breeding

[MelissaRoberts]

whats the best substrate for breeding dragons
:?:

 

[jarich]

Would you mind if I ask why you want to breed dragons? I dont want to be impolite, its just that there are an overabundance of dragons, many of which will end up in rescues. The cute little babies are simple to find buyers for, but when they grow up most will be neglected. Of the dragons in the US, over 80% will either die or be rehomed in the first two years of life. Few will live past the age of 5 years old. Not trying to be a downer, but it is something to consider when thinking of breeding.

 

[MelissaRoberts]

well one I have a female and I have a pet store that may take them if I succeed. also I have allot of time on my hands so this would occupy me. and I have a female that recently laid eggs that didn't hatch. And I also just love breeding animals. Also It would be cool to have a third dragon and have my pick of the litter. why what in all do I need to do it.

 

[KarenInCA]

Hi Melissa, I tend to agree with Jerish on this topic. I realize you have a male and female already, but you seem to have some questions that lead me to believe you are fairly new at BD husbandry, all together.
Breeding of any animal is not something someone should just get into because they happen to have a male and female and know a pet shop will possibly take the offspring.
Perhaps you should do some research first (aside from asking questions on what to do and how to do it), and then make an informed decision.
It's sad that even in reptile shops, people who are new to BDs are given misinformation, and then sometimes even with good intentions, do not raise their BDs correctly. I have a friend who loves her BD, and got him a year ago, and now he has MBD because she didn't know how critically important it was to give him calcium supplements. Now she has to give him liquid calcium in hopes that he will get better. But she was another ill informed customer buying a BD from a "pet shop" from a pet shop worker who just sold stuff.
We got out BD from a reputable reptile shop, and when we purchased him, we were given a lot of misinformation, and ONLY learned that I was given misinformation by searching online and reading through a ton of posts here.
The other day, we were at the same reptile shop, and a person was interested in purchasing a juvenile. The sales person in the shop was giving him information and told him, "Beardies LOVE to go on walks with a leash" She made it sound like they go on walks like dogs. Then she went on to say he needed to use the substrate they use at the shop (a loose substrate that's really expensive, and seems to hold bacteria if it gets wet)-the same substrate I was sold when I bought my guy…waste of money, but it was the only substrate I was informed to get. After she was done "informing him" all about BDs, I took him aside and told him the truth about how to care for a new BD. Why to buy a leash-not to go on walks- but to actually keep track of him, how often to bathe him, what NOT to use as substrates, what to use as substrates, what not to feed him or not to feed him too often, and why, what TO feed him, what kind of lights are the BEST to get besides a basking lamp, to cover him if he uses a red light at night…etc, etc.
The reason I bring this up, is because the woman at the reptile shop gave him either a lot of misinformation or did not cover basic information to make his new BD healthier and happier…I could ONLY IMAGINE what information a cashier would give at a petshop who does not specialize in ONLY reptiles. It's not the most responsible choice to breed BDs simply because you want to spend your time doing something, and so that you can get a third one as a pick of the litter, and especially because a pet shop (might) buy the babies from you.
I don't know enough about breeding them in a healthy environment, and I've done a lot of research just to find out what to do to keep my own juvenile happy and healthy. But I DO know there is a lot more that goes in to keeping the parents healthy and not stressed out when breeding them than just what I know about keeping my own juvenile happy and healthy. That's not to say that someone can't just do it, a lot of people do, and I applaud you for coming to a forum to find out more. But to do it responsibly and for reasons other than, "I have time to burn" might be worth looking in to before just diving in to it.

 

[diamc]

There's a lot of breeding info here that you should read. viewtopic.php?f=4&t=126455

 

[MelissaRoberts]

ok thanks guys