Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys. Alright so I have been keeping a really close eye on my male BD. I think that those of you who believed the lack of eating was a cause of having breeding on the mind were correct. He has been frequently bobbing his head and displaying a jet black beard all week. Still very little eating other then greens. Have any of you had experiences where your male BD's refuse food due to a strong desire to breed?...if so how long did it last?

Of course I could be incorrect about why he is not eating and therefore obviously welcome others opinions.

Thanks,
Ryan

My only suggestion is to buy a weight scale and weigh him regularly. If he's not losing much weight ( < 10% ) then I wouldn't worry about it. A health dragon can go a very long time without eating.

Thanks BDlvr. I was looking at scales last night online and will hopefully be picking one up this weekend. I have one other question that you can likely answer. I have seen your sets ups (which are awsome) and I notice that all of the BD's although housed seperate are within the same room (maybe not all but alot anywas) does this ever pose problems with males being able to sense/smell a females presence causing them a desire to breed? I ask because my male is seperate from my females however I think he may be able to sense/smell them. I am unable to allow breeding at this point because the females are still to young. Would moving the male to a seperate room be necessary in your opinion?
Thanks,
Ryan

First off there are reptiles (mostly dragons) all over my house. lol. The nine cages I often show is just one wall in my living room. I have 26 active enclosures right now.

But to answer your question. They can see each other. Males can see males and females in other enclosures. It's not ideal but they get used to it.

It all depends on the dragon. You cant say what works for one is going to be the same for another. Sometimes, having dragons be able to see others, even males seeing other males, can be beneficial and stimulate them. Sometimes dragons do better housed with others.....again stimulation. You may just have to experiment with your dragons. You could try moving him, try covering part of the enclosure, change something in the enclosure, or maybe just give him some time. I would also try offering other foods that may get him to eat. Usually if I have a dragon that doesnt show interest in greens or crix(my staples), I try superworms and now hornworms.

Thanks for the responses. Today he seems to be more interested in food. He has taken most of his collard greens and ate 6 large superworms. The reptile store down the street does sell hornworms however they have been out the last few times I was in. They also occasionally carry dubia roaches which I have yet to experiment with. I will try some new prey items to hopefully get a better feeding response.
Thanks,
Ryan