Bdearded Dragons

Question
QUESTION: Hi there.

I currently own four bearded dragons, two of which are a breading pair.

The reason i am asking for advice is due to the fact that it is now breading season and im not too sure how they act during this period. My male bearded dragon has been swimming in his bath quite alot these past few days and the female has been displaying similar behaviour.

Any info or advice would be great

awaiting your feed back

Chris

ANSWER: Hi Chris, I can't honestly say that I have noted any increased bathing activity correlating to breeding season but my pair has never had constant access to a swimming area either! It sounds like yours have an area that they can enter themselves or are they just more active and rambunctious when being soaked? I tended to soak mine as they were coming out of brumation but rarely otherwise.
I can only say that I have noticed some increased territorialism with more head bobbing and of course mating behaviour on the part of the male and often a decreased appetite.

Make sure that your female has an appropriate laying chamber with suitably damp soil/sand to deposit her eggs. Their instinct to deposit the eggs somewhere humid can cause them to lay in the water container if no other suitable site is available. This is fatal to the eggs very quickly.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you so much for replying to my question it has gave me alot of comfort i do however have another question , will the female bite at the male in certain ways during the period of head bobbing and how will i know when they going to " do it " lol because this has been going on for quite a while

awaiting your response
Chris

Answer
Hi Chris, It only takes a single mating episode for your female's eggs to be fertilized. You will know the mating when you see it. Dragon sex can look a little rough! lol The male will usually secure the female in place by biting her on the fleshy pad near the back of her head before twisting his tail underneath hers. Sometimes, if the female is not at all receptive to mating at that time she may fend him off with a bite, often to the legs or feet.
You can sometimes re-trigger mating behaviour by separating the pair for a few days and then re-introducing them.