5 month beardie only five inches

[Draivail]

Hi all,

I am super new to beardies and i just brought home a nice cute one I named Tic. The breeder i bought him from claimed that he just turned five month old, however when I measure his length, it's only 5 inches. I asked the breeder and they told me that the size is different between hatchlings and Tic will have a grwoth spurt in the next 3 month, and will reach full size in 1.5 year. Most articles/guides claim 5 month beardies should be ~11 inches, and they should reach full size in 1 year. Is Tic growing slower than usual, should i be worried about stunted growth?

Thanks!!!

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi there,

Did you buy from a well known reputable breeder? Or is the term "breeder" being given to someone who can put two dragons together and then put the eggs in an incubator lol?

All jokes aside, that is very small for a 5 month old. That is how big 6 week old dragons are typically before they are sold.
Are you measuring nose to tail tip or nose to vent?

Lack of growth would all come down to improper husbandry and diet. Hopefully the breeder just made a mistake on the hatch date. Otherwise, making sure you have proper husbandry and are feeding a healthy diet is all you can do really.

-Brandon

 

[Draivail]

Hi there,

Did you buy from a well known reputable breeder? Or is the term "breeder" being given to someone who can put two dragons together and then put the eggs in an incubator lol?

All jokes aside, that is very small for a 5 month old. That is how big 6 week old dragons are typically before they are sold.
Are you measuring nose to tail tip or nose to vent?

Lack of growth would all come down to improper husbandry and diet. Hopefully the breeder just made a mistake on the hatch date. Otherwise, making sure you have proper husbandry and are feeding a healthy diet is all you can do really.

-Brandon

Hi,

I bought it from a local pet store that have great reviews, and i double checked with the breeder about Tic's hatch date, and he's pretty sure about the 5 month of age. i measured nose to tail tip by the way. Is there any other way to tell his age?

Also I just got him couple days ago. I think he has trouble seeing the crickets in front of him, but he eats 3-4 3/4 inch crickets a day with some veggies. is that a good amount?

Many thanks.

 

[Claudiusx]

If he is only 5 inches nose to tail tip he should be eating smaller crickets than that. 3/4 is too big for him really.

Oh well that is unfortunate. Like I mentioned, most breeders sell their babies at the 6 weeks of age mark because by 6 weeks they are typically 5 inches already. Maybe you could ask the petstore/breeder why this particular dragon is the size of a 6-8 week old.

Not that it will change anything, but if it were me, I'd be curious to know.
The advice doesn't change, just make sure you are feeding him properly and providing proper husbandry.

-Brandon

 

[KarrieRee]

Lighting makes all the difference here --- make sure the crickets or dubias are no bigger than the space between his eyes length wise and he should be eating 20-30 of those at a time (crickets) plus salads --- UVB should be a long tube fixture like a 24" Zoo Med or Sunblaster Nano or a Arcadia Pro T 5 - for a 40+ gallon tank - I can post websites if you need them for those - a bright white basking bulb that keeps temps 95-100 for a 5 month old take w/ a digital probe thermometer NO stick ons they are inaccurate -- I am thinking his lighting was incorrect effecting the appetite -- please correct it if its off and let me know about your UVB they have certain distance and placement please