Expert: Jedediah - 4/26/2005

Question
Are reptiles limited on their growth by the size of their living space or confinemt? Or do they just grow to what they are suppose to be? I have lizards and fish and didn't know if they will out grow the tanks or stop growing.

Answer
Dear Sophia,
thank you for your question.
It's a common myth that reptiles and turtles will stay small when their enclosure is small. It's often told by pet shop enployees when selling green iguanas or red-eared slider turtles (both grow to an enourmous size, but are small and cute as juveniles).
They will grow no matter what size their enclosure is and all a small enclosure will result in is disordered bevaviour like glass scratching so often seen with bearded dragons (it's not always a result of a too small enclosure, but very often).
I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer