Kingsnake.com
Kevin Dunne
Bearded Dragons
February 28, 2006
PHFaust: On behalf of Jeff Barringer and all of us at kingsnake.com, I'm very pleased to welcome Kevin Dunne to our Eighth Annual Chat Week.
PHFaust: Kevin Dunne is the owner of Dragon's Den Herpeteculture. One of the leaders of the Bearded Dragon industry. Dragon's Den Herpetoculture was started in 1993, in Santa Barbara, Ca., as a home-operated business. In 1998 we relocated to the Los Angeles area and now they are located in San Diego at a 7 Acre Farm. Dragon's Den recently merged Sandfire Dragon Ranch to expand their collective bloodlines.
PHFaust: Thank you so much for joining us, Kevin, and welcome!
bdragon92_nr: Thanks for taking the time tonight. I have always wondered how they get bearded dragons to get all these colors like snow and blood and so on it does not come naturally
dden: Hi- Most of the colors are the result of selectively breeding certain animals together, but sometimes people just get lucky and pop-out unusual looking dragons.
Adam105_nr: What are your views on people that practice "unorthodox" methods of bearded dragon keeping. Like using high basking temperatures,etc...? I am curious because I and others receive horrible bashing on online forums when we express these ideas and ways that have proven successful for us.
dden: Not sure exactly what you mean by "unorthodox". As far as basking temps go, I frequently measure temps in excess of 120F outside at Sandfire and the dragons seem to be doing fine. GA
LedWings: hey kevin, I have one of the few aggressive beardies, hes almost a year old and he puffs up, blackens his beard, hisses, and struggles to get free, do you have any tips on taming him?
dden: Hi- I see that occasionally...usualy it involves a dragon that is kept alone and I think it is just a defensive response...I would say just keep at it and hope he mellows out. Sometimes I place them with another dragon and they calm down right away. GA
LedWings: ok thank you
king_dj_nr: hello kevin thanx for joining us tonight : ).how long do bearded dragons live? do u have a website i can buy bearded dragons from?
dden: Hi- I thnk 6-8 years is an average. I have had on or two live for 10 years, but I think that is a long time for a dragon...if you have one live 10 years you are doing something exceptional! GA
PHFaust: BTW Kevin's website is http://www.dragonsdenherp.com/
UAWPrez: Thank you for coming, welcome to kingsnake.com What's the smallest size enclosure for one adult breadie to live in, and is that ok or do they prefer to live in small groups?
dden: Hi and thanks...I recommend a minimum of 3'x2' for an adult, with an extra 2 square feet for nother adult, but sometimes we are forced to keep them in more crowded areas...not bad for a short time. I think they do better in small groups.GA
jnsreptiles: Couple of questions... What is your opinion on Temperature Determined Sex? Also.... As far as translucent dragons go, in your opinion, is that what is needed to breathe life back into the bearded dragon industry as a financial business??? If not, what will it take? Thanks Kevin.... Jason and Shawni Smith
dden: I am still not sure thet the sex of bearded dragons can be determined by incubation temps...I have tried many temps, but I have not seen a definate outcome one way or the other. The translucents are a great addition, but certainly not the only "new" thing out there...I think the colors are getting brighter and brighter every season and every year we see more "new" types of color morphs. All of thoem add new life to the industry. GA
krn: Hey kevin, THanks for chatting tonight This is Kevin the kid who bought the pair of cresteds off of you back at the beginning of February. I was wondering if German Giants came in sunburst or an any other special morph? thanks Love the geckos you sent there doing well
dden: Hi Kevin...Thanks! I'm sure that German Giants have had colors bred into them by many people. There are also plenty of dragons that are as large as the German Giant line. I think creating large dragons is just a matter of breeding more "unrelated" animals together. GA
soderstrum: Hey Kevin i have a male beardie he is now like 16.5 inches do you think i would be able to feed him pinkies or should i wait to he grows a bit more? Also when is a bearded dragon able to start mating?
dden: Hi- That's a matter of personal opinion...I know lots of poeple feed their dragons pinkies, but I prefer not to. I think it is a huge amount of protien to feed them...let's face it: Bearded dragons don't get a whole lot of exercise! I worry about kidney problems later in life (the dragon's)...
dden: Sorry. to answer the other part of your questin: They can be sexually mature at a very young age and we have bred plenty of males at 16 inches...GA
Tsuky_nr: I got a normal yr old femele beardie and shes a yr old and shes just 13 inches long (i know shes small for her age) what can I do to increase her size?, and I also got a pair or baby germans can I breed my normal female with the male german? and I got a friend that has a pair of beardies and the female laid 15 eggs and all were wrinkled is that a problem?
dden: I'll answer the last part first: Often the eggs are wrinkled but, when put in a humid environment, gain moisture and expand to fill up the wrinkles. They can go on to incubate full-term and produce pefectly healthy babies. As far as a 13 inch yearling...that is probably normal too. As long as she keeps eating she will probably grow to a normale size adult. Since I have merged with Sandfire, I have realized that the "normal" growth rate is much slower that that of animals that are kept indoors, under summer conditions, all year long.GA
dden: My pleasure Tsuky!GA
ryan_nr: are you working with any other sp of beardeds
dden: Sandfire has a beautiful colony of Rankins Dragons. We should have offspring available this summer.
NewVisionDragonZ: I wanted to know what made you get into the bearded dragon buisness
dden: Like most of us, I started playing with beardies as a hobby. I quickly saw that it could be a good business since it was something I enjoyed and was something that I could do on my own terms. It was much easier then...I think the only other dragon breeders were Pete and Phyllis Weis, Dave Duncan, and Bob Mailloux (who is now my "partener"
. GA
PHLdyPayne: it has been brought up in the forums recently that bearded dragons are fed too much in captivity, causing them to grow fast and possibly cause health problems in later life. what is your opinion on this?
dden: It's probably true that they are fed more in captivity than they would have access to in the wild. I don't know how long they live in the wild...I suppose many dragon deaths in the wild are due to predation so it's hard to say how it all adds up anyway. I know I am probably guilty or "power feeding" animals that I want to grow up to breeding size quickly, but that's just part of breeding. I guess to give you an honest answer, I would have to be able to compare the lifespan of wild dragons to that of captives...I wish somebody would send me to Australia so I could get working on it!GA
PHFaust: Kevin we are at the hour, but we have several questions waiting.... Would you like to stick around for a bit or do you have to run?
PHLdyPayne: thanks kevin. i think we should all raise money to send kevin to australia to do that research lol
dden: Yes...I can stick around.
PHFaust: Groovy
ireny: Hi Kevin. I have had Crested's for years but last summer I found a BD in the middle of a busy road. A month later she nearly died from internal parasites. Meds from the vet, 3 weeks of forced feeding a wet protein dog food and soaking in a warm bath twice daily saved her. Questions: Do parasites come from crickets? How often should she be tested? Is there anything that can be done to avoid parasites? Also, is there a way to tell how old she is (she's 16" long)? Thank you.
dden: Hi- First off, parasites come from everything! There is ongonig debate over how much of a parasite load, if any, is necessary for normal digestive function. I only treat a dragon if it is losing weight and shows an unusually high parasitic presence (as judged from a fecal analysis). If you are in doubt, have a vet do a fecal exam and , if necessary, prescribe the right meds...It's a touchy spot though as it can be just as bad to over-medicate as it can to do nothing. Not sure how you could determine her age if you found her as an adult. I have had dragons grow to 16" in 4 months and I've had them grow for 2 years and still not reach 16" in length. GA
BJC: Hey there Kevin...(I work at a pet store) and one of our dragons came in sick with a few problems that I am trying to fix. I took him home cause well he would only eat for me 
He is getting so much better since then ... I have one concern, about his tail... he hasn't shed it once, he has a M.Bone D. though in the mits of reversing, its quite kinked... do I have to be really concerned about his tail? Once I get it under control, MBD, will it staighten and shed? does MBD stunt their growth?
dden: Hi- I don't think the tail will straighten out. You may be able to treat the MBD, but I don't think the damage is reversible. If the MBD was diagnosed by a vet, you were probably given something to prevent further problems, but I have not seen any "reversing" of the effects...GA
amhjda1109: Hey Kevin, it's Allison...I was just wondering what the average growth rate of a bearded dragon is? My babie's 11 inches and only 85 grams (unsure of his age, got him from a petstore)...and he finally grew 1/2" after growing nothing (length wise) for about 3 weeks. Is he too small?
dden: Hi- Hard to say without knowing his age. Beardeds tend to grow long, then fatten-up, then grow long, then fatten-up ,etc. They may look skinny at times without being unhealthy...I just make sure they have a nice warm basking area (I recommend 110 degrees on the surface) and feed them as much as they like. I would guess that she still has some growing to do. GA
HerpZillA: Hi, first thanks for your time, 25 years away from herps, back in again and vitticeps has moved to #1 for me, My questions is the "german giant" strain pure vitticeps? or is there some barbados in there? On a more personal note, I have 1.3, my male is not huge, but one female would 22" if a full tail. Last year, he just rode her, I can easily borrow a bigger male, I actually have a larger yellow available, but my 1st male throws off great reds, Does size matter? many thanks for the extra time tom
dden: Hi- Well as the saying goes..."size does not matter", but that is not entirely true for dragons. A male needs to be long enough to breed with the female when he bites her neck to hold her in place. If he is a lightweight, he may just get dragged around the cage. If he is too short (for lack of a better description), then he won't be able to successfully mate with her. I would try the bigger animal and see if you notice a difference. As far as the Germans...I'm not 100% sure that they are pure vitticeps, but I was always led to believe they were...that would be a good question for Sherri S. I think she has researched that question. GA
dden: Sorry, I meant Sheri S.
PHFaust: On behalf of Kingsnake.com, Jeff B, and myself, I want to take a moment to thank Kevin for being part of our chat week. Kevin, thanks for taking the time out to chat with us on Beardies.
HerpZillA: Ty Faust too. New to this room, I was a bit clutzy, asking for my position, was not sure how that list was generates. Yours is not an easy job I see
soderstrum: Thanks Kevin For The information
LedWings: thanks kevin
PHFaust: And Kevin, Im glad to have helped you with your first time.
PHGinger: Thank you Kevin!
HerpZillA: And Thank you Kevin
snakeman19_nr: thanks kevin
PHLdyPayne: thank you very much kevin for coming in and answering questions and putting up with the madness lol love to have you back again
dden: Thanks everyone...sorry I did not get to answer more questions, but I am a CRUMMY TYPIST. I would be happy to answer questions if you email me directly. Kevin
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Cindy
PHFaust
