stunting growth....

[hcozart]

I have to know what your opinion is on this. At the reptile show in Ohio there was a girl taking around a female bearded dragon to trade/sell. The dragon was three years old and only about 12 inches long. The breader who was looking at the dragon asked what she was kept in. The girl said she was kept in a 20 gall tank until last year then moved to a 40 gallon. The breader said that is why she was short that due to being in a small tank she did not grow, "they will only grow to the tank size allows them."

Is this for real, I have never heard that.

 

[AndyT]

Yep, its pretty sad. Though I"m guessing that the dragon was also underfed, improper lighting and feeding and all that. It can happen and its very bad for the dragon.

Andy

 

[mickeysmomma]

WOW...that's awful. I didn't know if it was true....I do know our fish grow HUGE in our enourmous fish tank! Never thought about a beardie staying small in a small tank. Poor thing.

 

[RolandKyramere]

Actually, the "animal growing to the size of its tank" concept is a very, very popular myth. Most of the time it is because of being "underfed, (with) improper lighting and feeding and all that" that causes the stunting of the dragon, not the size of the tank. Same goes with every other reptile (just ask anyone who keeps iguanas) fish (the most popular and most unfortunate targets of this false rule) birds and small animals. I've never actually seen evidence that the cage size is what determines the size of the animal, just that the people who keep those animals in too small cages are typically the ones who don't know how to care for them. My beardie is a prime example of that, she was kept in a 10 gallon tank for most of her life, and still grew to 18 inches long, with severe MBD in her ribs. I'm still not entirely certain what the previous owners did, but she was the largest of my three dragons, even though she was the worst treated.

 

[AndyT]

Thwarted again! Curse you, Roland! lol. So its a myth? A very convincing one, then. Then that beardie was probably underfed, etc at the expo, in addition to the tank being too small. Sorry to hear about what happened to your beardie.

Andy

 

[ziggy23]

Yup, I rescued an 3ft iguana housed in a 10 gal. tank once. Poor girl couldn't move at all. I also rescued another iguana that was so poorly cared for he was still the same size as the juvies you see in pet stores despite being several years old.

 

[AndyT]

How is that even possible. How can people just let that happen? I hate people.

 

[mickeysmomma]

It is awful!!!!!

 

[RolandKyramere]

Agreed. People often don't care about the animal, only that "It looks cool" and "I want one, now!" without caring to go home, read up on proper care and enclosures etc. That's how I've ended up rescuing so many... and would take more in if I had more time and money.
As for how that myth got started... well, i happened to find this book on fishkeeping from the 1970's. Keep in mind that it was old, but it said that for a 40 gallon tank, approximately 78 fishes of medium size could be housed together, which is, well, a lot. To put it kindly. The generally accepted basic rule of thumb on fish now (and its sorta changing again) is that you go with one inch of fish per gallon of water.
I think that the way that keeping exotic animals was originally done, with a lot of trial and a ton of errors, probably that was a "proper" consideration back when hobbyists were beginning their trade. A lot of information that has been gleaned on reptiles and other exotics has come around in the last couple of years, and that new information is discovered daily.
In other words, I tell about 1-3 people on a daily basis at work that no matter what size tank you keep a critter in, its gonna get as big as it wants to get
And no, Nemo cannot be kept in a 1 gallon fish bowl with iodized table salt.

 

[ziggy23]

How is that even possible. How can people just let that happen? I hate people.

She was pretty much folded in half. About 2/3 of their length is tail. Her only source of heat was a large heat rock and between that and the dog food bowl then that took up all the floor space. she had no choice but to sleep with her head in her food every night. She didn't have uv. She was so weak from lack of exercise she could barely stand. It took months for her to get her strength up and run around like you'd expect. the vet actually believed she'd never be able to climb again. She was fed fast food. I was told her favorite was KFC! (they're herbivores).

I couldn't afford an viv for her so i had to improvise. I iguana proofed my whole apartment and hung lights from tables. I shut her in the kitchen when i had to go to work at night. Whatever works right? :lol: It took her like a year or 2 to get back up to full health and strength. she even surprised us all by climbing! She wasn't the best at it, but who cares. An iguana that can't climb is like a greyhound that can't run.


Personally I don't bother with any books. the information changes so much. I am almost positive that I read in reptile magazine that BD's were social and the diet was reversed. I could be wrong though, it's been over 10 years. I remember when I got my first iguana in the 90's reading books that said that dog food and insects were good for them. Just to see how bad it was, look at the old ones at the library, they're full of crap we know to be wrong now. I cringe when I hear people talking of reptile books. Even with our human health, books after a few years they are outdated. Unfortunately a lot of what we know about reptile care was learned the hard way resulting in the death of countless animals. Besides anybody can publish a book if you have the money to pay for it.

I wish it was illegal for pet stores to sell exotics because of that "it looks cool" crap. Some animals should not be that easy to get. My mammal loving friends wonder why I have so little faith in the average pet owner.

 

[RolandKyramere]

I wish it was illegal for pet stores to sell exotics because of that "it looks cool" crap. Some animals should not be that easy to get. My mammal loving friends wonder why I have so little faith in the average pet owner.

Cheers on that.

 

[Looneytoon]

Agree with Roland and Ziggy

Speak the truth my friends...

 

[jeschardies]

I believe it slows growth. We rescued a 1.5 yr old beardie from a 20 gallon tank. He was about 14" and since we've had him, upgraded his enclosure, and fed him better he's grown to over 17" now.

 

[jennixpxp]

i really cant believe people could mistreat a poor animal!!!
i am a rescue girl myself..

i have a orange pomeranian i rescued in september 09
he was found in a skid loader in pittsburgh pa. had only a few teeth because the others rotted out. they just got the rest pulled out when they fixed him. he cant go up too many stairs and his back legs are longer than his front. so he isnt always the best balanced. but he is honestly my baby<3

i have another pomeranian but this one is black. we got him in december 09
he was abused. was kept in a tiny bathroom with two or three big dogs like german shepards or labs or something. they think he was abused with food (i know what your thinking,, uhh abused with food? impossible, but it is not!!!) they think he was thrown food at him as like torture. he gets nervous everytime he eats.... i got him for my sister for her birthday/ christmas

i have a black lab,husky, beagle mix. was rescued about 3 years ago.
they were just going to basically play target practice): there was at least 8 of them locked in a tinnnnny little shed. least to say hes here now!!! (laying on the couch as we speak, hes so spoiled )

i have 2 cats. they are mixes. saved about 2 years ago
they were born in like a reusable little box with the top and everything. and they were learning how to crawl. there were 5 of them. and the owners would sit out there and watch them fall in a puddle and drown to death. least to say two died.... i took two one for my sister and one for me. and called one of my moms friends to get the other!!! mine was the only one with problems... they didnt know if he would even make it a month. he has a cleft lip and down syndrom. and my sisters cat is crosseyed... she needs glasses. they are wonderful cats

sorry for the long comment.
its jut a thing to save animals. my house is turning into a zooo!!!! 4dogs(3inside 1outside) 2turtles 2bunnies 1bird 1hamster 1bearded dragon 2cats
thanks for readinggg!!!!!

 

[Goonie]

[Moved from General to Health]