Can Anyone Tell Me What Kind Of Beardie I Have?

[MikeILC]

I would like to know what they'll look like full grown

 

[ShannyBeard]

Hard to tell if they didn't come from a breeder, as it is hard to tell these things by a picture alone.

Do you have them both living in the same enclosure? :? They are very cute.

 

[MikeILC]

Yes and they actually do very well together they cuddle all the time when they're basking. I do believe ones a female and ones a male. They are both sweethearts and don't fight at all. They're more just relaxed dragons I'm very grateful

 

[ShannyBeard]

They sound very sweet. The normal standard of care for bearded dragons is for each dragon to have it's own separate enclosure. This ensures that they receive the proper amount of food and light and that there is no competition. The less dominant dragon will be stunted in it's growth if kept with another dragon. In many cases, when puberty hits or even before, depending on the dragon, they can become aggressive with each other suddenly and without warning, leading to bites and injury and often missing limbs or tails.

One of my dragons was housed with another dragon before I got him and he is missing part of his tail. Lesley, a lady on this forum, just rescued a dragon that had about 1/3 of his tail bitten off by another dragon he was kept with and he just underwent an amputation which became septic and infected. He is doing okay, but his recovery is slow. My friend where I live was over at my place hanging out and he told us one of his females bit the face of his male and when he came home there was blood everywhere and he freaked out. Bearded dragon aggression is quite common as they are naturally solitary desert creatures. They do not roam the desert in flocks or herds. LOL.

Putting them in a confined enclosure with another dragon is not going to result in two big, healthy, happy dragons. What you perceive as cute and cuddling is not cute and cuddling in their minds. They are not human and do not think the same as we do.

My females, Ginger and Scarlet, both came from the same breeder in November. They have always gotten along when they are outside of their homes. About 2 months ago, for no apparent reason, Ginger charged Scarlet while they were sitting on the bed. They both bearded up huge and one of them flattened her back out. I had to rush to separate them. I am lucky that I was right there to grab Ginger or no doubt there would be an injured dragon.

A few months ago a lady posted a thread asking for help urgently. Her female bearded dragon was attacked by her male. They both lived in the same enclosure. The pictures she posted were extremely disturbing. The female's face was mauled on one side and her eye 'floated' in the eye socket. The jaw was broken and there were missing or crushed teeth. Those of us that saw the thread we horrified. The lady deleted the pictures within a few hours because they were so disturbing.

There is a cohabitation thread on he started by Germ that has picture after picture of beardies missing legs and toes and tails.

So, I guess what I am saying is, the right thing to do is to separate them.

 

[FranktheTank]

You're beardies are very cute, but it's difficult to tell what they will turn out like without knowing what the parents look like. Not to be rude or mean, but I absolutely agree with everything Shannybeard has said about separating them. I have three beardies myself and they all have their own enclosures, I have males and females too. As babies they might do okay for a period of time, but your three month old is going to start maturing faster than the two week old, and that's when trouble will begin. It's only a matter of time before it happens. I saw that thread with the female that got attacked, I was horrified, still am. Sadly it could have all been prevented by having separate enclosures. Please listen to the advice given, it's only for the health and safety of your beardies nothing more.

-Kaleen

 

[MikeILC]

I do plan on getting another enclosure I just can't afford one at the moment.. But thanks for the feedback guys.

 

[XtinaBeardieMom]

Hi there! It's pretty impossible to tell what specific kind if dragon you have unless you know the breeding bloodlines. But your babies sure are beautiful, and I'm sure they'll grow up to be even more so! However, you should heed the advice of the poster above and separate them ASAP. One of them already appears to be bigger than the other one, which will most likely end up causing issues very soon. The biggest problem on your hands is that you have a male and a female. Females shouldn't breed until at least 2 years of age, but your male will see that it happens MUCH earlier than that, and your girl will be highly likely to become gravid and possibly egg-bound, which could kill her. Early mating alone will decrease your female's lifespan significantly. All the "cuddling" you see between them is much more likely to be a show of dominance, which eventually leads to aggression. Are they laying on top of each other, especially while basking? Yep, dominance - not cuddling.

Some other benefits to not cohabitating: 1)Knowing exactly how much of what each beardie ate. For example, when I separated my two adult females (after they started fighting) I learned that Lotus will eat anything green and hates red things - but Monster loves all things red & usually only eats the non-staple greens like bok choy and arugula lol. 2)Always knowing whose poop is whose in order to check for health & frequency, not to mention collecting for fecal testing . 3)Both of them won't get sick just because one of them is sick. Both my beardies came to me w/parasites which are VERY common, so I'm glad I don't have to worry about them passing it back between each other. 4)Yes, they can fight. When you least expect it. No matter what. My two girls had been housed together since they were babies & still ended up fighting. Sound reasoning?

Anyway, you sure do have a beautiful set of beardies on your hands - and if you want them to keep their beautiful fingers/toes, hands/feet, tails, and their lives then you'll separate them. Congrats on your new babies and good luck!

 

[XtinaBeardieMom]

I do plan on getting another enclosure I just can't afford one at the moment.. But thanks for the feedback guys.

Oops, didn't realize you had already responded. Beardies sure are pricey to take care of, eh? I'm pretty tired of hemorrhaging money myself - but anything for my babies! Good luck coming up with the funds soon, these little guys are always worth it!

 

[Rawbbeh]

That "Cuddling" can actually be a form of dominance of one over another.... it may look cute, but it can lead to big issues...

 

[ShannyBeard]

I do plan on getting another enclosure I just can't afford one at the moment.. But thanks for the feedback guys.

Oops, didn't realize you had already responded. Beardies sure are pricey to take care of, eh? I'm pretty tired of hemorrhaging money myself - but anything for my babies! Good luck coming up with the funds soon, these little guys are always worth it!

Don't get me started about how expensive our little scaly friends are! We have 7 bearded dragons and they all have their own enclosures. And we have a blue tongue skink, a leopard gecko, anoles and 3 Rankins dragons.

You can temporarily move the little one into a plastic bin, like a clear sterlite bin. Most breeders keep babies in those well past his age and even into juvenile age. Then again, you'd need a UVB and heat lamp. All of that is pretty reasonably priced if you don't buy a glass enclosure right away. I've seen breeders use a cardboard egg carton for them to bask on when they are that teensy.

I know both dragons must be eating different sized crickets, so yeah, separating them would make the feeding a lot easier!

 

[XtinaBeardieMom]

Don't get me started about how expensive our little scaly friends are!

Oh geeze, not to go off-topic but yeah I've spent close to $2,000 already on my two girls after having them for only 6 weeks, and the dragons themselves were only $125 each. You must be a bajillionaire to be able to take care of that zoo in your house lol! Either that or you're like me and just don't eat haha. The bearded dragon diet: When you don't have the time, energy, or money to feed yourself anymore because it all goes into caring for your precious babies! I've already lost 10 pounds :lol:

 

[ShannyBeard]

Don't get me started about how expensive our little scaly friends are!

Oh geeze, not to go off-topic but yeah I've spent close to $2,000 already on my two girls after having them for only 6 weeks, and the dragons themselves were only $125 each. You must be a bajillionaire to be able to take care of that zoo in your house lol! Either that or you're like me and just don't eat haha. The bearded dragon diet: When you don't have the time, energy, or money to feed yourself anymore because it all goes into caring for your precious babies! I've already lost 10 pounds :lol:

LOL yeah I am a kajillionaire for sure. That's why for supper last nite my husband and I split a box of Kraft mac n cheese. :lol: 8) But all my lizards ate as many silkworms as they could cram into their spoiled mouths.

I'm definitely on the bearded dragon diet. We had to think hard about getting a $5 footlong today. But I love my babies and they bring me joy.

 

[Zeusmybeardie]

Also that's not cuddling the one on top is preventing the other one to bask and receive uvb

 

[MikeILC]

One is in my ten gallon spare until I have enough money to supply another 50 gallon

 

[ShannyBeard]

PetCo has those $1/gallon sales from time to time. We are waiting patiently for the next sale. :mrgreen: The last one ended Jan 21st so it should be soon. Keep an eye on this forum because we all go nuts when we hear when the sale will be. LOL