how often do bearded dragons shed?

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....how often?

i have 2 babies and the smallest is about 6-7 inches (tail included.. very small...) and the other is about 2 inches bigger and much wider... the bigger one has shedded once since i got them both and had them about 3weeks now..
 

dragons1222

Juvie Member
it depends babies pretty much shed constantly different parts of their bodies but three weeks isnt alot of time and they have growth spurts where they grow like crazy and then they dont

has the smaller one grown at all?

are they housed together? if so the bigger one could be keeping the smaller one from eating and therefore not growing enough to shed
 

RamboRocky

Member
Original Poster
they are housed together but i feed them seperatly out of their tank. the smaller one has not shedded yet and is very small... doesnt eat much either.. the bigger one eats like crazy and has already shedded and has gotting noticably bigger
 

dragons1222

Juvie Member
it is probably bullying and keeping the other one from basking etc

beardies should never be housed together
and as they start reaching sexual maturity males will almost constantly fight, usually to the death

even 2 females rarely get along
and a male and female is not good b/c the male reaches sexual maturity much sooner than the female and he will breed with her constantly and if she is too young she will die trying to make the eggs b/c she doesnt have enough calcium and fat reserves to make and lay the eggs

they need seperated asap i am sure once you do you will start to see the smaller one grow and behave much better
 

RamboRocky

Member
Original Poster
no... they do not bully each other at all... im in the same room with them most of the day and notice when i put the iffered light on at 8 they pick a spot each in their own basking places not bullying each other never seen them on top of one of another... no bullying wat so ever... the smaller one just does not eat as much as the bigger one... really scrony.. skinny... like a runt or somthing.. at least thats wat i think... they get along fine now at least...
 

dragons1222

Juvie Member
please listen to what is being said

animals bully differently than than people do
and just b/c they get along now does not mean they will forever you may end up comeing home one day to a dead beardie

just use the search function to find stories of beardies missing limbs or worse from being housed with other beaardies especially when they are differnt sizes

just do what is needed for your beardies if you want them to be safe and healthy their getting along will not last for long and soon one will start attacking the other one

i am not trying to be mean (but please understand how frustrating it is when people do not listen to people more experienced) i only want what is best for your beardies
but please for the sake of your beadies health and happiness get them into seperate housing they are not social creatures and do not enoy having someone to share their living space

and the smaller one not eating is because of him being housed with another beardie

they put up with it as babies but as they come closer to reaching sexual maturity they will become violent with each other
 

RamboRocky

Member
Original Poster
i already have my 40 gal tanks on the shopping list i have already asked several question on this subject... but the subject of this forum is "how often do bearded dragons shed?"... thats all i need to know. I do respect your wisdom in these terms and i am listening to what u have to say.... i understand that they are maturing at a fast rate and will need to be housed seperatly but right now them being babies im not going to run out to the pet store and get these tanks. im more worried about my smaller dragon i think its a runt... and wish i didnt buy him... because of how puny he is and was tryiong to find out if it could be a birth defect or if its just smaller.... i keep thinking of darwin's therorys lol.... survival of the fit.. i think the smaller one is just.... not the luckiest.. i will take a picture of him and post it.
 

dragons1222

Juvie Member
ok i am sorry i thought you were saying you were not going to seperate them b/c they were getting along
not that you just hadnt done it yet

i still think the litt le guy isnt eating b/c he is being housed with the other beardie

but babies usually shed every 2-4 weeks about

it depends they have little growth spurts where they grow like crazy so they shed like crazy and then it seems that they stop and they dont shed for a while and then it pics up again

whats the rest of your set up like

How old is your dragon?
How long have you had your dragon?
How long is your dragon?
What is the sex of your dragon?
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in?
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?
Do you use UVB lights?
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb?
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)?
How old is your UVB bulb?
How close can your dragon get to the UVB?
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage?
What are the basking temps?
What is the cool side temp?
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun?
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps?
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad?
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific.
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)?
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc?
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them?
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)?
Do you bath your dragon? How often?
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath?
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon?


i can at least make sure it isnt food/lighting/ or suppliment problems

some are just smaller i have known people who have beardies that are only 16 inches as adults and they have been given perfect care they are just smaller

could be genetics ,could be something went weird during incubation etc

could just be a failure to thrive
 

RamboRocky

Member
Original Poster
How old is your dragon? A: Don't know.. babies
How long have you had your dragon? A: 3-4 weeks
How long is your dragon? A: Big onw about 2 inches without the tail.
What is the sex of your dragon? A: I think the bigger one is the male and the smaller one is a female don't know for sure tho yet.
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? A: Both live in a 10gal at the moment moving up to a 40gal shortly.
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? A: Repticarpet
Do you use UVB lights? A: yes
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? A: Its a 24W 10.0 desert reptiglo light
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)?
How old is your UVB bulb? A: bought it at time of purchase of little guys.
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? A: about a good 3 inches away.
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? A: I use a 75W tight beam sun glo basking spot lamp
What are the basking temps? A: want to get a thermometer with probe to be percise.
What is the cool side temp? A: same as above.
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun?
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps?
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? A: i have a heating rock i put in sometimes after eating.
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. A: crickets every other day (about 10... 5 a piece) mealworms as treats every once in a while.. used to feed them romaine for salad... but now i moved to a combination of kale, collard, and yellow squash salads everyday.
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? A: every morning i start their day off with a salad and if its their lucky day they get crickets.
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? A: i have once or twice but i dont think i did it right... i took a i can't believe its not butter container put apples. carrots and some potatoes in it with about 20 crickets in their but some died... some lived...
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? A: when i feed them crickets i use flukers calcium with vitamin b3
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? A: yes.... very messy guys
Do you bath your dragon? How often? A: have not yet.... would like some info on this.
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? A: of course there is a water dish in their tank and i hand feed them tap water from the sink every once in a ahiwle and i also mist them from time to time...
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? A: yes
 

RamboRocky

Member
Original Poster

zebraflavencs

Extreme Poster
Oh thanks for those pictures! I think we are onto something here !

The coil/compact isn't any good, you'll want to change that out for a tube reptisun 10.0 ;)Link:
http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-bulb.html
Just get two of them, since you are planning on separating soon.
Oh and instead of that infrared, change that out with a house hold bright White light ;)
Also, that 10 gal is awfully small to try to maintain temperature gradients. As well as housing two month to 5 week old babies.
I would also remove the water dish, as that will bring up the humidity quite a bit in such a small enclosure.
For baths, water up to shoulders, temps 90-100*F for around 15-20 minutes. Use either your hand or a wash cloth for traction. Never leave alone, while bathing .
I didn't see how you were measuring those temps, by the way. Are you using
a temp gun ? I don't see any on the walls of the tank. Nor do I see a probe.

So I am thinking that since things are out of sorts, this would indeed cause such a small baby to not do well.
Hope this helps out !
Janie.
 

RamboRocky

Member
Original Poster
and even while they are this small now i can give them baths? is it safe to do it while they are this small.... and if i would fill the sink to their shoulders it would be less than even a half cup of water.... how do i keep a half cup of water at 90 - 100 degrees F.... are these water temps right? cant the water just been warm..
 

zebraflavencs

Extreme Poster
Got a plastic sandwich container ? And one about twice that size ?
Fill the larger one up with hot water. fill the smaller one with correct amount of warm water, and lower baby in (one at a time) . As long as the anal vent is under water, he/she will be able to hydrate. The larger container of water, will keep the smaller one warm ;)
Janie.
okay, you need either a probe digital therm ( you can get one at walmart in the garden center for around $14, and it also has a humidity gauge) or a temp gun for accurate temps.
Hope this helps you out !
Janie.
 

DragonsInKansas

Sub-Adult Member
They probably aren't shedding as often as they need to because they aren't getting fed enough. Babies, even ones this small should be eating 10-20 crickets a day, not 5 every other day. Try feeding more and they should get back on track for size and shed frequency. They just can't grow to shed if they are getting the bare minimum food requirements. Don't worry though, they'll get there :D
 
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