Structure

[BryanaE]

How many of you pay attention to Beardie structure? I come from the dog show world so I am used to analyzing conformation and structure. I am not noticing anyone breeding for any particular traits structure wise(except for maybe shorter snouts and more rounded eyes- i call them frog heads).

I appreciate a wider head (but not so much short) and thicker muscles and legs. I found a picture of my ideal dragon but I cannot get in contact with it's owner and I do not want to steal the picture. I do have a direct link though so if anyone is interested I can PM it to you.

So how about you guys? Is it mostly about color or do you look at other physical traits?

 

[Bowserbeardie]

I agree whith you on the head and legs because I think it makes them look more powerful and healthy although my dragon now has a narrow head. Also I like to see a thick base of the tale, not sure why though. Great observation though I never thought about pickingb a beardie based on body structure although the colour does have a big effect for me. Personally I like hypo silkbacks. How about you?
-bowserbeardie

 

[mostlyharmlessnj]

There does not seem to be a governing club for the variations of the bearded dragon as of yet, so to date I have not read a written standard for them. It would seem the main traits that are bred for are color and skin (scale) types.

Just like in the dog world, there are some excellent breeders, and some "back yard" breeders.

 

[ziggy23]

There does not seem to be a governing club for the variations of the bearded dragon as of yet, so to date I have not read a written standard for them. It would seem the main traits that are bred for are color and skin (scale) types.

Just like in the dog world, there are some excellent breeders, and some "back yard" breeders.

a governing club with structual standards is not necessarily a good thing. The AKC and similar groups get a lot of criticism. The selective breeding has weakened many lines. Many people are aware that each breed has it's own set of health problems, those problems are caused by the selective breeding. A pedigree is approved appearance and proof of a genetic line and has nothing to do with health of the animal. A sickly dog with genes dooming it to a mass of health problems can still have "papers." Your average mutt is actually hardier then many pedigree dogs.

I doubt there ever will be such a club, reptiles have been kept as pets for hundreds of years. They're just not as common as the furry animals.

 

[Jess]

Looks dont really matter to me... Personality is what really counts, IMO!

I think that the way Dudley is built is adorable though, LOL. He is my ideal beardie! He is very "robust" (He honestly isnt fat, just built very chunky) and he has a massive head. When I asked the lady at the reptile store to see him, the first thing she said was that he had an unusually large head! Hehe.
Here is a picture of him. He is quite the little tank.

 

[jeritta]

personally I like size over color but personality is the main characteristic that is important. Ash is very tiny for her age but she has tons of personality. She can melt your heart with her looks.

 

[BryanaE]

I understand there is no written standard and I feel it needs to stay that way. Dogs were bred for different purposes and the breeds evolved based on what they were expected to do or perform. Now we are altering them to fit our modern needs (for the most part... in some breeds you can still find true working or performance lines). Everyone has their different tastes and I feel like our gene pool in Dragons is pretty limited compared to dogs. Yes there are bad breeders and fabulous ones in every species of animal but in Beardies we determine that based more on ethics, husbandry, and color rather than anything structurally (which I am not criticizing). A good Bearded Dragon breeder to me is someone who breeds to better the species. They have a goal in mind and they are achieving that goal with the above... ethics and good husbandry.

But this thread really isn't about that... I'm just interested in looking at and discussing different types and styles in this species

Beautiful boy, Jess! You said you found him in a pet store?

 

[Jess]

Thanks!
Actually, he was dropped off (with 3 other beardies) at a local reptile shop by someone who was pregnant, and couldnt keep him anymore. The reptile shop rescues/rehomes a lot of beardies, so I adopted him from them.
I always adopt/rescue my pets, so he worked out perfectly for me LOL.

 

[mostlyharmlessnj]

There does not seem to be a governing club for the variations of the bearded dragon as of yet, so to date I have not read a written standard for them. It would seem the main traits that are bred for are color and skin (scale) types.

Just like in the dog world, there are some excellent breeders, and some "back yard" breeders.

a governing club with structual standards is not necessarily a good thing. The AKC and similar groups get a lot of criticism. The selective breeding has weakened many lines. Many people are aware that each breed has it's own set of health problems, those problems are caused by the selective breeding. A pedigree is approved appearance and proof of a genetic line and has nothing to do with health of the animal. A sickly dog with genes dooming it to a mass of health problems can still have "papers." Your average mutt is actually hardier then many pedigree dogs.

A well bred animal is a well bred animal, be it dog, cat, horse, or reptile.

If people would realize things like registration papers on their animals mean that someone simply paid a fee to the registration body, and claimed the exact parentage of the animal, and is not a seal of quality or genetic health.

As someone that has experience in the dog and equine show worlds, and a bit of an understanding as to how breed standards come to be, the point of my post was simply to point out that there does not seem to be a breed club like in the dog show world which would be responsible for writing the standard and submitting it to a governing registry body.

 

[sericinda]

I am a brand new beardie owner so I cannot comment on beardie structure, other than when I look at photos, there are some beardies that just stand out to me as being a lot prettier, and they are usually ones with big, wide heads and very defined spikes. Color is also a biggie for me...if I were ever to purchase another beardie, it would need to come from outstanding parents and a breeder that really spends time making sure their babies are healthy, handled, and going to educated homes.

I breed crested and gargoyle geckos though, and focus very heavily on overall structure, colour, temperament and health. In my opinion if someone is going to breed ANY animal, all 4 of those things need to be taken into consideration. Cresteds with "bald" narrow heads and buckskin coloration simply are not as attractive and don't sell as well. Geckos with nice wide heads, nice pattern and colour and great temperament and health obviously sell a lot better. Thus, I only breed the highest quality of my geckos, and the others that I have rescued or purchased that may not meet all those standards are just well-loved pets. All my babies are handled daily to insure that they really do make the best pets from the start when they go to their new homes, as I feel that a wild baby is less likely to have a forever home with their new owners as a tame one.

There are so many geckos and reptiles and dogs and cats of all sorts out there that need to be rescued and given good homes. So in my opinion unless you are a breeder that seriously focuses on only producing the best representations of that species...you really shouldn't be breeding at all as you are not benefiting the species at all.

Not to say plain coloured beardies or those with less defined structure don't make good pets...they make excellent pets. However, I would never purchase from a pet store or a breeder or anyone that was purposely breeding like that....there are too many rescues out there that could use help for me to support substandard breeding.

 

[Jess]

Yeah, I agree. If you're going to breed reptiles, it should be for a reason... I hate it when people breed "just for fun" or "to make a quick buck" (<--- Those people are the stupidest, IMO). There are already tons of beardies out there who are suffering the effects of poor breeding (I adopted one of them, and trust me, it wasnt fun to see him suffer) so why create more??

Dudley was actually used as a breeder before I adopted him. So far he has been very healthy and has a good temperment, and he must look great too because I always get compliments on him! Im not sure what the intentions of his original owner were, but I met one of his sons that was also surrendered, and he sure does make cute babies! LOL