Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey i recently went to the expo in philly and asked a few people about the size of my beardie. Hes 18months and only about a foot long. I was reali concerned cause i was kepping a temp af 110 in the basking zone, fed dusted crickets, and gave him some veggies even tho sometimes i didnt get a chance to get romaine then i fed him iceburg. But even so, he should still be bigger by now. When i explained this to the breeders at the expo, they said it was probably the genetics of the breed but i jus want ur opinions.

Thanks
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Pink is a manly color

n/p
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Pink is a manly color

this is a very touchy subject. beardies by nature have varying genetics with lots of little twists. They lay many eggs a year. it is only expected that a few dragons will survive the first few years. some don't make it because of predators. others don't make it because they have gentic defects. it is natural. some dragons just don't make it. no matter how much care they are given. non thriving is not just related to color morphing and inbreeding. it is a fact of nature. on another note how many crickets do you feed her a day? and your veggie selection needs to be improved. check out veronica's website for better food selection. I also recomend the use of juvinille repcal pellets to add weight. the size you say is small for a dragon that age. I have dragons I am not growing fast at all that are 12 inches at 5 months. also check the rest of your husandry. what lights do you use? is the 110 a surface temp or an air temp?
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Derek Affonce
DeKeAff Exotics
dekeaffexotics.com