t likely to live as long
In general, it’s unlikely that a bearded dragon will become fat by accident. The weight is likely to build up over a period of time. There are a number of things that can influence the weight of your bearded dragon.
- Your bearded dragon is eating too much food and isn’t moving enough to make up for it
- They’re eating a diet that doesn’t suit high conversion efficiencies or a low metabolic rate. It’s worth noting that reptiles usually only require about 10% of the energy that a mammal does.
- The thermal gradient isn’t good enough, meaning that the bearded dragon is unable to move from a high to a low temperature as they need to. Alternatively, the night time temperatures are too high and this means the bearded dragon may feel the need to consume more food
- The temperature is too high or low for their needs
- They aren’t in conditions that encourage brumation
- They are feeling stressed
It’s also worth keeping in mind that baby and juvenile dragons are going to get bigger a lot faster if they are fed too many calories.
This isn’t necessarily a good thing, despite what you may think. In fact, it can have some damaging effects.
In reptiles and turtles, rapid growth can cause some serious problems like aggression and early sexual maturity. They can also end up with mineral imbalances and these can kill them. They can also result in deformities in the shell and the skeleton.
The Impact of the Environment on a Bearded Dragon’s Weight
Look, nobody likes being on a weight loss program, and that goes for your bearded dragon too. It is necessary for their health however if they are overweight.
By putting your overweight bearded dragon on a diet, you are doing the best thing for their health. It doesn’t strictly mean you’re depriving them of anything, especially when you consider a bearded dragon’s lifestyle when out in the wild.
It’s very rare that you would ever find a fat bearded dragon out in the wilderness. Most juvenile bearded dragons will eat just one decently sized insect and that’s all they need for one meal.
They will also then spend that energy on finding the food, so there aren’t any excess calories. A wild bearded dragon will alter its diet in accordance to various things like their size, gender and age.
Bigger male bearded dragons will sometimes solely eat plant life, and will burn off any calories that they eat by guarding territory.
Not only that, but a bearded dragon will brumate when it is out in the wild, and they will use fat reserves while doing this.
It’s an entirely different story when these creatures are in captivity. They aren’t given a limited food supply – they get more than they can possibly dream of eating on numerous occasions every day.
There’s no need for them to move around as much, other than from one location of the tank to another. By overeating and not exercising enough, your bearded dragon will easily become overweight.
This can make them very uncomfortable, and can result in a lot of vet visits.
There’s a common misconception that bearded dragons are lazy. This is not the case – they just only spend energy when they need to do so.
Weight Loss for Bearded Dragons
If your bearded dragon is overweight, then you need to put them on a weight loss regime. It can sometimes take a while to see the results from this, since a bearded dragon has a very slow metabolism.
We’re going to cover a couple of tips below, but it’s important to note that it’s best to combine these tips. If you do multiple of these things at once then it’s much more likely that your bearded dragon will lose weight faster.
It’s vital to remember too that your bearded dragon should not be losing more than 10% of its normal weight. This can be a sign that your pet is ill, and this means you need to speak to a veterinarian.
Your veterinarian can also give you further advice on weight loss and obesity in your bearded dragon.
Top Tips For Helping a Bearded Dragon to Lose Weight
Slow Down the Eating Rate
It’s often great to put food in a bowl since it means that all of the food is kept in just one place and it’s much easier to access, both for us and for the bearded dragon.
Of course, it’s also worth keeping in mind that a bowl can alter your pet’s eating behaviors, resulting in larger amounts of food being eaten in a very small span of time.
Instead, it’s better to try and encourage your pet to take longer to eat their food, as would be the case when they are out in the wild.
This means staying away from using bowls. Your pet can get very bored eating from a stacked pile of food, and they will eat their food much faster. Not only that, but it’s very easy to overfill a food bowl.
Instead of using a bowl, you should use a big plate instead as this will spread out the food. If you can spread the food out then it will mean that your pet eats the food at a slower pace.
There are also some other things that you can do to prolong your bearded dragon’s eating sessions. For instance, you can hang leaves in the tank.
This will provide a lot more mental and physical stimulation for your bearded dragon, which is more akin to what they would have in the wild.
Don’t cut the vegetables into cubes either. Instead, cut them into little slices as these will be a lot more challenging to eat. Try to opt for crunchy vegetables as they are good for your bearded dragon’s teeth.
One last thing – don’t leave any live insects in the tank with your pet after they have finished eating. There are some insects such as crickets that can go from being the prey to the predators!
Make Some Diet Alterations
There’s a good chance that you are feeding your bearded dragon a lot of foods that are high in fat. The best way to get your pet to lose weight is to reduce the number of foods that they are eating that are high in sugar and fat.
Alternatively, you can just remove them from the diet entirely.
For instance, let’s think about feeders that are known as worms – including black soldier fly larvae, mealworms and more. As it turns out, these are technically larvae and they contain a lot of fat content.
One thing that you can do is reduce the amount of larvae in your bearded dragon’s diet. Instead, give them things like beetles that don’t have even half the amount of fat in them. It’s also worth noting that beef has a significantly higher fat content.
Likewise, you should also decrease the number of fruits in your bearded dragon’s diet, since these contain lots of sugar. Instead, you should switch them out for flowers, gut loaded insects and dark leafy greens.
You should ideally be giving your bearded dragon dark leafy greens on a daily basis. You should also try to feed your bearded dragon their insects and other foods every other day.
You can skip feeding sessions entirely for some days during the week, so long as they are healthy. You don’t need to be concerned if they aren’t eating new foods.
It can take a while for your pet to develop new habits, after all. It’s good for them to be hungry since it means that they are more likely to eat any food that you put in front of them.
Reduce the Amount That You Are Feeding Them
So you’ve already spread out the feed meaning that it takes longer for your bearded dragon to eat. Great work! The next thing that you can do is reduce the amount of food that you are giving to your pet.
Keep the quantity of greens the same though! When your bearded dragon has finished their meal, you won’t need to worry about getting a look from them that tells you they’re desperate for food.
If they do still look hungry, it’s a good sign that you need to spread the food out even more so it takes even more time to eat. It’s a good idea to make sure that your bearded dragon is able to move around.
They will burn more calories this way since they are making a stronger effort to get to their food.
Your bearded dragon’s calorie needs can depends on things like their biological functions, age and their sex. For this reason, you should allow them to diet for a while and see if it works out.
Sometimes your pet may need fewer calories, sometimes they may need more.
You can feed more sedentary bearded dragon adults every other day and they will still lose weight. This is especially true during the winter when they will typically eat less anyway.
You should ensure that they don’t get stressed though. Bearded dragons don’t tend to binge eat like a lot of other reptiles will.
Let Them Brumate
Another thing that you can do is to make the bearded dragon’s environment one that they can brumate in. A number of fat body reserves are used in reproduction for bearded dragons.
They lose weight naturally during brumation, and the extra fat helps them to sleep through the winter.
Before brumation occurs you should always speak to your vet. An unhealthy bearded dragon that has parasite loads should not be brumating.
Change the Environment
The diet isn’t the only thing that can influence a bearded dragon’s weight. It’s also important to consider their environment.
The environment needs to be stimulating for your pet, and it should encourage them to behave as they would in the wild. This means that they are more likely to be physically active, which is important for keeping them healthy and lean.
It’s good for both the owner and it is very helpful for your bearded dragon’s weight loss efforts.
Signs of Starvation
It’s important for your bearded dragon to maintain a healthy weight. While your bearded dragon is capable of going for a while without food, it’s also important to ensure that they aren’t starving.
Here are some of the causes of starvation in bearded dragons:
- The wrong diet
- Bad husbandry
- Thinking that starvation is actually brumation
- Disease or illness
- Incorrect temperatures
- Competing for food with other bearded dragons
- Being put in conditions that aren’t good enough for them, resulting in stress
- Wrong food color
- Wrong amount of food
The problem is that your bearded dragon will begin to use its fat reserves if it has gotten too thin. Eventually these fat reserves will be gone so the bearded dragon will have no choice but to use the muscles instead.
This can really wear them down, resulting in emaciation.
If you are concerned about your bearded dragon and want further advice, do not hesitate to speak to your veterinarian.
How To Tell If Your Bearded Dragon Is Too Skinny
It’s important to know when your bearded dragon is underweight, too. Here are a few signs that your bearded dragon is too skinny.
- You May Notice Prominent Indents Behind their Eyes. It’s worth noting that you can’t always notice depressions behind the eyes of thin bearded dragons. You will, however, likely see depressions behind the eyes when your bearded dragon is emaciated, since the fat pads have been used up already,
- Their Head Looks Too Big In Comparison to Their Body
- They may look like they have lots of loose skin on their body
- You will easily be able to see their hips, pelvis, leg bones, skull and their ribs. Sometimes the bones can poke through the skin and it may look like their spine is raised
- You won’t notice smaller muscles like the upper arm and the thigh bulging.
How To Make a Bearded Dragon Gain Weight
If your bearded dragon is too skinny, then it’s important to help them to regain the weight in a healthy, sustainable way.
Maintaining a healthy weight is vital for the wellbeing of your reptile, and that means that being too skinny can also be a serious problem.
Here are a few ways that you can help your bearded dragon to gain weight.
- Speak to your vet. This is a good idea since it will help you to figure out if there are any underlying health conditions at play.
- If your bearded dragon has been starved then it’s important to get support from your vet as this will help you to figure out the correct diet, in addition to the correct feeding method and speed. It can seriously damage your bearded dragon’s health to overfeed him when he is emaciated
- Make sure that your bearded dragon always has access to a clean supply of water. You can increase their fluids by bathing them and by allowing them to drink water.
- Rectify any lighting and heating problems. Make sure the correct brumation conditions are in place if your bearded dragon is in brumation. It is not suitable for the temperature to be in between summer and winter temperatures if your bearded dragon is in brumation
- Solve any problems with the diet as they crop up
Scoring the Body Condition of a Bearded Dragon
It’s worth keeping track of the body condition score of your bearded dragon. The scoring is very similar to how humans and other mammals are scored. For instance, at the lower end of the scale you have level 1 – emaciated.
This is a dangerous condition, and you need to help your bearded dragon to gain weight. In the middle you have 5 which is excellent condition or an ideal weight for your bearded dragon’s age, weight and gender.
Finally, you have grossly obese at level 9. This is the criteria used to work out the weight classification of a bearded dragon.
Your bearded dragon should be sitting at its ideal weight. If it is over or underweight then that is a good indication that you need to take steps to either help them to gain or lose weight. This will help them to lead the most healthy life.
What Should A Bearded Dragon Weigh?
The answer to this question will largely depend on the species of bearded dragon, but here are some rough guidelines.
When your bearded dragon has first hatched, it should weigh around 2 to 3 grams. At 1 month old they should weigh between 5 to 20 grams, and 12-20 grams at 2 months old.
This weight should gradually increase as your bearded dragon gets older. By the time that they are 10-18 months old, your bearded dragon is mature.
At this point, they should weigh between 250-300 grams minimum. If they are over 900 grams then they are overweight, if they are under 250 grams then they are underweight.
Of course, this will vary based on your bearded dragon, which is why it’s important to take your pet for regular checkups with the vet to ensure that they are the right weight for their age and gender.
Sometimes there are medical conditions that can cause weight loss or gain, such as a parasitic infection, so if your bearded dragon is too small or too big then your vet can help you to figure out what’s wrong before you change their diet.
Conclusion
That’s everything that you need to know about the weight of your bearded dragon! Remember, if you have any doubts, do not hesitate to speak to a veterinarian for further guidance.