OMG! I hatched a two-headed dragon!

Well, the title pretty much says it all. I hatched my first live, apparently healthy, two-headed dragon. He (or they) are a bit sleepy, but not too bad at all considering. I noticed that one of my babies was having trouble getting out of the egg. He kept straining and wiggling his head around, so I decided to help him. And out popped another head! This baby was produced by my red/gold sandfire x peach hypo female, Akira. She produced a few two-heads for me last year, but they died in the egg. She also produced a high number of twins. I bred her to a different male this year to see if it was possibly genetic or just a fluke, and I am seeing twinning again - and now a live two-head. Her genetics are intriguing to me...it seems that the gene for twins is perhaps co-dominant (I'm not sure if this would be correct...I am no genetics expert) since she produces some twins no matter who she is bred to. I am extremely anxious to see if her offspring will carry the "twin" gene, if it does indeed exist. Well, enough blabbing, here are some pictures...

Jamie

Freezer time.

Originally Posted by Seamus Haley

Freezer time.

Haha. I'm half surprised that you did not blame it on adenovirus.

Jamie

Originally Posted by Valley Dragons

Haha. I'm half surprised that you did not blame it on adenovirus.

Jamie

Does that seem like something I am particularly likely to do?

Given the information you have posted, my guess- and please understand that it's strictly a guess- is that the female has a tendency to ovulate improperly, resulting in excessivly common twinning. It might be genetic, although it's more likely something physiological- either way, it's grossly negligent to continue to breed her with the knowledge that twinning is (apparantly) more likely. Double the neonates, the same volume of yolk, the possibility to produce twisted and deformed conjoined offspring...

Basically nothing to be proud of, certainly nothing to brag about. Shove that one in the freezer and never breed the female who produced it again.

Jesus, and I thought I was an asshole sometimes lol...

Congrats Jamie. While it probably will not make it I'd give it a chance, at least see what quality of life will be before you freeze it.

Originally Posted by heartmountain

Jesus, and I thought I was an asshole sometimes lol...

Congrats Jamie. While it probably will not make it I'd give it a chance, at least see what quality of life will be before you freeze it.

Thank you, Sean. I plan to give it a chance, but of course it will be euthanized if it is sickly or has a poor quality of life. But if it lives, it would be pretty cool!

Seamus...you know where you can go...

Jamie

Originally Posted by heartmountain

Jesus, and I thought I was an asshole sometimes lol...

Congrats Jamie. While it probably will not make it I'd give it a chance, at least see what quality of life will be before you freeze it.

Its actually common sense if you care about the longevity of a species.

It might be a bit blunt, but its not wrong thinking.

Jamie- I would have to wait a few days and see myself. It really looks like they share one body starting at the neck. 4 legs...perhaps they could live this way.... Maybe...you never know...Take good care Jamie and keep us posted. B

I think he knows he's mean...just look at his pic, LOL. B

There are two sides to this coin.
The issue's of two headed dragons, twins sharing eggs, Hybrids, etc. are kinda moral issue's and vary depending on each individuals perception of right and wrong.

I can see why someone would want to double the odds of getting an Axanthic Bumblebee in a clutch, or producing a Pied LA by having twins in every egg. I can also see why others would be disgusted that the breeder would intentionally produce smaller offspring that may have more of a chance at having health issues and less of a chance at survival to increase their profit margin, or in lieu of patience in producing cutting edge morphs.

I can see why someone would want to cross Burms x Retic, Bloods x BP's, CRB x BRB/Dumerils, etc. to transfer desired traits of color, pattern, size, etc. I can also see why others would be concerned about the impure bloodlines from these projects getting into the majority of, or all of the pure collections of every line over time.

I can see why someone would want to produce a healthy and thriving double headed dragon, with a good quality of life. Even if it did not have much of a resale value, it would make an odd display animal, or even just a cool pet. I can also see why others would be outraged that the breeder would continue to breed an animal that consistently, if not genetically, produced deformed offspring that needed to be euthanized, simply trying to prove out the "twin gene."