Should I get a male or female?

Hi all, I'm new to this forum and to bearded dragons in general. I've met and handled these sweet creatures a few times and I really want to have one, but I'm not sure if it's better to get a male or a female. I already have a male veiled chameleon, he was very nice as a juvenile but recently started getting more aggressive and territorial. I'm wondering if it's the same case for male beardies. I'd like to have at least one reptile whom I can handle and let roam around or even take to the garden for some sun. I also know that female chameleons lay infertile clutches of eggs even if they weren't bred to a male, which causes them a lot of stress and potential health risks. Do female beardies also lay infertile eggs? I'm overall generally leaning towards getting a male (also because I want him to grow really big ), but would like to know if you guys have some input or advice.

My boy Puff was a lovely sweet smooger who loved human interaction.

My new boy Toothless is more of a livewire, but he's never shown any hostility to us and now quite affectionate and gentle and uber social with us.

They are all different , all unique characters and personalities, their behavior and tameness is more to do with the nurturing they have from the breeder (if any is given) and from their keeper (you).

Only time any of my skinks or beardies have ever bitten me have been while I was handfeeding and not paying proper attention , it was just as much of shock to them as it was to me each time, and none of my gang have ever even looked remotely aggressive towards us .... different story with tank mates (same species / siblings) , the tank share was curtailed hence forth from the very first incidence of chasing and biting.

My recently dead lovely 5 yr old girl Rex , never produced any infertile eggs , nor was she ever mated (with either Puff or Toothless).

All my lizards have been wonderful sweet natured and gentle and every one of them become mega-affectionate toward my wife and myself, and our 6 yr old grandson (who adores them).

I've only kept frogs, skinks and dragons. I have friends who have small native monitors (goanas) and others who have geckos , they tell me their lizards are also mega tame and can be very affectionate and interactive. I can't comment on chameleons (not being native species , they are not allowed to be kept here except in zoos).

As far as what I know of chameleons they are more display animals and shouldn't be handled to often or else they will become stressed. This is not the case with beardies, once they have acclimated, handling and out time is generally encouraged. Also I'd like to add as far as size is concerned you can have really large females and really small males. Gender doesn't always decide how large they will be. If you go to a good breeder, ask them if you could see the parents, parents are usually great indicators as to how big your beardie will be. But again nothing is set in stone.

Thanks for the replies! Is there also any life span difference between males and females? I've seen really sweet beardies in pet shops in my city (Prague, Czech Republic), but I assume it's better to buy from a breeder directly, right? I got my cham from a pet shop and they didn't even sex him right, so for the first month I thought he was a female. He also had to be treated for a parasite soon after I got him, not sure if he already had it in the shop or got infected in some other way. There will be a big reptile expo in my city in 2 months, so I plan to visit it and maybe find a breeder there. As for the chameleon, I do not handle him too much, but sometimes let him free range on houseplants, and once out of his habitat he even climbs on me voluntarily. He used to also tolerate my presence during feeding and misting much better, but now seems more stressed. I think it's still good to make him more used to handling (while not overdoing it of course) so that when he needs to be transported to the vet he doesn't freak out and bite me.

Hi there, yes a female may [ but not always ] lay many, many infertile eggs so that would be a possible factor in your decision . Getting a male will eliminate that potential problem for you. I've owned both males + females, so yes, pick a nice calm male ....of course they can get feisty once they are young adults [ before a year old even ] when they are developing their mating instincts.

Veileds are the easiest of all chameleons to keep, so you made a good choice and are simple to sex even as babies. The male will have a tiny " heel spur " , a small fleshy nub sticking out of each back foot.

AHBD":3djmg6dm said:

Hi there, yes a female may [ but not always ] lay many, many infertile eggs so that would be a possible factor in your decision . Getting a male will eliminate that potential problem for you. I've owned both males + females, so yes, pick a nice calm male ....of course they can get feisty once they are young adults [ before a year old even ] when they are developing their mating instincts.

Veileds are the easiest of all chameleons to keep, so you made a good choice and are simple to sex even as babies. The male will have a tiny " heel spur " , a small fleshy nub sticking out of each back foot.

Click to expand...

So male it is then, thanks for the advice! At what age is it possible to definitely tell the sex? I've seen a 5-month old beardies at the local pet shop and they told me it's still too early to tell for sure if it's a male or female. I'd like to get a juvenile (5-6 months) but I'd like to be sure I'm getting a male. Do their under tail lumps already become visible at that age? Haha yes, I didn't do much research on males and female chameleons before getting him, and they as they told me in the pet shop he was a female I didn't bother to double check until he started showing obvious male coloration. I read about the spur then and he definitely has one, which I'm really happy about since male chameleons are much easier to keep and they longer

A male veiled is also spectacular compared to female. [ Sorry girls ] And yes, beardies are quite easy to sex at 5 months, but there are exceptions at times. Many can be sexed when only a month or even younger. Learn what they look like , and you can see it yourself.