There are certain factors that need to be taken in account before you breed bearded dragons. To bring females into heat, it is important to imitate the seasonal changes that are experienced in nature (this is called pre-conditioning). Before any pre conditioning, both sexes of the bearded dragons should be of breeding age and in good health. We will also discuss methods regarding bearded dragon care.
The first step is known as photo-period; this is intended to simulate the winter season. The UVB light will require a timer, the settings of which should be 10 hours of light and 14 hours of darkness. Slightly reduce the heat in the enclosure. For the area where they are usually basking a temperature of approximately 78 degrees Fahrenheit should be the maximum; for other areas the temperature should be maintained between 64 to 67 degrees. As you simulate the photo-period you need to decrease the amount of food that is given to the breeding pair. After experiencing the photo-period for a little over a month, you can go back to 12 hours each alternating light and dark.
Once the photo-period has come to an end you will have to provide extra food and wherever possible their diet should include foods that are high in fat such as wax worms. This is critical and it puts them in a breeding cycle, helping them to gain weight.
Four weeks after the photo-period, keep the males and females together. If there are several pairs inside the tank you may notice that the males are very aggressive towards one another and they will start to fight. Being submissive is a trait often seen in female bearded dragons at this time. You will likely notice them moving their head up and down and slowly waving their arms. Once the female is fertile she will start mapping out an area in order to lay her eggs this spot should be soft and sunny, if possible. Mixing garden soil and play sand can provide such an area. Pregnancy will make it much easier for you to tell their genders apart.
After the eggs are laid, carefully make note of the spot. Once she moves on, remove the eggs with a spoon. It is extremely important that you do not to rotate the eggs when shifting them. Although you could make your own incubator, it would be easier to buy one, which would also yield a much higher hatch rate. The temperature inside the incubator should be kept at 85 degrees Fahrenheit constantly, it should never fall below 83 degrees Fahrenheit. The area around the eggs will have to be kept moist which you can do by placing a small, open container of water at the bottom off the incubator. Misting the eggs with water is something you will also have to do regularly. Now we will tell you how to go about performing baby bearded dragon care.
Once it’s time for the eggs to hatch it will take roughly 24 hours to fully hatch some may even take a little longer. The shell may collapse before the eggs start to hatch. After each baby dragon arrives, it can go into an appropriate tank for rearing. Hatchlings are very hungry and they will have to be fed often in order to prevent them from chewing on tails. There are some lizards whose tails grow back, not bearded dragons. What do they eat, small crickets and wax worms of course. The food that they are given must never be too large as this can cause them to become ill or even kill them. It is imperative that you make sure that the little bits of food are only as large as the space between their eyes. Daily feeding at least three times a day is necessary until they are 4 months old. After 4 months their mealtime can be reduced to one time per day. You should also include in their diet greens worms, crickets and flowers.
