martiangdm
Member
Hello! First post here and brand new beardie keeper. My spouse and I had been reading for some time now about different reptiles, trying to decide what the best fit would be for us. We decided on getting a bearded dragon recently and started talking with our local reptile store planning to set everything up prior to purchasing our beardie baby.
In the midst of this time frame, we happened upon an online post from someone local trying to rehome their bearded dragons. They sounded desperate to rehome them, and although we only wanted one dragon, they had two that needed somewhere to go.
Their prior care taker stated she could not afford them and only had them for one month.
She gave us some superworms, a 50 gallon enclosure, one basking light/fixture, and a hide for them. She believed the two were male and female and stated she had no idea how old they were.
They both appear to be in the middle of shed, and are about 14 inches in length. The "male" displays a lot of dominating behaviors (fast bobbing and standing big) but the two seem to get along okay. For the most part they ignore each other while in the enclosure. The "female" is a bit larger, she seems to be quite fat in her mid-section (no offense) and very dusky (we were told it is shed). The prior caretaker stated the female was previously used to breed and is a "leatherback" morph. Both are eating well and have no issues moving around their enclosure. They did not have a UVB light and had not been fed veggies at all from what I was told (only worms and dubias).
They take well to handling in small amounts, though the male seems to be a bit territorial/fiesty. Anytime we touch the female he will get protective/defensive of her.
I'm not sure how to proceed with the two of them, from what I have read online they should not be housed together at all. I originally planned to rehome one of them but am partial to both of them, so may need a new set up for one of them. The previous caretaker said they were handled daily and housed together as long as she was aware.
How can I make sure they are healthy? (I'm unsure about the "female"s health right now due to her bloated appearance and dusky coloring) Can we determine their age?
How can we best help them to adjust to their new home with us?
We don't know how old they are or how they lived prior, but we want to give them the best life with us now that we have them.
(I've already changed the substrate to a reptile carpet, added a better hide for them, added an additional basking area, and got the uvb set up for them now)
Thank you in advance, we want to do the right thing for them.
In the midst of this time frame, we happened upon an online post from someone local trying to rehome their bearded dragons. They sounded desperate to rehome them, and although we only wanted one dragon, they had two that needed somewhere to go.
Their prior care taker stated she could not afford them and only had them for one month.
She gave us some superworms, a 50 gallon enclosure, one basking light/fixture, and a hide for them. She believed the two were male and female and stated she had no idea how old they were.
They both appear to be in the middle of shed, and are about 14 inches in length. The "male" displays a lot of dominating behaviors (fast bobbing and standing big) but the two seem to get along okay. For the most part they ignore each other while in the enclosure. The "female" is a bit larger, she seems to be quite fat in her mid-section (no offense) and very dusky (we were told it is shed). The prior caretaker stated the female was previously used to breed and is a "leatherback" morph. Both are eating well and have no issues moving around their enclosure. They did not have a UVB light and had not been fed veggies at all from what I was told (only worms and dubias).
They take well to handling in small amounts, though the male seems to be a bit territorial/fiesty. Anytime we touch the female he will get protective/defensive of her.
I'm not sure how to proceed with the two of them, from what I have read online they should not be housed together at all. I originally planned to rehome one of them but am partial to both of them, so may need a new set up for one of them. The previous caretaker said they were handled daily and housed together as long as she was aware.
How can I make sure they are healthy? (I'm unsure about the "female"s health right now due to her bloated appearance and dusky coloring) Can we determine their age?
How can we best help them to adjust to their new home with us?
We don't know how old they are or how they lived prior, but we want to give them the best life with us now that we have them.
(I've already changed the substrate to a reptile carpet, added a better hide for them, added an additional basking area, and got the uvb set up for them now)
Thank you in advance, we want to do the right thing for them.