Growth Rate Issuses

[wonkachomp]

I've had my dragon since April and he hasn't grown at all (though he has shed multiple times) When I went back to the pet store I bought him from a month later (he lived with 4 others) two were left and only one was the same size. Is it normal for some to take that long to grow? He still just about...I'd say (eyeballing) 5 inches. He has regular eating habits and is pretty active.

 

[Atrain87]

Thats not normal, can you go over your set up, be sure to include uvb used, temps, cage size, substrate and everything else you can think of.

 

[wonkachomp]

Ok, the tank is 15 gallons i believe, 30"w by 12.5" h by 10.5" d, I use green repti carpet and just changed it today, he has a rock/cave and a dish and a branch up the wall. I use repti glo during the day, 26W during the day then turn on repti heat 100w at night. I gutload the crickets adn feed him 3-5 everyday at 12-1 and give him tiny pieces of carrots. I mist him a lot and regularly fill the dish a little so he wont drown.

Another piece of information is when I brought him home the first day i picked him up and he jumped to the ground (om only 5'1) and then i put him back and then I let my boyfriend hold him and he jumped straight into the tank and i left him alone for a while then just recently started picking him up daily.

 

[diamc]

Hi, welcome to the forum. I have to say that your beardie should have grown quite a bit in 4 months so something definitely isn't right and needs changing.

You mentioned that you're using a Repti-Glo 26 watt UVB, is it a strip fluorescent or coil/compact bulb? Are you using a bulb that produces heat during the day? If so, what is the wattage of it and is it a colored or white bulb? A 100 watt bulb at night is way to much wattage for only a 15 gallon tank. They need it much cooler at night so if your room temp doesn't drop lower that 65 degrees, you don't need any heat at night.

He isn't getting enough to eat, at his small size, he should be getting all the crickets he can eat in about a 10 to 15 min timeframe 2 to 3 times a day. Did the pet store tell you to only feed him 3 to 5 crickets a day? That is nowhere near enough, he needs lots of protein to help him grow. Feeding carrots once in a while is ok as long as they are fed with healthy greens, he needs to get dandelion, escarole, endive, mustard greens, turnip greens, collards, etc. Carrots are high in Vitamin A so they shouldn't be fed daily by themselves. Here's a site that shows the best to feed in green ink: http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html Are you dusting his crickets with calcium & vitamins, if so, how often? Also make sure the crickets are no larger than the space between his eyes or he could choke or get impacted.

Babies can get dehydrated very quickly so if you haven't been bathing him, it would be a good idea to give him a bath in warm water tested by the inside of your wrist, it shouldn't feel cold or hot. A 15 to 20 min soak is very beneficial but be sure to watch him closely as they can drown in a small amount of water. There should be enough water to cover his front legs and be sure to put a washcloth down in the bottom to help him feel more secure.

What type of thermometer are you using to check the temps and what are the temps during the day?

Please fill us in on the unanswered questions and let us know if anything needs to be clarified.

 

[wonkachomp]

Hey, sorry about the late relply.

The type of light im using during teh day is the Repti Glo 26W and it's a white coil bulb in an exoterra compact top.
the pet store told me he should be eating 10-12 crickets a week as opposed to your suggestion of multiple times a day.
I do dust the crickets in about a teaspoon and a half of calcium right befoe feeding.
The tank is about 25 degrees C or 75 degrees F. (canadain; i use c)

it seems odd that a desert dwelling creature would need baths, seeing as how there isn't much water in the deserts... but i can see how it would help. but hes really finicky and sometimes just wont be picked up; should i use a little tupperwear container? I read on here that people use their bathtubs but i assume thats for bigger ones.

 

[AutopsySoldier]

75 degrees...in the cool side?

He should have a basking side which should be 100-110F...don't know what that is in Clecius. The cool side, I have it at 85F.

10-12 crickets a week is waaaaaay less then what he should be eating. My guy eats about 10-12 a day and that still isn't enough, I don't think...My crickets are growing too fast and it's hard to pick out the smaller ones, so I think he gets full too quick.

I use my bathtub for my dragon...hes a baby too. It's easier then putting him in a small Tupperware container, he seems to freak out in one those, rather than the big open bathtub.

You should use the ReptiSun 10.00 flourecsent tube. That's what the guys here recommended and after a day under it he was way more active and eating a lot more.

 

[wonkachomp]

My thermometer is in the centre of the tank. so i'm guessing its warmer under the lamp; do you think i could use the 100w infared one where his basking spot is and pu the other one on hte other side? and hes still very active. Im going to bring him outside with me so he can getsome real sun rays.

He also just rubbed hi eye against the carpet; he has an infectin but i cleared up in a cople of das wiht some more greens. Coul it be itchy?

 

[diamc]

It would be a good idea to get the Repti-Sun 10.0 fluorescent tube as AutopsySoldier suggested. There have been serious health issues with the coil/compact UVB's which you can read about here: [ Invalid URL Removed / p= t=65424 f=1 ] In the meantime, your beardie would be better off without any UVB even for a wk until the new one arrives. It's good that you will be taking him outside for some rays but be sure to use a leash because if they get scared, they can run & get lost very quickly.

It sounds like you haven't been using any basking light during the day, the only bulb you're using now hardly gives off any heat at all. A temp of 25 celcius is equal to 77 farenheit which won't allow for proper digestion and can cause all sorts of health issues. He needs a basking temp of about 37.7 to 43.3 celcius (100 to 110 farenheit). You must be using either a round gauge or stick-on strip thermometer, those can be off as much as 20 degrees. Walmart has a digital thermometer with a long wire & probe end which also has a humidity readout for about $12.00. Do you have a Walmart near you? Only an infrared temperature gun or digital with probe will give you accurate readings. Rather than using the infrared (colored) bulb, you could use a standard household light bulb as they do much better with a bright white bulb. I think a 100 watt would be too hot in only a 15 gallon tank, I would try a 60 for now since he has been in such low temps already for the past 4 months then once you get an accurate thermometer and find out what the true temps are, you could go up to a 75 watt or down to a 60 watt if needed depending on what the temps are.

Most of us here have been given wrong info from a pet store so please believe us when we say that your baby should be getting a LOT more than 10 to 12 crickets a wk. That is probably one of the main reasons that he hasn't grown much because he hasn't gotten enough protein. Did you check out this site for the list of greens/veggies to feed? http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

He also just rubbed hi eye against the carpet; he has an infectin but i cleared up in a cople of das wiht some more greens. Coul it be itchy?

I'm not sure what you meant by him having an infection but it cleared up with some more greens? :? If it was a true infection, it wouldn't go away without treatment. Could he be shedding around his eye? Could you post a picture of it?

 

[wonkachomp]

I have an exoterra thermometer and its circular so if thats the round one your talking about then thats unfortunate... Yes there are plenty of wallmarts where i am but unfortunately i have no time soon to go get one.

Well i noticed a few days ago that he wasn't opening his right eye adn when he did open it it had a discharge and i followed internet instructions and i put water in it and gave him some greens for a few days and now it no longer has anything coming out but it almsot looks like its been pushed into its socket and moved over. I told my parents that i needed to take him in adn they said sure (though they have never taken any pet of ours into a vet) and yes there is a reptile specialist somewhere near here but i have yet to find out where that is.

The only light bulb that I have to give is an 11W coil which is equal to 60w (its the energy efficent one)

I took a picture of his right and his left for comparison.
LEFT

RIGHT

the left one isn showing up so here

 

[Atrain87]

The eye damage is probaly caused by the coil light. You should remove it right away. The coil lights have even been known to kill baby beardies. improper uvb will also play a mayjor role in the fact that your bd is undersized. You need to get a reptisun 10.0 flouresent tube like said before. Remove the coil untill you get the reotisun, he wll be better iff with no uvb than with it for a few days.

 

[wonkachomp]

Ok, I'll get right on it.

What if I have a Rankins (Lawson) Dragon instead of a Beardie; they're a lot smaller but look just like juviniles?

 

[AutopsySoldier]

Ok, I'll get right on it.

What if I have a Rankins (Lawson) Dragon instead of a Beardie; they're a lot smaller but look just like juviniles?

Ah, man...well my dragon looks just like yours...so I'm hoping you don't have a Rankins dragon...which I knew nothing about till I looked them up, just right now. I want a BIG dragon.

Does anyone know a way to tell if it is a bearded dragon and not a rankins dragon? Mines only a couple of weeks old...don't know if it's easy to spot or just wait to see if he stops growing at 13''.

I got it from Petco.

sorry for the thread hijack, but I'm anxiously waiting for my dragon to grow BIG and strong...kinda upset it might not get the size I hoped =(

 

[wonkachomp]

Same here; I want Wonka to grow to be 18"! But he's just as cute the size he is now.
And it's ok about the thread hijack.
Mr. Pets sold me mine and they just got new hatchlings about 3" long theyre adorable.