Slow growth..

[lildexter]

I have a hypo leatherback trans male bearded dragon. I bought him at 2 months old so he is about 12 months old at this point. He should be a lot bigger by now and i know it. He is about 15 inches head to tail. He should be about 24 inches if i am correct. He lives in a 3 feet 40 gallon tank. Has a 5.0 UVB bulb and a uvb basking lamp that goes up to about 98 degrees at most. Housed alone on carpet. Receives lots of love and is given D3 calcium 5 days a week (normal calcium on weekends). Main diet consists of superworms,waxworms, and crickets. No sign of extreme sluggishness, flat brows, or any weird things within his stool. I feel as if we are giving him everything. I just dont know why he is not growing

 

[kingofnobbys]

He's not fully grown yet …. takes about 2 years .. my experience is bearded dragons double their size between their 1st and 2nd BD and can still grow a bit until they read 28 months old.

Are you charting his growth (weight against time) ?
…..if not I advise a weekly weighin.
Size , not many captive bred bearded dragons attain 24" long. And only get that long or longer if they have the genetics and have very good care, My Puff was 640g, my Rex was 650g , Peppa is 25" and 780g, her brother only reached 21" and 550g (identical husbandry as Peppa).

You mention a 5% UVB globe …. irrespective of the wattage , type (compact , T8 or T5HO) , even if in reflector hood …. this is not adequate.

He needs a 10%UVB to 12%UVB tube in a reflector hood , for the tank you mention , it needs to be a T5ho tube and mounted UNDER the lid in a reflector hood and about 10"-12" from the basking spot, the aim is 200 microW UVB / sq.cm at the basking spot and 100 microW UVB / sq.cm elsewhere , see this for guidance on how to set up a UV gradient for your dragon viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611 .

Food - superworms and waxworms for TREATS only.

Better off on crickets , roaches , locusts, and silkworms , see this for why : viewtopic.php?f=76&t=234999&p=1807834#p1807834
One feed of insects per day , as many a he wants. Offer salad too.