How to Know When Breeding Has Occurred

[JohnLillywhite23]

Hey, y'all. For the past 5-6 years, I've been looking at breeding beardies next March. I have already found where some of the babies would go, figured out the space requirements, and have done TONS of research. When the male and female are of age and weight (300g for males, 350+ for females), I would introduce them into the same enclosure for a day, and then separate them.

My question being, do you need to sit and watch them all day to see when they "lock up"? Also, how do you know if the male has actually injected his sperm? What would you be looking for in the female, other than waiting the 3-4 weeks to see if she starts digging. Is there any behavior she would give off in the 24-48 hours after the physical act of mating?

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, yes you need to watch them. It's false info about keeping them together for a day , they can hurt each other badly. When they breed, you'll see it. Look up bearded dragons mating youtube videos,a video is worth any of the words I can write here.

 

[JohnLillywhite23]

Hi there, yes you need to watch them. It's false info about keeping them together for a day , they can hurt each other badly. When they breed, you'll see it. Look up bearded dragons mating youtube videos,a video is worth any of the words I can write here.

Yeah I’ve seen tons of videos on the breeding process. I just wasn’t sure that if when they do tail lock, if there’s a possibility the male doesn’t inject his sperm into the female.

Can you elaborate on the “keep together for a day” being incorrect? Are you saying to separate them right after they are done mating?

 

[AHBD]

Yes, put them together while you supervise and give them time to mate. If it's successful you can repeat the next day or even 3 days to try to insure fertilization takes place.
I've bred plenty of beardies. I can tell you for certain that a dragon can turn on another dragon when unattended and do some damage. Every male is different and some will become hyper after breeding or even if they don't breed. You've seen in videos where the male grabs the row of raised scales on the back of the neck to subdue the female ? Well a very aggressive male can clamp on , drag the female around and even slam her head in to decor or against the walls of the enclosure. In the wild the female has a chance to escape. In captivity she doesn't so you are taking a chance of this happening. Even if she wasn't seriously injured [ most get a little bite mark on that area ] she can become very stressed and terrified.

Oh and many times after a successful coupling you can see the sperm seeping out just a bit, but not always.

 

[JohnLillywhite23]

Yes, put them together while you supervise and give them time to mate. If it's successful you can repeat the next day or even 3 days to try to insure fertilization takes place.
I've bred plenty of beardies. I can tell you for certain that a dragon can turn on another dragon when unattended and do some damage. Every male is different and some will become hyper after breeding or even if they don't breed. You've seen in videos where the male grabs the row of raised scales on the back of the neck to subdue the female ? Well a very aggressive male can clamp on , drag the female around and even slam her head in to decor or against the walls of the enclosure. In the wild the female has a chance to escape. In captivity she doesn't so you are taking a chance of this happening. Even if she wasn't seriously injured [ most get a little bite mark on that area ] she can become very stressed and terrified.

Oh and many times after a successful coupling you can see the sperm seeping out just a bit, but not always.

Thank you for the response!

I like the idea of doing it for a few days in a row to ensure fertilization, as long as it's safe to do so.

Yes, I have seen the crown bite. The entire mating process looks pretty gnarly.

During the mating process, I can probably guess if it gets too aggressive, you physically separate them to ensure the health and safety of the female?

 

[AHBD]

Yes, some roughness can be expected but not a dragging + thrashing around . Your beardies are very pretty by the way. Just keep in mind they lay a tremendous amount of eggs and may lay more than 5 clutches in 1 season. It takes a lot of time + money to raise the babies.

 

[JohnLillywhite23]

Yes, some roughness can be expected but not a dragging + thrashing around . Your beardies are very pretty by the way. Just keep in mind they lay a tremendous amount of eggs and may lay more than 5 clutches in 1 season. It takes a lot of time + money to raise the babies.

Yes. I have done the research I can, and I’m pretty positive I have the time, money, room, and logistical answers to do it. I have a completely separate room for my animals, I make good money at work, and already have 3 of my local reptile shops (good and reputable) that are willing to take babies.

Thank you for the compliment on my babies