The bearded dragons are docile and beautiful reptiles that you’ll love for their low maintenance. In this article, I will let you know how big bearded dragons (Beardies) can grow while in captivity.
In brief, an adult (and fully-grown) bearded dragon will have a length of 16 – 24 inches and have a weight of between 380 – 510 grams. However, this reptile will be classified as unhealthy (suffering stunted growth) when it’s under 300 grams all under 16 inches after one year – mainly due to cognitive or physical sickness.
- The bearded dragons reach sexual maturity at around 1 to 1.5 years and this is when they achieve full size.
If the Beardie’s length is more than 24 inches, then this could be a German giant or what we call an uncommon mophr. The German giant achieves around 1,000 grams and a length of 32 inches.
Stage 1 of Growth: Juvenile Bearded Dragon Size
If you are rearing a bearded dragon I’m thinking of getting one, this information will help you prepare issues such as maintaining its general health, diet, and tank size.
A baby or juvenile bearded dragon is classified as one between the ages of 2 – 7 months.
Bearded dragons have different growth rates for stage 1 & stage 2;
- Stage 1 growth rate: 1 to 3 inches every month
- Stage 1 growth rate: 1 to 2 inches every week
The bearded dragons have a small rate of growth after one year but around this age, they’ll have a thick tail base and their belly will be filled out.
Due to its demanding body growth needs, a bearded dragon requires great nutrition (and regular feeding) at this age.
- For example, you may need to feed this pet about 50 crickets daily to satisfy their dietary requirements.
Also, provide each of these pets with a separate cage of about 30 gallons. This is because they’ll grow very dormant and territorial.
- In fact, the large-sized dragons will dominate the hideouts, the lovely basking areas, and the food bowl.
Therefore, the small-sized dragons could be deprived of suitable lighting and adequate nutrition.
Stage 2 of Growth: Size of Baby / Hatchlings Bearded Dragon
The hatchlings of bearded dragons are about 3 inches in length and 4 grams in weight.
In the initial 2 months of growth, the bearded dragons grow at a rate of 1 inch to 1.5 inches every week.
- Besides, in the first two months, these hatchlings will acquire about 3 grams to 5 grams.
So, to maintain a normal weight of the hatchlings of the baby bearded dragons, you need to weigh them weekly.
Also, I advise you to monitor the room lighting and the baby dragons feeding habits.
- I noted that some of the hatchlings would have diseases such as metabolic bone disease or also they could experience feeding competition leading to dietary deficiency.
Thus, Critical factors to consider and provide to the hatchlings of the baby dragons in their first year of growth are; proper bedding, nutrition, and appropriate lighting.
- Notably, You should feed the babies of the bearded dragons with a diet that has a higher proportion or ratio of proteins (insects) as compared to the number of salads included.
- You should also include a Tube light (T5 UVB) On the outer side of the Dragon smash but at a minimum of six inches.
Therefore, as noted, the survival and growth of bearded dragons or their babies are highly dependent on the environment and diet that you provide.
Sizes Of Various Bearded Dragons By Breed
Bearded dragons come in 8 subspecies.
- Also, You should note that these subspecies have different adaptations that allow them to live in a specific region;
- This is because the various subspecies live in various locations of Australia.
|Subspecies of Bearded Dragon||Sizes (in Inches)||Weight (in Grams)|
|Pogona barbata||20 – 24||400 – 510|
|Pogona vitticeps||16 – 24||380 – 510|
|Pogona minor mitchelli||16 – 18||380 – 450|
|Pogona minor||14 – 18||250 – 450|
|Pogona nullarbor||12 – 14||200 – 250|
|Pogona minor mina||10 – 12||100 – 200|
|Pogona henrylawsoni||9 – 12||50 – 200|
|Pogona microlepidota||4 – 6||6 – 40|
What’s The Growth Rate Of The Bearded Dragon?
During the early life (i.e. 1 – 3 months), the bearded dragons tend to grow at a highly accelerated rate.
- This can be summarised as the growth of about 10 to 50 g every month and 2 inches in each month.
However, the growth rate of the bearded dragons will have slowed down after 3 months since hatching.
Besides, the reptiles in the juvenile stage will gain about 50 g every month and roughly 1 inch to 1.5 inches every month.
- And rid of skin-shedding, these pets will shed about 1 to 2 times every month.
However, once the bearded dragons achieve their full size (this is in around 1 year), the bearded dragons will shed their skin at a slower rate which is about 1 – 2 times every year.
- Another critical factor to notice is that the bearded dragons will have around 350 g in one year and will gain more slowly in the second year.
The Average and Maximum Weight at Each Growth Stage
The growth rate of a bearded dragon is highly impacted by factors such as their health, their diet, and their environment.
- However, experts recommend that you use some approved growth charts that will help you make some accurate guesses on the growth rate of bearded dragons.
The growth charts require that you check the juveniles’ growth rate during the first six months.
If the bearded dragon will be 15 + inches while it’s 6 months old, I’ll say that your pet may grow to be among those large beardies in their species. I’d predict that the bearded dragon could Grow to be around 25 inches in length.
- However, if the bearded dragon is only about 11 inches at 6 months, I’ll say that the animal might only (as a full-grown adult) get to around 16 to 18 inches.
Between 8 to 18 months, the bearded dragon we have achieved sexual maturity and it’ll have stopped growing in size.
Growth Chart of the bearded Dragons
|Ages (in Months)||Length (in inches)||Weight (Grams)|
|12+||380 – 510|
|11 – 12||16 – 24 inches||350 – 465|
|9 – 10||16 – 22 inches||280 – 360|
|8||14 – 20 inches||252 – 327|
|7||13 – 18 inches||230 – 280|
|6||11 – 18 inches||183 – 188|
|5||11 – 16 inches||102 – 115|
|4||9 – 12 inches||41 – 115|
|3||8 – 11 inches||22 – 110|
|2||5 – 9 inches||8 – 40|
|0-1||3 – 4 inches||4 – 6|
The Factors That Affect The Size Of The Bearded Dragon
Bearded dragons tend to grow very fast and their clothes are considerably first time in their first year but there are some factors that will also affect how fast they grow.
If a bearded dragon has some sickness, or has poor health care, then the animal could have a lower weight and be smaller in size than expected for its age.
- Notable parasites and diseases like impaction can affect the number of nutrients that are bearded dragons get from their diet.
Such health issues and illnesses will affect the physiological functioning of the Dragon and this slows down the rate of growth.
Check for health issues such as extreme appetite changes, the Dragon becoming overly sluggish, bloating, and significant weight loss.
- If you notice such health issues on your dragon ensure to talk to the pet’s vet
The type and size of the house ( among other environmental factors) is a major factor affecting how big to do bearded dragons will grow.
Therefore, you should provide an enclosure (for the bearded dragon) that has adequate room for feeding, movement, or exercise.
If the enclosure has a small size compared to the subspecies of reptile, then the pet cool experience stunted growth cheese that home is not adequate for exercise and normal growing.
For example, you will require a tank of 40 gallons capacity for a juvenile bearded dragon and one of 120 gallons capacity for the adult.
Also, provide appropriate and enough lighting in and outside the enclosure to avoid stunted growth of your lizard.
- With enough UVA or B rays or adequate heat, the bearded dragon will synthesize vitamin D and also absorbed other nutrients correctly.
Hence, the lizard will escape getting the metabolic bone disease and it will have a healthy metabolic function.
The bearded dragon will grow and developed if you provide them with a balanced and complete diet.
Notably, to escape stunted growth, don’t feed the animals with low-nutrient bites such as iceberg lettuce.
- Further, don’t feed the lizards with nutrients that are improperly balanced such as grubs.
Also, remember to alter the diet of the bearded dragons as the age advances.
- The adults will require lesser proteins compared to the juveniles. So, you feed the juvenile lizards with 25% plants ( such as fruits, vegetables, and greens) end 25% are their diet should be insects.
The sex or gender of the bearded dragon will also affect how big they grow.
- These pets can be described as sexually dimorphic.
The females of the bearded dragons have a slender (slim) tail but with a broader body.
- On the other hand, the mals have wider (larger) heads and longer bodies compared to the females.
The maximum size of the bearded dragon is also affected by their genetics animal.
- Therefore, the bearded dragon will grow as big or close to the size of the parents.
Are the characteristics that will differ with the lizard subspecies include the spikes, scales, and color.
For example, the German giant morph will achieve 35 ounces in weight and 32 inches in the length.
But Is My Bearded Dragon Really Overweight?
You’ll know where’s the bearded dragon is overweight if its belly is bulging and it extends beyond the lizard’s sides well it’s standing.
- The chest area also is plump and the legs are very thick.
However, if the bearded dragon is female and it has an enlarged belly then the animal could need surgery since it could be suffering from egg retention.
Therefore, when you believe that the bearded dragon might be overweight, you should begin the examination with the tank temperature.
- notably, the tank area used for basking must not exceed a temperature of between 95 degrees Fahrenheit to 200 degrees Fahrenheit for normal body weight.
Unique characteristics that may point that your bearded dragon is over it include having a full chest, fat limbs, looking around, and being a little stout.
Allowing exercises such as walking, offering an appropriate diet (foods with high protein and fats), and also lowering the temperature of the tank (heat tends to make the lizards eat more) will assist the pets to have fewer weight issues.
But Is My Bearded Dragon Really Underweight?
Unique features that will show your bearded dragon is underweight include protruding spine and ribs, sunken fat pads, and sagging skin(wrinkly and sullen).
- If the lizards are underweight in the first two to three months (growth phase) might be due to hibernation (brumation), illness, all nutritional challenges.
- Also, the plate could lose its appetite due to temperature or food quality changes – lower temperatures trigger a slower metabolism.
For the underweight dragons, experts recommend you feed them with supplements, appetite stimulants, and a diet that is high in fats.
So on the question of how big the bearded dragons can grow, I’ll see that these will not have a straightforward response but they are important considerations to make.
- For example, you should ensure that the bearded dragons have the correct tank, proper nutrition, and diet to allow the animals to draw their maximum possible size.