Bearded Dragon morphs and genetics
A small gene set with one genuine welfare decision built into it — the Silkback, which is the super form of Leatherback.
Working with bearded dragon genetics
Bearded dragon genetics are modest in number and mostly recessive, with colour handled largely by selective breeding rather than by named genes. Red is polygenic, and no calculator can put a percentage on it.
The one gene every breeder should understand before pairing is Leatherback, because its super form carries a real cost.
What makes this species different
Leatherback is co-dominant, and two copies produce a Silkback — an animal with essentially no scales. Silkbacks have significant, well-documented welfare problems: they shed poorly, dehydrate readily and are prone to skin damage. Breeding two Leatherbacks together produces roughly 25% Silkbacks, which makes it a decision rather than an accident, and HerpSync shows the number before the pairing rather than after.
Every curated bearded dragon gene
Grouped by mode of inheritance. This is the dataset the HerpSync calculator runs on, published in full — the flags in the last column are what a standard Punnett square gets wrong.
Recessive (4)
Two copies to showNeeds a copy from each parent to be visible. One copy makes a het — an animal that looks normal and carries the gene.
- Hypomelanistic
Reduced melanin; clear nails. Also called: Hypo.
- Translucent
Blue-black eyes; reduced pattern. Also called: Trans.
- Witblits
Patternless, muted.
- Zero
Patternless, near-greyscale.
Co-dominant (1)
One copy shows, two make a superOne copy changes the animal's appearance; two copies produce a distinct, usually more extreme super form with its own name.
- Leatherback
Super form: Silkback
Reduced scalation; Silkback (super) is scaleless.
Dominant (1)
One copy shows, two look the sameOne copy is enough to see the trait, and two copies look no different from one — so there is no super form to breed for.
- Dunner
Disrupted scale/pattern direction.
Polygenic / line-bred (1)
Selected, not switched onThe result of many genes plus selective breeding. It intensifies over generations and cannot be predicted by a Punnett square.
- Red
Red coloration; line-bred/selective.
Breeding and incubation
Eggs incubate around 60 days at 28–30°C, and females mature at roughly a year, though breeding at first maturity is hard on them. Clutches are large and a female can produce several in a season, so tracking output per female over a season is where the useful data is.
- Scientific name
- Pogona vitticeps
- Group
- Bearded Dragons & Agamas
- Reproduction
- Egg-laying
- Incubation
- ~60 days
- Maturity
- ~12 months
- Young are called
- Hatchlings in a clutch
Timings are husbandry-typical approximations used for projections and reminders, not veterinary scheduling. Every figure can be adjusted per workspace.
Try a pairing
Pick genes for two bearded dragon parents and see the full odds — per gene and per combination — with no account and nothing to install.
Common questions
What is a Silkback bearded dragon?
A Silkback is a bearded dragon with two copies of the Leatherback gene, leaving it effectively scaleless. Silkbacks have well-documented welfare problems with shedding, hydration and skin damage. Two Leatherbacks bred together produce roughly 25% Silkbacks — HerpSync shows that figure when you plan the pairing.
Track your bearded dragons properly
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