How big should a year old bearded dragon be?

[Allthingsterrarium]

Hey guys! It's sure been a while since I've been on and I have a quick question for the more seasoned keepers. So I got my dragon, Odahviing, who some of you know and I assume is a female due to lack of that little groove in the underside of the tail and absense of any noticeable bulges, in February 2016 from my local Petco. At the time I would guess she was 6 1/2-7 inches long which based on my research would have put her at about 5 months old meaning she was likely born sometime around September 2015. That would make her just over a year old now and from my research I have found that dragons should be about 16-20 inches long at this age. Well, she's roughly 11 inches long and still thin bodied like a growing juvenile and she's not skinny, I think she could actually stand to lose a little weight. I know growth rates are variable but I didn't think they were that variable. I know regardless of overall length they get really thick bodies and have heads about as thick as a human fist if not a little bigger, like they could easily eat a mouse or a small lizard if they wanted to. I saw a small adult recently and even he was at least that big. She's healthy for sure but is she stunted or something?

 

[Draeju's_world]

My beardy was 6-7" at 2 months old when i bought him. He is now 16" at 6 months.

 

[Allthingsterrarium]

My beardy was 6-7" at 2 months old when i bought him. He is now 16" at 6 months.

Yeah that's highly varied alright. In that case maybe she isn't quite as old as I thought she was

 

[Hdrydr31]

It's likely she's younger than you think, it can also be the lighting & UVB she's got, it can be what she's eating...lots of variables..My female is way smaller than my male and my female is year and a half and she's 401 gr and 17 1/2" and my male is 10 months and 513gr and 20" long..
how about a recent pic

 

[Allthingsterrarium]

It's likely she's younger than you think, it can also be the lighting & UVB she's got, it can be what she's eating...lots of variables..My female is way smaller than my male and my female is year and a half and she's 401 gr and 17 1/2" and my male is 10 months and 513gr and 20" long..
how about a recent pic

Yeah that's what I was thinking, every story I hear about a beardie being a certain size at a certain age surprises me, I guess for them growth really depends on the individual.

Absolutely, I'll get a picture as soon as I can I should get one of me holding her for reference, until now I couldn't, she was tearing my hands apart, fortunately I clipped her nails. scratches from a week ago are still healing lol .

 

[Allthingsterrarium]

It's likely she's younger than you think, it can also be the lighting & UVB she's got, it can be what she's eating...lots of variables..My female is way smaller than my male and my female is year and a half and she's 401 gr and 17 1/2" and my male is 10 months and 513gr and 20" long..
how about a recent pic

Hi Hdrydr31! I got a few pictures of her for size reference. Based on the tape measure image including tail she could be as big as 13 inches but even still I would have thought she would have bulked up, became thicker bodied and headed but your right, she's probably a little younger than a thought.

 

[Hdrydr31]

In my opinion she looks like a 8-10 month old. She looks like she could put on some weight..

 

[Allthingsterrarium]

In my opinion she looks like a 8-10 month old. She looks like she could put on some weight..

Well in that case I've got some nice tasty treats for her that are bound to fatten her up. She likes a frozen pinky every so often and it just so happens I have a few for my garter snake and pacman frog. I'll give her one, she'll be very happy. She's been eating largely vegetables for the past month and she'll only ever eat smaller portions of them but luckily I just got plenty of big dubias for her and I always calcium dust so I'm guessing more protein and calcium equals faster and healthier growth. As for UVB lighting she had been using a powerful mercury vapor bulb made by Exoterra which I heard is best for them but it burned out earlier in September and since they are expensive I've been substituting a regular high wattage heat bulb from the tank of my deceased chameleon for her but I want to get another mercury vapor come November. I'm relieved she's younger than I thought and now I'm guessing she'll at least be started on her way to a more adult looking size at about 12-15 months.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Well in that case I've got some nice tasty treats for her that are bound to fatten her up. She likes a frozen pinky every so often and it just so happens I have a few for my garter snake and pacman frog. I'll give her one, she'll be very happy. She's been eating largely vegetables for the past month and she'll only ever eat smaller portions of them but luckily I just got plenty of big dubias for her and I always calcium dust so I'm guessing more protein and calcium equals faster and healthier growth. As for UVB lighting she had been using a powerful mercury vapor bulb made by Exoterra which I heard is best for them but it burned out earlier in September and since they are expensive I've been substituting a regular high wattage heat bulb from the tank of my deceased chameleon for her but I want to get another mercury vapor come November. I'm relieved she's younger than I thought and now I'm guessing she'll at least be started on her way to a more adult looking size at about 12-15 months.

I would go the dubia route and add in some supers.,,pinkies can be hard to fully digest I think the calcium and goodies can be gotten by supplements/veggies..Make sure she has UVB and heat they have to have both to properly digest and synthesize nutrients.

 

[PatsyB]

I brought Dexter and Luci home they were around 5", I assumed they were a month old because they were so tiny. They both grew at different rates. Luci was stuck at 16" until he was maybe 18 months and then he had a growth spurt. He did grow the other way though, he was quite plump and had to go on a diet. Now he's going to be 3 and he is around 18".

 

[Allthingsterrarium]

I would go the dubia route and add in some supers.,,pinkies can be hard to fully digest I think the calcium and goodies can be gotten by supplements/veggies..Make sure she has UVB and heat they have to have both to properly digest and synthesize nutrients.

Yep, she's got plenty of good heat and light plus I have a space heater in the room for winter . Superworms? I remember giving her some mealworms when I first got her which she loved but I was told they have especially tough exoskeletons that make them a particular digestion challenge for younger lizards. I would imagine superworms have even worse. Everyone says waxworms are great for a little fat boost.

 

[Allthingsterrarium]

I brought Dexter and Luci home they were around 5", I assumed they were a month old because they were so tiny. They both grew at different rates. Luci was stuck at 16" until he was maybe 18 months and then he had a growth spurt. He did grow the other way though, he was quite plump and had to go on a diet. Now he's going to be 3 and he is around 18".

That's especially a relief. I'm now convinced she'll just be a little bit of a late bloomer but will really be a beauty when that time comes

 

[Hdrydr31]

Yep, she's got plenty of good heat and light plus I have a space heater in the room for winter . Superworms? I remember giving her some mealworms when I first got her which she loved but I was told they have especially tough exoskeletons that make them a particular digestion challenge for younger lizards. I would imagine superworms have even worse. Everyone says waxworms are great for a little fat boost.

Nope actually superworms don't have the high chitlin as mealworms they are good for them the only drawback is dragons LOVE them lol and once you get them going on them they can tend to just want them. lol I feed only a few then the rest are dubia. Super's are also high in fat so watch their weights.
Other ones like butterworms, waxworms are like crack to beardies. Silworms, phoenix worms are really good for them Silworms are great for sick beardies as they have natural benefits for healing and helping meds work better. phoenix worms are great for calcium.

 

[Allthingsterrarium]

Nope actually superworms don't have the high chitlin as mealworms they are good for them the only drawback is dragons LOVE them lol and once you get them going on them they can tend to just want them. lol I feed only a few then the rest are dubia. Super's are also high in fat so watch their weights.
Other ones like butterworms, waxworms are like crack to beardies. Silworms, phoenix worms are really good for them Silworms are great for sick beardies as they have natural benefits for healing and helping meds work better. phoenix worms are great for calcium.

Fantastic! In that case I'll give her a real nice buffet of things to choose from a few at a time

 

[beyourownspotlight]

Yeah, I think it honestly just depends. Beemo looks about the same build as your little one. And she's 13inches long now, I'm not sure what weight she is. She's a little chunky to be honest, she might be able to loose a little....but anyway, if her age was accurate from the pet shop, she's about 4 months old now. She (in my opinion) has crazy big feet so Beemo might just be set up to be a big girl she she's fully grown.

Though for a while she did look rather slim and lanky, I wasn't overly worried cause I knew she was rather young, but she's starting to fill out now and broaden out.

 

[littlsadie2]

Well I was going to ask about growth and found this. Unfortunately I no longer have my little girl (long story & rookie mistake) but did get a new baby boy at the end of June. He was about 6" so I figured he was 5-6 weeks old at the time. Up thru last month he was shedding about twice a month. More like his tail & legs were shedding twice for every one time he shed his back and head. Spike is rather large now so I was wondering if anyone else has had a dragon grow 12 inched in 4 months. Spike is now 18" at only 6 or so months! He loves dubias and has actually been eating collards since a month after I got him and gets butternut as a weekly treat. I knew he could be up to 24" but if he keeps this up he will be 3' by a year. Has anyone else ever had one grow this quickly?

In date order 6/25/16, 7/31/16, & today with tape measure so you know I'm not crazy!

 

[Allthingsterrarium]

Yeah, I think it honestly just depends. Beemo looks about the same build as your little one. And she's 13inches long now, I'm not sure what weight she is. She's a little chunky to be honest, she might be able to loose a little....but anyway, if her age was accurate from the pet shop, she's about 4 months old now. She (in my opinion) has crazy big feet so Beemo might just be set up to be a big girl she she's fully grown.

Though for a while she did look rather slim and lanky, I wasn't overly worried cause I knew she was rather young, but she's starting to fill out now and broaden out.

Yeah that's what I'm starting to think too. It's strange, sometimes she looks nice and thick and other times a bit thinner. It seems to change a little depending on the position she's currently in. When she curls up she looks thin and when she's standing over her food bowl she looks bigger like a tiny ankylosaurus.

 

[Allthingsterrarium]

Well I was going to ask about growth and found this. Unfortunately I no longer have my little girl (long story & rookie mistake) but did get a new baby boy at the end of June. He was about 6" so I figured he was 5-6 weeks old at the time. Up thru last month he was shedding about twice a month. More like his tail & legs were shedding twice for every one time he shed his back and head. Spike is rather large now so I was wondering if anyone else has had a dragon grow 12 inched in 4 months. Spike is now 18" at only 6 or so months! He loves dubias and has actually been eating collards since a month after I got him and gets butternut as a weekly treat. I knew he could be up to 24" but if he keeps this up he will be 3' by a year. Has anyone else ever had one grow this quickly?

View attachment 15720 View attachment 15721 View attachment 15722 In date order 6/25/16, 7/31/16, & today with tape measure so you know I'm not crazy!

Wow! Even after the other growth stories I've heard that is amazing. That's some serious growth

 

[JUNGLE JIM]

How big is his/her enclosure. Size of enclosure could have something to do with growth. Growth rates vary quite a bit. My youngest boy was hatched on August 4th and when I got him on September 8th he was just under six inches long and weighed 13 grams. In nine weeks since then he's now 14.5 inches long, growing almost an inch a week and weighs almost 200 grams, just under 7 oz. and he's just a little over 3 months old. He's outgrown his 20 gallon and will be moved to a 58 gallon on Wednesday. I've been caring for my grandson's dragon for almost 3 months now and he's finally starting to grow. He's 6-7 months old and just hit the 11 inch mark, tiny compared to Scooby Do who is barely three months old. I thought he'd never grow and would stay small forever.

 

[Allthingsterrarium]

How big is his/her enclosure. Size of enclosure could have something to do with growth. Growth rates vary quite a bit. My youngest boy was hatched on August 4th and when I got him on September 8th he was just under six inches long and weighed 13 grams. In nine weeks since then he's now 14.5 inches long, growing almost an inch a week and weighs almost 200 grams, just under 7 oz. and he's just a little over 3 months old. He's outgrown his 20 gallon and will be moved to a 58 gallon on Wednesday. I've been caring for my grandson's dragon for almost 3 months now and he's finally starting to grow. He's 6-7 months old and just hit the 11 inch mark, tiny compared to Scooby Do who is barely three months old. I thought he'd never grow and would stay small forever.

She's been living in a 55 gallon since day 1 when I got her so her habitat is certainly good and she eats well. Her mercury vapor bulb went out about a month ago ago so I've been using a more basic heat bulb until I can afford another one next month. Some more UVB rays would probably boost her a little bit.