Adopted second dragon, now my male is going NUTS!

[grannygerber]

I have an adult male BD. I assume male only because I was told he was by prior owners who said they had a male and female but the male( my guy) broke the females back trying to mate.
So, I just took in another adult, she is on the far side of the same room, about 12 feet away from one another and when I brought my male in from outside we did let him see her through the glass as we passed the new habitat.
Now for the first time my laid back male is tromping around his habitat, head bobbing, beard black and leaping about. The new one( female?) isn't displaying anything other than watchfulness. Will this pass, will he forget she is there? Will I have to move one of them? Is it scent or visual for him? Is it good for him or stress inducing?
the habitat locations should not have to move if there is an answer for this for the locations are both perfect and space is an issue. Thoughts from people with multiple adult beardies?

 

[Spike1etta]

If they can see each other then they will both be stressed out and it will lead to health problems.
They are solitary creatures, so what you have done is shown them both that there is another Dragon invading their territory and they need to be on the look out for trouble.

Watch out because your male is now going to change temperament. If he truly broke another dragons back then you have a very aggressive breeder and you will never want to let them see each other again. He will drive himself crazy and tear him self up in his cage.

 

[grannygerber]

Well, that response is a nightmare and seems to be true! I just put up a barrier n his glass so he cant see out, but his beard is still black and he's still pacing, very alert.
How long can he remember she's there? Or did something get 'triggered' and now he's changed forever?!?!?I will def be moving one of them to another room. In the meantime he cant see out his glass front or sides.

 

[Spike1etta]

Ahh triggered is a good word, because they can hear each other also.

Sorry

But hopefully they both settle down and you have your old boy back in no time.

 

[grannygerber]

To follow up on my O-post, I moved the female into another room, and he is back to normal now. I really wish I had not had to move her though, but I put a ball python tank in the place where I had put her cage, he did not seem curious and 'remember' her....what ARE the triggers.
Scent, someone mentioned 'hearing each other', the room is full of people and a bird, and now a snake, is he hearing them too? Do I have a chance of getting her back to that spot 12 feet away from him? I have a baby beardie in a tank underneath this big male, will he sense that?

 

[Gail]

What you saw was completely normal for a adult male dragon. Often they will settle down in a few days once they get used to seeing the other dragon. Its all part of owning multiple dragons and having a male.
Personally, I would have waited longer before moving the female. I'm surprised he settled down so quick after you moved her, usually they stay worked up for a few days.
Dragons do have good eyesight and hearing, I'm sure he can hear the other critters in their cages. I can guarantee he knows the baby is below him. Whether or not you can bring the female back depends on if you can deal with him acting out for a couple weeks or longer.
His behavior won't really hurt anything. It will cause some stress but not enough to cause health concerns. Its not like they are in the same cage or competing for food/heat. They will eventually get used to each other and settle back down.
Early spring will bring out the worse behavior in males, the are in breeding mod and turn into terrors. Main triggers are sigh but scent comes into play also. Males know almost instantly if the dragon they are dealing with is another male or a female.
Oh, you should try and get your new one sexed so you know for sure if your male was wanting to fight or mate. If the new one is a male, you don't want them in the same room.

 

[grannygerber]

Gail,
this was a very great response and I thanks you so much!
I would love to put her back, it was such an awesome space.
so. how do I determine her gender?
she seems bigger than him, but I think her tail is shorter, is that a hint?
I only had that moment to compare the two through the glass and that was enough to make him nuts!
right now I move both the male and the baby outdoors for full days of California, sunshine/shade( im constantly checking on them, don't worry, its paradise) and bring them back in to their indoor habitats around 5pm.
I haven't done this with the new one yet, giving her a chance to get a little more used to me. Will this crossing of paths be an issue? Do I need to always wash my hands inbetween handling them?
Will my male get worked up enough he will bite me?

 

[Gail]

Body size and build has nothing to do with gender, you'll have to look under the hood to determine sex. Take a look here http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/sexing/

Crossing paths shouldn't be a issue, just don't purposely show her to him. Washing hands between handling is always a good idea, not so much to remove scent but to prevent any cross contamination if one happens to be sick.

I've never never heard of a male biting a person when they want to mate. He isn't being mean, he is just really excited. I also would seriously question him breaking the back of a female while mating. when dragons mate, even the really rough males don't bite around the back or shake a female that hard. More then likely the previous owner tried to introduce him to a much smaller dragon and he saw it as food and attacked or their "female" was actually a male.