Bearded dragon not growing??

[jacksonrocks619]

I got a bearded dragon from Petsmart on 6/15/15. I don't know the age of him but he has to be at least 3-4 months old. He is only 8" long. He is my first Dragon, please help me someone! Rango (his name) is a male if that helps.

 

[onceblue]

How long was he when you got him? Pet shops sometimes sell beardies very young, so it's possible he's younger than you think.

What are you feeding him and how often?

 

[jacksonrocks619]

He was about 6 inches long when I got him. He 1 bowl of mustard greens and 10 dubia roaches a day.

 

[onceblue]

You'll definitely want to start feeding him more. He needs to have as many dubia as he can eat in a 10-15 minute window of time twice a day. My beardie averages around 60 small dubia a day, but he's had hungry days where he has gotten up to 80. I bet if your beardie starts eating more, he'll get bigger pretty quickly!

 

[jacksonrocks619]

I've tried to give him more, but 10 seems like he is full after that! After like 15 at the max he stops eating them!

 

[onceblue]

I'd say still give him more and let him have the full 10-15 minutes to decide to start eating again (and, of course, do that twice a day). Sometimes my beardie will eat some dubia, go back to his basking spot as though he's done, but five minutes later go eat some more.

 

[jacksonrocks619]

How old is your dragon?

 

[onceblue]

I'm not sure, because I adopted him from a family member, but he's between 9 and 10 inches long so probably close in age to yours.

 

[SukiLove]

How are you temperatures? Sometimes a lack of appetite could be caused from environment, parasites, or stress. If he is not warm enough his appetite won't be stimulated. That young they should be basking around 110 degrees (give or take, although I wouldn't go over 110) with the UVB right next to the basking light so they get the full benefit.

Have you taken him to see a vet with a fecal sample? It's common for beardies to get pinworms, but sometimes if they have too much in their system it could effect their appetite as well. I wouldn't think that stress is causing the issue, unless you have nosy mammals that he doesn't like, dogs or cats that get too close. Or even another reptile in his view that he is unsure of which could cause stress as well.

 

[diamc]

Since SO many things can affect their appetites, we need to have a little more info. Sorry for all the questions, we really do want to help.

What size are the dubia you've been feeding him? Are they no larger than the space between his eyes? Have you been offering them 2 to 3 times a day? How often are you dusting with calcium & vitamins?

What brand & type of UVB are you using and what is the distance of this particular bulb when he is in his basking spot? What is the basking SURFACE temp and also on the bottom of the cool side? What type of thermometer are you using? As Suki mentioned, if he isn't warm enough, he won't have much of an appetite but before trying to get it hotter, please fill us in on the thermometer you're using now because some don't give accurate readings.

As Suzi also mentioned, parasites can affect their appetites so it's always a good idea to have a fecal checked.

How often are you bathing him and offering drinks of water on his nose?

 

[jacksonrocks619]

I feed him 1/4 inch roaches. He eats about 10 of them daily, I don't dust the roaches with calcium, but I dust his mustard greens.

UVB Bulb I use

http://m.petsmart.com/h5/hub?id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.petsmart.com%2Freptile%2Fbulbs-lamps%2Fall-living-things-reptile-desert-compact-fluorescent-uvb-bulb-zid36-14787%2Fcat-36-catid-500036%3Fnull

Heat bulb I use
http://m.petsmart.com/h5/hub?id=reptile%2Fheating-lighting%2Fgrreat-choice-daytime-incandescent-health-bulb-zid36-14813%2Fcat-36-catid-500011%3Fvar_id%3D36-14813

His tank gets about 85-90 degrees on the hot side and 80 on the cool. He is bathed daily.

 

[diamc]

That's good that you're feeding 1/4" roaches, I just wanted to make sure they weren't too big for him. Would be a good idea to dust the roaches with the calcium, all of them for one feeding rather than the mustard greens in case he isn't eating all of the greens. For a beardie as small as yours, you should dust with calcium on 1 feeding a day for 5 days a wk and then on the other 2 days, dust the feeders with vitamins but again only on 1 feeding a day.

What are the tank temps and what type of thermometer are you using, digital strip, round gauge (dial), temperature gun or a digital with a long wire & probe end?

Unfortunately, that UVB doesn't put out a good amount of UV and can actually cause some eye issues and other health concerns. We actually don't recommend using any compact or coil UVB's. Would be a good idea to get a Repti-Sun 10.0 strip fluorescent tube or an Arcadia UVB bulb. Both of those types give the best results in the bulb testings.

What are you using for a heat bulb?

How often have you been bathing him? Babies can get dehydrated very quickly so that's why I'm asking.

 

[jacksonrocks619]

Using a round gauge thermometer. And he is bathed daily. Could you please put a link to correct lighting I should buy please? Like a link to a website selling it

 

[diamc]

Here's a link to the UVB. Not sure what size your tank is but this is 24", they also have 18". http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiSun%C2%AE-Fluorescent-24-Inch/dp/B0009YHSWK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440988989&sr=8-1&keywords=reptisun+10.0&pebp=1440989000226&perid=0KCYX3ME5SN6482B168A

The basking bulb looks fine as long as it is throwing out enough heat. What you need to know is the basking SURFACE temp and the only 2 ways you can get that reading is with either a temperature gun or digital probe thermometer. http://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-00891A1-Indoor-Outdoor-Thermometer/dp/B001BO8CUE/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1440989198&sr=8-7&keywords=acurite+probe+thermometer

The round gauge thermometers can actually be off by 20 degrees or more so that could very well have a lot to do with his slow growth rate.

 

[jacksonrocks619]

Darn my tanks too small to fit both of those bulbs. Thanks for the heat gun and thermometer though. I'll have to keep looking thanks a lot though for helping out