Conservationist and
wildlife advocate Ben
Dessen is Reptiles
Department Manager
at Kellyville Pets and is
passionate about
educating newcomers
to the reptile hobby.
With the breeding
season upon us, he
has a wealth of useful
information for anyone
considering breeding
one of our most iconic
reptile species....
Breeding Beardies.
The Pogona genus, collectively known as bearded
dragons, are amongst the most commonly-kept pet
reptiles in captivity worldwide. Bearded dragons are
the perfect entry-level reptile for any newcomer to
the hobby, but are also a popular addition to many
experienced reptile keepers’ collections. Over the
years, our knowledge and techniques for breeding
these charismatic and engaging agamids have been
refined and developed. So here is a brief A to Z of
breeding beardies!
Responsible Breeding.
The decision to breed any animal in
captivity must not be taken lightly and your
motivations and intentions for breeding
must be thoroughly considered. Bearded
dragons can be quite prolific in captivity,
with a single female capable of producing
anywhere from 15-35 eggs in a clutch and
up to three clutches in a season. That’s
potentially 100+ baby beardies that will
need to be housed and fed, and then found
suitable long-term homes.
Breeding bearded dragons should never be
about simply making money, as it is an
expensive and time-consuming process -
and a huge responsibility. Sadly, some
people do not carefully consider the wider
implications of breeding, and every year
many hatchling bearded dragons end up
becoming unwanted, without good homes.
If you do decide to breed bearded dragons,
this should be motivated by curiosity and
interest – it is certainly a fascinating and
rewarding process to experience.
Left: there are some amazing variants
now readily available, like these juvenile
hypomelanistic beardies.,
Top Right: dragon enclosures at Kellyville
Pets; ideally adults should be housed
individually.
All images courtesy Ben Dessen.