Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got my Dragon in May was told he was 5 months old he was about 7 inches long it's now end of Oct and he is 10 1/4 inches long. He does not like to eat vegatables all that much I have the proper uv Lights he has a heat rock and the tank basking temperature is 100. Rest of the tank is high 80's. I am new to lizards and i wouldnt think anything of his size but my friend got a dragon 3 months ago pet store said his was 2 months old it was pretty small and now its like double the size of mine. And now looking around on the forums on the web there are pics of dragons that grow like 2 inches a month.

7" at 5 months is quite small for a dragon. Most reach that size by they are 2 months old. Unless you are talking snout to vent measurements (ie from nose to base of tail where they poop).

How much are you feeding him and what are you feeding him? He deffinitely should be eating greens by now, try dropping the crickets or superworms into the bowl with the greens. You can also offer silkworms, butterworms or roaches.
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PHLdyPayne

My mesurements are from tip of nose to end of tail. Right now he is eating 15 small crickets a day. I had him on large Crickets for a while b/c the pet store said large ones were better. He would only eat 1 or 2 large though so i switched him back to small crickets. He doesnt like to eat all that much. Latley he is eating a little more and being a little more active. And he is really angry latley hissing at everything.

do you have a mercury vapor bulb? i ask this because i think that the fluorescent UVB lights are useless after one month or a distance greater than 3 inches.

the ACTUAL presence of UVB light from the mercury vapor light can stimulate a hearty appetite!

this dragon is 6 months old and 14inches

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a free range dragon is a happy dragon

heat rocks are very bad for beardies. they will burn there bellies unintentionally. you can keep it for a decoration but cut off that cord! They way they regulate body heat means they will usually burn their belly before they realize it. (hope i explained that right). also where did you get him from?

Joijoi
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1.2 Bearded Dragons (Dezirae, Artimis & Papi)
0.2 Dogs (Timex & Brady)
1.0 Sulcata (Speedy)
1.0 Guinea Pig

2.2 Horses (Joey, Lady, Cherokee & Crystal)
2.0 Beta Fish

florescent tubes for UVB are quite effected, but they do have a limited range where UVB light is projected. Your dragon should be within 8-12" of the bulb. The bulbs also need to be replaced every 6-9 months. Though mercury vapor bulbs put out much more UVB than any existing florescent tube, there are some risks. Because of the higher amount of UVB they put out, MVB need to be at least 18" above your dragon's basking spot, or it could cause eye problems in your dragon, amoung other things. Also, MVB's have to be mounted completely vertical as they tend to burn out fast when mounted at an angle.

For some tanks, especially those that are 2' high or less with a closed top, mounting MVB presents a problem. To keep the 18" minimum distance, and given the fact the fixture for the MVB will take anywhere from 2"-4" off the total available height, you are left with a very low basking spot or using just the floor of the cage. This is especially true if loose substrate (ie washed play sand) is several inches thick. In a 2' high tank, you only have 6" to play with. Two inches of sand, plus a 3" thick light fixture (measuring from lip of the socket to bottom of the tank lid or top) leaves you with a 1" high basking spot. ALso remember dragons have some thickness to, so if the dragon is on the basking spot, his back may be at 18" or closer to the light of the bulb. I feel MVB should only be used with open top or screen top cages, so the bulb can be either mounted on the ceiling of the house, or suspended above the cage. Or, the cage should be over 2' high.
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PHLdyPayne

do MVB put out more UVB than the sun? i don't think they do...so if beardies can survive in the wild without sunglasses then a MVB that is 6 inches from the basking spot is ok?
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a free range dragon is a happy dragon

If his appetite isn't too good, it's a good ideal to take a poop sample to a reptile vet for a fecal just to make sure he doesn't have alot of parasites. Parasites can prevent growth in an otherwise healthy animal. Small crickets are much better to feed, as too large of a cricket can cause impaction and lower leg paralysis. Keep the crickets no bigger than the space between the dragon's eyes.

Feed as much crickets as the dragon can eat in a 5-10 period. If he still doesn't show much interest in eating crickets, try silkworms. These are healthy feeders with very soft bodies (they are basically catapillers) with a high calcium content as well as protein and water. Silkworms can also be fed as a stable insect instead of crickets. Superworms are good as well but not as a stable, as they tend to be much more fatty and do have a harder chitin. Other good insect feeders are several species of cockroaches (avoid the ones with very hard exoskeletons, discoids seem to be the best for bearded dragons and smaller lizards), butterworms, small hornworms (big green catapillers, just feed the smaller ones, as these worms can grow to over 4" in length, which is much to big for the size of dragon you have.) Just make sure to feed the hornworms the prepared chow, if they have been eating tomato plant leaves or tobacco leaves, the worms will be toxic to your dragon and other reptiles. Toxins come from tomato and tobacco leaves, not the chow specially prepared for the hornworms in the reptile industry.

You could also add a small amount of gateraid or unsweetened low fat fruit yogurt as an appetite stimulant. These help replace any missing electrolytes and beneficial gut flora. offer a small amount daily for a week could really make a difference in appetite, especially after any treatment for internal parasites. A product called Parazap is also said to be beneficial in helping good gut flora and stimilating appetite.
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PHLdyPayne