Bearded Dragon Breeders in the US and the UK

The bearded dragon is one of the most popular pet reptiles, resulting in many beardie breeders and “breeders” and a huge number of lizards available to buy.

But what makes a good bearded dragon breeder?

Even more so, what makes a beardie breeder “the best?” A Dragon Master?

There is no simple, one-sentence answer to this question. You can find the detailed one just below our breeders’ list.

“Breeders’ list,”?

Exactly – we’ve created the list of the best beardie breeders from the US and the UK. This is by no means a complete list – I am sure that there are more breeders out there that could qualify. However, these are certainly outstanding operations, cataloged here, so you don’t have to start the search from scratch.

Best Bearded Dragon Breeders In The US

Without further ado, here is the list of some well-known bearded dragon breeders from the US. Most have been in the business for decades – beardie pioneers even – while others are promising fresh faces, knowledgeable, and worthy of attention.

Atomic Lizard Ranch (Arizona)

Owners: Paul & Collette Latimer

Address: Atomic Lizard Ranch, PO Box 5644, Bisbee, AZ 85603

Phone: 520-432-9161

Email: collette@atomiclizardranch.net

Website: https://atomiclizardranch.net/bearded-dragon-adoption-rescues/

Social network page: https://www.facebook.com/atomiclizardranch

Atomic Lizard Ranch is one of US’s oldest – if not the oldest – bearded dragon breeding operation. Instantly enamored with beardies upon the first introduction to the species, Collette and Paul have been raising them since 1991. From 1996 onwards, they settled in Bisbee, Arizona – an ambient very similar to a bearded dragon’s original Australian home.

Over the years, Collete and Paul have worked with numerous morphs and created two unique ones – the Citrus phase (1998) and Red Gala Phase (2011). Besides these, they work with Red, Citrus, Orange, Hypo, and many other colors and patterns.

If you’re planning on doing business with the Atomic Lizard Ranch, two words of caution 1) all baby dragons they offer are sold pretty fast, so you have to stay on your toes, and 2) the Ranch has been so well known that there have been scammers contacting customers, introducing themselves as a fake employee.! Always use their official contacts listed above and do not reply to “Atomic ranch people” reaching out to you first – it’s not the breeder’s policy to do that.

Also, it is very kind and thoughtful that The Ranch offers their retired or rescued beardies as pets for adoption from time to time – so keep an eye on their Dragon Adoption section if interested.

Phantom Dragons (California)

Owner: Josh Dovenbarger & Tracy Saltmarsh

Website: https://phantomdragonsinc.com/

Email: info@phantomdragonsinc.com

Social networks: https://facebook.com/phantomdragonsinc

Price Range: $240.00 – $1,400.00

The Oceanside, California-based operation called Phantom Dragons has been breeding reptiles for more than 20 years – with bearded dragons being the central point of focus.

Phantom Dragons take pride in offering animals with exceptional health and genetics. They’ve been big in the morph world as well – Josh is the creator of Recessive Leatherback. However, his most ambitious project is the hybrid dragon: Pogona vitticeps x Pogona barbata. These guys have dramatic patterns, bulky heads, and large spikes.

Besides the US, Phantom Dragons have been successful worldwide, sending their dragons practically all over the world, including far South Korea.

A fun offer from Phantom Dragons is called the Mystery Box (Breeder’s Choice Sale).

By ordering a Mystery Box, you get one of the ten available bearded dragons. Which one’s – well, it’s a surprise and the point of the whole “Mystery” deal. It is the most affordable Phantom Dragon offer too, but it applies to US residents only.

Josh and Tracy also work with Crested Geckos and Chahoua Geckos.

FairyTail Dragons (Florida)

Owner: Heather Moye

Phone: +1 407-931-6881

Email: fairytaildragons@gmail.com

Website: https://fairytaildragons.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FairyTail-Dragons-LLC-107837519305607/

FairyTail Dragons is a licensed bearded dragon breeding operation, active for more than 15 years. They take pride in offering “healthy, hand-raised, socialized bearded dragons.”

Although FairyTail Dragons describe themselves as a small-scale family business, there is one fairly lavish fact about them.

When talking about reptile breeders, we usually think of closed facilities. Well, not at FairyTail Dragons! They utilize the warm and comfy Florida weather to raise their dragons in outdoor enclosures. And boy, Heather’s beardies all have their personal Mar-a-Lago-s!

Not being constricted by building size, the FairyTail Dragon crew has been able to build larger-than-usual wooden enclosures that allow their beardies to soak up the Florida sun – and the rain, but only if they want to! The lizards obviously enjoy this treatment – all FairyTail dragons look healthy and vigorous.

Another impressive fact is that Heather works with all beardie mutations, meaning the potential for creating very impressive-looking dragon babies.

Doshi’s Dragons (Elk Mound, Wisconsin)

Owner: Brandon Smith

Elk Mound, WI 54739, USA

Phone: 7158696755

Email: doshisdragons@gmail.com

Website: https://www.morphmarket.com/stores/doshi2017/

Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/dragons4lyfe/

Doshi’s Dragons is a family-owned business that specializes in quality bearded dragons and works on some interesting morphs.

The operation is named after Doshi, the father of the first clutch they ever produced. Doshi is still living his best life with Brandon & Co. but is retired from the breeding program. In my opinion, the treatment of Doshi shows that individual animals matter to the breeder – which is fundamental for good care and producing quality animals.

Doshi’s dragons are relatively small-scale beardie breeders. In 2019, they owned nine adult dragons and had had only one main breeding project.

Some of the most attractive lizards they offer are different iterations of the trans(lucent) morph. These include, but are not limited to Admiral Blue/Kings Gold Hypo Trans, White/Nutmeg Brown

Hypo Trans, Cardinal Crimson/Concord Grape Hypo Trans Dunner, Limeade/Classic Caramel Hypo Dunner Het Trans, and others.

Dachiu Bearded Dragons (Pennsylvania)

Owner: Vickie Dachiu

Phone: +1 570-462-219

Website: https://www.dachiubeardeddragons.com/

Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/DachiuDragons

The wife-husband team behind the Dachiu Bearded Dragons has been into beardies since 1996. They work with most available Pogona vitticeps morphs, including red, orange, and yellow color morphs, hypomelanistics, leatherbacks, translucent, hypo translucent, Dunner, genetic stripes, Witblits, and Paradox. Naturally, due to their experience and offer, they are very active in reptile shows.

Another interesting detail is a lengthy entry on their website about their newly-renovated breeding facility, with special coverage of an often-overlooked issue in reptile rooms – air quality.

Dachiu dragons also have a policy of selling beardie babies at a minimum of 6-7 inches long, with the sexing available upon request, and providing their own care sheet just like most breeders on this list. They also work with pet shops and wholesale customers but demand preliminary inquiries.

If you’re interested in Dachiu Bearded Dragons, please check out the timetable on their contact page to find the appropriate times to make a call, as this is an atypical, family-run business.

Kids And Dragons (San Antonio, Texas)

Address: 209 Majestic Oaks Dr Boerne, TX

Phone: +1 210-846-9225

Email: beardies@kidsanddragons.com

Website: https://kidsanddragons.com/

We all know that beardies are among kids’ favorite pets. However, for Kids And Dragons of San Antonio, breeding and raising dragons is no child’s play.

Situated on a 10-acre Texas ranch, this family-owned, in-home breeding facility offer a wide range of beardie colors and morphs. They state they specialize in Blue-bars but work with other amazing morphs as well.

As an extra, this breeder’s Youtube Channel has a lot of interesting information for beginner enthusiasts. Here are the brains behind Kids And Dragons – one in front and one behind the camera – introducing some of the morphs they own.

LDR Reptiles (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Owner: Liam Finnegan

Address: 9755 Friar Drive, Eden Prairie, 55347 MN

Website: https://www.morphmarket.com/stores/ldrreptiles/#store-ratings

Social media pages: https://www.instagram.com/ldrreptilesllc/

LDR Reptiles are a small, registered family business in Minneapolis that takes “great pride in producing happy and healthy Bearded Dragons.” All their dragons are said to be handled daily for taming and contact plus allowed to roam freely in a large exercise room.

Although a relatively new face on the scene, LDR Reptiles absolutely deserves mention for at least three reasons.

First of all, it is so rare to find a breeder who categorically states that his mission is to produce healthy and long-living beardies. Liam was disappointed by the fact that the beauty of morphs does not guarantee the pretty lizard’s longevity and has pledged to change that in his breeding lines.

Number two, his lizards are beautiful, and he has some promising individuals. Liam takes excellent care of all his lizards – new owners have to sign a contract guaranteeing the animal’s wellbeing. It may sound like an easy thing to do, but keeping an eye on the fates of 400 offspring yearly takes some serious dedication.

The third point is where things get personal. There is an amazing story behind the conception of the LDR Reptiles. Working with dragons has helped Liam save himself from a particular downward spiral, and his story is genuinely touching.

LDM Reptiles also offer attractive discounts: 10% off for all Veterans and 5% off for first responders.

Best Bearded Dragon Breeders in the UK

The state of the UK bearded dragon market is a bit less favorable than across the pond. In recent years, many pro breeders have closed shops because of the growing expenses and the inability to compete with the low prices of large pet stores and amateur breeders.

The simple fact is that the UK is a smaller reptile market in general, and being specialized in a single species simply doesn’t pay off. Thus, you might have to include searching for your future beardie pet with reptile stores as well. However, there are still UK-based bearded dragon breeders that are thriving and are definitely worth checking out.

Dragonmorphs (Wallasey, England)

Owner: Olaf ?

Address: 17 Rudgrave Square, Wallasey, Merseyside England, CH44 0EL

Phone: +44 7510 305180

Website: http://www.dragonmorphs.co.uk/

Social network page: https://www.facebook.com/dragonmorphs.co.uk/

Price range: £70 – £500

Another still-standing specialized dragon breeder, Dragonmorphs has been in the business for 12+ years, selling online and at reptile expos.

As for morphs, Olaf is quite serious about working with them – the business is called Dragon Morphs after all. He has been collecting individuals from different bloodlines both from Europe and the US to ensure outcrossing instead of inbreeding. Also, he has had some unique breeder success: in 2011, they produced the first Hypo Trans Silkback in England, and in 2013 the first Hypo Leather Dunner in the UK.

The only current negative impression is the non-functioning website which doesn’t allow you to explore anything beyond the home page with basic info nor access the care sheet. The main source of online information currently is the Facebook page. Hopefully, that will change.

Reptile Cymru (Cardiff, South Wales)

Owners: Ben & Christy Bruckner

Address: 391 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff, CF51JG

Phone: 02920 190291

Website: https://www.reptilecymru.co.uk/

Email: support@reptilecymru.co.uk

Social networks page: https://www.facebook.com/reptilecymrucardiff/

Price range: around £150.00

Reptile Cymru is a long-standing specialized exotic animal breeder, supplier, and seller, working since 2007, located in Cardiff and providing service across the UK.

Besides being a long-running successful business, the Reptile Cymru crew has been passionate about education, conservation, and raising the standards for reptile care. As they nicely put it: “We believe in contributing to the community and working towards education and conservation, ensuring that reptiles & exotics will be available both in the wild and in captivity, for the future generations.” I couldn’t agree more on how an ethical reptile business should operate!

Reptile Cymru hatch their own beardies and are primarily focused on reds, including Hypo Red Leatherbacks and Hypo Red Translucents.

Special Mention Pet Store: Lincoln Reptiles (Lincoln, England)

Owners: The Alyss family

Address: 142 Newark Rd, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN5 8QF

Phone: General Enquiries: 01522 523 630; Emergency Calls: 07960 444 043

Website: https://lincolnreptileandpets.co.uk

Email: hello@lincolnreptileandpets.co.uk

Lincoln Reptiles (full name: Lincoln Reptile And Pet Centre) has sprouted from a classic pet shop with half a century of tradition.

For 11 years, they have been successfully specializing in reptiles, holding the 5-star animal activity license (AAL 2022/0007). Over that time, they have built relationships with quality breeders from UK and Europe, from which they source their stock. What that means is that Lico

What’s special about Lincoln Reptiles and what made me add them to the list despite not being breeders is their ethics. They go to great lengths to ensure reptile welfare and proper care, both in-store and in the animal’s new homes. They check photos of their reptile’s future setups and refuse to sell if it is inadequate or the potential new owner has not done enough research on housing, diet, and other important aspects of beardie care.

How do I find a reputable bearded dragon breeder?

Now that you have the list, I have to tell you that’s not the end of it.

I’d like to equip you with information and knowledge that will help you assess and pick the right breeder, no matter where you live.

The issue is this. Bearded dragons are not just popular to own. They are also relatively easy to breed, even by rookie reptile keepers.

What that means for the bearded dragon market is that there are many, many people offering them for sale – from large-scale generalist reptile breeders and traders to bearded dragon pair owners whose pets have had some babies.

Due to the sheer quantity of dragons on the market, having some bad apples in there is inevitable.

Here’s how to avoid them.

What to Look Out for When Looking for a Breeder?

How do you avoid the bad reptile breeders?

I would say by identifying what a good, responsible breeder is!

Here are several tips on recognizing trustworthy bearded dragon breeders (the bad ones would be the opposites of these points).

• They don’t hide their real, legal name.
• There are more ways to contact them than just a social media page*.
• They have a specialized facility, or at least a reptile room, available for potential customers to visit upon agreement.
• Their facility is not overcrowded with animals.
• The enclosures are clean and equipped in tune with relevant care sheets for the species.
• They do not overbreed their animals and still own some reptiles that have been retired from the breeding program.
• They can introduce you to their breeding program (even on a small scale) and offer meaningful information.
• They answer customers’ questions thoroughly and enthusiastically.
• They are very professional, straightforward, and upfront about shipment.
• You see their name popping up online in a variety of places (e.g., forums and Facebook groups) in a positive context; their reviews online are numerous, positive, and don’t seem fake (e.g., a large number of five stars with no comments whatsoever).
• They use regular payment methods for online purchases.

*Social media – Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok in this case – have become a primary means of communication for younger generations, and many don’t feel the need to have a regular website for their business. Still, I’d be cautious about a breeder unwilling to put up their real name, phone number, or address. I’m saying this because I’ve seen plenty of recommendations for social media-based breeders with very little or no personal info. While these are possibly responsible individuals, I am still not comfortable including them on our breeder’s list.

Can I Buy A Bearded Dragon From An Amateur Breeder?

An amateur “bedroom” beardie breeder would be someone who, commonly, owns just a couple of dragons and decides to try breeding them.

I’m sure that there are many responsible people even in this category. However, it is simply harder to ensure they’re truly quality dragon breeders just by browsing the ads.

And I don’t think it’s all evil intention. Bad things can happen accidentally and due to the lack of in-depth knowledge. For example, even if the amateur breeder has provided the best care for both beardie parents and offspring, if they come from a bad gene pool, you still may get issues with your pet regardless of their effort to produce happy and healthy animals.

Just to be clear – there are no 100% health and quality guaranteers with any deal. However, the chances of acquiring a happy, healthy dragon increase exponentially if you decide to buy from a reputable breeder.

Specialized Bearded Dragon Breeders

There is another type of beardie breeder. The pro.

Specialized breeders work with only one or just a handful of species. When we say “the best bearded dragon breeders,” usually they fall into this category.

Additionally, specialized breeders are usually into high-end morphs – breeding established ones and even creating their own.

What are the characteristics of a professional bearded dragon breeder?

They include all of the above, plus:

• Their business is registered and licensed.
• They have an established breeding program.
• They work with selected morphs and/or create their own (consequently, most animals are usually pricy).
• They carefully track the genetics of all dragons they breed.
• They are not apprehensive about sharing their rich experience with you.
• They have Terms Of Service – essentially rules of doing business that is in the best interest of their animals.
• They offer Return Policy and a Health Guarantee.
• They participate in local reptile shows and are a part of the community.

So, why should you check out the offer of pro breeders even if you’re not planning on catching the morph craze and getting a rare color?

The reason is simple: these breeders are highly skilled, invest greatly in their business, and care about their reputation. That means there’s a higher chance that you’ll get a healthy animal (and great care advice) no matter the morph.

If you’re worried about prices, most specialized bearded dragon breeders have a lower price range consisting of common morphs, adults retired from the breeding program, or rescues. These dragons cost way less than the high-end, rare morphs, but you can be qute certain you’re getting an animal that has had the best start in life and the best care.

To Sum It Up

I hope that this is one helpful breeder list for all prospective beardie owners out there. Even if you’re not a potential customer, it is quite enjoyable and useful to view all the pro breeding operations, with their unique tweaks and highlight, right? Maybe you’ll be inspired, at least.

I need to stress once again – when dealing with living creatures, there is no guarantee for a 100 percent success rate with any breeder, no matter how experienced. Nevertheless, with professional breeders, the responsibility set through the well-established health guarantees and return policies allows for a satisfactory customer experience even if you happen to have bad luck with the animal you bought.

When you sum it all up – responsibility, quality, experience, and dedication are what you should be looking for in “the best” beardie breeder.

If you’ve enjoyed this article and found it useful, please share and help introduce the world to all these awesome dragon breeders and enthusiasts. Also, let us know your experience with beardie breeders by dropping a comment below!