My bearded dragon stop shedding a while ago and hes 17 months old and 15 inches. HELP!

Question

my bearded dragon stopped shedding around 13 months old and for 4 months he hasn't grown. what should i do? hes in a almost 20 gallon tank.

Answer 1

uhm at 15 he's in far too small a tank by now the minimum would be a 40 gallon breeder and many beardie's do  not grow over 15 inches.

Answer 2

A 15 inch bearded dragon needs to be in a 40 gallon breeder tank. That is the absolute minimum size. A 20 gallon is way to small.

Your beardie should start growing again once he is in the proper sized enclosure; as long as you are offering the correct foods&supplements, and have the right temps&UVB light.

Here is a site with everything beardies can eat http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.co...

Make sure there are basking temps of 105-110 degrees, and cool side temps of around 80-85.

Make sure you are offering RepCal calcium+D3 3x a week, and Herptivite multi-vitamin 2x a week.

Also, make sure you have the correct UVB lighting. ReptiSUN 10.0 fluorescent TUBE is the best available in a petstore. Do NOT use compact/coil UV lights or ReptiGLO 10.0, all 3 of those can cause blindness, seizure, conjunctivitus, and even death.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

well i would try putting him in a bigger cage b/c a 20 gallon is way way to small for a 15 inch bearded dragon. I would keep a dragon that size in a 40 breeder. That may be your problem. I wouldn't worry so much that it's not shedding but if it's not growing, i would start w/ getting a new tank. Also check that it's eating or that you're feeding it a balanced diet w/ protein and veggies and that the UVB is working. The UVB could be another problem. And lastly make sure it's moist enough as well. spritz the cage once a day or give it a bath a couple times a week. If you're worried about shedding, bath's help. That cage though, start w/ that

Answer 4

Minimum sized tank for even a baby beardie is a 40 gallon breeder (wider rather than tall).  It is very difficult to have a temperature gradient in a small tank...warm on one side (in the 90'sF and cooler (low 80'sF) on the other side.  Also need a basking temp of 100F, and UVB lighting for 12 hours a day (within 12 inches of basking spot).  They will shed much less often as they stop growing so fast.  Make sure he gets weekly baths and daily misting, and is eating a variety of insects and veggies.  Have an experienced herp vet check him for parasites...very common in these guys.  I would suspect he is going to be stressed by the very cramped living conditions.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/ktosney/file/BD...