Why is my aprox 11 month old bearded dragon so small?

Pancake+me

Member
Beardie name(s)
Pancake
Hi everyone, I’m worried about my bearded dragon Pancake he/she is so small and doesn’t weigh much for its age. They’re around 10-11 inches long from nose to tail (I couldn’t get a very good measurement because they’re super timid and doesn’t like to be held/touched) and they only weigh 60 grams. :( I’ve had them since January 9th and the store said they’re around 2-3 months old so I’m not sure about their exact age. I don’t know if they’re male or female because they never let me hold/touch them. Pancake is currently in a 3ft x 2ft x 1ft tank, has a Reptisun 10.0 uvb, and a Reptisun 100w basking bulb they are both around 8 inches away from the basking spot. The basking temp is about 95-100F, warm side 85F, and cool side around 75-80 F. The lights are on a timer for 12 hours light and 12 hours dark.


They get daily greens such as but not limited to: mustard greens, horseradish greens, dandelion, clover, squash, carrots, etc. 2x a day once in the morning after basking light has been on for 2 hours and then once in the evening at least 2 hours before the lights are off. They’re currently getting mealworms, dubia roaches, and sometimes sometimes a wax worm or two. They get however many mealworms and roaches they can eat in a 10 minute period 2-3 times per day and the feeders are dusted with calcium and vitamins. They get a bath once per week (I would soak more but Pancake hates it). And I give them water through a tiny syringe and they lick it however much they want once per day.


Pancake is super active and their poops seem completely normal. I’m just really really worried about them. There aren’t any vets around where I live that will even think about touching a lizard let alone treating one so I can’t take them in for a checkup. Anyways if anyone has any suggestions or any questions about them or their set up lmk. I’m up for constructive criticism! Also the pictures aren’t very good because they don’t like me getting close to them.
image.jpg
image.jpg
 

xp29

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Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
Your beardie looks good for 3 or 4 months old. Is your uvb a coil/compact? If so it's a problem. Please get if a long tube uvb fixture and bulb. As far as being timid, thdy pretty much all start that way. Patience is the key, but you need to handle it to develop trust. Get itvout just before bedtime and let it snuggle into your neck. After a little bit it will start wanting to do that. Just keep working with it.
 

Pancake+me

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Pancake
Your beardie looks good for 3 or 4 months old. Is your uvb a coil/compact? If so it's a problem. Please get if a long tube uvb fixture and bulb. As far as being timid, thdy pretty much all start that way. Patience is the key, but you need to handle it to develop trust. Get itvout just before bedtime and let it snuggle into your neck. After a little bit it will start wanting to do that. Just keep working with it.
They’re actually around 11 months old, Sorry if I didn’t word it right. That’s why I’m worried because they look like they are 3-4 months old but they’re actually a lot older! The uvb is a compact but I’m going to get a tube. I’ve had them for almost 9 months and I’ve been trying to “tame” them for 8 months, I think Pancake might just never want to be held or petted unfortunately. :/
 

KarrieRee

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Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
They’re actually around 11 months old, Sorry if I didn’t word it right. That’s why I’m worried because they look like they are 3-4 months old but they’re actually a lot older! The uvb is a compact but I’m going to get a tube. I’ve had them for almost 9 months and I’ve been trying to “tame” them for 8 months, I think Pancake might just never want to be held or petted unfortunately. :/
Please get a 24" Zoo Med w/ a 22"m Reptisun 10.0 T 5 bulb for a 40+ gallon tank --
www.petmountain.com
 

xp29

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Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
They all are like that in the beginning, just keep trying. One thing is, if you have it out and its trying to run away, keep your hands moving one in front of the other so that it is running hand to hand. Keep this up till it tires out. Don't put it back into it's habitat till it settles down. If you stick it back everytime it gets unruly it will learn that behavior. If you wait till it settles it will learn acting out is pointless. Above all be patient it takes time.
 
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AHBD

BD.org Sicko
It sounds like you're taking great care of Pancake and despite his small size his condition isn't too bad. Can you remember as best you can his exact size when you got him ? Some stores will sell babies that are barely a couple of weeks old even though they were told by a breeder they were older. So he might be about 9 months, which is still small, and may be a runt.
 

Pancake+me

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Pancake
It sounds like you're taking great care of Pancake and despite his small size his condition isn't too bad. Can you remember as best you can his exact size when you got him ? Some stores will sell babies that are barely a couple of weeks old even though they were told by a breeder they were older. So he might be about 9 months, which is still small, and may be a runt.
I think he was around 6-7 inches when I first got him but I’m not sure. When I got him his condition was quite a bit worse, he was pretty skinny and he wasn’t very active so he very well could be a runt.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
I think he was around 6-7 inches when I first got him but I’m not sure. When I got him his condition was quite a bit worse, he was pretty skinny and he wasn’t very active so he very well could be a runt.
Yeah, you can't always be sure what kind of treatment they had at the store and what condition the mother dragon was in when she was bred . It's also possible that Pancake has parasites but since you don't have a vet that will check then it might be a factor. Thankfully he seems to be in O.K condition in spite of it all.
 

AHBD

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O.K, in your first post you said store but either way they could have been negligent .
 
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DorgEndo

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Beardie name(s)
Devlyn
Could you take a picture of their back and top of head? I'm not the expert at different species, but not all bearded dragons are pogona vitticeps there are other species, many are smaller.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Could you take a picture of their back and top of head? I'm not the expert at different species, but not all bearded dragons are pogona vitticeps there are other species, many are smaller.
No, that's a normal p.vitticeps. Specialty dragons are never sold as anything other than what they are because they are rare. Sadly it's not real uncommon for beardies to be slow growers.
 

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