Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forums and I thought you guys might be able to help me. I purchased a pair of bearded dragons about a month and a half ago for the purpose of breeding (and also as my pets of course!).
When I first got them the male was a healthy weight and was bigger than the scrawny looking female. She was a little bit underweight. Since then she has become larger than him. Not in length but in girth. Her stomach swells out on both sides if you look at her belly from underneath.
Could she be pregnant? I'm not home all the time to see if they are breeding but I don't think it's even breeding season yet. I have no prior experience breeding beardies so maybe I'm wrong.
Oh and another thing I noticed is that she has been hiding a lot more often. Are there any signs of pregnancy that I can look for? Is there a way of being sure?
In case it has an affect on the questions I will explain their setup and background. It is a 30 gallon breeder tank with newspaper as bedding. They have a powersun 100 lamp for the day and a 60 watt night bulb. They have a heating pad on the opposite end of the tank, a rock, sticks for basking under the lamp, and a cave for hiding on the cooler side.
They are about a year old. They eat vegetables every day and about a dozen large crickets twice a week. When I got them they wouldn't eat vegetables but now they love them.
Thank you for reading my question!

There are several issues in your set up and many people who post here are passionate about beardies! Some often come out as being 'harsh' when they are really trying to help. With that said...

First your tank is too small for even 1 adult beardie. The smallest 'standard' is a 40 gallon breeder...a 75 gallon or higher is prefered. I house each of mine in their own 75 gallon.

Most breeders will keep the male and female seperate execpt for breeding. One breeding can produce multiple clutches that season as the female can retain sperm. The male will often stress the female out by repeated breeding attempts and this can cause her health problems if she does not eat enough when gravid.

What kind of supplements (calcium/vitamins) are you using? Also I'm not sure if you mentioned a UVB source. What is the temperature of your basking site?--and what are you using to measure it with?... these answeres can help us help you more.

There are many knowledgeable people on this board. Please take all of their suggestions to heart. (Cheri S is one of the most respected people here--listen to her wisdom.)

IF your female is gravid (expecting) there are certain conditions that she needs in order to lay her clutch--if they are not correct then she may retain them and it will kill her (becomming egg-bound).

Hope this helped you some...

a year old is too young to breed a female bearded dragon, she should be at least 15 months old and 350g.

The 30gal tank is too small for a single bearded dragon, minimum would be a 40gal breeder (something that is at least 4'x2' floor area). It is deffinitely too small for two dragons. Also, it is better to keep them in separate tanks, till its time to breed.

If the female is gravid, you should be able to feel the eggs if you feel her stomach gently. An x-ray by a vet may also reveal if there any eggs.

Did you have both dragons undergo a vet examine to make sure they were healthy and parasite free?

Also, what is the baskign temp? It should be between 95-115F. The cool end should be around 75F.
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PHLdyPayne

I agree with everything said above. That tank is too small and the male and female should be seperate except at breeding.

Set up a seperate tank for the female and allow her to lay the eggs (if she has them) in peace or mature to a better breeding age.

beautifuldragons.org has excellent care information you may find useful.

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