I belong to a BCRC which is British Columbia Reptile Club here on the west coast in Canada we help educate and rescue rehome unwanted reptiles here is what was put together when people ask and a quote from one of our friends.
Enjoy
Joanne
Is Bearded Dragon Cohabitation A Good Plan?
I keep running into this on different Forums & is not pointed at any individuals in particular. For info purposes only.
The answer to the Heading Question is a resounding NO!
This is a subject that I am quite familiar with personally, through my own experience, experience of personal acquaintances with these creatures & extensive research.
Bearded Dragons are a dominance oriented species, solitary creatures, this is Hard Wired into their character. In their natural habitat, they do not cohabit, travel in pairs or groups, they are loners & have absolutely no familial ties. Breeding is of opportunity, not planning or emotional ties.
They do not need or want buddies. Do not get lonely. It is a proven scientific fact that they have a Severely underdeveloped portion of the brain that governs, among other things, emotion. That cute looking stacking that we often see pictures of, is not them together for warmth (Cold Blooded ), hugging each other, closeness, friendship, Love or anything similar to these. It is them vying for dominance, the better heat, the better basking spot, coveting a spot just because the other has it, the better\larger share of food, to be King or Queen of the castle. This is their instinct, to dominate, the weaker ones are dominated or eliminated & it is not in their nature to be submissive.
Attitudes & demeanors can change in a split second, very aggressively, to often too fast for intervention to prevent possibly very serious injury. Many BDs with missing toes, limbs, tails or worse are frequently the testimonial to this. We cannot be monitoring them 24\7, even if we could, their possible quick, seemingly unprovoked aggressive nature towards each other, at times completely out of previous character, can be, again, too fast for intervention, with devastating, possibly deadly results.
Periodically, the right combination of 2 females will be successful, but more often than not, fail sooner or later. Males should never be housed together. Male/Female combinations should only be for breeding purposes, only until the deed is done (Generally minutes to a week), then immediately separated.
Please take this into consideration, when contemplating cohabitation. More times than not, it is complications in the making, sometimes with very drastic consequences. You may come home to carnage that you won’t soon forget.
Cohabitation of BDs is for the benefit of the Keeper, whether it be for their viewing pleasure, or cost\room effectiveness. It is not in the best interest of the animal’s health & well being.
Quote:
Excellent post !
I can't tell you how many horror stories I have come across when people contact me for advice. No matter how many times I tell people Dragons should not be cohabitating, 95% of the people simply don't listen... until something tragic happens and I get a late night phone call from someone asking me to suture their dragons back together!
They don't take my strong advice, then expect me to jump up out of my PJs and rush over to save their dragon... Not a happy camper, but I did it to help the dragons because of their OWNERS ignorance.
I can't tell you how many times I hear silly things like "My dragons are very bonded to each other and will die without each other" - Dragons don't think like that!
A dragons world is very simple - Heirarchy. There can only be ONE king or queen of the castle. Forcing other dragons into submission, living in constant intimidation, fear, getting the "crap" food left over... if allowed by the Dominant Dragon. They usually are thwarting off getting attacked, become injured and sometimes even die.
Many of these "forced submissive" dragons usually become depressed, lethargic, dehydrated, malnourish... and sadly many die.
Have I housed dragons in the past when I was breeding them... Yes I did. Females (together in pairs) & Hatchlings (in groups of 5 - 8). I was very consciencious about it, monitored constantly for any sign of issues. Eventually they were separated for everyones safety and peace of mind.
Trust me, when you make that mistake of having a dragon get severely injured, amputated by another dragon, eaten - You don't make that mistake twice, and its hard to forgive yourself because you were the one that forced them into that situation.
Remember Dragons don't show emotion well. It may look like everything is all rosie and buttercups... then WHAM out of no where for no particular reason... dragon down.
Please for the love of nature, and whatever may be holy upstairs DONT DO IT.
__________________
Robin
Exclusive Dragons
http://www.exclusivedragons.com
