My Beardie isn't growing.

[hindrom123]

Hello everyone!

We bought a baby beardie at a pet store in November and were told he was only a few days old, making him 7 months right now. As a baby, he was a bit scared and took him a while to get used to us. He acts like a vegetable, meaning he does not move around much and isn’t phased by sudden movements, let alone anything. More recently he’s been walking around more but we noticed he still isn’t growing. Yes he’s grown since we got him but he has not grown very much. He also does not seem to hardly anything. We bought another beardie 1 month after him (they were around the same size and now she’s much bigger) and she lives in the same exact conditions as him but is the complete opposite. She’s very aware, always moves around, loves human contact, and eats almost anything. They’re in a 40 gal tank, 10.0 UVB and a basking spot at around 110. Any help as to why he is like this and what we can do to help him would be much appreciated.

https://s1376.photobucket.com/user/aroma25/media/image1_zpsg4k1bx0y.jpeg.html

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi there,

Are they housed in the same tank?

So what is the weight and size of the dragon you've had for 7 months now that isn't growing?
Can you post pictures?

Most times, lack of growing is due to improper husbandry, diet, or a combination of the both. Sometimes, it can be genetic. Babies shouldn't be sold at only a few days old. Any responsible breeder holds them until they are at least 4-6 weeks old, or 10g.

The 10.0 uvb, can you be more specific on that? What brand? Is it a long tube that spans the length of your tank, or is it a compact bulb?

What does his daily diet look like? Are you allowing him to eat as much as he wants or are you only giving him a few bugs/salad?

-Brandon

 

[hindrom123]

Hello,

I just posted a photo comparison of them, he was around 25-30g last time we checked and about 10/11 in long (including his tail). They share the same tank and seem to do well together with no fighting or bullying. The uvb bulb is pretty compact and covers about the half of the terrarium without the heat lamp. Their diet consists of mostly greens (such as kale and bell peppers), crickets, and pellet food out for whenever they want. We give him the option to eat as much as he wants but doesn't really seem to care. His tankmate on the other hand enjoys the food surplus.

 

[KarrieRee]

Picture did not come thru---- the housing together is not good - I would separate them ASAP - dragons are territorial and one will become dominant over the other taking over all the things they need to survive ---- the UVB is a coil or tube????????? Your little dragon is probably under alot of stress from the other one --- I would get him into another tank ASAP
Karrie

 

[Claudiusx]

The uvb bulb is pretty compact and covers about the half of the terrarium without the heat lamp.

So it is a long tube, or is it a compact fluorescent? Can you post a picture of it maybe? There is a big difference between the two.

I see the picture, is the little guy a silkie? From the picture he looks to be a silkie, and if thats the case they require SIGNIFICANTLY different care than regular dragons.

-Brandon

 

[Claudiusx]

And I agree with Karrie, they should not be housed together, especially if they are different sizes. The bigger one will always dominate the smaller one, and prevent it from getting the best basking, the best uv, and cause stress.

-Brandon

 

[hindrom123]

The uvb has coils. And i believe he is a silky, he seems to just have skin without the scales. And would stress be the reason he is not currently growing that fast?

 

[KarrieRee]

The coil UVB is one of the reasons but for the most part its being housed w/ another dragon--- eventually one of them will attack and possible kill or mame the one --- here is some info on UVB's
Which UVB light should I use?
The best UVB light is a ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube HO (Or Arcardia 12% in the UK). Compact or coil bulbs do not emit the proper amount of UVB light for a bearded dragon, and should not be used. Other brands, such as the Zilla Desert Series and ReptiGlo have been known to cause eye problems and other health issues with bearded dragons, and should be avoided. The reason that some UVB lights (Zilla, ReptiGlo, coils/compacts, ect.) are considered dangerous is because the wavelength of UVB that they emit is shorter and more intense than the wavelength of the "safe" lights (ReptiSun, Arcadia). UVB lights should be replaced every 6 months. The T5’s are a strong bulb and only need to be replaced once a year – the T 8 every 6 months--- where as the T 8 are not as strong—they need to be placed inside the tank the T 5 10.0 bulb approx 10-11 inches from basking spot – the T 8 approx 8-10 inches from basking spot—the cover needs to be off the bulb for full effect of the UVB rays-- I would get 2 UVB's and get them in each tank --- you don not want to leave the younger one w/ the bigger one --- right now neither one are getting proper UVB light --- coils do not prevent MBD---
Karrie

 

[Claudiusx]

The reason he isn't growing fast is because he is a silky.

Did the breeder you got him from not inform you of their care? It's extremely irresponsible of a breeder to sell a silkie to someone without first making sure they are aware of their special needs.

Silkies are an extreme genetic mutation, and it sounds like you didn't get him from a very reputable breeder, which adds to the possibility that there is some bad inbreeding/genetics at play here. Silkies are known to be runts, have numerous health issues, and be much more fragile than other dragons.

They require different husbandry than regular dragons so that alone should be reason enough to separate them.
I'm not extremely well versed in exactly how to care for a silkie as i've never owned one, and kind of frown on the selling of them if I am to be perfectly honest for the health reasons I mentioned above.

Maybe someone who has raised a silkie can offer some more assistance, but for now I would suggest separating them, dropping the temp a bit for the silkie, and changing you uvb bulbs to proper ones. For your leatherback, it would be the reptisun 10.0 long tube, not the coil, and for your silkie you'll want the reptisun 5.0 as it puts off less uv.

-Brandon

 

[Claudiusx]

The coil UVB is one of the reasons but for the most part its being housed w/ another dragon-

In this case Karrie, it's most likely due to poor genetics of the silkback gene. You do not want to use powerful uv bulbs with silkbacks as they lack the protection that is afforded to other dragons from scales.

-Brandon

 

[kingofnobbys]

Hello,

I just posted a photo comparison of them, he was around 25-30g last time we checked and about 10/11 in long (including his tail). They share the same tank and seem to do well together with no fighting or bullying. The uvb bulb is pretty compact and covers about the half of the terrarium without the heat lamp. Their diet consists of mostly greens (such as kale and bell peppers), crickets, and pellet food out for whenever they want. We give him the option to eat as much as he wants but doesn't really seem to care. His tankmate on the other hand enjoys the food surplus.

You need to feed them separately AT LEAST , and maybe consider handfeeding the smaller one.

I'd give very serious consideration to moving the bigger one into another tank , let the smaller one keep the tank it's currently sharing, the bigger dragon wont suffer from a period of relocation stress (due to being rehoused). You'll find the smaller dragon will be much happier and might just become a very much better feeder (once it discovers it no longer needs to compete with the larger more voracious feeder who has been taking the lion's share of the food and only leaving the dregs and scraps for the smaller dominated dragon/tankmate/sibling.

Definitely look at upgrading a T5ho 12%UVB tube (Arcadia brand are the ant's pants for reptile UV sources).

 

[Claudiusx]

Definitely look at upgrading a T5ho 12%UVB tube (Arcadia brand are the ant's pants for reptile UV sources).

No. A T5 will fry a silkie.

-Brandon

 

[kingofnobbys]

Definitely look at upgrading a T5ho 12%UVB tube (Arcadia brand are the ant's pants for reptile UV sources).

No. A T5 will fry a silkie.

-Brandon

Evidence for that claim is where ?

 

[Claudiusx]

From every single person who has ever raised a silk back? You're not going to find a scientific chart or article on that....

Their skin blisters.....
No scales. Extremely deceased protection from UV Rays. Plus the fact that you should keep an ointment or lotion on their skin at all times.

They have extremely fragile skin compared to spiked dragons. In some of the worse-off silkies, even regular dragon basking temps are enough to cause severe issues with their health such as rapid dehydration and skin burning.

-Brandon.