About how old is my beardie? Is my beardie gaining the right amount of weight and growing at the right rate? My beardie is __ yrs old, how long should it be? etc, etc...
I know I have personally asked about this when first visiting here, and we get this type of question(s) all the time. I also get it at work and I just don't know what to tell people.
Is their some type of estamation chart to at least give us an idea on this? I know this is something that is hard to tell, and an exact age and such just cannot be done, but if their is a chart ot their, or if we can make one here that gives at least a basic idea of what the answers are I would greatly appreciate it!!!
So if you know of a chart, or want to give insight as to how we can make one up please leave your insight!!!!!
it is actually pretty impossible. It is also something i have wanted to do for like ever! But I have 3 and they have all grown at different rates, I had a 4 month old, which was the same size as my 1year old. And now I have a 7/8 month old who is only 12 inches (he's really tiny.) Also because they don't need to be a certain size when they reach adulthood it is also hard to tell whether they're an adult or a juvie, let alone their actual age.
It would be interesting to see what everyone else thinks. But personally, i think it's a no go area!
I agree it's pretty impossible. As so many things determine growth in beardies. Gene make-up, husbandry, diet, an I'm even starting to think that when eggs are being pushed thru and filled by the female the placement of where it's possition in line can affect as well. Toward the end of stuffing eggs she your female may run low on certain nutrients or hormones leaving some of the last eggs filled short on the nutrient sack. The last part is only my opinion from some of my own experiences. :wink:
But on an average if baby comes from healthy average to healthy large beardie parents.........
Then this is just an average if under proper care and is a healthy baby should grow heavy emphisis on average an average of 2 inches per month for the first 6 months.
So if under proper care and diet an is healthy and hatched at say 4 inches in length......
At 1 month should be an average of 6 inches...
At 2 months should be an average of 8 inches...
At 3 months should be an average of 10 inches...
At 4 months should be an average of 12 inches...
At 5 months should be an average of 14 inches...
At 6 months should be an average of 16 inches...
At this time growth for most beardies will slow down a bit but will continue to grow in length till 12 months or better.
After 12 months or so they may not grow in length anymore but will continue to put on weight.
I'm not writting this in stone this is just what my records, in my house, with my beardies reflects.