How to Tell What Gender a Bearded Dragon Is
Whether yous've recently adopted a new bearded dragon (opens in new tab) or experienced the nascency of a group of hatchlings , one matter is for sure, you're probably at least a little curious about how to sex a bearded dragon!
And although a lilliputian bit tricky to figure out for new owners, determining the sex of a bearded dragon is actually quite easy if you know what to wait for…
With several physical differences between males and females, y'all may be surprised to learn how even the most subtle of physical traits tin can decide whether your pet is male OR female person!
And then, simply keep reading to discover how to tell if a bearded dragon is male person or female person AND tell their age!
How to Sex a Disguised Dragon
When it comes to how to sex a bearded dragon, you're going to need to take note of several physical AND behavioral characteristics.
Identifying these characteristics will be the BEST (non to mention cheapest) fashion to discern your beardie'southward gender – no expensive Ten-rays necessary!
Knowing your bearded dragon'southward gender will not only help you meliorate care for them just volition also ensure y'all pick the appropriate proper noun every bit well!
So, if you're curious near how to tell the gender of a disguised dragon, please consider the following…
Stride #1: Look for Hemipenal Bulges
When information technology comes to how to tell the sex of a disguised dragon, yous're going to want to outset past looking for any hemipenal bulges.
The Hemipenal bulges indicate the presence of a hemipenes , which are internal male sexual practice organs oftentimes found in reptiles like lizards and snakes .
In the case of a male bearded dragon, you will observe two hemipenal bulges above each side of the base of the bearded dragon's tail.
If the bulges AREN'T super obvious, try gently turning your dragon from side to side to expect for whatever shadowing.
Also, you tin can gently (and I mean GENTLY) enhance the tail upwards a piddling to see if that helps the hemipenal bulges protrude a little more.
For a female bearded dragon, the burl will be more centered, betwixt the top of the tail and the tops of the back legs. A single, slightly protruding crash-land that is centered volition indicate a female.
Step #ii: Endeavour the Flashlight Test
This next stride in how to tell the sex of a disguised dragon but expands on the previous footstep…
Basically, if you're having problem noticing/finding the hemipenal bulges, you tin can catch a flashlight and basically smoothen it through the dragon'southward tail.
With a male, y'all should notice two elongated testes that make the shape of 'U' and with a female, it will be more of a box shape for her uterus.
Pretty cool, right?
Step #three: Look at the Size of the Femoral Pores
Femoral pores are glands that tin exist establish on the inside thigh of specific species of lizards and amphibians.
In the case of disguised dragons, femoral pores are how they excrete pheromones, most commonly during their mating season.
And while both males AND female bearded dragons volition have femoral pores, a male bearded dragon's volition tend to be much more pronounced and noticeable.
To locate the femoral pores, expect on the underside of the legs. You lot'll desire to pay shut attending to the underside of their thigh or above the articulatio genus, as femoral pores will run from knee to genu.
Footstep #4: Consider Their Beliefs
Although not as accurate of a manner to decide the bearded dragon gender and definitely up for much speculation…
Some owners and specialists believe you lot tin accurately draw a bearded dragon'due south gender based on observing their behavior.
For instance, bearded dragons who exhibit black beard more oftentimes are assumed to typically be male person, while female disguised dragons are those who practice more arm waving .
More than anything, if you're wondering how to sex a disguised dragon, yous'll probably want to stick with the first 3 methods.
How to Sex a Baby Disguised Dragon
When it comes to how to sex a infant bearded dragon, the procedure isn't quite as easy. You run into, in order to make up one's mind a bearded dragon's gender, y'all'll need to expect until they're at least iv weeks old.
And sure, you lot can guess… but it'southward honestly just a l/fifty hazard of existence right.
Now, some people claim you can tell the gender in one case a dragon reaches around eight weeks quondam and this may be true nether the right circumstances, such equally when a reptile expert is involved.
However, typically you're going to have to wait until 5 to six months to be able to make whatsoever reliable, educated guess at the gender.
Why?
Well, this is when a bearded dragon's body started more conspicuously developing signs of the hemipenal bulges.
Now, you might exist able to decipher the gender before five to 6 months, specially if you're an experienced owner or breeder.
However, almost first-time owners will be able to almost clearly make up one's mind gender effectually the 6 month-mark, requite or take a month.
Determining Disguised Dragon Age
At present, with all this talk of having to await effectually vi months to tell a baby bearded dragon'southward age, you may find yourself wondering…
"How onetime is my bearded dragon?"
If this sounds similar you, yous can always become an estimate on age by looking at the total length of your beardie.
In fact, I've really fabricated a helpful infographic (above) to help y'all gauge your beardie'southward historic period based on their length!
However, you tin use more than a bearded dragon's body length to go an idea of if they're former plenty to be sexed.
Ask yourself the following two questions to assistance make up one's mind if your bearded dragon is at least 6 months old and can exist sexed…
i. Is your bearded dragon at least 10 inches long?
If and so, there is a chance they could be 6 months old, seeing every bit this tends to be the shortest most Healthy 6 month dragons will measure.
Now, a better indication that your disguised dragon is at least six months old, is if they measure 14-fifteen inches. This is a more typical length for bearded dragons at this age.
2. Does your bearded dragon counterbalance at least 200 grams?
On the modest side, bearded dragons at 6 months of age will tend to weigh at least 200 grams, give or take.
Yet, a healthier and larger bearded dragon volition probably weight more than like 230-260 grams at this age.
Please annotation that the weight and length criteria mentioned above are Not concrete and there will naturally be bearded dragons that are these sizes well earlier half dozen months or even much later.
However, these measurements are simply what y'all can wait from a 6-month-erstwhile bearded dragon.
Tin Bearded Dragons Change Gender?
Equally a reptile owner and educator, it isn't also uncommon for me to be asked almost gender differences between sure species. And every once in awhile, I become asked nearly whether or not disguised dragons can change their gender.
Equally crazy as this might sound to some of you, the questions isn't really that weird at all!
Yous see, if you've bred reptiles earlier or take e'er happened upon a special on them on the National Geographic channel, and so yous may already be familiar with temperature-dependent sex decision.
For those who aren't already familiar, temperature-dependent sex determination is the idea that the sex of a reptile isn't solely determined by chromosomes, but likewise by the temperatures in their environment during vulnerable stages of development.
In fact, scientists in Australia have even proven that past raising the temperature during incubation and turning what would otherwise exist genetically performance male bearded dragons into that of female disguised dragons.
And so, to answer to the questions "Can bearded dragons change gender?" the answer is tentative one-sided "yes".
Males tin can get female person during early development BUT females cannot go males.
Should I Become a Male or Female Disguised Dragon?
If you're on the hunt for a disguised dragon and notice yourself wondering, "Should I go a male or a female bearded dragon?", then just know this…
General day-to-day care will be the same for males and females. And while many will tell you males tend to have more than personality, the Chief differences you'll see are due to the unlike reproductive organs, which can lead to females laying eggs and males acting frisky during mating season.
In terms of whether a female or male person disguised dragon is correct for you, it is wise to start educate yourself on the reproductive differences betwixt the two.
You see, a female person can become gravid without sex activity. This means that your sweet, piddling innocent female virgin beardie can Withal lay a clutch of eggs every year.
And should she need to lay her eggs? Well, you'll need to have special precautions to ensure she's healthy throughout the entire process and has what she needs to accomplish the chore safely.
In regard to the male friskiness, you can expect your male bearded dragon to become more agitated and ambitious during mating flavor, typically effectually late spring and summer.
This agitation will result in extra head bobbing, black bearding, and even aggression. Information technology may also result in him putting the moves on any nearby, unprotected socks, stuffed animals, or other vulnerable objects.
He may too have what's called a "sperm plug" which you may demand to soak him in a warm bath to help remove.
Wrapping Upwards how to Sex a Bearded Dragon
Then, in that location yous take it! These are just some of the means on how to tell if a bearded dragon is male or female person.
Now, bear in heed that visibility of hemipenal bulges and femoral pores, equally well equally the behavioral patterns, will vary from dragon to dragon… pregnant the suggestions above won't always hold true and as such, should exist taken without somewhat of a grain of common salt.
I hope that past now you not only know how to sex a bearded dragon, simply also have an idea of peradventure which sex would piece of work best for you (if you've yet to adopt!).
Source: https://reptile.guide/how-to-sex-a-bearded-dragon/
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