Buy from a trusted breeder that is honest about their pairings. That is the only way.
There is nothing visual about a het zero which would tell you the dragon is het zero.
Yeah if the pairing has produced vis zeros, then mom would be considered proven out.
The pairing you're looking at is the most practicable way of getting a het zero. Any other way besides two vis zeros (which would be frowned upon) would only give you a chance of your dragon being het. And the only way you'd be able to prove it is way down the line in a breeding project.
So TLDR, that would be a good pairing to buy from. Assuming the breeder is reputable. Who are you going with if you don't mind sharing?
Yeah if the pairing has produced vis zeros, then mom would be considered proven out.
The pairing you're looking at is the most practicable way of getting a het zero. Any other way besides two vis zeros (which would be frowned upon) would only give you a chance of your dragon being het. And the only way you'd be able to prove it is way down the line in a breeding project.
So TLDR, that would be a good pairing to buy from. Assuming the breeder is reputable. Who are you going with if you don't mind sharing?
Yeah if the pairing has produced vis zeros, then mom would be considered proven out.
The pairing you're looking at is the most practicable way of getting a het zero. Any other way besides two vis zeros (which would be frowned upon) would only give you a chance of your dragon being het. And the only way you'd be able to prove it is way down the line in a breeding project.
So TLDR, that would be a good pairing to buy from. Assuming the breeder is reputable. Who are you going with if you don't mind sharing?
I’m curious because I see that you’ve mentioned elsewhere that breeding vis zeros with het zero can be a problem in terms of the health of the babies produced. I appreciate what you have said about that being the only way (apart from breeding vis with vis) to get a guaranteed het, but how worried should I be about the health of the baby I am looking at (assuming all the facts described above are true)?
het x het is always going to be a stronger/healthier bloodline when bloodlines are relatively new like they are with zeros/wits/weros. But as time goes on, and the bloodlines strengthen and diversify, that becomes less and less of an issue.
That's where breeder selection really comes into play. Are you buying from a breeder who has been working the bloodline for years/decades? Or are you buying a bloodline from a breeder who is only 1 or 2 generations in with their breeding program. Typically, the earlier in a breeding program a bloodline is, the weaker (health wise) it will be (when referring to newer morphs).
A lot of "new" breeders try to get into the game too quick, and the only way to do that is with bad pairings. So just because a breeder says that your clutch is from a visXhet pairing, was that mom or dad the result of visXvis pairings? And how far up the line does that go?
Most breeders won't be giving you a family history of the line besides who the parents are, which is why buying from a reputable trusted breeder is the best thing you can do to ensure a healthy reptile, along with being well versed on genetics.
Thanks Brandon. Is there a book or other resource I can use to read up on genetics as they relate to this? (I do have a *very* basic grounding from school.)
There is no real solid once cource for it, but there are a few sites with a good bit of general knowledge. Otherwise, your best bet is just looking through the forum and talking to breeders who are willing to talk to you.
It's important to keep in mind that the names of bearded dragon Morphs have a set standard in the legitimate breeding community, but for the names of Colors & Patterns every breeder tends to be a little different.