Dragon Rancher

6 comments

1. bibi says:

   June 18, 2015 at 10:12 pm

   what the heck is a dwarf bearded dragon? i have a tiny girl — only 65 grams, 11″ and she’ll be a year old in august. she’s otherwise very healthy, just hasn’t grown that much. so is there really such a thing as a dwarf?? or is that just a nice name for a runt?!

   Reply
   • Mary says:

     June 19, 2015 at 12:59 pm

     A dwarf bearded dragon has a genetic abnormality. It is not just a runt; a runt will catch up and will eventually be the same size or only slightly smaller than a normal adult. A dwarf will never be close to normal size even when fed the same healthy diet and kept under ideal conditions.

     Thanks,
     Mary

     Reply
2. Kara says:

   October 24, 2016 at 9:14 am

   Hi. I was wondering if you still breed dwarf bearded dragons? If you do, do you ship? And if not, can you point me to some other breeders that could help me? Thanks

   Reply
   • Mary says:

     October 24, 2016 at 9:10 pm

     Hi Kara,
     Thank you for your interest, but unfortunately I don’t have any available beardies and I don’t breed dwarf bearded dragons. The one I had was a genetic anomaly. I don’t know any current breeders of dwarf or pygmy beardies, sometimes also called Rankin’s or Lawson Dragons. You may want to find out if there are any reptiles shows in your area. There is usually a vendor list of breeders on the reptile expo’s website. Here are some former and possibly current breeders of smaller beardies: http://www.dachiubeardeddragons.com/rankins-dragons/, http://snakesatsunset.com/rankins-dragon-for-sale-pogona-henrylawsonii/, https://www.lllreptile.com/products/32135-baby-rankins-dragons (I have no association with these breeders and cannot vouch for the quality of the animals they provide). I hope this information helps, and you find your new pet beardie sometime soon!

     Thanks,
     Mary
     http://www.DragonRancher.com

     Reply
3. Tyler says:

   December 9, 2017 at 11:23 am

   I want to know how you determined the gender before it is grown, typically you have to wait until they’re about a foot in length in order to see the spots on their bellies

   Reply
   • Mary says:

     December 9, 2017 at 4:28 pm

     Hi Tyler,
     If you very gently lift up the bearded dragon’s tail and look at the base of his/her tail and thighs you will see one or two bulges. (There are more invasive methods to determine the gender, but these techniques should only be done by an expert). Males have two bulges; they have one bulge on each side of the base of their tail. Also, males tend to have larger and broader heads than females (although this is not always the case). Females have one small bulge in the middle of the base of their tail. Picture: http://dragonrancher.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/IMG_0378.jpg You may also notice the differences in male’s and female’s behavior. Females tend to do a slower head bob than males even when they are young. It is usually difficult to determine the gender of baby bearded dragons, since males have not developed large femoral pores and any bulges may be difficult to see and distinguish. When the bearded dragon is a couple months old, the bulges at the base of their tails are easier to notice. Be very careful and gentle while lifting the tail and you may want to try an even more gentle twist of the tail to find the bulges. I have been doing this for awhile, so I can almost always determine the gender of the beardie before they are a foot in length. I have never used the spots on their bellies as a determinant of their gender. Those spots are usually more of an indication of their stress level than gender. I have more pictures on the bottom of my care guide: http://dragonrancher.com/bearded-dragon-care-guide/

     Thanks,
     Mary
     DragonRancher.com

     Reply