My bearded dragon sheds often, won't eat greens, and grows fast. Is this normal?

You can increase the amount of food being fed temporarily to get weight back on. Monitor for lethargy, loss of appetite, loose droppings or no droppings. These are all symptoms that should be addressed by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles. It is near impossible to determine the cause for the weight loss without an exam and diagnostics. It is not uncommon for beardies to stop eating and drinking before, during or for a short period after a shed. This could account for minor weight loss.

When a bearded dragon sheds, you will also always see a change of skin color. It will always be dull, and eventually turn white pre-shed. This is totally normal, so don't worry. Adult beardies will often skip a few meals during shed.

Mealworms can be a problem for some beardies, especially juveniles, due the chitinous body. If you can, switch her over to appropriately sized crickets or dubia roaches. Gut load all prey for 24 hours prior to offering and dust with multivitamin and calcium powders to maximize nutritional value. Maintain adequate temperatures as well. Low temps can affect activity, appetite and digestion in reptiles. A temp gradient ranging from about 76 F (cool side) to 86 F (warm side) with a basking spot of 90 F to 100 F is recommended. To stimulate defecation, soak Lizzie in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte. Gently massage her abdomen from front to back during the soak. The soak will also hydrate her and aid in shedding.

Reptiles can be very subtle in showing when they don't feel well, and often a decrease in appetite is the only sign that they will show. Sometimes they will only be willing to eat their favorite items, so that may be a reason that Cosmo is eating certain things. Alternatively, they may be easier for him to eat somehow as well. Another hard part about reptiles is that they take a long time to show that they are sick, so something could have been going on with Cosmo for quite a while and he just hasn't shown you until now. I would recommend having Cosmo evaluated by a veterinarian due to the decrease in appetite. They will evaluate your husbandry and diet for Cosmo, and may make recommendations for them. This may include adjustments in the diet, as the items you are feeding right now have a great deal of calcium oxalates in them. Calcium oxalates can decrease absorption of calcium by the body, and calcium is very important in reptiles. The items that you are feeding with calcium oxalates include kale, mustard greens, and collard greens. These items should be fed a maximum of 1-2 times per week. Protein in the diet (insects) should be fed about twice weekly. In addition to a husbandry evaluation, your veterinarian may recommend blood work to evaluate systemic health, as well as radiographs (x-rays) to ensure that Cosmo's bones look like they have enough calcium in them.

This is not uncommon for a juvenile gecko. Be sure to provide a humid hide and soak her to prevent difficult sheds. Young geckos will shed more frequently than adults simply because they are growing at a faster rate.

It is possible the shed aid contained moisturizers or emmolients that may have enhanced color. These products soften the shed to make removal easier. Try bathing her in warm water for 20-30 minutes. Monitor for lethargy, decreased appetite or redness on the skin. See your vet if necessary. Consider frequent baths or misting in the future to aid in shedding.

Thanks for your question about Tarzan. The lack of activity that you are describing may be normal for Tarzan, but when you then combine it with her not shedding and not going to the bathroom very often I begin to suspect that there is something else going on. I would recommend feeding Tarzan a small salad of dark leafy greens on a daily basis, with calcium supplementation 2-3 times per week based on her age. I would also recommend protein 2 times per week based on her age as well. You eluded to having recommended temperatures in the cage, but I didn't see how you were monitoring the temperatures or if there was UVB light provided. I would recommend monitoring using a digital thermometer and changing the UVB light every 4-6 months. I am glad that she seemed to be doing okay at her vet visit in the fall. I didn't see if blood work was performed, but that is something that I recommend for every reptile at regular intervals for wellness examinations, as reptiles are very good at hiding their illnesses from their owners. I would also consider performing radiographs (x-rays) if these haven't been performed previously, as well as a fecal examination. I hope that gives you a place to start, and that Tarzan feels better soon.