Is my bearded dragon small?

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kngofnwyk

Member
I purchased a bearded dragon about 2 weeks ago, I was told he is 5- 6 months old he is 7 inches long.After alot of online research I gathered he may not only be small but underdeveloped.What (if anything) can I do to maybe help him grow faster or make up for the care he was never given? I'm assuming he wasn't taken care of very well,although small he's very
agile and energetic he eats between 5-15 crickets per day (3 feedings) and collard greens I always leave for him. And also
can the size of his tank keep him small? Thank you for any feedback
 

anqul

Hatchling Member
eeeee yeah he is to small my is 3 months old and he is 11 inches long but dont worry cause they r cute when they small :)he can grow but i think its weird that he is small... u got UVB light? it helps to grow and u have to dust crickets with calcium powder
 

anqul

Hatchling Member
if he doesnt have enough space in tank he may not grow...cause he need to "stretch" his bones hehehe
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
That would be EXTREMELY small for it's age. The person or place that you got it from may not have known the true age, and just guessed. If they were correct about the age, the dragon will never be the size that a normal growing dragon would reach. And although a 10 gal. tank is not recommended, mainly because it's hard to get a heat gradient, [ and most beardies outgrow them quickly] it's a myth that an animal kept in a small tank won't grow.
 

Vacren

Juvie Member
I'd wager that at 7 inches he's probably closer to 5-6 weeks old. Make sure he's getting enough food, proper lighting, and no loose substrate. Temperature and UV can affect growth, but unless you've got some sort of pygmy dragon I'm sure someone got the age wrong.
 

Gail

BD.org Addict
I don't doubt that age at all. I've personally seen dragons at a local pet store who were 5- 6 months old and only 7-8 inches. If they are not fed right, they won't grow.
He is very, very small for his age. While he will grow with proper care, its unlikely he will attain a normal size. Make sure he is eating all the insects he wants everyday, he needs protein to grown.
Can you go over care with us? These questions will help us help him.

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? Is it a white or colored bulb?
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?
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done?
 

kngofnwyk

Member
Original Poster
Like i said I'm not sure exactly how old he is, the place i bought him from said they had him for 4 months and they got him when he was about 2 months old.I'v had him about 2 weeks, he is about 7 and a half inches long,rite now he is in a 10 gallon, I had him housed with another beardie I have in a 40 gallon breeder but he wasnt eating much and sleeping all the time, after a little research I found that it can put alot of stress on them especially on the smaller one.I just wanna add that these are my first bearded dragons, I bought the other one a few days after the one in question thinking it was ok to put them together.The second one I bought is a little more than 8 inches but his body is almost twice the size of the little guy.I have porcelain tile in both my tanks,I was using a reptiglo 10.0 but I stopped 2 days ago after I came across a few posts about problems they cause. My small guy his top eyelids are swollen,I'm guessing its the light, the store I bought him from said that was the best light on the market and thats what they use on their reptiles.I purchased a reptisun 10.0 online it should arrive today.I'm guessing no uvb for 2 days is better than using that one.I use a 75 watt spot lamp for basking, hot side about 85-90 degrees his basking spot is 100-107, cool side 75 to 80,I use a digital thermometer with a probe.I put the probe on his basking branch to get the temps.I feed him crickets dusted with calcium d3 (repcal) as much as he will eat in 15-20 mins 3 times a day,I always keep greens in there, they seem to likecollard greens, I got some butternut squash today will let them try it tommorrow.I do gutload the crickets with collard greens,apples,and a potato for a water source.As far as I can tell his bowel movements are fine not watery it has shape and a little whit stuff in it,from what I'v read thats normal.I bathed him twice in the 2 weeks I had him, I mist him every other day, I do have a water dish in the tank also.I don't know if hes male or female I tried to take a look but I cant tell.I haven't taken him to the vet. Hope this is enough info.Tx ev1 for the info
 

Gail

BD.org Addict
Sounds like you are doing everything right. He really should be eating more though, you might want to consider getting a fecal done to rule out parasites. He will need a bigger tank soon, I never put a dragon in anything smaller than a 20 gallon long.
If you can get him to eat more, he should start growing fairly quickly.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Yeah, it sounds like your'e doing everything right. Even if he stays small, he could be a fine pet. By the way, you could spray gently once or twice a day for hydration. Not a big mist, just a small stream on the tip of his nose that will get him to drink. Mist his entire body quickly, not drenching the tank. If you want, bathe once or twice a week, very shallow water while you stay with him to avoid risk of drowning. Dribble water on his nose to get him to drink.
 

kngofnwyk

Member
Original Poster
Yea, I'm not worried about how big he gets, I just wanna make sure I'm giving him what he needs to thrive and live a good life. Tyvm for your
help and feedback, much appreciated.
 
Hi,
I am also having the same trouble. We bought the full set up (including bulbs etc) and the beardie from an owner wanting to sell. We have just recently found out that the bearded dragon is 7 months old and he is only 7 inches long. He seems to be healthy and happy, just very small. The vivarium is 3ft x 2ft x 2ft, can somebody tell me what power UV and heat lamp will be the best for that size of the vivarium. Also the previous owner fed him on packeted salad from the supermarket accompanied by cucumber and tomato and locusts. We've fed him on leafy greens, mango, cucumber and bell peppers as well as his locusts and wondered if anybody had any food tips to help him grow?

Any feedback would be much appreciated as we want to give the little guy the longest and best life possible

Thanks
 

Vacren

Juvie Member
Compact bulbs have a strange UVB difusion. It's very difficult to keep the proper UVB coverage. You need a reptisun 10.0 tube.
 
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Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

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