Whats up with my beardie?????

[fear factor]

Is anyone else having problems breeding there beardies... everywhere i look everyone is having babies... we have a 11 month old male and 2 girls that are 2 years old... WHY isn't he jumping them?
He bobs and the girls wave, so i don't know if he's too young or what......
any opinions welcome

[reptilez]

I started my male when he was about 2 years old. I'm not to sure when there ready, i *Think* its 18months. you should ask eyespy, she knows alot about bearded dragons.

[eyespy]

Females must be ovulating before most will allow mating to occur. The age difference can be a factor too, he is relatively young and less likely to force himself on a girl who isn't actively bowing down to the ground and lifting her tail for him.

Waving can be a "no thanks dear, I've got a headache" signal just as easily as it can be a submission thing. If the girls aren't bowing, they are probably not ovulating.

Separating them for a month or so and trying it again later usually works best. Constant stress from a male always being around will slow down ovulation in some females and cause way too much egg production in others.

Then again, mating takes just between a blink and a hiccup, you might have not been looking when it happens.

Most medium and large-scale breeders will leave a male in with a female for a day or two, and then separate them for 2 weeks while watching for egg bulges. They report better success than when the male has constant access to females.

[reptilez]

I also have a question:
My female only laid two clutches this year so far. Its been like 2 months since her last clutch. she looks fat now, will she lay. I dont think i see eggs. Is she ok, Only laying 2 clutches.

[eyespy]

Ideally you don't want a girl laying too many clutches in a year, 2 is fine! The more she lays, the more nutrients are taken from her body which will shorten her lifespan. It also results in less hardy offspring as she doesn't have the nutrients to put into the egg yolks. Most breeders get upset if they end up with too many clutches all in one season. One 5 inch right out of the shell hatchling is going to sell better than an entire clutch of 3 inchers, after all.

As far as looking fat, it's so hard to say what's going on over the internet. Maybe she's gained weight, maybe she's gravid, or maybe she's got something wrong. Even if I were a vet, I'd have to see her to try and decide, and I'm certainly no vet.

Is the weight gain sudden or gradual? Any sudden weight change, whether a gain or a loss, isn't normal and should be checked out. If you want to wait 3-5 days to see if egg bulges appear, that's probably fine as long as she's acting like her usual self and eating her normal diet.

How does her tail base look? If her belly is fat but her tail base hasn't also increased in thickness then she's either gravid, eggbound or sick. It should be just a very short time between a big belly and a sack of marbles appearance in a gravid female, the distinct egg bulges should be visible almost as soon as she starts looking chubby.

Reasons for sudden weight gain or a suddenly "fat" appearance include: liver disease, kidney disease, dystocia (eggbound), complications from high blood pressure or cholesterol, impaction, bladder stones and who knows what all else.

[reptilez]

it seems sudden to me. when she is running around she "looks" thin with skin fiying everywhere. but whe she stands still her stomache almost touches the ground. inda like a bear belly big.
do u know where i ould find pics of gravid females to see if they kinda look the same??
thanx for your help,
-Reptilez

[eyespy]

Here's my Monet, aka "Princess Preggers" about a week before she laid one of her clutches last year:

<img src="http://www.thebeardedlady.org/images/Dcp_0437.jpg">

When they are gravid you should be able to find distinct egg bulges fairly easily. Since I know what her figure normally looks like I can eyeball 4 eggs, and I'll bet you can find at least 2.

[reptilez]

Thanx for the pic.....and yes i found them.
i always her ppl say that they should lay eggs every 3-4weeks or whatever, so is it normal that after 2 months she may be laying a next clutch??

[eyespy]

There's no should about when they decide to lay eggs. The very Monet in that picture retained sperm all through her winter brumation and laid a clutch nearly a year after mating.

Beardies aren't like us, the girls don't ovulate at regular intervals so you can't exactly set a clock by them or anything.

[reptilez]

Now i have a feeling that she is gravid, i think i saw and felt an egg in her belly. Thanx for all the info eyespy your great
-Reptilez