So You’re wondering how big do bearded dragons get?
In this guide, I will dive deeper into how you can tell what will determine the size of your bearded dragon
After about 12 months a bearded dragon will be fully grown
After this, a lot of things will change. Things like mating needs, food changes, and sometimes you might have to get a bigger tank
now trying to guess how big your bearded dragon will get is really next to impossible but you can get close with the right information
Generally speaking, a Fully Grown bearded dragon will be around 320 grams to 530 grams in weight and about 16 inches in length give or take
Some will be shorter and lighter and some will be longer and heavier
Table of Contents
How Big Do Bearded Dragons Get?
A fully grown bearded dragon will reach its full size and weight around the 12-month mark
They will reach a weight of 320 – 530 grams in weight and they will reach a length of about 16 inches – 24 inches in length
Sometimes it seems like they will never stop growing but they eventually slow down their consumption of food
Baby bearded dragons consume food like no other and they will be basking in the heat a lot to help them digest food
A lot of their size is going to come from their tail. About Half a bearded dragon’s size will come from their tail
Certain Bearded dragon morphs will be smaller in size and weight but if you don’t have a special kind of bearded dragon morph then it’s considered quite unhealthy for a bearded dragon to be smaller than 15 inches
Baby bearded dragon size
Baby bearded dragons (Also known as hatchlings) are pretty small usually no bigger than your longest finger

usually, these little guys will grow rapidly around an inch or so per week
Baby bearded dragons will be crushing all the food around them so you need to be aware of the proper diet they require in order to grow properly
Baby bearded dragons need a lot of insect protein
About 80 percent of their diet will come from insects
When you’re giving them their food make sure you dust it in calcium powder as well to ensure they’re getting enough calcium
You can expect babies to gain about 20 grams in the first month or so
A baby bearded dragon needs the right amount of protein and lighting in order to grow properly
The right UV lighting is required because it helps with digestion
You need to make sure that the UV lighting is placed outside the tank right above the tank
There is going to be a temperature gradient in your tank that will help you further and it looks like this



The basking side is where you’ll catch your bearded dragon after eating their food so they can digest properly
Juvenile bearded dragon size
Juveniles are considered to be juveniles after about 6 months of age
Bearded dragons grow incredibly fast so you will literally watch them become huge quickly and it will completely surprise you
This is where they will grow from about 20 grams to about 250 grams in weight between the first 3 months to the 6-month mark
Now one thing many owners completely overlook is the idea of space in their tank being a factor in their growth
Bearded dragons need tons of space to enrich their lives
I would already go for a really big tank (120 gallons) right off the hop so you’re not needing to buy more tanks as your bearded dragon gets older
I did this with my bearded dragon and he is happy and healthy
It did cost quite a bit off the hop but I didn’t need to make more major purchases as he got older
I only buy food and cleaner often
Don’t overlook how important their environment is to the health and growth of your bearded dragon
How fast do bearded dragons grow?
In the first couple of months, bearded dragons are rapidly growing
If you want to have your mind completely blown make sure you take daily pictures of them and then look back every couple of weeks and you will be shocked
Every month you should expect them to grow about 1 – 2 inches and gain about 20 to 40 grams
One major thing you need to know about is shedding
Bearded dragons will shed a lot when they’re babies
Since this will be happening more often you may see them slow down for a day or two as they shed
Don’t be alarmed at this behavior because it’s normal for them to slow down for a couple of days as they shed their skin
You can expect your baby bearded dragon to shed a couple of times a month
Adult bearded dragons shed around once or twice a year so this shows you how fast baby beardies grow
Bearded Dragon Growth Chart and Predictions
It’s hard to tell what size your bearded dragon will be at what time so I made you a chart so you have an idea of what to expect at what time
Age in months | Weight in grams | Length inches |
1 month old | 4 – 6 grams | 3 – 4 inches |
2 months old | 10 – 40 grams | 5 – 10 inches |
3 months old | 25 – 100 grams | 9 – 10 inches |
4 months old | 40 – 120 grams | 10- 12 inches |
5 months old | 100 – 120 grams | 11 – 15 inches |
6 months old | 150 – 200 grams | 12 – 18 inches |
7 months old | 200 – 250 grams | 13 – 19 inches |
8 months old | 250 – 300 grams | 14 – 20 inches |
9 months old | 300 – 350 grams | 15 – 22 inches |
10 months old | 350 – 400 grams | 16 – 24 inches |
11 months old | 380 – 450 grams | 16 – 24 inches |
12 months old | 380 to 530 grams | 16 – 24 inches |
What can influence Bearded dragon’s size?
A bearded dragon will grow according to a few things in its life
- Genetics
- Environment
- Diet
- Gender
- Healthcare/Husbandry
Genetics
Genetics with play a role in how big or small your bearded dragon gets
In humans its the exact same idea
A lot of the time if you have a tall parent or a parent that has a certain hair colour you will take after that parent
Of course, you might not as well but it’s rarer for recessive genes to come through
Environment and tank size
The tank size will play a role in how big your bearded dragon will get
The bigger the tank you can get the better off you’ll be
When I bought my bearded dragon I went for the big tank right away at 120 gallons
This was helpful because I didn’t need to buy another tank and it was big enough for my bearded dragon to live in
One major thing that will be inside your tank that needs to be in good shape is the lighting
If your lighting is off you will be stunting your bearded dragon’s growth quite a bit
You need the right lighting which is easy to get and one thing you do need to remember is to change the lightbulbs every 6 to 8 months
Try not to let it go longer than that
Lighting is really important for your bearded dragon to be able to absorb nutrients
If nutrients are not getting into the bloodstream then it will stunt the growth of your bearded dragon
Vitamin D and calcium are extremely important to a bearded dragon’s long term health
If a bearded dragon isn’t getting enough calcium throughout its life it can develop metabolic bone disease and eventually can die if not treated properly
Gender
When you’re wondering how big do bearded dragons get you must know that gender is crucial to their size
Male bearded dragons tend to be larger than females
Bearded dragons have something called femoral pores and males usually have bigger ones
Males also usually have bigger beards, heads, and tails
Males are usually a lot more aggressive as well. They will hiss and bite at you more often than a female bearded dragon will
Bearded Dragon Diet
Bearded dragons can eat a ton of different kinds of foods
You should only feed them food that has a lot of nutrients inside
Bearded dragons do need to get a complete diet depending on their age
Baby bearded dragons need a lot of protein for example and adults need much less



This chart is a big list of food that they can eat
As an adult bearded dragon, they should be eating more salads than anything else
This will provide them with the right amount of calcium for their bones to stay healthy
Now some of the foods on this list are going to be high in phosphorus so make sure you check out the link above for metabolic bone disease so you fully understand their diet needs
Bearded Dragon Healthcare and Husbandry
Like anything else, lack of healthcare can lead to disease and poor growth
Mouth rot, impaction, bacterial infections, mold, Parasites, and other kinds of bad things can happen if the tank is left uncleaned for a long period of time
Any of these things can cause your bearded dragon to show some strange behavior
they will seem sluggish, tired, and uninterested in being playful or wanting to be held
This is especially noticeable when you’re bearded dragon is the type to come to you for attention
Bearded Dragon Weight
Bearded dragons will normally stop gaining a lot of weight when they reach adulthood
if they do continue to gain weight they most likely eating too much food
When bearded dragons reach adulthood they should only be fed once a day or so
When you do feed adult beardies you should feed them a lot of salads as well
This is less harsh on their blood sugar level
Fat bearded dragons consume too much carb/sugar content and need to cut back
if your bearded dragon is over 510 grams you have a fat bearded dragon
it is totally unhealthy for a bearded dragon to be that big and you should cut their diet back
Some owners think it’s ok to feed their bearded dragons as they feed themselves
A bearded dragon has a much much smaller body and can’t deal with the potential side effects of overeating like humans can
too much weight will lead to disease in. your bearded dragon
make sure to let them out for exercise as well
Is My Bearded Dragon Fat?
There are ways to tell if your bearded dragon is overweight or not
You can tell if your bearded dragon is overweight by the size of its belly
If it looks unnatural and protrudes then they are overweight
It almost looks like a beer belly for beardies
there is one thing that can trigger them to be more hungry which is the temperature of the tank
This is something that most new owners don’t really understand
The hotter their basking spot is the more hungry they will be
The heat helps them digest food better and faster
If it’s too high it’s going to make them more hungry
Make sure the temperature is between 95 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit in their basking spot(check the chart above)
If at any point you need your bearded dragon to lose weight make sure they get plenty of exercise, reduce any sugar content and feed them salads
Something you can do to get them to run around a little more is get them toys
Bearded dragons actually do love to play around with you if you take the time to do it
Is my bearded dragon underweight?
Sometimes you might have the opposite problem and your bearded dragon can’t gain weight
this can happen because of parasites as well so it’s worth checking out to be on the safe side
You can tell if they have parasites by looking at your bearded dragons poop
the next step is to make sure they’re getting enough food altogether
Sometimes people can get busy and neglect their pets needs
This is something I went through during my college years
Impaction is another reason why they might not want to eat much as well
This is when they have something stuck inside their digestive tract
When this happens they will choose to not eat because they know it will only cause more pain
One more thing you need to be aware of is brumation
This is when they hibernate for the winter and try to conserve all their energy
During brumation, they won’t eat much at all
Many owners actually think their bearded dragon is dead
Once you go down the list of possibilities you can narrow down if you need to take them to the vet or not
Sometimes a bearded dragon won’t want to eat much
Sometimes beardies can have a big personality and will reject food
A little trick I use to get my bearded dragon to eat more salads was by putting a little bit of fruit inside the salad
He would eat the whole salad to get to the fruit
Summary
Wondering how big do bearded dragons get is common amongst new beardie owners and it’s pretty easy to figure out. Especially with the charts, I provided you above
Remember that bearded dragons will grow to their full size in about a year which is going to be about 16 – 24 inches in length depending on which kind you get
They will also be between 310 – 530 grams in weight when they reach full adulthood