Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i dont understand it.my male beardie that i bought last year at the northwestern berks reptile show is soo small. i didnt realize it but i was doing measurements the other day for my records and i got him 12/4/04. thats means that he is about a year old and his snout to vent length is barely over five inches. i can still hold him in the palm of my hand and all my books say he should weigh about a pound by now, i dont have a scale tho. he eats crickets, greens, and i offer him beardie pellets altho he doesnt eat them. his heating and lighting is good and he has a big custom built enclosure to himself. is there any reason that he should be this small? thanks for the help.
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"it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"
1.0.0 bearded dragon
1.1.0 green iguana
0.0.1 columbian tegu(for sale)
0.1.0 knight anole(looking for male)
0.1.0 green anole
0.1.0 asian longtail grass lizard
1.1.0 golden gecko
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.5 oriental firebellied toad
0.0.1 green treefrog
0.0.1 barking treefrog
0.0.1 cuban masked treefrog
0.0.1 gray treefrog
0.1.0 gulf hammock rat snake
0.1.0 eastern kingsnake
0.1.0 siberian husky

Just like me! Its difficult to tell difference when they are babies.

i know he is not a rankins as i bought him from a very knowledgable breeder (unfortunately his name/business receipt is not on me right now)but he is a morph and he is a beardie i just dont understand why a beardie that eats everyday and has heat/light would be 5 inches stv after a year.
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"it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"
1.0.0 bearded dragon
1.1.0 green iguana
0.0.1 columbian tegu(for sale)
0.1.0 knight anole(looking for male)
0.1.0 green anole
0.1.0 asian longtail grass lizard
1.1.0 golden gecko
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.5 oriental firebellied toad
0.0.1 green treefrog
0.0.1 barking treefrog
0.0.1 cuban masked treefrog
0.0.1 gray treefrog
0.1.0 gulf hammock rat snake
0.1.0 eastern kingsnake
0.1.0 siberian husky

i have one out of my three that is the same. very small. curious to know who you purchased him from if it may be same breeder.
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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

yea, i will check on the sales receipt when i get home tonight. but, if i post his name on here just to see if its the same person, will they pull my post? do you know his name, because i would probably recognize it. all i know is that he was at the hamburg show with a table in the middle isle and he wrote out a reciept and gave me a caresheet that he wrote(correctly)which i was pretty impressed with considering how most vendors go about selling their animals.
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"it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"
1.0.0 bearded dragon
1.1.0 green iguana
0.0.1 columbian tegu(for sale)
0.1.0 knight anole(looking for male)
0.1.0 green anole
0.1.0 asian longtail grass lizard
1.1.0 golden gecko
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.5 oriental firebellied toad
0.0.1 green treefrog
0.0.1 barking treefrog
0.0.1 cuban masked treefrog
0.0.1 gray treefrog
0.1.0 gulf hammock rat snake
0.1.0 eastern kingsnake
0.1.0 siberian husky

What have you been feeding as its primary foods?
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there are a few reasons why a year old dragon is unusually small for his age. Not enough or improper diet, (non-gut loaded insects, or just not enough, should be fed as many he can eat in a 5-10 minute period, especially for young dragons. Crickets and similar insects (ie roaches, crickets, etc) should be no bigger t han the space between their eyes). The wrong kinds of greens. Frequency of feeding can make a difference as well. Dragons under 6 months should be fed insects 2-3 times a day, with greens available (though many don't touch the greens at all). Dragons from 6 months to 12 months should get daily insect feedings and greens available all day. Over a y ear should have greens daily with a small amount of insects offered daily (ie about 10% of their entire daily intake of food) or fed a normal serving of insects 2-3 times a week.

Not enough UVB light or to low a basking temperature could be a cause. Basking temps should be between 95-115F. The dragon should have access to different temps within this range and a bit below/above it. This gives the dragon a choice to select what temperature they instinctively need.

Another possibility is parasites. A large amount of intestial parasites can severely hinder the growth of the dragon. A fecal done by a qualified reptile vet should be done as soon as possible.

The above are things you can directly affect, either by changing feeding habits, or other husbandry related issues. Another cause, which you can't do anything about, is genetics. Due to the limited number of fresh dragon blood available in the North American market, too much inbreeding, or constant breeding of small dragons to eachother, could result in a dragon that just won't reach the normal 18-24" lengths dragons can obtain. Hybrids between Inland Bearded dragons (the common type we have in the pet trade) and Rankin's Bearded dragon, will also result in smaller dragon offspring. Rankings typically don't get over a foot in length.
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PHLdyPayne