Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my dragon is now 8 inches long and i want to get sand substrate would it be okay by now. Ive had her since september and i thought that was a little small is that about a normal size

On here people tend to say dont put them on sand until they are at least 12 inches or a year old. That is what I did (when he was 12 inches) but its only on half of his enclosure and he gets fed in a feeding tub. Also 8 inches seems very small. That is how big mine was from a petstore at 3 months old. He's now 5 months old and almost 16 inches long and still growing. How often are you feeding him live food and how many at a time? Also what kind of veggies/greens are you giving him and is he eating them? Do you know how old he is right now? Good luck
Meghan

>>my dragon is now 8 inches long and i want to get sand substrate would it be okay by now. Ive had her since september and i thought that was a little small is that about a normal size
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As far as the size of your beardie, I have learned there can be significant differences in growth rate. Even if using the same care, two beardies may not grow the same. I have two females 1 month apart and there is quite a diff in size. One is over 17" at 6 months, the other is about 14" at 7 months. They get the same food, uvb, suppliments, etc. Don't worry if your dragon is not comparable in size to everone elses. As long as you are doing all the right things, keep up the good work. But if you ever feel your dragon is not thriving or keeping weight up you can always have a vet check to make sure everything is okay!

As far as the sand...its such a debated subject that I will let the more experienced people handle that question. I personally used sand in the beginning but moved to shelfliner because it was so much easier to keep the cage clean (in my experience).

marilee

marilee
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I would wait until your beardie is 12inches before putting her on sand, just to be on the safe side!
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