Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know it does matter, but I have a female salmon hypo who is now about 3 year old. You are probably thinking then what is the problem, a 3 year old dragon should be ready to breed. The only thing about this 3 year old female is she is only 250 grams. Do you think she is large enough to breed? She has been a slow grower, but I have also heard the salmon hypos average a little smaller then most dragons. She is otherwise in perfect health. any opinions would be appreciated
thanks
Will Wohlers

That is a very light weight..but how long is she? If she only grew to say 16" that isn't a bad weight..but most breeders say minimum of 18" and 350g. If she is really small, it may be difficult to find a male that is close to her size...you could risk a larger male but his bigger size may be more intimidating to her and mating may not work.
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PHLdyPayne

We had one years ago that was a small dragon like this. She was also only about 16 inches and averaged 275 grams. She bred well, but it was hard to keep her weight on. We bred her one season and then donated her to a local school library.

250 grams is light for breeding. Have you tried a diet high in fat during the srping? Wax worms and pinky mice (f/t) help dragons put weight on in preparation for breeding and also helps in keeping weight on during the breeding season. We do not do the wax worms, but do use pinky mice during the breeding season. Superworms and some caterpillars can be good for this as well.

You will have to carefully match her if you do decide to mate and I would not leave them in the cage for an over extended period of time to reduce bullying. She will need "first pick" of the food to keep up her weight. Good luck!
J Marchon Reptiles

Make sure you don't feed pinky mice. There bones cause impaction and also they carry parasites that even freezing will not kill. But wax worms as a treat are ok.