is my beardie stunted or a pygmy?

I received Ezra as a gift in december of 2018* (I was not expecting him, and he came from a petco or pet smart) he was very tiny when i received him and he has definitely grown but it's now april of 2020 and for a while i believed he was a pygmy but the more photos i look at them the less sure i am?

What is his husbandry? We need basking temps how are you taking them? UVB brand and bulb? Coil or tube? Where in the tank is it? On top of the screen or inside tank? What are you feeding?
Karrie

I use a 26 watt uvb, i use a digital thermometer & his temps are normally between 90°F- 94°F, brand is exo terra, the lamp is on top of the screen. He gets anywhere from 3-5 large crickets a day and salads,and he gets fruit about twice a week.

Biology major and beardie owner at your service!

Your dragon is adorable, however, I'd definitely switch their bug diet, and offer more meal sessions per day (for bug sessions, you need to offer them 3x per day until your beardie hits 6 months of age, then you'll go down to 2 sessions until 1 year of age, 1 a day until they are 18 months old, and then about 1-2 every other day for the rest of their life, for they will become herbivores and will consume salad as their main course.) Also don't put a limit on how many your beardie can eat in a single feeding session - I'm assuming you mean that these crickets are grasshopper size because I can't imagine a beardie being satisfied after eating only 5 normal sized crickets. Your beardie will consume like 50-70 crickets a day, BUT, crickets aren't supposed to be a staple food item!

Your staple insect (as in at least 2 meals should consist of this) will have to be BSFL or dubia roaches. I personally use BSFL because they are super nutritious and they are relatively cheap to get. Here's where I get my BSFL from:
https://www.amazon.com/Symton-Feeding-Black-Soldier-Fly/dp/B075HB5RL6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2DP137EU837VR&dchild=1&keywords=black%2Bsoldier%2Bfly%2Blarvae&qid=1587265099&sprefix=Black%2Bsoldier%2Bfl%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-1&th=1

You should also purchase these canned silkworms, they are relatively cheap and offer the most nutrients out of all feeder insects you can buy. Do not feed these more than once every other day because they are high in sodium from the canning process:
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Pack-Silkworms-Ounces/dp/B07HM9WNR7/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1FEZPAL04LMGW&dchild=1&keywords=canned+silkworm&qid=1587265983&sprefix=canned+silk%2Caps%2C175&sr=8-1


Also you can combine this with your crickets and your beardie will become an alligator in no time! I hope this helps, OP. Oh, and last but not least, be sure you are dusting every bug with both vitamins and calcium with D3!

100 watt UVB??? Is it a coil? Or a tube in a long fixture? Basking temps should be 95-110-- ?
Karrie

my mistake! I mistook one bulb for the other, sorry I'm just really concerned abt his size. his heat is 100 watt, his uvb is a 26 watt and is about 12" away from him for eye safety it is a coil the tubes are not available for any reasonable price in my area, I just posted to ask abt his size if he's stunted, a pygmy, or possibly a rankins I've tried all the different kinds of recommendations for each type he could possibly be.

Hello,

I don't think he is a pygmy, or a rankins, just a little stunted.
We can try to help adjust some of the specifics in his tank to see if that helps get him boosted
some.
We do recommend using a long tube bulb, instead of a compact/coil light for a better UVB
source. There are the T5 tube bulbs, which are high output tube bulbs. You can choose from
Reptisun 10 or the Arcadia D3 12% both of which are very good & do last awhile also.
You can pretty easily, order the tube bulbs, online if your local stores just don't carry them.
How often do you give him calcium supplementation?
You are using a digital probe type of thermometer? If so, his basking temperatures need to be
just a little higher. The recommended ranges for basking are 95-110. What sized tank is he in
right now?


Tracie

I agree w/ Tracie please get rid of the coil --- and it was or is too far away for it to be doing any good anyways ---- I will post info on that -- I was going to say he looks like a regular dragon but I am not the expert on dragons breeds etc so I was hoping some one else would weigh in on that topic --- so w/ that being said your tank size is what? It would be good to replace w / the tube and hopefully he will grow some more but I guess that remains to be seen -- the lighting and basking temps in the tank play a huge role in their behavior digestion and their over all health -- you can order a new fixture from this website and this is what you would need if you wanted to replace the coil
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/images/detailed/8/xt5-ho.jpg.pagespeed.ic.t_5kd2hzxt.webp
or this one https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/images/detailed/12/ZM_T5_Hood_ep9z-yd.jpg
you will want a 24" fixture if your tank is a 40 gallon or bigger -- there is a bulb that comes w/ the Zoo Med but its a 5.0 you can use it but its not as strong as the 10.0 and at this point I would suggest you get the 10.0 and they look like this https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/images/detailed/14/xarcadia-T5-Reptile_UVB_12_.jpg.pagespeed.ic.WugQHs34zy.webp this is the bulb Tracie mentioned or this one
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/images/detailed/4/xzoo-med-uvb-10-T5.jpg.pagespeed.ic.K8f7Jd477l.webp

Here is the info on the coil bulb now for it to be sitting where you have it now has done no good- for that to have proper UVB it would need to be 8-10 inches w/ no screen in between from basking decor if its on top of screen it would need to be 6-8 inches and in a reflective dome from basking decor
The 26w version of the UVB150 is similar in output to a T8 tube when using a reflector. The beam isn't as wide (depending on the length of the tube) but the output strength is very similar. If it was sitting about 6-8'' above the main basking area then it was likely providing adequate UVB. It's the lower wattage (13w) versions that cause concern since they aren't strong enough to provide adequate UVB at a safe distance.
So w/ all the info given to you decide on what you want to do and we can help more if you like--- please do not feed your dragon any dried packaged or jarred food -- it is no good if you want your dragon to be healthy feed fresh greens or salads we call them and live insects and worms --I can give your websites to order some good worms and insects if you like please ask if you need them
Karrie

Ok, I will be ordering a new light for him today, thank you. (he's in a 40gal btw) and no worries i'd never feed him anything canned or unfresh in anyway? i didn't know people actually did that!

it is also notable to mention that Ezra doesn't have the spikes a typical bearded dragon would have or the beard**