Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got a bearded dragon at the beginning of Aug. He was 12 weeks when we got him, which would make him almost 6 months old now.

He has weighted 10 grams forever...He eats vegetables (bok choy, kale, collared greens) and a big cricket once a day.

He never seems to grow! He's probably no more than 5 inches long from head to tail and he seems really healthy. He's in a 10 gal tank with 8.0 uv and 95 in the basking spot.

Why isn't he growin rapidly like all the books say???

Any insights?

ok.. i am gonna try and be nice about this...

it needs be eating more than one circket a day!!!!!!!!! how big ?? bigger than the space inbetween its eyes? it should be eating as much crix as it can handle in 10 mins.. which with the way my beardies eat would be anywhere between 80-100. you can also feed them twice a day.

secondly have you taken him to the vet to rule out parasites or anything else.. beardies can hide syptoms very well, he may not look sick but very likely could be.

thirdly are you keeping him hyrdated and supplimented with calcium d3 every day to every other day .. and a mutli-vitamin as well.

his basking temp should be 100-110 degrees.. this way they digest their food more rapidly and hence grow faster

and IMO i wouldn't be keeping him in a ten gallon tank.. it is hard for the beardie to escape from the basking heat if he is in a cage soo small.

and are you sure he was 12 weeks when you got him and not like 3 weeks or something.. because most beardies are 5'' stl when they are born.

let me know if i am forgetting anything

ALSO cv768 ---- i know this is the wrong forum but to save myself some time.. i would think for a trio of basilisks nothing smaller than 250 gallons.. ingo was probably giving you good advice with 400 gallons.. he is very knowledgable about them.. and i have some issues about the dog food... but if you want to discuss that you can e-mail me privately

alissa

I was told by a professional breeder in town that the temperature should not be up to 100-110 range until he is an adult
Also he gets water and occassional mistings...he eats vegetable but the thing is I TRY TO FEED
HIM MOR THAN ONE CRICKET A DAY!!!! But that's all he eats.

He is healthy because I get all my reptile checked once a year and he was
checked when I got him...no problems.

One big cricket? To be honest, you are very lucky it isn't dead from impaction. Baby beardies should NEVER have anything larger then the space between their eyes, EVER.
A dragon that size should be eating 1/4" crickets, about 20, 2-3x a day. 10 grams and 5" is a rediculously low weight and size for a 6 month old dragon.
Please read some dragon care sheets, prey size is basic knowledge.
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TheClassyLizard

i know this is a stupid question.. but how did you make the font red....it added some real drama

alissa

Info is in the tools and toys link at the bottom of the reply post.
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TheClassyLizard

Let me rephrase....He is not a hatchling...he is a baby and he eats miodsized crickets
which i consider to be pretty big compared to him...he eats them no problem and poops fine...

One cricket a day is, of course, waaaaay to little food for a growing beardie. That would explain the lack of growth. Also, big crickets, if their size is larger than the space between your beardies eyes, could kill him. Like Christyj says, please do some reserach on bearded dragon care, because this is elementary. Beardies have specific needs both in terms of space, temperature and food, and it seems some of these needs are not met in this case.

Simple reason why your dragon isn't growing, is because you are not feeding him properly. He should be eating alot more than a single cricket a day. They need protien to grow and so far you have been denying him that. Get more crickets, as already suggested and feed him 2-3 times a day all he can eat in 10-15 minutes. Offer a variety of mixed dark leafy greens daily as well.

He gets greens and all he'll eat is 1 cricket a day...i try at different time but no luck