Help: Dragon Stress and Interaction

[NoodlesMommy]

THE SITUATION:
So a few weeks ago I rescued a bearded dragon from a terrible and neglectful craigslist situation.
He is a one year old Male named Mochi!

underfed, low calcium, tail rot, light was old and he had the early signs of MBD, tail rot etc. (there are more details-WHICH ARE BEING TAKEN CARE OF/TREATED- but for the sake of getting to the point, I am being brief)

I have since given him many baths, sanitized the hell out of his tank, removed the loose substrate/replaced with shelf liner and threw everydecor/hide he came with away and bought him a new uva/uvb bulb and heat bulbs, a new log, a new blankie and a new hammock

He recieves actual live food and fresh salads daily with extra vitamins and calcium supplements and i track his water intake in addition to his regular baths and his betadine/neosporin tail soaks/treatments

he has since had a HUGE shed since we got him and it looks like from the color of his eyes he is supposed to be more yellow (not to mention LARGER for his age - but i digress)

we had an issue with him glass dancing/running full force into the glass/any mirror so i covered 3 sides of his viv with natural drop paper, which i replace each week when i clean his viv.

I have seen other posts emphasizing to keep new beardies COMPLETELY separate due to the transmission of disease or parasites- I am even more wary since Noodle is from a reputable breeder and Mochi is from PetCO ( :evil: )

I always wash my hands and sanitize them in between touching him and handling my other bearded dragon/spoiled brat (1 1/2 yr old female) and i always wash their food and water dishes separately (his are new anyways but can't be too careful) they literally share NOTHING - I have separate things, toys, blankets, dishes, branches etc. for each of them

I totally understand the little guy getting all grey and black bearded because he is in a new environment and hasn't been used to this much care/handling/love in his entire life- he also freaks out whenever he sees his reflection or when he catches a glimpse of Noodle (who roams the house whenever and wherever she pleases); Because of this- I have put their vivs in separate rooms in our apartment to keep him from stressing so much (the paper on 3 sides of his tank help alot! both with his stress/bearding episodes and he's even turning a bit yellow in color!).

SO HERE ARE THE PROBLEMS:
1. I live in a 1BR/1BATH/1LIVING RM/KITCHEN apartment and it has become almost impossible to keep Mochi from seeing her due to the permanent hallway mirrors on the closet doors leading to the bathroom and Noodle's constant roaming about (She doesn't give two $#!*'s about his presence **I held her up to the glass a few times for them to look at eachother; he freaked/flared/bearded out and she just had a 'mehh' look/reaction***) he stresses everytime

2. There isn't enough "foot-traffic" or every day activity in the bedroom where Mochi/he is in relation to the living room/kitchen where Noodle's viv is. I worry that the lack of visual stimulation and activity is slowing down his familiarity with his new home. (not to mention- it is much warmer due to open air flow/large space where he is vs- colder where she is and has the tendancy to get humid due to the proximity to the shower)- i have fans blowing towards him and ironically, its easier to control his temp than hers

3. I haven't found any kind of shelving that would hold them both (they both have top-opening glass tanks and I would like to avoid stacking them as much as possible- still looking for another table to hold one of their tanks (To be continued...)

MY HOPEFUL OUTCOME:
I want them in the same room- being able to see eachother with out stressing (they wont ever touch each other and will only be out one at a time -[although a beardie mommy can dream...] and I do NOT want to breed them!****)

Here are pictures of the two of them:
Mochi:

Noodle:

TELL ME MY SOLUTION! PLEASE!!!

 

[kingofnobbys]

Stack the vivs one on-top the other (saves floor space) and takes each out of sight of each other except when one is out for play time / snuggles.

Requirements :
4 x M20 galvanized threadbars of suitable length
2 x pieces of 3/4inch thick plywood each with 4 holes drilled to slip threadbar through
16 galvanized M20 nuts
16 galvanized M20 washers

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

So they are in separate rooms but can still see each other because of a mirror in the hallway?
Have you tried covering the mirror to see if that helps out? Or you could put some brown butcher paper, decorative paper, or a cloth on one end of his tank so he can't see out of the end with a view of her.
It does take a couple of weeks for them to become accustomed to a new home. Give him a
bit of time. I know you have had him a few weeks, but he probably wasn't handled much previously
before you got him.
What type of lighting are you using for him? Is he eating very well? Is his appetite doing pretty
good? Since he seems to have early metabolic bone disease, I would definitely give calcium 4-5
days per week for awhile.

Tracie

 

[Mysty]

I agree that stacking the vivs is your easiest option if you want them in the same room.

I do have two unstacked beardie vivs on stands in a living-kitchen combined room. They cant see each other so its an odd room layout as you can imagine.

 

[NoodlesMommy]

Hello,

So they are in separate rooms but can still see each other because of a mirror in the hallway?
Have you tried covering the mirror to see if that helps out? Or you could put some brown butcher paper, decorative paper, or a cloth on one end of his tank so he can't see out of the end with a view of her.
It does take a couple of weeks for them to become accustomed to a new home. Give him a
bit of time. I know you have had him a few weeks, but he probably wasn't handled much previously
before you got him.
What type of lighting are you using for him? Is he eating very well? Is his appetite doing pretty
good? Since he seems to have early metabolic bone disease, I would definitely give calcium 4-5
days per week for awhile.

Tracie

Tracie,

Thank you for your concern- he is now getting the proper uva/uvb light and heat that he was previously denied- he's also been getting all the live food his little heart can eat - 3 sm bowls/meals a day (his previous owner gave him nothing but cheap "beardie chow" nuggets ... ) and has been getting regular calcium dustings and always has a fresh salad of mustard and collards on hand if he's extra hungry- when i first got him he was extremely dehydrated so i got some pedialyte and mixed it in with water his little bath tub (where he drank and drank and drank!) but he has daily access to fresh water now and has been active and putting on weight! His color has even gotten brighter (rather than the dull grey).

 

[NoodlesMommy]

Stack the vivs one on-top the other (saves floor space) and takes each out of sight of each other except when one is out for play time / snuggles.

Requirements :
4 x M20 galvanized threadbars of suitable length
2 x pieces of 3/4inch thick plywood each with 4 holes drilled to slip threadbar through
16 galvanized M20 nuts
16 galvanized M20 washers

Those would be suitable for for two top-opening 40 gal breeders? I just worry about not having enough room to take them out


I also worry about their mental states when one of them (Mr. Mochi) start panicking when he hears the "scuttle" of his other "flatmate" - how long does it usually take two dragons to get used to seeing eachother around the apartment- especially since mochi was rescued from a place with hardly interaction at all (human or otherwise)

P.s. He LOVEs TV hahaha