My friend's dragon is much smaller than his brother's, why is this?
So my friend and his little brother both got baby bearded dragons for Christmas. I think that they were maybe three or four weeks old. They were both the same size when bought. Now one is dramatically larger than the other. It seems that my friend's dragon is only slightly longer and larger, but his brother's dragon is much larger. The dragons are very different in looks. The small one is yellow in color and you can tell that he will be very spiky when he gets bigger. The larger one is dark brown in color and much smoother.
Both dragons live in the same conditions (though in different tanks naturally). Both hot spots are around 105, cool spots around 85. They are fed the same diet: consisting of mostly small crickets and some collard greens, both sprinkled with calcium a few times a week.
There are a few behavioral differences. The large one is fast and moves around his cage a lot during the day and never fails to catch the crickets. It also doesn't hesitate to eat a variety of greens and veggies.
The small one hardly moves around except when crickets are in the cage, and even then it seems he is not as energetic when chasing after crickets. He often misses the cricket he's going after. I think this may have something to do with his eyes, it seems like he has a harder time seeing the crickets. We noticed something was wrong about a month and a half ago because he spent most of the time with his eyes closed. We replaced his UVB with a different one because I read several reviews that said it was damaging to the eyes of lizards. When he continued to keep his eyes closed we took him to the reptile vet who suggested gently swabbing his eyes daily with a damp q-tip. She thought that he had a bacterial infection in his eyes. So we did this and it definitely seemed to help. He stopped closing his eyes for long periods. But that didn't solve the problem of his inactivity. He also doesn't seem to like eating greens as much as the other dragon. He will only eat kale, whereas the other one eats carrots, apples, and other veggies.
Is there anything we should be doing for him?
Re: My friend's dragon is much smaller than his brother's, why is this?
Eye problems, lethargy, and lack of appetite are tell-tale signs of a UVB deficiency. What UVB source was your friend using before and what is being used now? The truth is that most of the UVB bulbs on the market are crap and either do not offer sufficient UVB or cause eye problems.
Any compact bulbs, as sam said, are dangerous. In the past I have used fluorescent bulbs as well as mercury vapor bulbs, but with both you have to be careful about the brand.
To my knowledge the only fluorescent bulb that has not been associated with any eye problems is the ReptiSun 10.0. Fluorescent bulbs don't provide heat, so an additional heat source should be provided. They last 6 months and should be replaced every six months, regardless of whether they have burned out (UVB emission quits before visible light). If using a fluorescent UVB source you should be dusting the crickets with a calcium supplement that includes vitamin D3.
http://www.petmountain.com/product/r...-uvb-bulb.html
Mercury vapor bulbs are another option. They are much stronger than fluorescent bulbs and provide a large amount of heat. They need a "burn-in" period, should not be touched directly by your hands, should be replaced yearly, and need to be at least 12" away from the highest point in the cage. Also, it is important that, when using an MVB, calcium supplements do not include vitamin D3 as it may lead to an overdose. In terms of brands, I've heard good things about Powersuns and the type made by T-Rex, but I have always used Megarays and I love them. By far my favorite UVB option for beardies.
http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-products.php
I would recommend having a look at the FAQ's page on the site; there's some great information there.
I don't mean to assume that this is the problem while it could be something else, but it really sounds to me like a UVB issue. And as there really isn't much good UVB info out there, it's a common problem.
