Serious concern. I have 3 leopard geckos and one bearded dragon. I've done extensive research and they all have very nice, cozy, appropriate (larger than recommended even) sized tanks with proper humidity, heating, hides, decor, etc. They always have access to fresh water and are fed appropriate diets. I actually free feed my leopard geckos freeze dried insects and supplement with live feeding. They all have nice fat tails (not obese) and good energy levels and mobility. My bearded dragon is a rescue that someone literally found on the street, I have no idea how old he is because he was an adult when I got him. He has diagnosed MBD and has pretty bad mobility issues and he's a VERY picky/light eater. He's maintained a healthy weight just a little on the slim side. This is the controversial part I guess, but I don't really handle any of my lizards. I do daily check ups and look for any signs of stuck shed, injuries, wright loss, etc. I'll gently pet them in their enclosure but I very rarely take them out of their tanks to hold them and let them explore. I take my bearded out about once a week to give him an electrolyte soak because he won't drink water on his own despite always having fresh water in his tank (I've tried about a dozen different bowls) Am I a bad pet parent? Am I not giving them what they need by not handling them? Whenever I take them out all they do is hide in my pockets or sleeves and breathe heavily the whole time. My bearded just runs under the couch. That's why I eventually decided to just leave them be and provide what they need. They all seem content, active, and healthy. For reference though I've had the geckos since they were babies and handled them a lot, they always have seemed so overwhelmed by being out. It seems to work well for us, I have two cats and two dogs in the house, but even in separate rooms I worry about the lizards getting hurt or running away.
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