Breeding Precautions

Ok hopefully scarlett and scorch will get up to breeding weight..in thats case if they do and when they do what r some things we need to be careful on? #1 I am worried Scorch might be alittle too aggressive and hurt scarlett, I have seen him when they r together out on our bed, he will run up on her beard all black and try to grab the back of her neck I know this is normal but what if he like breaks her skin with his teeth?. I am wondering if you guys can help with my questions and concerns.
#1- how long do they need to be put together to breed?
#2-have any of you guys seen them breed..what goes on in the process ( if you have)?
#3-if they breed and she comes up gravid, how long after her first clutch will she need a break from breeding and when she does get a break how long until she could breed again? I have been told a female can lay up to 2 clutches a year. I just dont want to over breed her. I was thinking of breeding her for one clutch and see how she handles one and then maybe progress to 2 clutches a year when she IS HEALTHY AND CAN HANDLE IT and then giving her a year break after her first 2 clutches...is that an ok way?
#4- how will we know she is gravid?
#5- how will we know she is ready to lay eggs?
#6- what is the best way to set up an incubator so no babies will die while in incubation?

Hi,

The male bearded dragon biting the back of the females' neck is the normal courtship process that they do during breeding or territorial displays. Sometimes the males bit to hard and draw blood, but unless he's really ripping her up, their fine. While all of this is going on, the female will seem kind of frantic and will wave her arms to appease to the male. It will seem like she wants to get away (which she probably does!!!), but she's ok. If the male draws blood, you can put neosporin. bedadine or pet rx solution spray on the wound, but they usually aren't that bad.
#1 The male will usually readily breed with the female when you first put them together. He'll be done courting her and mating with her in 5 - 10 minutes. It's always a good idea to let him mate with her a few times to ensure high fertility of the eggs. You can either leave them together for a few days to a week or put them together for 1/2 an hour or so every other day.
#2 The male will hold the female while biting her neck and will manipulate her tail to get into the right position and then breed with her.
#3 She can breed a few times per year. I've even heard of upto 5 or 7 clutches in one year. It's a good idea to give her a rest after her first clutch and get the weight back on before you breed them again. Feed her pinkies or small fuzzies and dust the insects with calcium to help her get back what she lost during egg production. Sometimes the first clutch she will lay will be infertile just because it's her first clutch.
#4 You'll see her getting fatter as the eggs develope and will eventually be able to fell eggs in her belly.
#5 About 2 weeks before she will lay, she will slow down on the food and will dig a lot to find a suitable nesting spot. Give her a vermiculite box for her to lay her eggs in.
#6 Incubate the eggs at 82 - 84 degrees F and they will hatch in about 2 months. set the eggs up in vermiculite as well with half the eggs buried and the other half exposed. Don't turn the eggs after 24 hours (that's when the embryo sets). You can buy a hovabator incubator at most reptile stores.

Hope this helped you some.

Thanks,

Ryan

thanx for the advice!! I will be sure not to trun the eggs...why do you only burry half of the eggs though?

Basically so you can keep an eye out for them and see how they're doing. You want to make sure they don't take on too much water or dry out.

Ok, thank ya for the info!!

#1- how long do they need to be put together to breed? I put mine together for 5 minutes, once a week until the female is gravid. I do not breed them inbetween clutches.
#2-have any of you guys seen them breed..what goes on in the process ( if you have)? yes, within a minute Sheo does his thing. he will run around, bob, bite her and push her tail up. they can stay linked for 30 seconds to a couple minutes. male will let go and the female will wander away.
#3-if they breed and she comes up gravid, how long after her first clutch will she need a break from breeding and when she does get a break how long until she could breed again?
they will lay 3-7 clutches from one mating. unless it's a super-huge female, don't breed inbetween clutches. if she can't handle more than one clutch, she's not ready to breed.
you can breed a healthy female every year.
#4- how will we know she is gravid? you weigh her and you will see her put on weight. you can feel the eggs as marble's in the stomach
#5- how will we know she is ready to lay eggs? will pace and dig and often will not eat a day or two before laying.
#6- what is the best way to set up an incubator so no babies will die while in incubation? buy one. use perilite in a 2:1 ratio with water. i incubate low - 81-82*F.