Which one do I introduce?

[AprilMayJune]

My boyfriend and I are in a debate on which Beardie should be introduced to which Beardie when it's time to mate them.

We are discussing possibly mating our Sly with our new female, Ikky, in the future. I know I still have a lot of research to do and have had some kind of practise with the eggs that were given to us and have hatched out. We still have the baby beardies that did hatch and they are thriving. We aren't going to rush into breeding and we are somewhat prepared as to what to expect. I know we only have 7 little babies right now and do anticipate a whole wack more when we do decide to breed our own.

My boyfriend says we should put the female into the male's viv. He has his reasons, but I disagree.

I say we should put the male into the female's viv. My reasoning behind this is that it could be possibly less stressful for the female as she wouldn't have to adjust to new surroundings and would accept the mating easier. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's why I'm asking.

Your opinions and thoughts are greatly anticipated. We look forward to replies.

 

[lacy_black]

I'd say a neutral area like the floor or bath tub, it can literally only take seconds :lol: (they can mate faster then "the minute man".

 

[MissT]

From what I have read, general opinion is that the female should be put into the males viv. I could have totally made this up but I think it has something to do with the fact that the female is more likely to be submissive in someone elses house - someone please correct me if im wrong!

I always liked the thought of neutral ground tho (as Lacy mentioned) - I know there are a couple breeders on here who prefer that option too and it seems to work.

 

[AprilMayJune]

Thanks for the replies.

We had considered taking them out and allowing them to free roam whilst trying to breed but wondered if they would get enough traction on the hard wood flooring. Most times they do okay on the floor (when taken out seperately) but sometimes they do have traction problems.

I could always buy an area rug that way they could have the best traction possible. I wouldn't want them to slip and miss and get that stuff all over the rug instead of where it's supposed to go. I'd be the one who would have to clean that up and I'm pretty sure I'd be super grossed out by it.

If we witness the mating, would we have to put them together again? I'm not looking for a lot of eggs and wouldn't want to stress my babies out. (My Beardies are my babies even though there are some baby beardies in the house, they are all referred to as my babies.) I know she could possibly lay several clutches with just one wild time and could amount to a lot of eggs and possible babies so if it only takes once I wouldn't want to over inseminate with multiple wild times and cause her to lay more than what's healthy for her. I have also read that she can retain the man-butter for future eggs as well. I have read conflicting times on how long she can actually do this. If anyone knows, please enlighten me. I've read anywhere from a few months up to 2 years.

The babies we do have now (7) are coming on to being 4-5 weeks old, depending on which one it is as they hatched that far apart for the most part and I basically remember their order still. They are anywhere from 5 inches long (the smallest) to 7 inches long (the biggest) and weigh between 6.3 grams (same smallest) to 12 grams (same biggest). They eat well and actually enjoy their salad and come running for it when I put it in for them. They are handled daily and bathe alternate days and are very active and inquisitive and I'm getting sad because I know I can't keep them all. We've agreed on keeping 2 to see what their colouring will be in a few months time and decide which of the 2 will be kept forever.

 

[koiboydavid]

Hey there!

You arent going to get more babies just by having them copulate more than once. I wouldnt rely on just one "wild time" although it happens all of the time. The number of fertile clutches she has is based on many variables and is different for different individuals.

I introduce my females into the male enclosure and I always keep a close eye on them. There are many different approaches to successful breeding. Just experiment and see what works best for you.

Good luck!