If you have two bearded dragons of the opposite sex and are interested in breeding them you must condition them before mating takes place.
Conditioning the bearded dragons first is important in order to get them in the mood, so to speak.
Bearded dragons mate in their native land of Australia in the spring. Unfortunately, those seasons are reversed in the northern hemisphere of North America and Europe.
This is not really a problem with captive-bred bearded dragons because their environment can be controlled.
Here are some steps you should take on conditioning them for mating if you are interested in breeding them.
How to Condition Bearded Dragons for Mating
The male and female bearded dragons should be kept in separate enclosures. This will prevent them from fighting with one another before the mating process.
They both should be fed highly nutritious meals up to the time of mating so they can keep up their strength and avoid being stressed.
Many conditions can affect breeding, including temperature and daytime and nighttime. During the pre-mating time, the bearded dragons should receive a period of ten hours of daylight and fourteen hours of nighttime.
Daytime temperatures should be dropped to 75°F to 85°F and nighttime temperatures can go as low as 55°F to 60°F.
The reduced temperature and light periods should begin in early December and maintained until the middle of February.
At this time increase the daytime light to fourteen hours with ten hours of darkness. The daytime temperatures should return to about 85°F.
Begin feeding the female a triple dose of calcium supplement to her diet to support formation of the egg shells. The male should be fed two meals per day, one with a calcium supplement and one without.
Ensure both bearded dragons are receiving a varied diet of insects and vegetable matter.
Within a few weeks the bearded dragons should begin showing signs of breeding behaviors.
Next, you will need to begin introducing the bearded dragons to each other.
