beardy...

Question
Hi, i have seen pictures of beardies fully grown and their tails are not as big as i thought they would be, my baby beardy is about 10 inch now but his tail is really big more than half his length in total, is this o.k and nothin to worry about and also, somebody told me that their tails drop off when growing up if they get stressed, is this true. Another question is that my beardy has only shred once, i have had him 3 months now and he hasnt shred another time yet, i am getting worried about him, although he has a grey spot on his nose and his tail is goign grey colour so i thought he may be starting to shed soon, could this be it and i have heard that they grow a lot when they are shredding, is this true and if so, how much they they grow at each stage through shredding...thanks

Answer
Hi Danny! Thanks for all the interesting questions!
 First of all, the questions about tails. Your Beardie's tail length is just fine. Kind of like humans, Beardie's have similar yet unique proportions. There are dragons with tails less then 1/2 their length, and dragons with tails a bit more than 1/2 their total length like yours. It is perfectly normal, and nothing to worry about. The trait that is more important, is that the tails are sturdy and round near the dragon's body. In young dragons, it isn't as thick, but dragons are generally robust and sturdy, with all body parts looking solid as they grow up. Dragons do NOT automize (drop their tail) as many other lizard species do. Even in lizard species who are able to automize their tail, it is usually rough handling or extreme terror that would cause them to drop it. There are a few species that drop their tail more easily, but they are less common.
 Second the skin questions. People get concerned frequently about their dragon not shedding at all, or not often enough. The thing is that dragons usually shed in small patches at different times. The grey spots on your Beardie's nose and tail are probably patches that he will soon shed. It is common never to see the skin that your pet sheds, because they tend to eat it as soon as it comes off. It seems odd to us, but they have evolved in an arid climate where they need to conserve all the nutrients they can, as well as keep animals that think they are a tasty snack from following the trail of skin. The growth and use is what causes the shedding instead of the shedding causing growth. You can think of it like this, when kids are growing and wear the same clothes day in and day out, they will wear the clothes out, and out grow the clothes. They will get too big to fit comfortably, and get holes in the knees and elbows, and just worn to rags. when the clothes are worn out they "shed" that set and get new ones. The Beardie gets to grow it's clothes instead of going shopping. Lucky Beardie! Hope this answers your questions, and please feel free to ask more if you have them! Nicole