Dwarf bearded dragon

[Mackenzie03]

Hi!
I rescue bearded dragons, but I have never had a dwarf before. This little girl is a dwarf ( not rankins). I was wondering if anyone has any experience with them and how big they grow and any common health problems. She has been to the vet and looks great and eats well. She is a gorgeous dark red translucent. You can see she has a very short body and and is a little chunkier. You can see the difference next to a similar sized baby ( she’s another rescue who lost a whole arm from cohabitation with larger dragons.) I would love any advice anyone can give on dwarf dragons.
Thanks!

 

[Mackenzie03]

Hi!
I rescue bearded dragons, but I have never had a dwarf before. This little girl is a dwarf ( not rankins). I was wondering if anyone has any experience with them and how big they grow and any common health problems. She has been to the vet and looks great and eats well. She is a gorgeous dark red translucent. You can see she has a very short body and and is a little chunkier. You can see the difference next to a similar sized baby ( she’s another rescue who lost a whole arm from cohabitation with larger dragons.) I would love any advice anyone can give on dwarf dragons.
Thanks!

 

[Mackenzie03]

Here’s the pictures

 

[KarrieRee]

OMG she is adorable -- I didnt know there were such a thing but anything is possible I guess -- poor baby sorry she lost a arm due to another dragon -- that is terrible --- others on here might be able to give you some insight on their longevity and health concerns

 

[Mackenzie03]

Thanks! I also had no idea it could occur! They were rescued from the same breeder, so I think the dwarfism is probably a result of very poor breeding.

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi there,

Were x-rays done of the dragon?
Well, there isn't technically such thing as a dwarf dragon.. but I suppose in this case the dragon does have "dwarf" characteristics. But they are genetic defects from poor breeding practices. I am imagining the other dragon in the picture is a clutch mate?

That clutch mate just reaffirms the probability of horribly irresponsible genetic pairings from a breeder who doesn't know what they are doing. While all these new morphs are cool and profitable, when genetic pairings aren't done responsibly, these types of offspring are the outcome.

The breeder is either ignorant of genetics, or just doesn't care and is trying to cash in on the popular morphs people are buying right now. That's sad, and why you should only buy from reputable breeders.

Now, good on you for taking the little guy in and giving him a home, the little guy deserves a shot at life if he seems healthy for the most part and can function normally. But, when the genetics that make a clutch result in offspring like this, it's typical that the dragons of the clutch don't live very long. I wish you the best, and we will be here to help you through the process. Hopefully he is able to live a long healthy happy life. And hopefully the breeder becomes better informed.

-Brandon

 

[Mackenzie03]

Hi there,

Were x-rays done of the dragon?
Well, there isn't technically such thing as a dwarf dragon.. but I suppose in this case the dragon does have "dwarf" characteristics. But they are genetic defects from poor breeding practices. I am imagining the other dragon in the picture is a clutch mate?

That clutch mate just reaffirms the probability of horribly irresponsible genetic pairings from a breeder who doesn't know what they are doing. While all these new morphs are cool and profitable, when genetic pairings aren't done responsibly, these types of offspring are the outcome.

The breeder is either ignorant of genetics, or just doesn't care and is trying to cash in on the popular morphs people are buying right now. That's sad, and why you should only buy from reputable breeders.

Now, good on you for taking the little guy in and giving him a home, the little guy deserves a shot at life if he seems healthy for the most part and can function normally. But, when the genetics that make a clutch result in offspring like this, it's typical that the dragons of the clutch don't live very long. I wish you the best, and we will be here to help you through the process. Hopefully he is able to live a long healthy happy life. And hopefully the breeder becomes better informed.

-Brandon

Agreed… I have absolutely no idea if they are clutchmates. They came from someone who was definitely breeding only for profit. They were seized from her along with a lot of other babies and adults . The adults were mostly zeros and trans which from what I understand are not good to breed together but I could be wrong. I currently have silkies, 6 zeros missing limbs, the little dwarf, and two super skinny older dragons who have partially paralyzed legs ( all from this woman). They all seem to be bouncing back well, but several others that looked like the dwarf dragon had to be put down. My vet said she had seen it before a couple times and had called it a dwarf. The spine is an s shape giving the short body.

 

[KarrieRee]

 

[AHBD]

Hi Mackenzie, I hatched out 2 dwarf type babies years ago, both from healthy parents and from different pairings . Dwarfism is not from poor breeding any more than it would be in humans, if you Google dwarfism in humans you can read that. It's good to remember that many things that seem to be strange disorders or anomalies have unknown causes . As for my dwarfs, they were as spunky and energetic as the other dragons and did not have any limits to mobility or no symptoms of pain whatsoever. I kept them until they were young adults , then sold them to responsible persons that thought they were irresistible. I'll see if I can find pics of them.

 

[Mackenzie03]

That’s awesome to hear! This little one is also super energetic and healthy otherwise. I would love to see pictures!

 

[AHBD]

I found their adult pics, they were nearly full size in 2012 but I'm disappointed that I didn't find their baby pics. I'm having a hard time figuring out the new way to post pics [ this forum was completely made over just recently ] I'll try later but yes, I had a male yellow/tan from yellowish parents and a very red female from red parents. So later today I'll try to post them

 

[Mackenzie03]

Yay! I have been so curious to see how big she will get

 

[AHBD]

BTW, I just wanted to mention that what Brandon said about problems from inbreeding is 100 % correct in the history of the designer morphs of beardies. When the transluscent [ trans.] came on the scene there were a lot of sickly ones from inbreeding. I don't know if anyone knows where the first trans. came from. Leatherbacks did not seem to have much of a problem, many can be traced back to a breeder in Italy. The Witblits also reportedly was prone to being weak + sickly in the early years. Inbreeding of any creature can cause serious health problems. Other animals , for instance dogs, were bred for certain traits such as short legs [ dachshund, some terriers, corgi's, etc ] and we have what we have today. Some dogs have problems within their own breed particular to [ but not limited to] that specific breed. The short bodied " dwarf " dragons that I raised seemed fine in every way but I have not kept in contact with the people who bought them. They weren't born with twisted spines and only the trunk of their body was smaller, or shorter compared to the rest of their body.

 

[AHBD]

Red female and citrus [ tan ] male. These are from healthy and unrelated pairs 10 years ago:

 

[Mackenzie03]

Unfortunately, there are two “breeders” here that are very irresponsible. Anything that they cannot sell at a high price gets dumped at the shelter which doesn’t take reptiles so usually I end up with all of them and find homes for them. I’m hoping after these were seized along with other animals this breeder won’t be able to breed anymore. They are gorgeous, but have so many health problems. From this group of rescues I have 6 of the prettiest silkies I’ve ever seen, but their skin is so delicate and they are noticeably not as strong as normals or leatherbacks. I will most likely keep them because they require so much extra work. I can’t seem to see the pictures… they show up as a link that I can click on but it says I don’t have permission to access them.