Introducing New Beardies in different enclosures

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I recently adopted a second Bearded Dragon who apparently was never named, so I'll be giving them one soon. But she (I believe) is in a separate tank away from my younger male, and despite being a few feet away from each other minimum, the older, larger one has been nearly non stop bobbing her head and trying to push against the glass.

Smaller one is doing the slow head bob and wave motions. I believe the older one is establishing its dominance and the younger is submitting?

My question is -- how long does this go on for? I don't intend to introduce them directly for a long time if at all, but I'd like to know if this is alright, and how long it takes for them to get use to each other so neither is stressed out.

Also is there anything I can do to ease things?
Thanks!
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, unfortunately they should never even be allowed to see each other let alone hang out. It is VERY stressful for males especially that have the urge to mate or fight. Seeing the other dragon is non stop stress, so it would be good to keep them from seeing each other. You might put up cardboard or just put a tank in a different room.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
If both are boys , they must actually be allowed to out together - it will end badly if they do.

As already mentioned, two boys shouldn't be allowed to even see each other , best to either house in separate rooms or stack their tanks (so they don't have an opportunity to see each other).

If one is female, stacking their tanks is a very good idea too.
Best not to let them be out together , OK if the boy "visits" the girl when he is out , so long as she is safe in her tank …. you can enjoy watching them flirting with no risk of any physical contact.
 

LunarFirefly

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The one I've had longest is too young to properly identify. I checked and I can't tell if it's a male or female but the pet store said it was male. I've read that they don't really start showing their gender until they're older, which makes sense. Seems quite a few people mistake them for being one gender and they turn out to be the opposite. Was how it went with the male I just adopted. Previous owner thought he was a female the entire time he had her because that's what he was told.

The one I just adopted is pretty aggressive (read: establishing his dominance) towards everyone and everything except when I pick him up. Lots of head bobbing, and trying to climb out of the tank as well as generally pushing against the glass. But he does it towards me too. When I pick him up he's fairly chill, and I've even gone out on walks with him on my shoulder while taking my dog out.

The younger one has more or less started ignoring him. I'll notice the little arm waves and stuff from time to time now but for the most part the little one seems pretty disinterested and content to do its own thing.

Gonna be getting some background to block the view as I'm more or less in a studio apartment so there aren't separate rooms. I'll be moving end of July though. If I have the different rooms, I'll keep them in separate ones.

Thanks for the feedback.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
LunarFirefly":1n4cj04y said:
The one I've had longest is too young to properly identify. I checked and I can't tell if it's a male or female but the pet store said it was male. I've read that they don't really start showing their gender until they're older, which makes sense. Seems quite a few people mistake them for being one gender and they turn out to be the opposite. Was how it went with the male I just adopted. Previous owner thought he was a female the entire time he had her because that's what he was told.

The one I just adopted is pretty aggressive (read: establishing his dominance) towards everyone and everything except when I pick him up. Lots of head bobbing, and trying to climb out of the tank as well as generally pushing against the glass. But he does it towards me too. When I pick him up he's fairly chill, and I've even gone out on walks with him on my shoulder while taking my dog out.

<<< shoulder surfing while standing is very bad practice and not to be encouraged (by keepers or their pets). Shoulder surfing while walking about is an extremely bad idea.
A dragon can easily leap off , or fall or slip or roll off and if it lands on a hard very unforgiving surface like concrete or a hard floor surface (tiles, lino, timber) it will very likely suffer very serious injuries ( bones broken , internal organ damage (the sudden high G force stop) ) , and if outside , it can easily be spooked by something flying overhead or another animal on the ground and they can move a lot faster to get away than any human can run .
Please resist the urge to let the dragon shoulder surf unless you are seated on a bed , or the floor, or the lounge.

It's not a good idea to take a dragon out in public , they not dogs and it is very stressful to them.

The younger one has more or less started ignoring him. I'll notice the little arm waves and stuff from time to time now but for the most part the little one seems pretty disinterested and content to do its own thing.

Gonna be getting some background to block the view as I'm more or less in a studio apartment so there aren't separate rooms. I'll be moving end of July though. If I have the different rooms, I'll keep them in separate ones.

<<< very easy to set up a stacked tanks

All you need is
4 lengths of threadbar (I'd buy stainless) and some nuts and washers to suit
ie
one tank on the floor , other above it = 4 threadbars + 8 nuts and 8 washers + one length of plywood (needs 4 holes drilled to pass the threadbar through).

Procedure :
Decide where the 4 holes need to be drilled , drill them to allow place for the lower tank under the shelf.
Then screw on the lower bolts , drop a washer onto each bolt.
Slip the sheet of plywood onto the four threadbars.
Adjust so the shelf of plywood is level, drop a washer onto each threadbar and screw on another bolt onto each threadbar, tighten.
Place top tank on the shelf …. hey presto - stacked tanks.

Thanks for the feedback.
 
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