Let’s find out how can you tell how old a bearded dragon is?

You can estimate a bearded dragon’s age based on its size, but factors like genetics, diet, and care impact size too. As they reach adulthood at about 1 year old, their size levels out more.

Bearded dragons make very popular pet lizards, thanks to their typically calm personalities and manageable sizes. 

Their lifespans and care needs can vary greatly depending on their age, so it’s important for owners to know how to estimate their bearded dragon’s age. 

There are a few key physical signs and behaviors to look for to differentiate babies, juveniles/subadults, and mature adult bearded dragons. 

Factors like size, breeding ability, and changes in growth rate can serve as helpful age indicators. 

With some close observation and background knowledge of bearded dragon development, owners can learn to categorize their pet into a rough age range. 

Being able to determine age allows owners to provide their bearded dragon with the most suitable habitat setup, nutrition, and care over its lifespan for maximized health and happiness.

How Can You Tell the Age of a Bearded Dragon

There are five authentic methods to tell the age of bearded dragon.

• By Size
• Using Weight
• Contact the Breeder
• By Sexual Maturity
• Contact Your Vet

Getting an accurate age often involves combining several of these factors for the best estimate in adults. Vet examinations can also aid the effort.

How to Tell the Age of a Bearded Dragon by Size

Determining the approximate age of a bearded dragon based on its size can be done as follows:

Newly Hatched:

• 4-5 inches (10-13 cm) long from head to tail
• Weigh 4-5 grams

Juvenile (1-5 months):

• 5-8 inches (13-20 cm) long
• Rapid growth during these months

Juvenile/Subadult (6-12 months):

• 8-14 inches (20-36 cm)
• Slowing of growth rate
• Reaching closer to adult size

Young Adult (12-18 months):

• 14-18 inches (36-46 cm)
• Has usually reached adult size by 18 months
• Growth has plateaued

Adult (18 months +):

• 16-24 inches (41-61 cm)
• Has reached full adult size
• Very little growing left, mainly just filling out weight wise

Checking the total length from a dragon’s nose to the tip of its tail can give a general idea of its age based on expected sizes during growth stages. Comparing against average adult sizes is also useful.

Here is a typical age growth chart for bearded dragons showing average size ranges at different ages:

Age: Size Range:

Newly Hatched – 4-5 inches long

1 month – 5-6 inches long

2 months – 6-8 inches long

3 months – 7-10 inches long

4 months – 8-11 inches long

5 months – 9-12 inches long

6 months – 10-13 inches long

8 months – 12-15 inches long

10 months – 13-17 inches long

1 year – 14-19 inches long

1.5 years – 16-22 inches long

2 years – 18-24 inches long (adult size)

As adults, bearded dragons are usually 16-24 inches long from head to tail. Females are generally on the smaller end, while males are larger.

Key Things to Note:

• Bearded dragons grow quickly as babies and juveniles.
• Growth starts slowing around a year old.
• Adult size is reached around 18 months old.
• Individual dragons may be slightly larger or smaller than these ranges.
• Use size as just one factor along with age, weight, sexual maturity and other signs to estimate age range.

The larger a bearded dragon is, the older they tend to be. Comparing against a typical growth chart can help narrow down approximate age.

Know How Old Your Bearded Dragon is By Weight

A bearded dragon’s weight can give clues as to its age. Both length and weight ranges can provide helpful guidelines for estimating age, especially when used together with other indicators of maturity over time.

Here is a table summarizing the key data on estimating a bearded dragon’s age based on size and weight:

Age	Length Range	Weight Range
Newly Hatched	4-5 inches	4-6 grams
1 month	5-6 inches	10-20 grams
2 months	6-8 inches
3 months	7-10 inches	50-100 grams
4 months	8-11 inches
5 months	9-12 inches
6 months	10-13 inches	100-200 grams
8 months	12-15 inches
10 months	13-17 inches
1 year	14-19 inches	200-350 grams
1.5 years	16-22 inches
2 years (adult)	18-24 inches	300-600 grams

Key Notes:

• Length is measured from head to tail tip
• Babies and juveniles grow rapidly in length early on
• Weight gain is also rapid initially then levels off
• Adults reach peak size around 18 months but can continue gaining weight
• Females are generally smaller than males as adults
• Individual dragons may be slightly out of typical ranges

Contact the Breeder

If you obtained your bearded dragon from a breeder, one of the best ways to determine its age is to directly contact them and ask. Some things you can ask the breeder:

• Do you know the exact hatch or birth date for the dragon? Having the full date of when it was hatched allows an exact age calculation.
• If you don’t know the exact date, do you know approximately what month or season it was born in? This narrows things down.
• Do you keep accurate records of offspring and their hatch dates? Reputable breeders will often track clutch details.
• Can you provide any photographs from shortly after it was hatched? Early images help give size perspective.
• Are the parents still in your care? Knowing lineages can aid age estimates.

Additionally, ask questions about:

• What was the dragon fed as a baby? Diet impacts growth rates.
• Have you noticed any health or development issues? This could impact size.
• Why was the dragon sold/rehomed and at what age? This provides context.

Having conversations with reputable, responsible breeders that have raised the dragon from birth can give invaluable direct insight into accurate ages as well as breed traits, genetics, early life history and care. If exact hatch dates were not recorded, breeders should still be able to provide good age approximations better than anyone else.

By Sexual Maturity

On average bearded dragons become sexually mature between 8 months to 18 months of age. Determining when a bearded dragon reaches sexual maturity can provide clues about its age.

Males:

• Usually become sexually mature between 4-6 months of age.
• Signs include development of hemipene bulges around the tail base.
• Additionally, the thighs and muscles surrounding the bulge may enlarge.

Females:

• Generally become sexually mature between 8-18 months old.
• Will start producing and laying infertile test eggs around 10-14 months old.
• Capable of breeding by 18 months old in most cases.

Remember that

• Individual dragons may vary slightly in sexual development timeframes.
• Maturity and fertility don’t always align perfectly in females.
• Other signs like weight gain and growth plateauing also occur around these ages.

If your dragon is actively displaying courtship behaviors, reproducing, or showing physical mature characteristics, you can safely assume:

• Males are at least 4-6 months old.
• Females are usually over 10 months old.

While not precise, sexual milestones give a reliable age range. Using them together with size, weight and other age indicators will give the most accurate estimate.

Contact Your Vet

Contacting your veterinarian is an excellent way to get professional assistance in determining how old your bearded dragon is. Some tips when speaking to your vet:

Ask if they have your dragon’s previous medical history on file. Prior vet exams showing weight, length and growth data over time can substantially aid aging.

Schedule an appointment for a wellness checkup if needed to obtain current weight, body condition scoring and examination. Vets track developmental milestones.

Inquire about x-ray or other imaging to check bone densities and joint calcification levels which may indicate skeletal maturity.

Have the vet scan for presence of sexual organs or follicles developing inside females coming up on breeding age.

Discuss when your dragon is likely to stop growing rapidly, reach full adult size, weigh the most, and become reproductively active.

Ask their best educated guess on age range based on all available data points about your dragon’s physiology and health.

While human years equivalent aren’t perfectly applicable, bearded dragon ages can be approximated by vets knowledgeable in their growth patterns, habitual behaviors at certain life stages, anatomical changes through maturation, and more. Getting a vet’s input provides the most reliable age estimate.

How to Measure Bearded Dragon

1. Length – Have the lizard stretched out flat. Gently measure from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail using a soft measuring tape. Don’t press hard or stretch them out. Get the length when relaxed.
2. Weight – Use a digital kitchen or small scale designed for weighing grams. Zero it out. Gently place the dragon in a cloth bag, small box or plastic container on the weight platform. Weigh just the dragon without additional accessories.
3. Body Condition Score – Visually and gently physically assess muscle tone and fat pads near the base of the tail and head. Compare to standard 1-5 body condition score charts for bearded dragons. High score means a very robust build.
4. Head size – Measure the widest part of the head right behind the eyes using digital calipers. Compared to average head size-to-length ratios. Data helps gauge age.

You should know that…….

• Record all measurements on a chart dated over time to track growth rates
• Take measurements consistently in same manner and under same conditions
• Be very gentle and do not overly manipulate joints and limbs

Use length, weight, proportions and visual condition assessments together to estimate age as well as monitor health status. Let your vet demonstrate measuring if unsure!

At What Age Are Bearded Dragons Adults

Most bearded dragons reach full adult size and age by 18 months old. Here are some key signs a dragon has reached adult status:

• Length – Usually at least 16-24 inches (40-60 cm) long from head to tail by 18 months old.
• Weight – Generally 300-600 grams depending on sex. Females somewhat smaller than males on average.
• Slowed Growth – Rapid baby and juvenile growth has tapered off dramatically. Not getting significantly longer or heavier by the month.
• Sexual Maturity – Over 18 months old, males and females are reproductively active. Eggs may be fertile.
• Colors Settled – Juvenile color and pattern changes have stabilized into permanent adult colors and markings.
• Proportional – Head, limbs, torso and tail have mature proportions versus awkward juvenile proportions.
• Behavior – Extremely active baby behaviors have given way to more calm and deliberate adult manners and routines.

While some dragons may exhibit adult characteristics a few months earlier or later than 18 months, this age benchmark captures full mental and physical maturity based on understanding of their growth trajectory, reproduction biology, metabolic development and more.

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