MeagaRay bulbs working, but My Dragons aren't Growing??

[hayl55]

Hello, I purchased a BEAUTIFUL red leather back bearded dragon in the summer about 6 months ago. My dragon was 2 months old at the time of purchase. She has barely grown at all, he has had 1 full shed, and few random parts have shed two or three times, but in general she is definitely way to small for an 8 month old. should I switch her lighting to a power sun?? or is it something else? She ahs a healthy appetite, a good temperament and is not fat or skinny, but she's just not growing. Any tips???
regards,
Hayley

 

[zebraflavencs]

Let's just take everything from the beginning.
List your full set up, lights, temps, how read, age of lighting, feeding schedules, diet,substrate, and supplements.
There is always a reason, more eyes can help find probable issues.
Also, I tend to weigh my dragons on a weekly basis, to help me figure out if someone isn't getting enough.
Janie

 

[hayl55]

I have set up:
Large 50 gl Breeder
shelf liner substrate
7 month old Megaray bulb ( but was brand new when I put her under it)
98 degree hot spot 70 degree cool spot
I feed her everyday a variety of vegetables , crickets, silkies, butter worms, etc. all dusted with calcium power every other day and vitamins once every two weeks.
She is active, happy and appears healthy other than she is just not growing. Even when she sheds she doesn't look any bigger.
I love her to bits and want her to grow up to be big and healthy.
Oh, I was wondering, I have her bulb in a fixture that is a little small for the bulb, so it doesn't sit flush to the top of the cage. Would this affect how the UVB is distributed?

 

[spiritwolf1270]

The bulb should still be good at 7mo - ours generally last over a year, but a meter would tell you for sure. Your temps are a little cool, IMO, but not 'bad'....we prefer 105 basking & 80 on the cool side. The only things that come to mind; what is the distance from the bulb to the basking, is there a screen below the light and is it a 100w or 160w bulb? By the way, the hood fitment should have little affect on uvb output, at least with that bulb.

I'd also kick the multivites up to at least once per week. What is the actual size of your dragon? inches...grams? How many live feeders does your dragon eat per day?

 

[hayl55]

there are to basking spots but my dragon chooses to sit in the spot that is furthest away ( about 7-8inches) the MEgaray is a 100w bulb and yes it sits on a screen.

 

[spiritwolf1270]

The manufacturer states that the 100w bulb should be no closer than 12" (18" for the 160w). The screen can block out a substantial amount of UVA/UVB (depending on material and density). I would suggest obtaining a light stand and hanging the light above the cage, so that you can remove the screen during the day. This would allow unfiltered UVA/UVB to reach your dragon and also allow up/down adjustment for temp control.

You didn't mention the actual size of your dragon is or how much it eats daily?

 

[hayl55]

oh and she is 15 inches long from snout to tail tip. I don't know how much she weights though because my scale is broken but heres a pic of her sleeping with Lilly my healthy and full grown 3 1/2 year old beardie.

and heres her about 2 1/2 months ago ( and shes aprox. the same size)

she eats salad every day and approximately 40-50 crickets everyother day. plus grubs mixed through the week ( depending on when I get to teh reptile store)

 

[hayl55]

getting a stand for the light sounds like a great idea. thanks for that tip.

 

[spiritwolf1270]

Is she housed with the adult female?

 

[hayl55]

no, they have seperate enclosures, I jsut let them out together and they don't bother eachother. They actually seem o enjoy eachothers company when I let them otu together. hence I found them curled up together and HAD to take pictures. They are even hosued in seperate rooms so they can't stress eachother out during the day.

 

[spiritwolf1270]

Without knowing her lineage, it's difficult to say how big she should be at this moment. Some dragons lines just grow more slowly than others - at some point they usually will take off. Keep in mind, she likely has another 6-8 months of growing to do as long as you don't breed her.

Keep feeding her well - including supplements, insure proper lighting and hydration...hopefully she'll hit her spurt. In the end, she may just be a smallish but beautiful dragon. She'll likely end up in the 17-18" range - my best guess.

 

[hayl55]

Ok, thanks for all your tips. They are very much appreciated. I love my girls and only want the best for them. I think I might try and feed her more to encourage her to grow. She has a very healthy appetite so I guess I'll just keep feeding her until she refuses to eat. along with the supplements. Thanks again
regards,
Hayley