Stunted growth?

Hello, I bought my bearded dragon in April this year she was born on January 10th and I’ve noticed she’s growing very slowly. She’s perfectly fine everythings okay except for her ubv. I got my tank from my uncle because he used to breed in snakes in the late 90’s and he gave me the tank with a ubv globe.( I’m currently using the same globe) I’ve been looking around this website and I saw a post about a person that has a similar problem to me. I was just wondering if I get a higher wattage globe will she grow like a normal Beardie and grow up to 24 inch + or will she stay small. I’m very stressed out.

I believe your problem is your UVB bulb or, should I say lack of GOOD UVB!!
Those screw-in UVB bulbs (aka: Coil Compacts) are not good for dragons, they don't supply the proper UVB (which is a must for dragons) and, they can cause eye irritation, eye infections and/or blindness in some cases. And they are only good for 6 months tops, they still burn but no longer produce UVB.
Good UVB is VERY important to your dragons health. It it what aids them in metabolizing the nutrients from their meals, helps produce vitamin D and, grow strong bones.
I alway recommend a linear tube type UVB as these are stronger and, better all around. I recommend an Arcadia T5 12%D3 or a Reptisun 10.0 T5 HO these are the best on the market so far and, well worth the money IMO.

Hi Mish, it could be uvb related but a lot of other factors can come in to play. Can you post pics of your dragon, the tank and the lights ? And by the way, not all dragons grow to 24", many top out at 18-20". Some even a bit less.

How often and what do you feed it ? This is also very important. Here's how to post pics :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XING to upload them

gormagon, thank you very much for the recommendation for the ubv bar setup. I’ll go and buy one today from my closest reptile shop but I was just wondering if she’ll grow like a normal dragon

AHBD":hvova3fe said:

Hi Mish, it could be uvb related but a lot of other factors can come in to play. Can you post pics of your dragon, the tank and the lights ? And by the way, not all dragons grow to 24", many top out at 18-20". Some even a bit less.

How often and what do you feed it ? This is also very important. Here's how to post pics :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XING to upload them

Click to expand...

I feed her dusted mealworms 3 times a day while she eats 10 each session. I’ll provide a picture in an hour or so because I’m not home

Mishbenz":3mpe8vjm said:

Hello, I bought my bearded dragon in April this year she was born on January 10th and I’ve noticed she’s growing very slowly. She’s perfectly fine everythings okay except for her ubv. I got my tank from my uncle because he used to breed in snakes in the late 90’s and he gave me the tank with a ubv globe.( I’m currently using the same globe) I’ve been looking around this website and I saw a post about a person that has a similar problem to me. I was just wondering if I get a higher wattage globe will she grow like a normal Beardie and grow up to 24 inch + or will she stay small. I’m very stressed out.

Click to expand...

The rest of the replies said it all. I just want to remind you that the UVB bulb has to be replaced each 6 months, as at this time it usually gives out less UVB, even if you can still see light.

Rony":18vzj4hz said:

Mishbenz":18vzj4hz said:

Hello, I bought my bearded dragon in April this year she was born on January 10th and I’ve noticed she’s growing very slowly. She’s perfectly fine everythings okay except for her ubv. I got my tank from my uncle because he used to breed in snakes in the late 90’s and he gave me the tank with a ubv globe.( I’m currently using the same globe) I’ve been looking around this website and I saw a post about a person that has a similar problem to me. I was just wondering if I get a higher wattage globe will she grow like a normal Beardie and grow up to 24 inch + or will she stay small. I’m very stressed out.

Click to expand...

The rest of the replies said it all. I just want to remind you that the UVB bulb has to be replaced each 6 months, as at this time it usually gives out less UVB, even if you can still see light.

Click to expand...

yeah I know but will a uvb. Bulb work the same as the tube uvb for 6 months?

Mishbenz":1puyuol2 said:

Rony":1puyuol2 said:

Mishbenz":1puyuol2 said:

Hello, I bought my bearded dragon in April this year she was born on January 10th and I’ve noticed she’s growing very slowly. She’s perfectly fine everythings okay except for her ubv. I got my tank from my uncle because he used to breed in snakes in the late 90’s and he gave me the tank with a ubv globe.( I’m currently using the same globe) I’ve been looking around this website and I saw a post about a person that has a similar problem to me. I was just wondering if I get a higher wattage globe will she grow like a normal Beardie and grow up to 24 inch + or will she stay small. I’m very stressed out.

Click to expand...

The rest of the replies said it all. I just want to remind you that the UVB bulb has to be replaced each 6 months, as at this time it usually gives out less UVB, even if you can still see light.

Click to expand...

yeah I know but will a uvb. Bulb work the same as the tube uvb for 6 months?

Click to expand...

Yep. As far as I’m aware of, all uvb sources work the same.

Mishbenz":2qma8qh9 said:

Rony":2qma8qh9 said:

Mishbenz":2qma8qh9 said:

Hello, I bought my bearded dragon in April this year she was born on January 10th and I’ve noticed she’s growing very slowly. She’s perfectly fine everythings okay except for her ubv. I got my tank from my uncle because he used to breed in snakes in the late 90’s and he gave me the tank with a ubv globe.( I’m currently using the same globe) I’ve been looking around this website and I saw a post about a person that has a similar problem to me. I was just wondering if I get a higher wattage globe will she grow like a normal Beardie and grow up to 24 inch + or will she stay small. I’m very stressed out.

Click to expand...

The rest of the replies said it all. I just want to remind you that the UVB bulb has to be replaced each 6 months, as at this time it usually gives out less UVB, even if you can still see light.

Click to expand...

yeah I know but will a uvb. Bulb work the same as the tube uvb for 6 months?

Click to expand...

No, T5's are good for up to a year of use, then they start losing strength.