Dragon varieties (Pogona vitticeps)
As our company name implies, we are the originators of the popular bearded dragon color morph Sandfire™. As the saying goes, "often imitated, rarely duplicated" our dragons are the true bloodlines for all Sandfire™ dragons. If you have bought a Sandfire™ from someone else, the chances are extraordinarily high that the bloodline originated right here at Sandfire Dragon Ranch. Just as championship horses, dogs and cats come from championship stock, all TRUE Sandfire™ dragons can trace their heritage to our ranch. Our dragons are of such high quality that one year at a trade show someone bought our relatively inexpensive red/gold color morphs and turned around and sold them at the same show at another booth as "Sandfire™ dragons."
So why buy a Sandfire™ if our red/gold color morph can pass for one? The answer is the same reason that some people buy a Golden Retriever puppy from championship lines while someone else chooses to get their's at the local animal shelter. Either puppy has a chance to become a champion, but the one with championship lines has a far better chance. If you want a pet dragon and are not concerned with coloration or lineage, by all means buy an inexpensive dragon from us, your local pet store, retailer or friend, just be sure to get a healthy animal. All bearded dragons make wonderful pets. If you want a guaranteed true Sandfire™ dragon, there is still only one place to get them and that is from us.
Sandfire™ dragons were our first attempt at selective breeding. Of the natural red/gold hatchlings originally held back for breeding stock, 4% developed into the brilliant and beautiful red/orange lizards featured in our advertisements. In 1994 we bred these 4% and held back the offspring for future breeding stock. By two years of age, 80% of these had developed the coloration of the parents. Though percentages fluctuate somewhat, to date the vast majority of offspring from this stock continue to develop true Sandfire coloration.
We have a small number of adults that are a solid orange-gold color. They are similar to our Sandfire™ adults in that they exhibit a solid and often pattern-less color, but are more on the yellow-gold side of the spectrum. Over the past few years we have discovered that they often produce as many red-orange offspring as they do gold, making the gold morph increasingly rarer. By carefully selecting individuals and modifying environmental factors such as diet, light and heat we are gradually improving our ratios and hope to be able to offer these spectacular dragons in greater quantities in the near future.
Prices and Availibility
We have achieved excellent results with this combination in the past. As the name implies, these animals are a combination of our Sandfire™ dragons and our Red/Gold dragons. We have kept many of these crosses back for breeding stock and have discovered that they are very hardy and often have spectacular colors and patterns. Although the colors they attain are usually within the spectrum of red/gold, they are typically at the more colorful end of that spectrum. Frequently these offspring grow up to have coloration very similar to the Sandfire™ when kept in the sun.
Red/Gold or red phased dragons are a geographical variation or color morph of Pogona vitticeps. They are similar to the standard form except that they are generally much more colorful as adults. Their color is quite variable throughout their development, as well as during the day, depending upon temperature, stress, mood, etc. Outdoors, the most common coloration in adults is an orange head with a tan or straw colored body. The head color varies from yellow, gold, orange and red. These colors are often not readily apparent in hatchlings. The colors develop with age, initially on the head, and later as a backdrop over the rest of the body. In our work with these animals, we have found that coloration becomes darker and richer with exposure to natural sunlight (i.e. animals that are yellowish indoors tend to become orange if raised outdoors for a month or more). We obtained a small group of these lizards in 1992 and our focus since that time has been on building up our breeding stock and selectively breeding for better and more consistent color. Prices and Availibility
These are a hypomelanistic form of the Red/Gold dragon. They are unique
in that they can be recognized at the hatchling stage as lacking black pigment.
They have clear claws and often have purplish markings where most bearded
dragons have dark brown. As subadults they become ornately colored in light
shades or straw yellow-gold, orange and red with light blue-gray in the
dorsal pattern and on the shoulder epaulets. As adults the males tend to
have gold heads with bright orange around the eyes and a straw colored body
while the females retain some of their subadult pattern. When kept under
artificial lights they are likely to be very light with little color, while
outdoor specimens tend to have a lot of yellow, orange, and red. Many years
ago we held back the few of these that we produced and now have a substantial
breeding colony. We are happy to report that when bred together most of
the resulting offspring have the characteristics of the original animals.
Prices and Availibility
These are our newest dragon project at the ranch. In October of 2001 we obtained a few breeding pairs of these fascinating dragons. Ghostly in appearance, these dragons lack white pigment and have jet black or dark blue eyes. Juveniles and some adults are semi-transparent, and in some the hemipenes are visible through the skin. Adults of this morph also seem to be extraordinarily large; representing some of the larger individuals in our entire dragon collection. After careful and selective breeding we were able to offer the first of these unusual dragons to the public in 2003. Although most are ashy gray or muted white in color, some are exhibiting pronounced color variances such as purple and vivid orange. Upon a translucent background these colors are even more intense.