I am worried about my beardies growth!!!

[LaurenceP]

hi i have a 6ftx2ftx2ft/180 gallon tank i feed them about half a tub of crickets evry night and vegtables but they dnt eat tahe vegtables although i do feed the crickets vegtables aswell and they do eat th crickets thye are about 19 months old but do not seem to be growing and they are not full size i am worried i am doing somthing wrong to look at my beardies and other things about me visit: http://affiliate.kickapps.com/service/displayMyPlace.kickAction?as=82018&LE=launch#

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Can you go over your tank setup? Are you using a UVB light, & if so, is it a flourescent tube bulb or a compact or coil light? How old is your UVB light?
What type of basking light are you using, a white light or a colored light?
What are your temps in the tank? What do you use to measure the temps with, a stick on thermometer, a digital probe or a temp gun?
What is your substrate?
Do you supplement calcium 3 times per week?
At 19 months, they are pretty much adults. If they are not large enough then you may not have fed them enough when were younger or if you did not use UVB lighting, that will affect growth.
How many do you have housed together? Are they a male & female, female & female, or two males?

Tracie

 

[LaurenceP]

i have always used a ubv tube with two heat lamps so they can both bask they also contain uva lighting these are all only around 4 1/2 months old i have a male and female i suppliment all there food with calcium powder with lime powder to nutralise it with a ratio of 1 spoon full of calcium and 3 spoon fulls of lime powder so they can not over dose and under dose on vitamins and minerals to prevent them from metalic bone structure. i use the vegatable pelet subsrate (not quiet sure exact name) but have been told it is the best substrate to prevent them from getting impaction. i also put adult dragon food in the salad but they do not seem to eat this, or i have never seen them eat this. it is around 90degrees F in the cool end and 100degrees Fin the hot end i have a thermometer on each end but the theremostat is controled by a sensor. they do move between areas of the vivarium during the day and night. they do eat their food i give them and i have slowly give them more crickets they have usualy had about 20 crickets or more of the correct size each. my male is 18.5 inch and my female is 18 inch, (not sure) this seems quiet long so i am wondering if they grow in length and then they spread out because all the adult beardies in the shops seem to be alot bulkyer than them. thanks for all ur help!!! :lol: :wink: 8)

 

[ashesc212]

Hi, what brand UVB are you using? How close to the UVB light can they get? How old are your beardies?

I have never heard of this lime powder thing...seems odd. Do you also supplement with multivitamin 2 x per week?

I'm not sure about the substrate. Maybe someone else can help on that. I find that tile, paper towel, or reptile carpet is a good choice for beardies.

If 90 degrees is your cold end, that might be a bit too hot for the beardies. They need a temperature gradient. One end should be about 80. Your basking spot is 100? Anyway to pick that temp up a little to about 105?

The stick-on thermometers are pretty much useless, no offense. Walmart has a digital Accu-Rite thermomenter for $12 or you might want to try a ProExotics temp gun.

Do you gutload your crickets? Do you feed your beardies veggies at all?

 

[spyder79]

18 inches sounds like a ok length. what is their weight?
also you should partition off the tank half and half. it is a horrible idea to have a male and a female housed together. you get dominance issues, eventually fighting, breeding/over breeding causing pregnancy sometimes eggbinding and death. i have heard of people have two females successfully living together but there is not way to have a male and a female housed together and expect them to have a healthy life. no matter how good your care is nature takes its course. id be willing to bet that considering their ages your female may already be carrying his seed and possibly become gravid soon. it is extremely important to their health to seperate them.

now as far as lime powder mixed with the calcium powder. there is no care sheet i have ever seen or that i can find that duscusses using lime powder with dragons or any other reptile for that matter. why is it that you are using it and who told you to use it? the only supplements you should use is a vitamin supp calcium powder and possibly accidophilus every now and then.

 

[LaurenceP]

I ewas told by a shop called Birmingham Reptiles And pets who specialise in reptiles. They thought my female was very slightly starting to get metalic bone structure so they told me to get lime powder and have three spoon fulls of that to one spoon full of lime powder this way as long as i put it on evry thing they eat they can not over dose or under dose on vitamins because befor i was over dosing them.

how much should they way on average?

and i do give them salad but they do not eat it. but i do gut feed my crickets

Thanks for your help

 

[spyder79]

i would not use lime powder
it makes no since

u use calcium powder 5 times a week and vitamin 2 times a week. thats it.

the biggest issue is the fact that they are housed together and you did not comment back on that. it is of utter importance that you seperate them.

 

[ashesc212]

I agree, no lime powder...

How old are they again? Do you have a gram scale by chance?

For frame of reference, my beardie is 9 months old, 18.25", and 434 g.

 

[LaurenceP]

kk myne are around 19 months old i need to weigh them still

and i wiil probably seperate them. need to get my dads help

 

[LaurenceP]

oh and did you say 9 months or 19 months? because 9 months sounds awfully hudge

 

[ashesc212]

oh and did you say 9 months or 19 months? because 9 months sounds awfully hudge

She's 9 months old....the vet said she looks great. Here she is in a recent photo:

I think adults get to be about 700 grams.

 

[spyder79]

adult beardies can be anywere from the high 300s to 900 or higher.
your beardie looks perfectly sized for its age.

oh and 19 inches isnt unheard of at 9 months
my male was 21 inches at 8 months and 560 grams
now he is 22 and over 600
some just grow fast

as far as the seperation issue its not a probably it is a must. i know it is a pain but u are going to have huge issues with over breeding unexpected pregnancy and health problems if you dont. and in my opinion that is cruelty.