There are two explanations for how to tell if a bearded dragon is male or female. Sexing your beardie can be quick and easy on most occasions. The two basic methods involve inspecting something we call “hemipenal bulges.”
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Method 1: Checking Sex By Looking Above The Vent
This first method of sex, a bearded dragon, is the quickest and most straightforward of the two. We begin by placing the bearded dragon on a table or any other flat surface the specimen will be comfortable on. Once the bearded dragon has been placed on the flat surface, proceed to lift the tail up to a 90º angle. The next step is to take a love slightly above the vent on the tail side.
How To Tell If It Is A Male Bearded Dragon?
If your bearded dragon specimen is a male, you’ll notice it has bulges called “hemipenal bulges,” one on each side of the tail base. As long as you have good eyesight and your bearded dragon is calm enough, this method should allow you to see if the bearded dragon is a male or not.
How To Tell If It Is A Female Bearded Dragon?
We can use the same method to find out if the bearded dragon is a female. We lift the tail to a 90º angle and look for one bulge instead of two. It should be located in the center, just under the tail.
The method is easy to apply and won’t take longer than a few seconds to properly sex your bearded dragons.
Method two: Using A Flashlight To Find The Bulges
The second method is the same as the first; we lift the tail and check for bulges. However, a bearded dragon might be of darker coloration. In this case, a flashlight should help in finding the bumps.
We simply place the breaded dragon on a flat surface and lift the tail again to a 90-degree angle. We then flashlight at the underside of the specimen. If the bearded dragon is male, we’ll be able to see both hemipenal bulges, and if it is a female, we should be able to see the central bulge.
How Soon Can I Tell The Sex Of A Bearded Dragon?
Using either method, you can usually determine the sex of a bearded dragon within the first week of hatching. However, if you want to be entirely certain whether the bearded hatchling dragon is male or female, you can wait until week 10 to week 12.
By the time they are 10 to 12 weeks old, bearded dragons are bigger and easier to handle since they’ve calmed down quite a bit. Of course, 10 to 12 weeks is also when young beardies are old enough to be taken to their new homes, which works fine.
Do Male And Female Bearded Dragons Behave Differently?
Some breeders agree that they can simply tell the sex of a bearded dragon by monitoring its behavior. In general, bearded dragons display some behavioral characteristics that might reveal their sex; however, it is still much more complex and requires much more experience than simply looking for the number of bulges under the bearded dragon.
Turning their beards black (to black-beard) is related to dominance, illness, changes in mood, and mating, of course. This is commonly related to male bearded dragons; however, females have also been known to have a ” black beard. ”
Some experts suggest that digging is a more female dominant behavior. This can be true to some extent since females will dig when they want to start laying eggs. All bearded dragons will do some digging at one point or another, though. Digging is an evolutionary behavior used to lay eggs (females), make a burrow, or look for food.
Aggression can be a telltale sign of an adolescent male bearded dragon; however, that doesn’t mean a female won’t also have similar behavior.
Are Male Bearded Dragons Bigger Than Females?
In the wild, male bearded dragons tend to be longer and heavier than females. Length and weight are factors in captive bearded dragons; however, a few points might alter size differences. For example, an appropriate diet, correct heating set-ups, UVBs, and shade areas might affect beardies’ overall size and development speed.
Some females begin to look wider (and sometimes bigger) than males when they develop egg-bearing bellies. For the most part the males will have a size advantage over the females.
Should You Keep a Male and Female Bearded Dragon Together?
No, you should not keep multiple bearded dragons in one enclosure; even if it is a male and a female, the answer is no.
After a few weeks, bearded dragons are out of the hatchling phase and will begin competing with other beards for space and food. By the 12-week mark, a keeper will see the stark differences in sizes with multiple specimens in one tank.
Some bearded dragons are more dominant than others and will naturally try to take over the enclosure, including food, water, and other resources. This same principle will be applied even if the bearded dragons are male or female or if there is one of each sex. Bearded dragons are solitary and territorial animals, so placing them together might even make them fight over resources, and ultimately one might kill the other, regardless of sex.
Some people have pointed out pictures of multiple bearded dragons in one tank, with one being on top of another. This position is one of dominance, not playfulness, competing for the best spot for heat, shade, or UVB light.
Should I Get a Male or Female Bearded Dragon?
There is no “better” when planning on either getting a male or female bearded dragon, but there are some traits that each poses that are worth looking into.
Male bearded dragons can become more dominant, territorial, and agitated during mating season. The appearance of the mating season depends on the temperature and the weather outside the enclosure.
Many owners will find that the springtime is when males begin to get somewhat restless. This can last several weeks, so they should return to their usual disposition. You might need several bearded dragon toys to keep him busy.
Female bearded dragons have the unique advantage of being egg layers. Female beardies usually reach this phase in development by the ten-month mark. If active, a female can lay as many as three clutches each year. Females also seem to dig more holes than males, even if they aren’t ready to lay eggs.
Conclusion
If you want to know how to tell if a bearded dragon is male or female, you’ll have to check under the specimen by lifting the tail to around 90 degrees and then check for one bulge (female) or two bulges (male).
Both male and female bearded dragons have similar behavior with minor differences. During physical development, males tend to be larger than females.
