NEWS108
38
Thiscultivated form iscalled ”Cawley”.
Just a reminderofwhatwild-coloredbabies look like.
Juvenileof a ”Striped”cultivated form.
high. Females produce between 11 and 16
eggsineveryclutch.Sexualmaturityisattained
attheageof2-3yearsandfemalescanproduce
several clutchesperyear.And that isprecisely
thepoint:even thoughBeardedAgamas lay
eggs,andhence theembryosaren'tnurtured
via theuterusas inmammals,thesubsequent
fitnessoftheyoungisneverthelessstronglyde-
pendentonthestateofhealthofthemother.
Thereareshort-sightedbreederswhoseeonly
thechanceof aquickprofitand treat their fe-
malesas regularbreedingmachines.Among
enthusiaststhisisknownasoverbreeding, and
theresultingyoungstersareveryoftensuscep-
tibletodiseaseandnotproperlyequipped for
survival. These phenomena are then, out of
ignorance,blamedon "inbreeding",when in
fact inbreedinghasnothingatalltodowith it.
Responsibleanimalbreedingalways involves
stringentselectionandpropertreatmentofthe
breeding stock.That costsmoneyandhence
top quality Bearded Agamas are always so-
mewhatmoreexpensive.
GoodqualityBeardedAgamaswillalwayspro-
videyouwitha lotofenjoyment.Nootherrep-
tile combines robustness,attractiveness,and
easeofmaintenance insuchan idealmanner.
Literatur
:
DPIPWE (2011): PestRiskAssessment:Central
beardeddragon (Pogonavitticeps).Depart-
mentof Primary Industries,Parks,Water,and
Environment.Hobart,Tasmania.
Hosking,C. (2010): Central BeardedDragon.
Witten,G.J.&A.J.Coventry (1990):Small Po-
gonavitticeps (Reptilia:Agamidae) from the
BigDesert,Victoria,withnotesonotherPo-
gonapopulations.Proceedingsof theRoyal
SocietyofVictoria102 (2):117-120
Ifyouarenow filledwith thedesire tokeep
and breed Bearded Agamas, your pet
dealer can undoubtedly order them for
you froma trustworthywholesaler, for ex-
ampleTropenparadies inOberhausen,Fax
+490208-665997
