Differences between male and female?

[syzygy]

OK, so I took enough biology in school to not have the obvious difference pointed out.

We're planning to purchase a BD in a couple weeks and I now want to get thoughts on getting a boy versus a girl.

What I've read so far is that males get larger than females, are more colorful, are more easy going with human interaction, are less picky eaters and obviously they don't lay eggs. For these reasons it seems like males are more often recommended for pets.

I know that all of this has to be taken with a grain of salt (or several) as all individuals are unique. I'm still quite open to getting a female, but the egg thing seems like a bit of a hassle. How often do they produce eggs and at what age range do they do this? Is it stressful for them? A buddy of mine had females geckos and said that he lost both well before their natural time due to complications during egg laying.

As always, any feedback appreciate!

 

[Hdrydr31]

OK, so I took enough biology in school to not have the obvious difference pointed out.

We're planning to purchase a BD in a couple weeks and I now want to get thoughts on getting a boy versus a girl.

What I've read so far is that males get larger than females, are more colorful, are more easy going with human interaction, are less picky eaters and obviously they don't lay eggs. For these reasons it seems like males are more often recommended for pets.

I know that all of this has to be taken with a grain of salt (or several) as all individuals are unique. I'm still quite open to getting a female, but the egg thing seems like a bit of a hassle. How often do they produce eggs and at what age range do they do this? Is it stressful for them? A buddy of mine had females geckos and said that he lost both well before their natural time due to complications during egg laying.

As always, any feedback appreciate!

Yes males get bigger than the females, Not all males are more colorful (my common female is more colorful than my common male, now my baby male leatherback is more colorful). Both males and females are pretty equal with handling with the knowledge that males can be more active busy bodies than the females.. But my 2 males have really not been any different than my female in handling. I think both sexes can be just as picky. Yes females can lay eggs but not all do. Males can and do get sperm plugs, typically they can get them out on their own.....Males can be quite busy bodies so they can be more active. Yes it's pretty dragon specific and varies...

Females may or may not become gravid, I believe once they become over a year they can start, not sure on how often they have clutches, it takes alot of calcium to make eggs so it is important to stay on top of supplements and offer up more calcium after laying eggs. Knowing your dragon and what her normal is and having them vetted is important to make sure they are healthy..Yes females can become egg bound that requires vet assistance, and can cost more $ than a male.

 

[PatsyB]

My male is bigger than my females only in girth. He's actually a lot shorter than my females are. They aren't exactly more friendly or easier. My male where he will usually eat anything that I put in front of him and he poops on a regular cycle, he isn't one to be held for long periods of time. He's got girls to see! He was also the one that glass danced in his tank for 8 hours a day for 3 years! Nothing I did for him made him stop, he just eventually grew out of it.

Medical wise my girls have given me the most headache. They are the most loving. Neither have laid eggs yet, thank God, but one has a granuloma in her mouth and a mass in her belly and the other is healthy but because she is a rescue everything she does makes me think there is something wrong with her LOL. Girls can lay eggs or become egg bound but boys can also make sperm plugs and get impacted sperm plugs. So it makes it hard to say what sex is better.

 

[BrookeE]

I have a female that is about 7 years old. She laid one batch of eggs a year ago, and hasn't laid any since. Got through it just fine without a vet. I think it was more stressful for me than for her since i didn't really know what to do for her lol. I had to set up a lay box for her and keep her hydrated and extra nourishment afterwards. But she did most of the work and just like that, it was over. Some females never lay eggs, some do a lot, some do only once or a couple times. I don't think its enough of a hassle to avoid getting a female.

 

[Honeybadger]

I only have the one female, but she is the calmest little girl ever. She also are more extreme than most on the egg past so that's where I thought I could be useful. She lays one clutch of 15-30 egg once a month, and takes care of most of it on her own as long as I put her in her sand box when she starts digging, and get a good meal when she's done.
But this is the extreme, I have never heard of any other dragons doing this, it may be because she was kept on the verge of neglect and malnutrition for the first year of her life, or she is just extremely fertile. (She had 7 clutches this year from january to August)

 

[Twinkie13]

That's insane.

My 2 cents, get a male. Avoid the egg thing. Advice given to me by a breeder. Especially if it's your 1st .

 

[PatsyB]

I only have the one female, but she is the calmest little girl ever. She also are more extreme than most on the egg past so that's where I thought I could be useful. She lays one clutch of 15-30 egg once a month, and takes care of most of it on her own as long as I put her in her sand box when she starts digging, and get a good meal when she's done.
But this is the extreme, I have never heard of any other dragons doing this, it may be because she was kept on the verge of neglect and malnutrition for the first year of her life, or she is just extremely fertile. (She had 7 clutches this year from january to August)

My crested gecko lays 2 eggs a month like clockwork. She's in a bio tank so her whole tank is a dig box. I've learned to tell the signs so I know when to start looking for them.