Please help, is this a Rankins or a tiny Beardy?!

[Chrysmurph]

Dear all, hello!

2 days ago I finally bought home our long awaited Dragon. We bought her from a specialist reptile shop and we were told that she was 6.5 months old. However, since looking at the growth charts and average weights for beardies I have realised that she is absolutely tiny. She was one of the smallest in the tank of juveniles in the shop so I'm not sure if her size is due to the lack of food she got as she was quite submissive with the others.

Her length is 7 1/2 inches from nose to tip of tail and she is 18g (about 1/3 oz). she is also not eating much yet, so far she has had 5 locusts on tues and 5 locusts spread throughout the day yesterday. I've added a load of photos so you can see her markings and general shape, as well as the way she holds herself.

Thank you very much for any help you can give me!

 

[Brandonforty2]

Ask the shop if all of the dragons came from the same breeder. That might clear it up.

 

[Chrysmurph]

She said they did, father was a yellow one, mother was a normal. I'm just a bit worries cos 18 grams at 6 months old is tiny! the others in the tank were probably only about an inch bigger.

 

[Brandonforty2]

She can't be a Rankins because it is a totally different breed. She probably is small. She sounds like buster. Buster is around five months old and less than a foot long. Dave is the same age and a monster. They eat the same amount food.
She is more than likely a small beardie. This really only means that you need to be more careful with her.

P.S. She is pretty cute and looks a lot like buster. She even has the same pattern on her back. The orange diamonds.

 

[Chrysmurph]

brilliant! thank you! I'm hoping that she starts to eat a bit more as she settles into her new home. I've just managed to get her to eat 3 locusts and a leaf of her salad so i think she is getting slightly more used to me!

 

[daner923]

I think they were not telling the truth on age. My guess is she is more like 2-3 months old, if all the others are only a bit bigger than her too. Otherwise they are significantly malnourishing their beardies, and may not be offering calcium and UVB. That would be sad.

 

[Nicholas]

It looks like a beardie to me, just a small one.

 

[Chrysmurph]

I think it's a combination of them being younger than she says and also they aren't getting enough food. the lady who runs the shop was only giving them crickets or mealworms (NOOOOOO!!!!) every other day. they also had a coil uv bulb and a radiator for heat instead of a basking bulb. at least she wasn't on sand though!

I'm going to try her with crickets or small locust 3 times a day and see how she gets on. today she has managed 3 locusts and 2 crickets and a few leaves. she seems happy though. i'll also keep track of her length and weight and hope she starts to grow soon!

thank you everyone!

 

[drakedragon]

she just looks like a normal bearded dragon. as for her age and size they probably told you the wrong age. she looks more like 2 months old. not 6.5 months old

 

[CaptainCandyCorn]

Your dragon is definitely a Bearded Dragon. Rankins have a totally different pattern on their backs. You can get a good look at the two species if you look them up. Its a totally different species.

 

[paperplanes]

someone lied to you about the age. my BD i was told was 2-3 months old this size. guaranteed she is just very young still

 

[Mysticsilk]

Looks like a beardie to me. Even if she is small for her age as long as she's eating fine and healthy (which she looks to be) no worries.