Is my dragon too small?

[killeroguro]

Hey all,

I just wanted to post because I'm concerned about my new beardie's size. She is about 8 months old, and only 8 inches; I know she's not done growing yet, but apparently the average length by this age is 12 inches. Any advice/opinions from you guys on this?

Also, I'm curious to know at about what age bearded dragons generally reach their maximum size.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Hey all,

I just wanted to post because I'm concerned about my new beardie's size. She is about 8 months old, and only 8 inches; I know she's not done growing yet, but apparently the average length by this age is 12 inches. Any advice/opinions from you guys on this?

Also, I'm curious to know at about what age bearded dragons generally reach their maximum size.

Is that her entire length ?
How many grams does she weigh ?

Photos of her (she could be a Rankins - who are a mini-version of the more common central bearded dragon) , Need good photo of her from above so we can see her head shape and crown & beard spikes formations

There are a number of common reasons why a hatchling/ juvenile bearded dragon fails to thrive , including :
>>> genetics
>>> being dominated by another dragon (not necessarily in the same viv)
>>> husbandry issues (in adequate diet and not fed often enough and not given enough insect protein and dietary calcium)
>>> inadequate UVA & UVB
>>> not warm enough
>>> too hot
>>> sickness

A beardied dragon will not taper off the growth until it's about 2 years old.

Need much more information and details on your beardie's setup and your husbandry otherwise we can't even hazard a guess.

Here's my Cheat Sheet :
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=234738&p=1806050#p1806050

If you work through it methodically , the chances are there are likely a lot of issues that need to be tweeked or changed and they will pop right out at you, if you can give very detailed answers we will then be in a position to offer help. Is impossible to help you if you don't provide thorough details .

It may prove necessary to involve a reptile vet if your bearded dragon has serious health issues.Are you in a position to afford to take him to a good reptile vet should this prove necessary ?

 

[killeroguro]

this is the only photo i can post right now due to complications with my technology, but yes, from nose to tail tip she is only 8 inches. I am trying to find something to weigh her with; of course her weight doesn't register on our normal scale. She is fairly active and pretty alert, aside from sometimes when she is basking and closes her eyes. She moves around quite a bit, and seemed a bit lethargic the first couple days after i got her but doesn't now. I got her a week ago from a friend who wasn't caring for her properly; she was without a heat lamp for at least a week or two before i got her, and my friend never really took her out of her enclosure. to my knowledge she was fed regularly and kept hydrated for the most part.

I have her in a glass tank with a mesh top that is about 3ft long and 1.5ft wide, she has a zoo med repot basking spot lamp, 100w. Her uvb is not here yet, I ordered a reptisun 10 t5, which seems to be the favorite on here. I take her outside into the sun for at least 1-2 hours a day to make sure she gets some good uvb until the lamp arrives. She has a fake desert substrate that does not have any parts that will become detached, so there is no risk of her consuming any of it. I put some fake plants and a higher rock to bask on it there, but so far she prefers to just sit on the floor of the tank and doesn't move around much while she is in there. She's been eating a few crickets a day when I hand feed them to her; something i have attributed to relocation stress. I have been bathing her daily to hydrate her, and she has had healthy looking poops each day. She has been sleeping soundly in my bed on a heating pad(the temp does not get too hot and i also have her wrapped in a t-shirt so she isn't in direct contact with the pad), which i feel comfortable with since she is a sound sleeper and doesn't not wander, and I am very aware of any movements i may make during the night. I take her out with me frequently, making sure to keep her pretty warm.

Her previous owner did not always dust the crickets with calcium powder, and when i got her she had pretty jerky movements and seemed lethargic. She no longer has either of these symptoms. To my knowledge she was never housed with another dragon, aside from the hopefully short time she spent at either petsmart or petco.

I have been offering her greens each day which she does not want, which i heat is normal for juvies. I posted another topic on the health section about her eating habits so far, which I know are most likely due to some relocation stress.

I will try to upload some more images later if i can, let me know if you need any more info

 

[killeroguro]

finally got my tech to work. Here's some pics of her and her enclosure;
if she looks a little lethargic it's because she's basking, that's not her average state or anything.

 

[AHBD]

The previous owner probably just had no real care info and gave her not even the bare minimum of care that kept her alive but not enough to thrive. You're doing all the right things and hopefully she'll continue to do better under your care. The sun will help greatly [ probably what stopped her jerky movements] and offering calcium dusted crickets. Best wishes for her to regain a decent level of health....at least she seems to have no deformities fro her lack of care.

 

[killeroguro]

that's reassuring, thank you! I will continue to offer her food and take her out in the sunlight for at least an hour or two a day

 

[killeroguro]

Photos of her (she could be a Rankins - who are a mini-version of the more common central bearded dragon) , Need good photo of her from above so we can see her head shape and crown & beard spikes formations

do you think she could be a rankins, or is she just very small?