Breeding project

[SugaReina]

Hello all!!!

My boyfriend and I are strongly considering a breeding attempt, but not until next year (we're in the process of preparing). I do not think it's something we will do often, but rather would much enjoy the experience. We are still doing our research for now, and we have the funds available (we think) for the project. Before we really get into this, I just want to know everything we can, and have more available funds for oopsies. Our biggest concern about breeding is that you just never know how many poopers you'll get. We were thinking about this long and hard and decided to ask our friends on the forum if they would be interested in our babies. Our male, Rey, is a yellow sandfire, and our female, Aurora is an orange german giant x blood giant. I know it's really early to determine whether or not you will want a baby sometime next year (or later), but at least we would know they are going to good homes if people from this forum were interested. We haven't even considered pricing, becuase we aren't even sure how to price them. We would obviously ship throughout the US. We would appreciate any insight from breeders on the forum, and we would love to hear if our babies would be wanted. Thanks, everyone!

 

[SugaReina]

Also, we were curious, are baby dubias too big for poopers? I think yes (too big), he thinks maybe not. We have a dubia colony and think maybe we can save a little by using baby dubias and crickets?

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

You can use baby dubia.
As far as how fast they may or may not sell its all hit and miss.
I have had clutches disappear overnight and some just sit for months.
Keep doing your research and you will be off to a decent start.

 

[SugaReina]

Thanks, Tom! I've been searching the web for information, and I sometimes find contradicting information. Do you know of any helpful sites that you would recommend?

 

[SugaReina]

Or books?

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

Honestly no i dont know of any specific sites or books.
What I did was read everything online I could and then started to weed out the crap with common sense, then I started asking questions of the breeders I knew and went from there. Basic care is basic care. Keep it simple, keep it clean. Temps and uvb are vital. The correct diet is essential.

 

[SugaReina]

Tom, I appreciate your insight. I found a book by Candice DaSilva (actually, it's from a website that I found on the links page of your site). The book is mostly a bearded dragon care guide, but there is a breeding section where the author outlines every single step to the process.
I understand that the temps should be 110-115 on the warm side, and about 75-85 on the cool side. Also, poopers need to eat live proteins at least 3 times a day, one feeding should have calcium supplement 6 days a week (though I don't know about other vitamin supplements), and veggies should be offered daily as well. Also, poopers need to soak daily as well (?).
Honestly, I'm mostly scared for our female's welfare above all concerns associated with breeding. I've read terrifying things about how the female can become ill or die in this process. Right now, I think I know what I need to know regarding her diet change (up her calcium to 6 days a week, and 50% protein/50% veggies), and making sure she lays all of her eggs. I think my concerns for her are scarier than raising the babies.
Another big fear is having soooo many eggs! What are your thoughts on only keeping a certain amount of eggs to make sure we are not overburdened? Is that horribly wrong? Is it horrible that I even thought of that!?
Please correct me if I'm wrong about anything posted above. Thanks for the help - it is much appreciated!