How Quickly Do Bearded Dragons Grow? | Growth Rate 2024

All pet owners have to ensure that their pet animals are well-fed and thrive. Their nutritional needs and even mental and physical needs might vary with their age. A dog may reach adulthood after a year while cats and birds mature sooner. Similarly, bearded dragons become adults within a year, and then you have to feed them and care for them like adults. How quickly do bearded dragons grow? What changes do I have to make to their lifestyle? Find out all you need to know.

Bearded dragons are reptiles that are designed to live in desert and dry areas. These reptilians require higher temperatures and they soak energy from the sun. When you bring home a bearded dragon, make sure you give it enough space and light for it to grow healthily and maintain healthy body systems. These pets are not hard to keep if you know what they require and at what age.

Bearded Dragons Grow Fast

A small bearded dragon of a month will be less than a foot long. However, within a year, this reptile grows to over two feet! By the eighth or ninth month of their lives, bearded dragons become adults. Their growth is essentially dependent upon nutrition. If you feed your dragon less nutritional food it will not grow to its full potential.

Your pet dragon will require calcium and protein as building blocks during its growing months. The protein helps build muscle mass and tissue so that the bearded dragon grows stronger and can support its body well as an adult. Calcium is equally crucial as it allows the bearded dragon to have a stronger skeletal structure which supports the body as well. A deficiency of both these things will make your bearded dragon weak and it may even die sooner. Also, find out How Big Do Bearded Dragons Get.

How To Care For Your Pet Bearded Dragon

Since these reptilians cannot drink milk, they need another active source of calcium as they grow. Many pet shops develop a liquid form of calcium and protein for these animals. Milk is forbidden for dragons because they do not produce the enzyme that breaks down milk in the body. When you get a small bearded dragon home, make sure you feed it the calcium and protein liquid so that its daily nutrition needs are met.

As they are a few months older, you will have to give them some vegetables and insects along with the liquid calcium and protein. As kids grow, their diet goes from liquid to solid. Similarly, you can give these bearded dragons some change in their routine and get them used to solids that are good for them. Select vegetables and fruits that are high in calcium, protein, and vitamins. Be sure not to give your dragon pet any vegetable or fruit that has a lot of phosphorus, sugars, or fats.

Phosphorus can hinder the absorption of calcium in the body. If this happens, your bearded dragon will not be able to have strong bones and the calcium in the bones will also deplete with time. The result of this is metabolic Bone Disease, which causes bones to become soft, and eventually, the dragon becomes immobile and may even die to a lack of appetite and no physical exercise. There are many approved vegetables for dragons such as capsicum, mustard greens, collard, turnip greens, artichoke, asparagus, cabbage, and many more. Also, read How To Trim Bearded Dragon Nails.

Best Fruits For Growing Bearded Dragons

Since bearded dragons have low metabolic rates, they need foods that are not hard to digest. These can include lean vegetables and low-sugar fruits. These low-sugar fruits include melons, berries, and currants. Avocado is forbidden for bearded dragons because it is high in fate. Moreover, the bearded dragon may eat some fruits which are higher in sugar such as cherries and mangoes. However, the consumption of these fruits has to be low.

If you feed these fruits daily, your pet dragon will become overweight, and eventually, obesity will make it lazy. The legs will not be able to lift their weight and they may even become paralyzed. When bearded dragons become paralyzed and cannot move, they often stop eating, and then weakness takes over and they can die.

Adult Bearded Dragon Needs Care

Adult dragons need a lot of other things besides proper nutrition. You must ensure that there is no domination competition between two dragons because they get stressed, which leads to numerous other issues. Similarly, bearded dragons need to mate and if you have a female dragon it will lay eggs. Some changes in their behavior and routine will be visible and you will have to address them at the right time so that they remain healthy.

If you see that your bearded dragon has taken up some strange behavior, you can correct it by recognizing its needs according to age. Pet owners have to be vigilant, and the more you know about your pet, the happier it will become.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my bearded dragon keep growing?

Bearded dragons grow from the age of 14 to 24 months. After that, they remain the same size.

How can I make sure my dragon pet grows well?

Take care of the nutritional needs of your pet dragon, and simultaneously keep it stress-free and anxiety free. Once your pet is at ease and happy, it will grow well also.

Conclusion

Bearded dragons grow quickly and become adults within a year of their life. You must care for them according to their age requirements to ensure that they thrive. Bearded dragons are not hard animals to keep but if you do not know what they require at particular ages, it might be harmful to their pet. Get to know your pet so that you keep it happy.