And although a little bit tricky to figure out for new owners, determining the sex of a bearded dragon is actually quite easy if you know what to look for…
With respective physical differences between males and females, you may be surprised to learn how even the most subtle of physical traits can determine whether your pet is male OR female!
therefore, just keep read to discover how to tell if a bearded draco is male or female AND tell their long time !
How to Sex a Bearded 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 ( not to mention cheapest ) way to discern your beardie ’ sulfur sex – no expensive X-rays necessity !
Knowing your bearded dragon ’ second gender will not alone help you better concern for them but will besides ensure you pick the appropriate name deoxyadenosine monophosphate well !
thus, if you ’ rhenium curious about how to tell the gender of a beard dragon, please consider the following…
Step #1: Look for Hemipenal Bulges
When it comes to how to tell the sexual activity of a beard dragon, you ’ re going to want to start by looking for any hemipenal bulges .
The Hemipenal bulges indicate the presence of a hemipenes, which are inner male sexual activity organs often found in reptiles like lizards and snakes .
In the case of a male bearded dragon, you will notice 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 look for any shadowing.
besides, you can gently ( and I mean GENTLY ) raise the tail up a short to see if that helps the hemipenal bulges protrude a little more .
For a female bearded dragon, the bulge will be more concentrate, between the circus tent of the buttocks and the tops of the back peg. A single, slightly protruding bump that is centered will indicate a female .
Step #2: Try the Flashlight Test
This future mistreat in how to tell the sex of a beard dragon plainly expands on the former step…
Basically, if you’re having trouble noticing/finding the hemipenal bulges, you can grab a flashlight and basically shine it through the dragon’s tail.
With a male, you should notice two elongate 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 #3: Look at the Size of the Femoral Pores
Femoral pores are glands that can be found on the inwardly second joint of specific species of lizards and amphibians .
In the case of beard dragons, femoral pores are how they excrete pheromones, most normally during their coupling season .
And while both males AND female bearded dragons will have femoral pores, a male bearded dragon ’ south will tend to be much more pronounce and noticeable .
To locate the femoral pores, search on the bottom of the leg. You ’ ll want to pay close up attention to the bottom of their second joint or above the stifle, as femoral pores will run from stifle to knee .
Step #4: Consider Their Behavior
Although not as accurate of a way to determine the bearded draco sex and decidedly up for a lot speculation…
Some owners and specialists believe you can accurately depict a bearded dragon’s gender based on observing their behavior.
For case, bearded dragons who exhibit black beard more frequently are assumed to typically be male, while female bearded dragons are those who commit more arm waving .
More than anything, if you ’ re wondering how to sex a bearded dragon, you ’ ll credibly want to stick with the beginning 3 methods .
How to Sex a Baby Bearded Dragon
When it comes to how to sex a baby bearded draco, the process international relations and security network ’ t quite as easy. You see, in club to determine a beard draco ’ south sex, you’ll need to wait until they’re at least 4 weeks old.
And sure, you can guess… but it ’ south honestly merely a 50/50 casual of being right .
immediately, some people claim you can tell the gender once a draco reaches round 8 weeks old and this may be truthful under the right circumstances, such as when a reptile adept is involved .
however, typically you’re going to have to wait until 5 to 6 months to be able to make any reliable, educated guess at the gender.
Why ?
well, this is when a bearded dragon ’ sulfur body started more intelligibly developing signs of the hemipenal bulges .
now, you might be able to decipher the gender before 5 to 6 months, particularly if you ’ re an experience owner or breeder.
Read more: Do Male Dogs Have Nipples?
however, most first-time owners will be able to most clearly determine gender around the 6 month-mark, give or take a month .
Determining Bearded Dragon Age
now, with all this talk of having to wait around 6 months to tell a baby bearded draco ’ sulfur age, you may find yourself wondering…
“ How old is my bearded dragon ? ”
If this sounds like you, you can constantly get an estimate on old age by looking at the total length of your beardie .
In fact, I’ve actually made a helpful infographic (above) to help you estimate your beardie’s age based on their length!
however, you can use more than a bearded dragon ’ s body duration to get an mind of if they ’ ra old enough to be sexed .
Ask yourself the following 2 questions to help determine if your bearded dragon is at least 6 months erstwhile and can be sexed…
1. Is your bearded dragon at least 10 inches long?
If so, there is a probability they could be 6 months old, seeing as this tends to be the shortest most HEALTHY 6 calendar month dragons will measure .
immediately, a better indication that your bearded dragon is at least 6 months old, is if they measure 14-15 inches. This is a more distinctive length for bearded dragons at this long time .
2. Does your bearded dragon weigh at least 200 grams?
On the small side, bearded dragons at 6 months of age will tend to weigh at least 200 grams, give or take .
however, a healthy and larger bearded dragon will credibly weight more like 230-260 grams at this age .
Please note that the weight and length criteria mentioned above are NOT concrete and there will naturally be bearded dragons that are these sizes well before 6 months or even much later .
however, these measurements are plainly what you can expect from a 6-month-old beard draco .
Can Bearded Dragons Change Gender?
As a reptile owner and educator, it isn ’ t besides uncommon for me to be asked about gender differences between certain species. And every once in awhile, I get asked about whether or not bearded dragons can change their sex .
ampere crazy as this might sound to some of you, the questions isn ’ thyroxine actually that eldritch at all !
You see, if you ’ ve bred reptiles before or have always happened upon a particular on them on the National Geographic channel, then you may already be companion with temperature-dependent sex decision .
For those who aren ’ thymine already familiar, temperature-dependent sex determination is the theme that the sex of a reptile international relations and security network ’ metric ton entirely determined by chromosomes, but besides by the temperatures in their environment during vulnerable stages of development .
In fact, scientists in Australia have even proven that by raising the temperature during incubation and turning what would otherwise be genetically functioning male bearded dragons into that of female bearded dragons.
so, to answer to the questions “ Can bearded dragons change gender ? ” the answer is probationary unilateral “ yes ” .
Males can become female during early development BUT females can not become males .
Should I Get a Male or Female Bearded Dragon?
If you ’ re on the hunt for a bearded draco and find yourself wondering, “ Should I get a male or a female bearded draco ? ”, then barely know this…
General daily caution will be the lapp for males and females. And while many will tell you males tend to have more personality, the MAIN differences you ’ ll attend are due to the different generative organs, which can lead to females laying eggs and males acting kittenish during mating season .
In terms of whether a female or male bearded draco is right for you, it is wise to first educate yourself on the generative differences between the two .
You see, a female can become gravid without sex. This means that your sweet, little innocent female virgin beardie can STILL lay a clutch of eggs every year.
And should she need to lay her eggs ? well, you ’ ll need to take special precautions to ensure she ’ south goodly throughout the stallion process and has what she needs to accomplish the undertaking safely .
In see to the male friskiness, you can expect your male bearded dragon to become more agitated and aggressive during mating season, typically around late spring and summer.
This agitation will result in extra head bobsled, black beard, and even aggression. It may besides result in him putting the moves on any nearby, unprotected socks, stuff animals, or other vulnerable objects .
He may besides have what ’ sulfur called a “sperm plug” which you may need to soak him in a warm bathe to help remove .
Wrapping Up how to Sex a Bearded Dragon
sol, there you have it ! These are equitable some of the ways on how to tell if a bearded dragon is male or female.
now, bear in mind that visibility of hemipenal bulges and femoral pores, deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as the behavioral patterns, will vary from draco to dragon… meaning the suggestions above won ’ t constantly hold on-key and as such, should be taken without slightly of a granulate of salt .
I hope that by now you not merely know how to sex a beard dragon, but besides have an theme of possibly which sex would work well for you ( if you ’ ve however to adopt ! ) .
