dragon breeders..

[ADEE]

we have a pair, nikon (f) and kodak (m) my husband always looks at the money aspect of everything (except our pet rats who will never breed) and hes very big in the idea of breeding them..

isnt it super expensive to raise up clutches of beardeds?

I know they eat a TON of crickets at first, let alone the fact there are so MANY of them...how many thousand do you think you would go through with a clutch of beardeds?

Any insight?

[Beardedragon]

ALOT of crickets, you can get around 60 eggs easily from one season from a beardie if not more. thats why they are so cheap. Beardies are also very hard to sell if they are not colorful, almost impossible, and dont get me started on the adeno virus

Lets say you get a 30, and babys can go through 50-100 without a problem( they can and will eat 100), thats around 2000 a day right there. now when you get more clutches, you'll be running through alot more. you have to wait three weeks to sell them, and the non colorful can take months. add that up and theres how many!

If your husband thinks you will make money, this is not the reptile to go with. there is already too many out there, if you dont know your linage up to three generations back( this is a MUST) then do not breed. It can be fun a rewarding, but not something you would want to do as a part time job.

[ADEE]

we do just have the pair so we wouldnt have multiple clutches at once thankfully. were not in it for breeding purposes. he likes the animals and saw the possible additional reward of breeding them also. We do know their liniage and any extra babies (all of them pretty much) would go to the breeder who would sell them wholesale. I was just being nosey how many crickets.. i figured it would be like that! wowzers we enjoy them as pets mostly. i have heard from numerous sources that beardeds are by far one of the most expensive reptiles to keep.

[Beardedragon]

Beardies have more than one clutch a season They retain sperm so one breeding will get you a few clutches


thats great, as ong as you have the space time and know 100% that you can sell them all healthy before you breed, i say go for it.

I was going at it about around $30 a week for each beardie, but that is less once they are adults and eat more salad.


Also, dusting the crickets takes ALOT of time for that many babys

[ADEE]

thank you for your help!

[Beardedragon]

your welcome, again, sorry if i sound a little mean, like before alot of things are abused during breeding resulting in bad genetics and beardies with nips, parasites and being under fed,and problems with not all the beardies getting uvb great job though, sounds like you have things under control

[ADEE]

your welcome, again, sorry if i sound a little mean, like before alot of things are abused during breeding resulting in bad genetics and beardies with nips, parasites and being under fed,and problems with not all the beardies getting uvb great job though, sounds like you have things under control

no prob. i understand.. believe it or not i love research and always go that extra distance to make things ideal for any animal weve ever had. I pride myself with good husbandry, keeping, exc of all our creatures! I know my two are getting ready to be on their own in a bigger tank (Really have a couple more months) but that just goes to show im starting the research early. I knew it wasnt a great idea to have them in a giant tank too early

[Pythonman]

I have to agree with all of the above statements. The cricket counts are a little high, but its definitely better to figure more crickets than less since they will mutilate their cage mates if they are not fed properly. That said i would say breed dragons as a hobby, and have places that will take the beardeds if you get overrrun. It might not be ideal. you might get $20 each from a pet store, but at least they won't be eating you out of house and home anymore. I've had females lay up to 90 eggs in a season, so just know, it will no longer be your house, they'll have numbers! Also I have to agree if you want to sell the beardeds online and at shows, color is a MUST. Good bloodlines defnitely help since there are so many well-known breeders out there. It really is fun though if you have the time and the money. It's definitely not a get rich quick scheme though. Good luck!

Oh and don't forget the price of caging and lights for 90 plus babies....it adds up....