You probably already know that bearded dragons are very complicated animals. When you take into account the elaborate efforts you have to make to create a proper enclosure for them, the fact that you can’t keep multiples, plus the expensive vet care… You know that you have committed yourself to a very demanding lover.
Now one of the most difficult things about bearded dragons is telling their age. This is especially true if you were not there when they were born. Telling the age of a young bearded dragon is hard enough. It is even harder to tell their age when they are fully grown adults.
You can measure the length of a bearded dragon to get an approximated age in the first year of their birth. Another way to tell a bearded dragons age is to watch out for the time they attain sexual maturity. If however, you would prefer to get an answer from a professional, you can contact a veterinary for help.
Having said that, here are some other ways to know your pet bearded dragons age. Below, I’ll discuss the rooms steps you can take to find out the age of your dragon.
The first method is to ask someone
It might sound corny but the truth is that nobody would know the age of a child better than its mother. In this case, the mother bearded dragon cannot actually tell you the age of her child. So you have to like for the next best thing; Contact the breeder.
The best and most accurate way to determine the age of your bearded dragon is to contact the breeder who bred them. The breeder will have detailed birth records that show the exact date your bearded dragon was born.
Apart from its age, you should be able to get other important information from your breeder too. Some of this information is the medical history and age of your bearded dragon’s parents, the average lifespan of that particular stock, at sorts of care to give to your bearded dragon and other similar information and tips on caring for and raising your dragon in good health.
Ask the seller
Now the breeder and the seller are not always one and the same. Sometimes, the breeder breeds them and someone buys them either to resell or for personal purpose and then change their mind for whatever reasons.
You can Inquire about age from the person from whom you purchased the bearded dragon. If you adopted the bearded dragon at a pet store or from someone else, you could contact them to see if they have any records on the age of the pet and other relevant information that you might need. Even if they don’t have detailed records of the bearded dragons age at the point of purchase, they could know what it’s size was when they first brought him home. This should give you a good idea of how old the bearded dragon is.
You will be able to calculate an estimated age If you are able to get the size of the bearded dragon at the point of purchase. This will be done using the method that is provided below:
Calculate the dragon’s age from the point when the pet store got it. Use the size of the dragon at the time to determine that age. You will then add the number of years/months of the dragon since that date. This will give you a basic idea of your beardie’s present age.
The store person could also have the details of the age of the dragon, or the contact of the person they bought it from. That way you can talk to the breeder directly and get the age of your bearded dragon.
Talk to the vet
Your veterinarian will be able to give you an approximated age of your bearded dragon If none of the other methods have worked for you. Take the bearded dragon to the vet. Of course, you have to be careful that you choose a vet with enough experience.
Your vet should be able to tell you the age of your bearded dragon after an examination.
Second method:
Use size to get the age of your bearded dragon
1. Measure
Until your bearded dragon is about a year old, its body size is one of the best ways you can use to know its age. Take a tape rule and Measure your bearded dragon from head to tail. You need to hold your bearded dragon very carefully while you are doing this. You will get an accurate measurement if your bearded dragon is sleeping or totally still. It will be difficult to get an accurate measurement if your dragon is too active and walking around.
2. Comparison
After you have been able to get the accurate size of your bearded Dragon, compare the result you get to the sizes of bearded dragons in their first year based on the charts. This will give you a rough estimate of how old your dragon is irrespective of whether it is male or female.
Below is a basic chart of how.long your dragon should be at each milestone.
3 in (7.6 cm) to 4 in (10 cm) = 0-1 months
5 in (13 cm) to 9 in (23 cm) = 2 months
8 in (20 cm) to 11 in (28 cm) = 3 months
9 in (23 cm) to 12 in (30 cm) = 4 months
11 in (28 cm) to 16 in (41 cm) = 5-6 months
13 in (33 cm) to 20 in (51 cm) = 7-8 months
16 in (41 cm) to 22 in (56 cm) = 9-12 months
Note: This size comparison method mostly works only if the bearded dragon is in its first year. After this first year, dragons generally develop at their individual and personal paces. The sizes of bearded dragon sport very stark irregularities after the first year as that all develop at different paces.
This happens irrespective of gender.
Third Method:
Determine age by the time of sexual maturity of the dragon
Another way to determine him if your dragon is to wait for it to bloom. The time of the appearance of sexual differences in needed dragons can be used to determine their age.
Starting from the point where you decide you want to know the gender of your dragon, dedicate a few minutes daily or a few hours weekly to study their underside. Monitor the bearded dragon by looking at the bulges under its tail to determine when these gender traits appear. The bulges will generally not show up until your dragon is between 8-12 months old. Thus your dragon is about eight months to one year old at the point of appearance.
Note: There are generally no differences in size, color, shape or gender when beardies are just little hatchlings. But by the time they reach the 8 to 12 months mark, they start to sport differences and you will start to spot them too.
Gender Maturity
Being able to make definite conclusions in your bearded dragons gender is an important marker in age calculation. To find out what gender your beardie is, look for the bulges under the tail. The easiest way to check the gender of your bearded dragon is to look under its tail right above the opening.
There are two possibilities. The first one is that there will be two bulges under the vent. The second is that there will be only one bulge under the vent.
You probably have a male If there are two bulges under the skin above the vent. however, you most likely have a female if there is just one bulge.
Another way to determine beardie gender is by looking at the femoral pores. Turn the bearded dragon over and look at the hind limbs. If you can see large, pronounced dots going across from one leg to the other, you have a sexually mature male. If however, you can barely see anything at all, you might have a female.
What this means
What this translates to is that your bearded dragon is sexually mature. Now you can think back to the first time that you first noticed the gender of your bearded dragon. When did you first notice the differentiation I’m their genitals? At that point, your bearded dragon was most likely between 8 and 12 months old. It is a good point to start counting from where your bearded dragon age is concerned
