Beardies live together Part 1

[apkelley93]

So I got a new beardie about two weeks ago from petsmart. He's since thrived. Grown in size. Bonding growing stronger by the day. Able to let roam the room and stays withing reason and shows affection. So I went out today to get another despite what I had read. I have heard how the majority of people say absolutely not. I brought the new guy home today and for the first 15 mins in the tank he was scared of Rex ( my first beardie ) and then something strange happened. Rex stood on the top rock and starting waving his hands in the air. The other one ran over and did the exact same thing and now both are snuggling asleep. All I know is with the care and love I show my pets I believe this is a good thing and they will grow strong together.

 

[CooperDragon]

From what I've read the arm wave is a submissive gesture (and really cool looking). If they're both doing it they both may be girls (but I say that with no authority, just after casual reading). I'd keep a close eye on them as they grow, as they may not always get along and could do some damage. If you see signs of aggression I would separate them as quickly as possible. Good luck with your new little buddies!

 

[apkelley93]

Thanks cooper I plan on keeping a close eye on the two. The newer one is smaller and the older one is a male ( I'm 95% sure ) . From what I've seen I'm happy. I plan on feeding crickets separately. Plan on getting 45-50 crickets letting the little one eat first then let Rex eat after. Ill keep you up to date!

 

[CooperDragon]

Separate feeding (to allow enough for both) is a good idea. Please let me know how it goes and if you have any questions!

 

[sweetiepie9]

They always seem fine as babies (I've had up to 3 babies in the same tank without an issue), but by 3 months old they can start to show aggression. I rescue dragons and have a few without fingers, toes or some of their tail. It's always been caused by having 2 or more babies together. Feeding them separately is a great idea. I would still separate them within a month. I've never been a proponent of dragons sharing the same space no matter how well they behave as babies.

 

[diamc]

Yes, please be careful, an injury can occur in a splint second. How many inches difference do you think there is?

 

[Brezzy99]

At lot of people don't realize the risk of housing two together. It only takes a second for one to attack the other. In the Beardie ER section there are two recent request for help after one of their beardies bit the other. One of them passed away today. Please seriously consider separating them.

-Sabrina

 

[apkelley93]

I appreciate the advice but I'm persistent on having these Beardies live together. It's not gonna happen if I have the attitude of oh well they could get aggressive. I don't want to bring that mindset into the equation. My bigger one is clearly physically dominant and shows submission to the new beardie. With a lot of care and LOVE I'm positive they will be able to live together. I realize the difference between nature and nurture but with animals in captivity nature can be cut down drastically.

I'm open to everyone's opinions and I have looked into beardie ER and I'm 100% ready to deal with anything that comes my way with this. I'm aware of all of the possibilities but with any living thing if you overload them with love and compassion I believe it will in corporate itself into the animal. The progress my first beardie has had at his age is astonishing. I'm completely into this new world of animals now. I will be sure to keep all up to date on the situation and open to all prospectives on this I just don't want people saying to separate them because that's what they have heard or that's what there told. Too many people don't understand that just like any other animal every situation is different. Thank you and sorry for the ramble.

 

[sweetiepie9]

You're allowed to ramble on your own thread and I'm hoping that your two get along famously. Just make sure they have enough room in their tank & also make sure they both get enough UVB. Taking them outside, if you're getting sunshine, separately, will also do them good. One hour of UVB from the sun is about 3-4 hours of UVB under lights.

Pictures of the two of them would be wonderful, I love baby pictures. Mine are all adults now, my youngest is 3 yrs old, so baby pictures just rock

 

[apkelley93]

 

[CooperDragon]

Cute little guys!

 

[Goonie]

Even if they do end up getting along just fine, you have to start thinking about the potential that one of them is a male and the other a female. If that's the case, then you'll definitely have to separate them because no matter how sweet they are with each other, when they are of mating age and the season arrives, the hormones will rage and the deed will happen. Then you'll end up with 2-5 clutches of 25+ babies to raise.

 

[diamc]

I have to agree with Gina. Also, having 2 in the same tank that are different sizes makes it even more of a risk. They are both adorable.

 

[Trouble119]

Also please note that your vet bills will be MUCH higher with cohabbing. I don't just mean in the case of violence.

I mean in typical 'oh dear, one of my beardies has a really smelly and loose stool, but I don't know which one it is, so I better take both of them in for treatment' sort of way. One beardie gets an infection, the other will HAVE to be treated for it too. A good herp vet is typically pretty expensive.

 

[apkelley93]

Updated picture