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Adopted a 3 year old MINI- bearded dragon that is only 7 inches total length, 2.5 in from nose to vent. Is this a permanent runt or a different species? Will send pics if neccessary for ID.

When you got it they told you it was mini-Bearded Dragon?

A Lawsons Dragon (aka incorrectly Rankins Dragon or Pogona Brevis) grows generally to 9 - 12 inches total length. This is probably what you have. 7 inches is pretty small, but it probably didn't get the best of care before you got it causing the stunted growth maybe. At 3 years I wouldn't expect much more growth.

They showed us their dragon and when we showed them ours they called theirs a "mini". I've heard of Rankins but this is even smaller than that. They fed it small pellets, mixed veggies and little crickets. It's very active and gets along fine with our larger dragons. I've just never seen one this tiny. I'll get my son to take pics.

Just don't house it with any larger dragons. Keep in mind that Dragons eat dragons. At 7" I agree that it is very small even for a Lawson's dragon but I think it just may not have been well taken care of and it's growth was stunted. Maybe it's not 3 years old. You'll have to see it grows any.

Did they and do you have a source of UVB? If so what is it and how old is it? Were they and are you supplementing calcium and a multivitamin?

7" is adnormally small for a bearded dragon. It could be small for several reasons. Genetically dispositioned to be small (ie over several generations, parents were bred for smallness, instead of color or large size). It could be a hybrid between a Rankins and an Inland Bearded dragon (typical kind of bearded dragon found in the pet trade), though these tend to be bigger than normal Rankin's dragons. It may not be full grown, though if the current owner had it for over a year, this won't be the case.

As others have already pointed it, it could not have received proper care during the first year of its life, thus it couldn't reach normal size. It may never had any insects, improper lighting, etc. during the main 'growth' time in a dragon's life. It could also be a 'runt', possessing a genetic defect which prevented it from growing to normal bearded dragon size.

If it is over three years old, it isn't likely to grow any bigger, though it may still be possible. If any of the other possibilities, it will not make a good candidate for breeding but can still make an excellent pet.

THe only other thing I can think of which would account for it being only 7" is this size isn't a measurement of snout to tail tip, but instead is actually only 7" from snout to vent. Even then, the tail typically is close to the same length as the body, which would make a roughly 14" long dragon which is a bit small for an adult Inland Bearded dragon but would be the right size for a Rankins/Inland bearded dragon hybrid or a very large Rankin's dragon.
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PHLdyPayne