Having trouble introducing a female

[LEEVANCLEEF]

Hiya all....I'm having trouble introducing a new female beardie to my male and wonder if anybody can help....she is slightly smaller than the male but the male is constantly attacking her and head bobbing..I keep having to pull him off her and they have been together for two days now...I don't know if to keep on pulling him off her or just to let them get on with it...any suggestions will greatly help ....thanks. Ps ...she is waving ever time she moves... Thank you

 

[SmaugTheBD]

Wait..are you looking to breed them?

If not, I wouldn't house 2 Beardies together, they are solitary lizards and are better off without any company.

 

[LEEVANCLEEF]

I was planning to breed at some point....I used to have a male and female together so thought it would of been ok....maybe I have done the wrong thing....do you think he might be wanting to mate with her ? And do you think they might calm down after a few days?...

..........thanks for your reply.....

 

[SamusTheDragon]

I was planning to breed at some point....I used to have a male and female together so thought it would of been ok....maybe I have done the wrong thing....do you think he might be wanting to mate with her ? And do you think they might calm down after a few days?...

..........thanks for your reply.....

Don't keep them in the same tank.

 

[midmichicer]

When they mate, the male bites on to the female. He is probably trying to do this. Pull them apart if you don't want babies.

 

[herpgirl2510]

I would seperate them until you breed them. It sounds pretty stressful for the female. How old are they?

 

[LEEVANCLEEF]

Ahh so maybe he is trying to mate with her midmichicer...the male is about 7 and half month and she is 6 and half month.....is she too young to mate?.....do you think I should just let them to get on with it..?.....thanks for all your replys....

 

[MissT]

She is MUCH too young to mate - recommended breeding age is 18 months and there is a minimum length and weight requirement for her to get through it without too many ill effects (i cant remember it off-hand). I dealt with a gravid 9 month old and it was awful watching her go through the laying of her eggs

You should separate them and keep them separated, only putting them together for the actual act of breeding. This way, she wont be overbred or continually stressed and dominated by the male

 

[LEEVANCLEEF]

Omg....I used to have beardies a few years ago and the shop owner said you could put male and female in together and two females but not two males, so I bought a male and female off him they got on good together ...then I sold them two because my wife was pregnant...I got the female I have now off a woman who rescues beardies and she said they should be ok together....so basically she has lied to me..?....hope this makes sense...he isn't attacking her as much today..and I don't have another viv so i can't separate them .........thanks for reply

 

[Fievre]

It might not have been an intentional lie, she may just not really know. Was it a legit breeder or just someone who houses her dragons together and continuously has babies?

You definitely will want to invest in another viv for your female or you'll have a mess on your hands :/

 

[herpgirl2510]

I would rehome one of them if you cannot house them seperately. Your female is going to end up suffering because of this it is not fair. I am not trying to be rude but if someone cannot provide a second enclosure which to me is the cheapest part of owning a dragon how can you care for two throughout there lives? This is a good example of doing research before getting a pet.

 

[ziggy23]

Another thing to consider, in the long run, separate vivs are cheaper. A serious injury can cost more to treat than a basic no frills viv. Also, any creatures living close to each other will get each other sick. Just like with your own family or perhaps your job, one person gets sick, soon enough everyone is sick. If one gets parasites, then you have to pay for both to go to the vet, and probably treat both. That can very easily have a triple digit price tag. When they're separate it's simple to prevent cross contamination. Just keep stuff separate and wash your hands in between.