RANKINS DRAGON NOT GROWING

[haileytaco]

Hello, I have 2 female RANKINS Dragons, (not bearded dragons). They are both sisters who were born in June 2014. One of the girls is always super alert, energetic, is a great feeder, is about 7 inches long, and it seems like she's constantly growing. On the other hand, the other girl Alli seems more of a dull color,is about 4 inches long, is not growing nearly as fast, doesn't eat much, and doesn't seem as alert as the other sister. Also, Alli goes under her basking log a lot rather than basking. Is she healthy? Please help.

 

[Sedjet]

Are they housed together? I've heard rankins have similar behavior to beardies, so that could be the cause. When two beardies are housed together, they compete for resources and one doesn't thrive well a lot. That could be the case with your girls as well.

 

[haileytaco]

Yes, they are housed together. I used to give free feed of mealworms along with free feed of greens but I notice the larger girl was eating all the worms so I now free feed greens but I separate them for feeding the worms. Still, the larger girl would eat as many as I give to her but Alli will only eat 1 or 2 worms. Very frustrating and confusing.

 

[Sedjet]

Yes, they are housed together. I used to give free feed of mealworms along with free feed of greens but I notice the larger girl was eating all the worms so I now free feed greens but I separate them for feeding the worms. Still, the larger girl would eat as many as I give to her but Alli will only eat 1 or 2 worms. Very frustrating and confusing.

My guess would be that the smaller girl is very stressed and that's affecting her appetite. I know for beardies when they're under a lot of stress they can stop eating. Also hiding is a universal sign of stress for all reptiles. I would try separating them. If you can put the smaller girl in her own tank where she can't see the larger one, that would be best. If not, try putting a divided in the tank to separate them and give her some time to settle down and destress.

 

[haileytaco]

Yes, they are housed together. I used to give free feed of mealworms along with free feed of greens but I notice the larger girl was eating all the worms so I now free feed greens but I separate them for feeding the worms. Still, the larger girl would eat as many as I give to her but Alli will only eat 1 or 2 worms. Very frustrating and confusing.

My guess would be that the smaller girl is very stressed and that's affecting her appetite. I know for beardies when they're under a lot of stress they can stop eating. Also hiding is a universal sign of stress for all reptiles. I would try separating them. If you can put the smaller girl in her own tank where she can't see the larger one, that would be best. If not, try putting a divided in the tank to separate them and give her some time to settle down and destress.

Thank you so much for your advice. That all makes sense now that you said it. Since Alli is already a year old, do you think she will ever be able to catch up to what a normal rankings dragon's size and health should be? I'm still a little concerned about her unalertness and not having an appetite in the past; I guess what I'm trying to say is can the damage be reversed?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

OH they are so precious & beautiful!
I think she still has a chance to catch up but she will need to be in her own enclosure so she can have reduced stress for awhile & be able to eat unbothered.
This happens frequently though not quite as often with Rankins as with Beardies.
Being in her own tank she will be able to get better UVB & heating access too. How often do you give calcium?

Tracie

 

[haileytaco]

Hello,

OH they are so precious & beautiful!
I think she still has a chance to catch up but she will need to be in her own enclosure so she can have reduced stress for awhile & be able to eat unbothered.
This happens frequently though not quite as often with Rankins as with Beardies.
Being in her own tank she will be able to get better UVB & heating access too. How often do you give calcium?

Tracie

I dust worms/greens with calcium 1-2 times per week. Also, I know mealworms are not great for dragons but I am waiting for my Dubia colony to breed enough to start giving them to the girls. Also, on a side note, when you say to sperate the two girls, should this be permanent or temporary. I am asking because I just have a 10 gallon tank which is probably too small for a permanent home and I have a spare coil UVB bulb and I am aware that those are not nearly as good as tube UVB bulbs. Do I have to go out and buy a whole new setup or is the separation temporary?

 

[Gail]

Considering that housing together is detrimental to ones health, I would make the separation permanent.
I wouldn't use the coil either, she needs the best bulb you can get to help her catch up.

 

[haileytaco]

Considering that housing together is detrimental to ones health, I would make the separation permanent.
I wouldn't use the coil either, she needs the best bulb you can get to help her catch up.

Yes, that makes sense that the separation should be permanent. I already have an extra basking bulb, water dish, food dish, and basking log. Today I went out and bought another 20 gallon tank and screen lid for her to be moved into. The shared tank had an Arcadia uvb tube so I just ordered another Arcadia tube so I am just using the coil uvb until the new tube gets delivered.

 

[haileytaco]

Hello,

I have two female Rankins (not bearded) dragons. They are from the same clutch and are slightly older than 1 year. Sami is shedding, eating, growing, etc. great but her sister is not. Alli has only grown about an inch in the past 7 months that I have had her but Sami has grown at least 4+ inches. Alli is now 5 inches from nose to tip of tail and Sami is 7-8 inches. Alli acts fine and is in the exact same cage setting as Sami, (seperate cages but same temps, decor, etc.). Alli barely eats any greens and she will typically eat 1-3 mealworms a day or 2 small Dubia roaches (1/4 in.). Also, as far as weight, in the past 3 months Sami has gone up 20 grams for a total of 75 grams and Alli has gained 0 grams and is still at 30 grams. Please help. I want Alli to grow and be healthy.

Thank you for any suggestions.

 

[AHBD]

Did you hatch these Hailey or get them from a breeder ? I think that just like beardies, some dragons in the clutch just grow slower like people in families, some taller some shorter. It's also possible that the female came from stock that was over bred and maybe bred too young , producing some offspring that is in turn small as well. That's just a scenario. But have you tried other insects such as Phoenix worms or silkworms ? Most dragons love Phoenix worms and if you can find something she's crazy about it might get her eating more + put on some weight. Also , have you had a fecal test done ?

 

[haileytaco]

I got them from a reputable breeder and I went to the facility and had a look at the parents and they were both about a foot long (average for rankins) and healthy. They are both from the same clutch so I wouldn't think the size difference should be that great but I could be wrong. Also, I have not had a fecal done but nothing else seems wrong, just not a huge appetite so not much growth.

 

[AHBD]

It might be worth getting a fecal test done to rule out parasites. If she has them it could cause loss of appetite. Then again, try some different feeders if that's not the problem. Hopefully she'll be O.K.