Bearded dragons grow very fast during the first year of their life.
When they first hatch baby bearded dragons weigh four grams and measure only three inches.
Babies start growing at a rate of two inches every month, that’s almost 1.5 cm a week! They can also gain 10 grams in weight each week at their peak growth rate.
With this rapid growth rate many first-time owners often ask how big do bearded dragons get? They want to make sure their pet lizard is growing as it should be and guess its full grown adult size.
In this article we will share a complete bearded dragon growth chart so that you can monitor your beardie’s size, health and development…
How Big Do Bearded Dragons Get?
A bearded dragon reaches full size between 18 and 24 months old. By this age a bearded dragon should measure between 16 and 24” long and weigh 380 to 500 grams.
Bearded dragons have three different growth stages: baby, juvenile and adult.
The growth rate of a bearded dragon changes depending on what stage of life they are in.
Each of their growth stages presents different challenges for owners. You will need to provide certain types and amounts of food to ensure your pet is receiving the right nutrition.
Baby Bearded Dragon Size
Baby bearded dragons weigh a tiny four grams and measure just three inches long when they hatch.
Their growth rate is extremely fast and within three months they will grow to about 8 to 11 inches long.
This speedy growth is important because the average lifespan for a wild bearded dragon is just five years. However, pet species can live up to 15 years when cared for properly. Reaching full size and sexual maturity quickly means wild species have more breeding success.
You should expect a baby to grow 1 to 2” and gain between 10 to 50 grams per month.
If it is not growing exactly at this rate, don’t panic!
Individuals often grow at slightly different rates depending on their genetics and tank setup. Also females tend to grow slower than males and will naturally be lighter and shorter.
If you notice that your lizard is falling well outside of this estimated growth rate, it could be a sign of an underlying health problem or poor tank setup.
Tracking your baby’s growth rate is important.
A baby beardie will reach the juvenile stage at around four months old.
As a baby they will likely have smooth skin, small spines and fairly noticeable dark stripes across their body. In the juvenile stage their skin texture should begin to harden and its color should become more vivid.
A bearded dragon is considered a juvenile between four and twelve months old.
As a juvenile your lizard will be growing faster than ever! A juvenile bearded dragon should be growing 1 to 3 inches each month and gaining between 60 to 80 grams.
At six months old their size is very indicative of how big they will be full grown. For example if a bearded dragon is 15” or longer at six months old, it will be a very large adult. Similarly an 11” individual will be on the smaller side as an adult.
Around the six month mark you should also see their growth rate slow down. It should decrease to about 50 to 70 grams and 1 to 2” a month. This is completely normal.
Your juvenile’s growth rate is likely to continue to slow down as it gets closer to full size.
In both the baby and early juvenile stage your lizard should be fed on approximately 80% insects and 20% plant material. This is so they get plenty of protein to support healthy growth. At around six to eight months old this diet should be reduced to 50% insects and 50% plant material.
As their growth rate slows down your bearded dragon will naturally want to eat new plants and vegetables.
Juveniles will reach approximately 12” long during the late stages of adolescence (10-12 months). At this age they will be on the brink of adulthood and sexual maturity. You may even notice them displaying sexual behaviors such as head bobbing, arm waving, and digging.
Some owners have reported that their bearded dragon reached full adult size at eight months old, but this is rare.
Is it around this time that owners start to ask how big is a 1 year old bearded dragon?
The size of a juvenile will vary from 16 to 24 inches depending on the individual. Most females mature slightly faster than males, but are often naturally lighter and shorter.
As a juvenile you may notice your lizard gradually changing color and losing some of its darker stripes. The bumps and spines on its jawline and flanks may also begin to become bigger and harden.
Adult Bearded Dragon Size
A bearded dragon is considered an adult at approximately twelve months of age.
Bearded dragons reach sexual maturity between 10 and 18 months old, though females tend to reach sexual maturity slightly earlier than males.
A bearded dragon will likely not grow more than two inches between the ages of twelve and eighteen months.
The rule of thumb is that once they reach sexual maturity they will stop growing. If growth does occur after this age, it will be very minimal.
Most of their growth is actually now bulking up.
After a beardie reaches twelve months old you should expect to see a weight gain of 10 to 40 grams every month. It will begin to ‘bulk up’, or grow wider rather than longer.
At 24 months old your bearded dragon will be full size at 16 to 24 inches long and between 380 and 500 grams.
It is also important to keep in mind that adults may brumate (hibernate) in colder months, and this can last for a few weeks to a few months.
During brumation your bearded dragon will naturally lose weight and will not eat. Instead they rely on body fat stores to survive. If a baby or juvenile is brumating you should attempt to feed it as they require food every day during growth.
Bearded Dragon Growth Chart
There is a lot of overlap in size and weight for bearded dragons due to the natural differences in how individuals grow.
You can use the growth chart below to track the growth of baby, juvenile, and adult bearded dragons.
Do not worry if your beardie does not fall quite within the expected growth range for its age. If they are eating, active, and behaving normally, yet display unusual growth, they are likely just a bit smaller or larger than the average individual.
If you start to notice abnormal behaviors such as inactivity or poor appetite then speak with a vet.
|Age||Weight (grams)||Length (inches)|
Monitoring a bearded dragon’s size and weight throughout the baby and juvenile stages is important.
It will help you to identify abnormal growth changes and dietary or tank setup problems. It may even help you determine how big a bearded dragon will get as an adult.
Bearded Dragon Full Size
A bearded dragon is fully grown at 18 to 24 months old.
An adult measuring between 16 to 24 inches long and weighing between 380 to 500 grams is considered normal and healthy. A beardie weighing less than 380 grams is likely underweight, while weighing more than 500 grams is considered overweight.
Full grown size will depend on its genes, species, sex and diet.
Their size may vary over time due to other factors like season, activity levels, diet and tank setup.
An exception to the guidelines above is a gravid female. Pregnant females will naturally gain an additional 10-30% of their initial bodyweight while carrying eggs.
A full grown bearded dragon should have quite noticeable bumps and spines. Additionally, it may be shades of grey, brown, red, yellow, depending on its morph.
Through all stages of their life you will notice that their tail makes up about half of their total length!
If you breed bearded dragons or keep many of them as pets you may notice that males tend to have a longer body length, whereas females tend to be broader and carry more weight.
This is a natural tendency.
Males are larger in size so that they can compete with other males and mate with females, while females conserve fat and energy for producing offspring.
How Fast Do Bearded Dragons Grow?
An adult bearded dragon in the first 12 months should have grown to at least 16 inches, but some might be as long as 24!
Bearded dragons are one of the fastest growing pet lizards in the world. By contrast, the slowest is the tuatara which can take up to 35 years to reach maturity.
At 12 months old a bearded dragon is considered full grown.
The fast growth rate of bearded dragons makes them an interesting pet.
You can watch them grow and develop their own personality over a very short time period.
The growth rate of a bearded dragon is fastest during the first twelve months of its life, even more so between birth and four months old.
A baby should grow between 1 to 2 inches and put on 10 to 50 grams each month. The healthy size and weight of a baby varies a lot depending on its age, but their growth rate should give you an idea as to whether they are maturing as expected.
Once a beardie is four months old he is considered a juvenile and his growth rate will get faster!
Between four and six months old he should grow 1 to 3 inches and 10 to 80 grams a month. While still a juvenile, at six months old you should notice their growth rate slowly declining. This growth decline to 1 to 2 inches and 50 to 70 grams per month is completely natural as they approach adulthood.
The growth rate for a juvenile on the verge of adulthood is variable. This is because some reach full maturity at eight months old while others can take closer to 18 months.
After reaching 12 months old a bearded dragon’s growth rate will slow down considerably. Between its first and second birthday a beardie likely won’t grow more than two inches.
At 24 months old your bearded dragon will have reached its full size.
|Age||Length (inches)||Weight (grams)|
|0 – 4 months||1 to 2 inches a month.||10 to 50 grams a month.|
|4 – 6 months||1 to 3 inches a month.||10 to 80 grams a month.|
|6 – 12 months||1 to 2 inches a month.||50 to 70 grams a month.|
|12 – 14 months||0.25 inches a month.||10 to 40 grams a month.|
How Big Is A Full Grown Bearded Dragon?
There are six different species of bearded dragon, all of which grow to be a different size.
The most popular pet species is the Pogona vitticeps which will grow up to 24 inches long and 380 to 500 grams.
Out of all of the bearded dragon species the Drysale River is the smallest, while Central and Eastern Bearded Dragons are the biggest.
Below you will find all six species and size estimates for each.
|Species||Length (inches)||Weight (grams)|
|Central (Pogona vitticeps)||16 to 24||380 to 500|
|Coastal or Eastern (Pogona barbata)||20 to 24||250 to 300|
|Western (Pogona minor)||14 to 18||250 to 450|
|Rankin’s Dragon (Pogona henrylawsoni)||10 to 12||90 to 200|
|Nullabor bearded dragon (Pogona nullabor)||13||65|
|Drysdale River (Pogona microlepidota)||4 to 6||6 to 40|
Central bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) are by far the most popular bearded species. It is a common pet and will grow up to 24 inches long and 380 to 500 grams. They are known for their mild manner, activity during the daytime, and love of climbing.
Eastern species (Pogona barbata) come in a close second as the most popular pet species, behind the central. They grow between 20 to 24 inches long and weigh between 250 to 300 grams. They are a slightly smaller, leaner species when compared to the central.
Western beardies (Pogona minor) grow from 14 to 18 inches long and weight between 250 to 450 grams. There are three subspecies within this group, the smallest of which is Pogona minor minima which grows to just 12 inches long.
Rankin’s dragon (Pogona henrylawsoni) grows to about 10 to 12 inches long and 90 to 200 grams. They are known for their high activity levels, love of climbing, and adaptability as a pet.
Nullabor bearded dragons (Pogona nullabor) reach about 13 inches long and 65 grams in weight. In the wild they live in coastal caves and cliffs.
The drysdale river species (Pogona microlepidota) is a little lizard that grows to around 4 to 6 inches in length and can weigh between 6 and 40 grams. It is the smallest bearded dragon species and is quite rare.
Reasons Why They Might Not Grow Properly
A bearded dragon’s diet is key to healthy growth.
During the first twelve months a bearded dragon should be provided a high-quality, protein-rich diet.
Babies between zero and six months old should be eating a diet with 80% insects and 20% plant matter. They should be fed multiple times a day in small portions.
At six months old you should gradually begin to decrease the amount of dietary protein to 50%.
A diet of 20% protein and 80% fruits and vegetables is ideal at twelve months old.
Failure to provide enough protein and calcium during this period of fast growth will cause health issues such as stunted growth and poor bone and muscle development, which may lead to metabolic bone disease.
At all stages of growth low-nutrient foods such as iceberg lettuce should be avoided. They provide almost no vitamins and minerals essential to healthy growth.
Improper Tank Setup
It is important for a bearded dragon to move freely around its tank. Physical activity encourages healthy bone growth and strength.
Improper tank setup can lead to inactivity, stress, and obesity.
Obesity in bearded dragons can result in stunted growth or weight loss.
Tanks that are too small or that do not provide a stimulating environment do not allow a bearded dragon to explore and stay active. On the other hand, a tank that is too big can often be stressful, resulting in loss of appetite and weight loss.
Baby bearded dragons should have a 10-25 gallon tank, and juveniles and adults should be housed in a 75-gallon tank.
Providing the correct amount of UV lighting (10-12 hours a day) is especially important for young bearded dragons. UV rays boost metabolism and aid in the absorption of dietary calcium. The light also provides them with energy, which encourages physical activity.
A 10.0 UVB compact fluorescent lamp is best, with a UV gradient of 0 at the point furthest from the lamp to around 6.0 at the basking area.
Providing a heat lamp is crucial for your bearded dragon’s growth at all stages of life.
Heat will encourage physical activity and fast digestion.
Their tank should have a temperature gradient of 85 to 100°F. The warmer area should be designed for basking and the cooler area designed for shading.
If your tank is too cold your bearded dragon will refuse to eat which will result in weight loss.
Full grown bearded dragons should measure 16 to 24 inches and weigh between 380 to 500 grams.
Babies hatch at just four grams and three inches in length. They should grow 1 to 2 inches each month and 10 to 50 grams.
As a juvenile your lizard will be growing faster than ever! Juveniles should grow 1 to 3 inches each month and 60 to 80 grams.
At 12 months old a bearded dragon is considered full grown. They will not grow much after 18 months old.
With the proper nutrition and tank setup a bearded dragon will quickly grow into an active and healthy adult.
Let us know how big your bearded dragon grew in the comments below.