Alright, I am posting on GU as the other forums I have tried using don't want me to post! I have a female bearded dragon. She is almost four, and kind of small about 15 - 16 inches (just measured her and she wouldn't stand still). I had plans to breed leos this summer, but those plans aren't going to work out. So, I have a bunch of questions about the breeding of beardies. First of all, I have a 40 breeder for this girl, assuming I would end up breeding beardies, what tank size (I don't want to skimp, but I'm hoping for something less then a 70) could I get away with for the mating pair? Also, from what I've read it sounded as though many people kept the male and female together all year round, except for brumation in the winter. Is this necessary? Can the female just go into the males tank to breed a few times, then done? If so, does this minimize the tank size? For the juveniles, is a couple of twenty gallons best, or is there an alternative way of housing? Plus, I go to the pet store to purchase feeders often, and I see little baby beardies who have tails, toes, even a whole foot bitten off! Is there a way to avoid this? Or, there a way to house the baby dragons individually? What age is it okay to begin selling them at? Is there a weight/size/age requirement to breed (especially for females)? All I've read is 2 years minimum, wanted more input. To my knowledge, number of eggs normally depends on the females size. As this beardie is smaller, and a first time breeder, can I expect less eggs then more? Would anyone possibly have a safe guesstimate? For the lay box, is a large storage container best? Any suggestions? Juveniles get fed a few pinheads crickets every day, dusted, starting 72 hours after their hatching, and then a salad (finely chopped) filled with the same fruits/veggies you'd feed adults, is this information correct? Does the females temperament change while she is pregnant? Does the male's change if he is breeding/getting ready to breed/watching or close to a female? Bye temperament I mean directed towards you (more aggressive especially). I know calcium for the female especially every day during the whole breeding process, but how much calcium is too much calcium, as I have heard lizards can get sick from both too much or too little. Lastly, if this is possible, what does EVERYTHING cost in the end, and lastly, how long is this process drawn out for, from mating down to selling the last baby. Thank you so much in advance. Sorry for all the questions, but I want to get the right info, and this seemed like the best place to come for that.
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Beardie Breeding Qs
- Thread starter GF_geckko
- Start date
I don't have experience breeding beardies but I do have a female beardie and have done a little research about breeding beardies for a caresheet I wrote. I also have a personal opinion about breeding beardies which is my opinion only, so take it for what it's worth. What I can tell you in response to the questions you asked is this:
--Although I hear about people that have a mated pair of beardies that stay together, I have also heard that the male can get a little overeager with the female and it can exhaust her. That said, I leave my leos together all breeding season and everyone does OK. The idea of separate enclosures with mating "visits" seems best to me if you have the room for it
--I dust all my beardie's feeders with calcium, just as I do for my leos and I don't change that for the female breeding leos, so I assume you'd do fine that way for the beardie
--I would say that a 40 gallon breeder tank is the minimum size for a single beardie so if you're keeping 2 together, you need a bigger enclosure
--ideally baby beardies should be kept separately or in very small groups. They get very hungry and if not fed often and well, they will nip and bite each other which is why you see the missing toes, feet and tail tips
--this is where my personal opinion comes in. Last season, without benefit of a male, my 7 year old 18" long beardie laid 125 eggs in 5 clutches! Bearded dragons can be prolific and lay lots of eggs. The babies need to be housed individually or in small groups, may need to be fed as much as 100 small crickets each per day (I have no personal experience with this, so it may be an exaggeration) and also need appropriate lighting. People buy baby beardies because they're adorable but even when they're told, I don't think most people get it that the beardie is going to ultimately need a 3' long tank. I do extensive searches on craigslist every night for supplies and potential leo buyers (I breed leos) and can now say that there are more ads on craigslist from people looking to "rehome" their beardies than people looking to move their leopard geckos. Think about what I've written here and consider not breeding your beardie. If you really want to breed, I'd highly recommend a species that doesn't produce so many hungry babies that are going to get really big.
That said, I'm not a beardie breeder expert and you should look on a beardie forum (which exist out there in cyberspace) and also google "bearded dragon breeding" and you'll find some good caresheets.
Good luck,
Aliza
--Although I hear about people that have a mated pair of beardies that stay together, I have also heard that the male can get a little overeager with the female and it can exhaust her. That said, I leave my leos together all breeding season and everyone does OK. The idea of separate enclosures with mating "visits" seems best to me if you have the room for it
--I dust all my beardie's feeders with calcium, just as I do for my leos and I don't change that for the female breeding leos, so I assume you'd do fine that way for the beardie
--I would say that a 40 gallon breeder tank is the minimum size for a single beardie so if you're keeping 2 together, you need a bigger enclosure
--ideally baby beardies should be kept separately or in very small groups. They get very hungry and if not fed often and well, they will nip and bite each other which is why you see the missing toes, feet and tail tips
--this is where my personal opinion comes in. Last season, without benefit of a male, my 7 year old 18" long beardie laid 125 eggs in 5 clutches! Bearded dragons can be prolific and lay lots of eggs. The babies need to be housed individually or in small groups, may need to be fed as much as 100 small crickets each per day (I have no personal experience with this, so it may be an exaggeration) and also need appropriate lighting. People buy baby beardies because they're adorable but even when they're told, I don't think most people get it that the beardie is going to ultimately need a 3' long tank. I do extensive searches on craigslist every night for supplies and potential leo buyers (I breed leos) and can now say that there are more ads on craigslist from people looking to "rehome" their beardies than people looking to move their leopard geckos. Think about what I've written here and consider not breeding your beardie. If you really want to breed, I'd highly recommend a species that doesn't produce so many hungry babies that are going to get really big.
That said, I'm not a beardie breeder expert and you should look on a beardie forum (which exist out there in cyberspace) and also google "bearded dragon breeding" and you'll find some good caresheets.
Good luck,
Aliza
Thank you Aliza, I have actually found a bearded dragon forum. It was not working when I asked these questions. I am going to continue researching, but I would like to pursue this. I will not breed my current female since she is too old and small (this is what I've read), and will get a pair. If the eggs become too many you can freeze, water, and dispose of them. I doubt there will be too many considering how much space we have, but if there are, I rather dispose of them as eggs rather then having them hatch and me not be able to take care of them. Thank you for your advice.