Is my dragon too small?

Hi, I weighed my Beardie yesterday and he is about 100 grams and 14 inches long from nose to tail. I saw that most are longer than that and weigh much more by this time (he is around 8/9/10 months old.) I'm starting to get worried, am I feeding him too little? He was getting 20 BSFL per day and a few days ago I switched to 15-20 small superworms per day. I didn't dust the BSFL because they are high in calcium but I gut load and dust the superworms. I have a Mercury vapor bulb for UVB, could that be a problem? Any advice is appreciated.

That sounds a bit small. Can you post some photos? You can upload photos here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ and add them to your thread using the XIMG button.

BSFL are pretty small so 20 may not be enough. Do you know how old he is? Is he getting any other bugs such as roaches or crickets or silk worms? The more variety you can provide the better. Usually with a dragon under a year old you want to offer two meals per day for about 10 minutes all he wants to eat. It's also good to provide a salad every day for additional variety.

Which mercury vapor bulb are you using (and which wattage)? These need to be mounted based on UVB output and vary by bulb brand. I can try and help you set this properly but you may need to make adjustments to achieve proper temperatures.

I agree photos would be very helpful of both the dragon and the setup.

When my little one was on his BSFL kick (he hates them now), he was eating about 20 per feeding two times a day, in addition to dubia roaches and others.
All dragons grow at different rates, but his weight sounds considerably low considering his length. If you offer more will he continue to eat? Do you feed until he is no longer interested? Sometimes my dragons will have no appetite in the morning and then be ravenous at noon, so it's important to offer feedings more than once a day if you have not been. I generally feed 3 times a day as they will only pick at food in the morning and in the evening

Sorry for taking so long to respond, here is a picture:


BSFL are pretty small so 20 may not be enough. Do you know how old he is? Is he getting any other bugs such as roaches or crickets or silk worms? The more variety you can provide the better. Usually with a dragon under a year old you want to offer two meals per day for about 10 minutes all he wants to eat. It's also good to provide a salad every day for additional variety.

When I got him he was 11 inches and about 40 grams, that was almost 6 months ago, so I think he's around 9 months old. He gets some wax worms as treats and kale (I recently switched to collard greens) and butternut squash most days.

Which mercury vapor bulb are you using (and which wattage)? These need to be mounted based on UVB output and vary by bulb brand. I can try and help you set this properly but you may need to make adjustments to achieve proper temperatures.

I think that I'm using the National Geographic 160 watt bulb, the basking spot is 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

He looks a little small, but not unhealthy. I would definitely replace the Nat Geo MVB. I've tested them and they don't put out much UVB and don't provide appropriate heat at safe distances. What are the dimensions of your tank? I can suggest a better MVB or perhaps a T5 UVB light and separate basking light would be more appropriate depending on the tank. How far is the basking area from the bulb?

100f is OK for the basking area, it should be somewhere between about 100-110 with the cool side being between around 75-80 or so. It's best to use an IR temp gun or digital thermometer with a probe for each side to get accurate surface temperature readings and adjust lighting accordingly. UVB exposure and heat gradient have a direct effect on their digestion and overall health so it's important to get that really fine tuned.

To me it sounds as though he hasn't been given enough insects growing up and has likely lacked proper protein to grow. For 9 months, he is really quite small.
As long as he is healthy, that is all that really matters

The tank is 36" long by 18" wide by 24" tall and the basking rock was about 12" away but I got a hammock that is now 9" away. I use a temp gun and the cool side is 75 - 80F. I've seen that most people use a reptisun tube, should I switch to that?

OK great. The temperature range is good and you have accurate readings. In that size tank, I'd definitely go with either a high wattage MVB or a T5. I like using a T5 because I can control the UVB and heat independently. I think the Arcadia that I use would work really well in your tank. It produces daylight levels of UVB at 12''. http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/22-t-5-ho-fixture-high-output-with-arcadia-d3-12-ho-bulb/

For basking I just use a GE PAR38 halogen flood light (90w) in a dome fixture. It's attached to a dimming thermostat but a manual lamp dimmer would work too. The bulb handles dimming really well so it's a good option if you want to go that route.

Thanks for all the help, I just have a few more questions. Is a Zoo Med T8 ReptiSun 10.0 UVB the same, or does it need to be T5? Also, by how much should I increase his food?

Give him all the food he wants in a 10 min window or so a couple of times a day. His appetite will fluctuate so the actual amount will vary.

The T8 is an older technology and a lower powered bulb. The new ReptiSun T8 I tested really didn't put out adequate UVB even at closest safe range. At 12'' it would be useless. You're best off using a T5 and the one I linked is one of the best out there.

Ok, i'll get the new uvb lights right away. Thanks again for all of your help!