Waving his arm?

Ok... I may have gotten bad info from the guy that i bought my 2 dragons from. one a male and the other a female. they share the same cage which from what i am reading today is not what you want. i was told that they were born last year early and that they would or could bread this year having a clutch just before hibernation. i was also told that it was the female that waves her arm showing that she is receptive to breading. but this morning i noticed the male on his basking rock waving his arms. he would wave with one arm a few times that wave with the other arm a few times. can someone straighten me out on the pre-breading rituals and procedures without me spending a whole day searching for more incorrect information?

Thanks
Sean

Originally Posted by mossyback

Ok... i was also told that it was the female that waves her arm showing that she is receptive to breading. but this morning i noticed the male on his basking rock waving his arms. he would wave with one arm a few times that wave with the other arm a few times.

Thanks
Sean

Males wave their arms.

That's exactly correct. Both males and females wave their arms, and at least in my experience, it wasn't always related to breeding. They can wave for many reasons, to show submission and also sort of like a greeting to other beardies, as well as if one beardies sees another beardie waving...then you'll have a whole room of waving beardies.

Yes, it really would be a good idea if you split them up, particularly if they're male and female, until, of course, you are ready for them to breed. If they were born early last year, it's quite possible they are still too young to breed.

Pre-breeding activity would include a male running around like a wild man, with a black beard and bobbing his head, attempting to mount the female. The female, if receptive, will typically bow her front half down and lift her hiney in the air. If a fight ensues when the male is "courting" the female, she isn't receptive.

Hope that helps some.

My female was the one that waved most..

Originally Posted by Saladragon

That's exactly correct. Both males and females wave their arms, and at least in my experience, it wasn't always related to breeding. They can waive for many reasons, to show submission and also sort of like a greeting to other beardies, as well as if one beardies sees another beardie waving...then you'll have a whole room of waving beardies.

It comes from an old tradition back in the renaissance. When two would meet, they would lift thier arms to show that they were not holding any weapons, a gesture of good will.

thanks for the info saladragon. this is the first time i have seen him wave his arms but I have not seen any of the other gestures you spoke of.
uroboros, I am In Coeur d Alene Idaho

Originally Posted by mossyback

thanks for the info saladragon. this is the first time i have seen him wave his arms but I have not seen any of the other gestures you spoke of.
uroboros, I am In Coeur d Alene Idaho

You're more than welcome. There may be a couple of reasons you haven't seen it yet. They may be too young yet (although I've had males start blackening their beards at 5 or 6 months, and bobbing around the same time), or they may well both be girls.

Something to keep in mind is that every single beardie is different, different personalities, maturity rates, the whole nine yards. What goes with one may not go for the other. So when you're trying to distinguish what may or may not be going on and looking for answers, there are lots of different factors to take into account. And yes, that's pretty much my "disclaimer".

Originally Posted by Uroboros

It comes from an old tradition back in the renaissance. When two would meet, they would lift thier arms to show that they were not holding any weapons, a gesture of good will.

Too funny! I always try to think of a way to describe it, and if you don't mind, I may have to borrow this.