Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My female beardie is ready to breed and she is going nuts. I need a male and am purchasing one in April/May. She weighs exactly 1 pound and is a gold phase. Any suggestions on bedding for eggs, and what size/color male I should get? Also instead of a himemade incubator is a store bought one better? If so what kinds. Thanks all1

I use organic potting soil Some people add sand to the mixture. I put it in an approximate 15 X 18 tub with potting soil close to 12 inches deep. Mine do fine with this but I have to wash them off after laying because they're covered with soil. I actually put the tub in their enclosure which is 5ft.x 30in. X 24in. This has worked well for me but I'm sure there are others here that approach the subject differently.
As to what color male you should get. What color babies do you want? Its really personal choice and what end result you want.
Good luck with your breeding.
Take care,
Karen

I know a lot of breeders also use a vermiculite/soil mixture as well. How old is your beardie? Age really has more to do with it than actual size. Females should not be bred under 18 mos of age, their bodies arent ready for it. Also, was she cooled over the winter (brumation), if not, chances are you wont have a viable clutch. Since this will be her first time, dont be disappointed if you get a lot of slugs (no good eggs) it happens! About the incubator, thats really up to you. Do you only have the one female dragon? If so, you probably dont need a big incubator, and a small counter top one will do fine. Just make sure it has the appropriate temp ranges for dragon eggs (82-85 degrees). Good luck!

Melody

I was going to make a homemade incubator for when and if I ever have eggs but I figured that I'd rather be safe than sorry so I bought a hova - bator, from what I've heard its supposed to be the best reptile incubator on the market. I don't have eggs yet but seeing as an incubator is a little pricey I figured that I'd buy it while I have the extra money. As far as what kind of male to buy I'm really not sure seeing as I won't be looking to get another dragon for some years now and haven't done the research to see what kinds there are. I have a normal and sandfire so I'll see what I end up with if my male ever gets interested in breeding or figures it out but I'm not in any kind of hurry for eggs. In my house nature happens at its own pace as does reptile crap lol. Good luck