Another beardie breeding question...

[Miss B]

Our male beardie has me worried

We've got a 6-year-old female, and an 18-month-old male. We're planning to breed them this season, but I'm not too sure that Diego knows what he's meant to be doing :?

Both beardies have come out of cooling and are eating well. Diego shows a lot of interest in Phoenix - madly head-bobbing (and occasionally arm-waving) whenever she is in sight. She has head-bobbed back at him once or twice.

The other day, I put them both into an enclosure together. Diego head-bobbed like crazy, puffed his body up and ran little circles around her. She showed very little interest in him. Then he jumped up on her back, and she started to walk away with him piggybacking along, so he jumped off and started head-bobbing again - which she pretty much ignored. Then, she walked up to him and licked the side of his head. He dropped down, made his body go flat, and started arm-waving. Eventually he got up and started head-bobbing again.

And that's pretty much all that happened. He head-bobbed, she ignored him. He doesn't really look like he knows what to do. Could he be intimidated by her size? She's 10cm longer and a good 200g heavier than him.

 

[reptilegirl_jordan]

i dont know the answer,but that sounds so cute

 

[Miss B]

i dont know the answer,but that sounds so cute

Cute but frustrating

He gets 10/10 for enthusiasm, but 0/10 for Cassanova skills :lol:

 

[DA_GRIZ]

not to sure but my sisters 8month old beardie mated with her 2yr old

 

[Miss B]

Weird. Well, he's definately got me worried now. All he does is head-bob and sit there like a statue, it's almost as if he's wondering "Crap, what do I do now?!" :shock:

 

[Miss B]

Anyone got any advice for me - am I doing something wrong?

 

[crush the turtle]

when will hatchie bearded dragons be avaliable??

 

[Miss B]

Hopefully around December, if Diego picks up his act :lol:

 

[crush the turtle]

lol

 

[lilmissrazz]

put me on the list Miss B

 

[0_missy_0]

Well I have no idea cause I don't keep beardies, sorry But that does sound cute, I've gotta get myself a beardie sometime down the track...

How long have they been together for? Maybe they just need a little more time?:?

Either way, good luck with them, I hope everything goes well for youI'm sure he'll figure it out sooner or later

 

[JKretzs613]

Hello

Hello,

How old is Diego? If he is under 2, I don't recommend breeding. At the very least, 18 months but no younger.
****DA_GRIZ The 8 month dragon that was bred was WAY too young to have been bred. That is very irresponsible on the owners part to have bred that young. There are so many factors to consider when breeding. They are not physically mature on the outside or the inside to be bred at 8 months old. Males lack the muscular development to retract their hemepenes correctly & can injure themselves, not to mention the female, trying to mate. That is not fair to put them through that. Females can be physically drained of their calcium reserves that are meant for their personal growth instead of developing fertile eggs.
As far as breeding your 6 year old female, I think that is a bit chancy. They are on the outer edges of fertility at that age, & most breeders retire their females by the age of 5 or so. The older they get, the more chances they have of having egg problems. You should take her in to make sure that her body can handle a pregnancy at that age.
Yes, sometimes the size can make a huge difference. Just because you put a male & female in together doesn't mean they will get along & have a successful mating session. Alot of times, they just do not hit it off for several reasons. He may not be ready to mate, or she just may not want to mate.

Tracie

 

[jordo]

Don't worry about it if put them together they should mate, they may just need to get to know each other a little bit first I bred lots of beardies when I kept them and I only ever witnessed one mating.
Eggs usually hatch Jan-Feb the next year from memory.

 

[cris]

diego must be gay...
but yeah i would say hes is simply to small, but there could be a more complex explaination.

 

[Miss B]

How old is Diego? If he is under 2, I don't recommend breeding. At the very least, 18 months but no younger.

He was 18 months when we got him, that was two months ago, so I guess that puts him at 20 months old now.

As far as breeding your 6 year old female, I think that is a bit chancy. They are on the outer edges of fertility at that age, & most breeders retire their females by the age of 5 or so. The older they get, the more chances they have of having egg problems. You should take her in to make sure that her body can handle a pregnancy at that age.

She is a big healthy girl, and hasn't had a clutch in at least twelve months, I think she will be fine. I do not intend to breed her into an early grave, that's for sure. We will probably breed her this season and then let her live out the rest of her days as a pet... she is my little princess and spoilt like crazy. But she is a beautiful dragon and we would definately like to have some babies from her.

I have been told by several other breeders that a large female and a small male will often breed with no dramas regarding the size difference, so I am hoping/assuming it has more to do with Diego's lack of experience than anything else. As I said, I have only put them together the one time (hoping for a wham-bam-thankyou-ma'am) but perhaps they just need a little more time. And maybe some mood lighting... a bit of Barry White... :lol:

 

[JKretzs613]

Hello

Hello,

Ok, good to hear Diego is old enough. Great!
Has your female gotten a bloodtest to check her calcium levels just to make sure they are adequate before putting her body through the stress of being gravid? It is just a suggestion to ensure that she & the babies are healthy.
I am happy to hear that you will not overbreed her though. Some people do & it is sad. It sounds like you are being a responsible owner, that is great.

Tracie

 

[Miss B]

Haven't had her blood tested, I will keep that in mind though. She is eating well - crickets, veggies, beardie pellets, and supplemented with calcium and vitamins. She's a big solid girl, and since she has come out of cooling we've been feeding her up to keep her in good condition.

And yeah I do not want to overbreed her, I understand that this can have a lot of stress on the female and the last thing I want is for her to go to an early grave. If we got a clutch or two from her this season; I'd be happy with that

 

[JKretzs613]

Hello

Hello,

Great, it sounds like she is healthy. Keep me posted & if you get her bred, I will want to see pics of her babies, too. Glad you did the brumation phase for her, too.

Tracie

 

[mattmc]

hi
my male did the same thing then eventually mated with here
we now have the eggs to prove it. i do keep my beardies in the same enclosure. maybe that helps them get a better relationship
good luck
matt

 

[JKretzs613]

Hello

Hello,

****Matt, I wrote on your thread, but wanted to mention you do need to separate your dragons as soon as possible. That will stress your female while trying to lay & you are going to have more problems then.

Tracie