Hailed as prehistoric and as close to a dinosaur lookalike as you can get, you may wonder how big can they really get?
Sailfin dragons are beautiful creatures blessed with large spikes and fruitfully emblazoned crests. No wonder active breeders and keepers of the Sailfin Dragon fall in love with it so quickly.
But they’re not for the faint-hearted. With a semiarboreal enclosure, they need considerable room if they’re to be kept safe, comfortable, and most importantly, healthy.
The Sailfin Dragon is recorded as one of the largest species in the agamid family. The Agamidae family consists of over 300 species, home to Africa, Asia, Australia and some of Europe.
But how big do they get?
In captivity, the Sailfin Dragon can typically reach up to 3 feet in length. You’ll find that most males are on the larger size expanding to 4 feet in length whilst females are smaller than their companions, sitting comfortably anywhere between 2.70 and 3.5 feet in length.
Being the largest of the agamid family suggests that its weight will follow. Male Sailfin weigh approximately 4 pounds on average but can vary anywhere between 3 and 5.
You may have seen a dragon on display at your local reptile store. However, they are not for everyone – and especially for novices. Although they may take your breath away with their uncanny likeness to dinosaurs from the prehistoric era, their sheer size and maintenance do take quite a bit of upkeep and care.
Species
There are three most common species of Sailfin dragons: Hydrosaurus pustulatus, Hydrosaurus weberi and Hydrosaurus Amboinensis.
The first of those listed, the Hydrosaurus Pustulatus is the smallest of Sailfin dragon – reaching up to only 6 inches and weighing less than a pound.
However, the Hydrosaurus Weberi and Hydrosaurus Amboinensis are both much larger and can reach up to 4 feet in length.
Babies
In captivity, a female Sailfin Dragon will start to lay her eggs after a year as they have reached sexual maturity. From then on, they will continue to lay eggs once every two weeks until exhaustion, or in some cases, death.
If you and your sailfin are together from a young age, a 30-gallon aquarium will be acceptable as they reach up to 16 inches in their adolescents.
But you can expect a young Sailfin to fully grow by the time it has its 18 month birthday.
How do they get so big?
Just as with humans, the better their diet – the more they grow.
Unfortunately, because of its calcium requirements, you can’t just feed a Sailfin Dragon mealworms and Crickets, as it simply won’t grow as much as it should – leading to stunted growth or developmental issues.
Therefore, high calcium nutrients are incredibly important. Crayfish, minnows, and pink mice are perfect to help your sailfin reach its potential.
Mealworms, crickets, and the like should be fed consistently. You’ll want to feed them more often when they’re young to help with their development and don’t be afraid to vary their diet, include grasshoppers if you’d like. Pink mice and vertebrae should be kept quite minimal, perhaps just once a week or every fortnight.
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