Is Mushu small for his age? [pic]

[christineyellow]

Hi everyone!

I got a beardie Sept 4th this year and he was about 5.5 inches (maybe a little under; I didn't measure him until about a week after I got him). I just measured him again today, October 23rd, and he is almost 6.5 inches... I believe he was only about a month old when I got him, which makes him almost/approximately 3 months old right now.

Just a run down of everything: 20 gallon long tank, basking temp is always 98-103*, cool side being around 85* (he never hides). I am using the Powersun 100w bulb and it's on for 12 hours per day. I alternate between crix and phoenix worms throughout the week, and greens are offered daily. He's very active and alert, gets stress marks in the morning when he's trying to warm up (and sometimes after he eats) but it goes away within the hour. His appetite is okay, sometimes he'll eat about 20-25 crix throughout the day, sometimes less. I had issues with him not eating for the first week/week and a half due to relocation stress.

The vet I took him to about a month ago weighed him (9 grams) and said he was at a good weight and that he looked healthy. Two days ago, I took him to a friend who is an experienced reptile owner and he also said Mushu looked healthy.

Should I be concerned at all?

Please please please help, as I'm a very paranoid mommy. :?
And thanks in advance to anyone who responds!

Here's a pic of my baby:

 

[TwelveVacancies]

I only got my little guy on September 5th, so I'm sure someone more experienced could give you a definite answer, but mine was about 2-3 months old when I got him and around 6inches. So I'd say Mushu is perfectly fine, and very cute from the picture.

Also, it might just be the lighting but have his feet started to go a bit grey? He could be getting ready to shed and you may find his appetite increasing A LOT once he's finished. I had that problem on top of relocation stress, Flyboy would usually only eat 10 (or less, sometimes none) crickets a day for about 3 weeks and had me very worried, now he'll go through 40+.

 

[christineyellow]

I only got my little guy on September 5th, so I'm sure someone more experienced could give you a definite answer, but mine was about 2-3 months old when I got him and around 6inches. So I'd say Mushu is perfectly fine, and very cute from the picture.

Also, it might just be the lighting but have his feet started to go a bit grey? He could be getting ready to shed and you may find his appetite increasing A LOT once he's finished. I had that problem on top of relocation stress, Flyboy would usually only eat 10 (or less, sometimes none) crickets a day for about 3 weeks and had me very worried, now he'll go through 40+.

Thank you again for responding!! In that picture, his feet were just a lighter color but I'm noticing the color is definitely changing. I suppose his appetite now is due to shedding, as his tail is turning white right now. But he was never a big eater from the beginning.. Unless his relocation stress overlapped with his shedding??

 

[TwelveVacancies]

Unless his relocation stress overlapped with his shedding??

That's possible, I believe that's what happened with Flyboy. I spoke to the breeder I got him from and they said it's likely that was the case. The change in his appetite was pretty much immediate once that first shed come off.

 

[christineyellow]

That's possible, I believe that's what happened with Flyboy. I spoke to the breeder I got him from and they said it's likely that was the case. The change in his appetite was pretty much immediate once that first shed come off.

How long do you think that'll take though? Approximately... His tail is shedding right now and I have seen him puff out his eyes a few times but nothing is going on around his face yet. I just want to make sure I'm not underfeeding him.. Right now I give him around 15-20 crix in the morning and then leave phoenix worms in a bowl in his tank for the rest of the day. He usually doesn't finish all the worms and a couple of crickets always escape & hide!!

 

[TwelveVacancies]

It may be a couple of weeks yet.

I'm sure it's different for every beardie but I noticed Flyboy going a dull colour only a week or so after I got him, and it wasn't until the 26th that it actually started to fall off, and he didn't complete the shed until around the 9th of October. And he actually just shed his tail AGAIN yesterday. :shock:

15-20 crickets doesn't sound too bad, but ideally you'd want him to eat the same amount (or more) during the second feed, too.

Have you tried dropping the crickets in one by one? That's what I do now, in a period of 10 mins, twice a day, however many he wants to eat within that time frame. First feed of the day is also dusted with vitamins and salad is available all the time.

If I tipped too many crickets in at once he used to get overwhelmed and lose interest. It's also a pain to try and catch the ones that get away and hide. You can also try putting them in the fridge for 30 seconds or so, so they still move enough to get his attention but aren't too fast to catch.