Pics of my two latest additions!

[zlandaal]

Here are the two females I got on Wednesday! They are ~11-12" and eating BSFL like champs.

I'm not sure what the best way is to arrange the cage for basking spots. I have a 160 watt Megaray about 18" from the basking spot on the left, with a 50 watt flood light to get temps up to 105-110 on the basking spot. On the right facing center I have a 100 watt CHE to keep the cooler side around 80 (very end is around 75) and an LED light bulb 9 watt for general tank lighting.

Here are the two layouts I've tried. With a rock in the middle, there is a 90 degree basking spot as well that isn't right under the Megaray, which is great to let them choose, but I'm not sure if it will keep them from getting enough UVB. I definitely keep the door shut so my dog doesn't stare at them all day

They aren't really eating any veggies (I've tried collard/mustard greens and butternut squash). But that's probably fine at this age with how many black soldier fly larvae they are eating.

 

[Rankins]

Probably better if they were not housed together. Arms, legs, feet, toes, and tails have been amputated by bites from other dragons. Some have died from injuries caused from housing them together.

 

[zlandaal]

Yeah, I'm watching them closely. They do not fight at all. I've seen them bask on top of each other, but I've only seen them each do that once. They've lived together their whole lives as well. If they start to fight then I'll definitely house them separately.

 

[Rankins]

By the time you see fighting it might be too late. Bearded dragons are not communal animals...
Even if raised together their entire lives it can turn into a stressful living environment for both of them. I'm not trying to lecture...just trying to avoid problems associated with housing dragons together.

 

[zlandaal]

Okay, thank you for your concern. I understand the risks (I did plenty of research) and I will house separately if one becomes dominant over the other, not just limited to fighting. I definitely want to take good care of them, and if they are stress free, growing nicely and acting like normal bearded dragons I don't see the issue. Now if one of them ends up actually being a male due to the breeder making a mistake, I will separate them, even if they aren't fighting. I don't want to turn this into a debate over housing two females together, so we can agree to disagree.

 

[NBGwen]

Very pretty girls

 

[Gormagon]

The struggle has already started, you are just seeing it as cute actions. Stacking is a way of showing dominance and, it only gets worse from there. Please, I am begging you, don't put them through this. Separate them ASAP!
This lady thought the same way you are thinking. It was a grave error! Open this link and see what CAN and WILL most likely happen!!!
viewtopic.php?f=45&t=228673

 

[zlandaal]

The struggle has already started, you are just seeing it as cute actions. Stacking is a way of showing dominance and, it only gets worse from there. Please, I am begging you, don't put them through this. Separate them ASAP!
This lady thought the same way you are thinking. It was a grave error! Open this link and see what CAN and WILL most likely happen!!!
viewtopic.php?f=45&t=228673

Like I said, I don't want to turn this into an argument...
That bearded dragon was OBVIOUSLY dominated by the other (notice how skinny it is). I promise you that wasn't the first fight they had. I understand stacking is a form of dominance, and I am watching for it. I've talked to several breeders who have been successful in the business for decades and house females together no problem. I know what to look for and I promise I will separate them if they aren't compatible. I am not careless.

 

[Gormagon]

The lady that posted that thread was a breeder. The reason that dragon looked skinny was, she had just laid a clutch of eggs a few days prior to the attack. They had lived together for two years or so then it turned ugly fast.
In the end, they are your dragons, you can house them however you want. I just couldn't take a chance like that with mine.

 

[Rankins]

Take it from a breeder of many species of reptiles (including bearded dragons) for 40+ years. It's a bad idea.....
You may never have a problem, but all it takes is one bad day to kill one or both of them.

Enjoy your brand new dragons...they are pretty.

 

[Gormagon]

I would love to get another dragon but, I would have to house them together (due to space and funds) and, there is no way on God's green earth I would do that.
You see, Peaches was rescued from her previous home where there were two other dragons with her in the same viv(a 55gl aquarium), the other two were missing toes and one missing a third of his tail. Apparently Peaches was the dominant one, she was only missing one toenail. The guy that had them never noticed anything wrong going on so he was oblivious to the natural order of their existence together.
After researching bearded dragons over the last year, I have gleaned a lot of information, some good, some not so good. But the one constant that has stuck out is; they should not be housed together. In what I have read and seen, I would venture to say that in 90% of cases, it does not turn out well at all. I know you don't want to separate them because they have always been together but, the new surroundings and viv can trigger the natural instinct to establish their territory and defend it. Subtle as it may seem, the laying on each other (stacking) that you described in your first post is part of that ritual. It has begun!
Those are some very nice looking dragons and I would really hate to see or hear of anything bad happening to either of them.
This is just advice from a concerned dragon slave!

 

[NBGwen]

I know you probably really want to keep them together, but I think deep down you know these folks are right. It would be best to separate them sooner rather than later. I realize sometimes the advice comes across pretty direct, but it is very good advice. I'm going to share my rescue story with you.

I had rescued two beardies last summer - many of the folks here know their story. Gonzo and Evee had been housed together and improperly cared for by their former owners. They were surrendered to the SPCA and I adopted them. Gonzo was definitely the dominant dude, but even though he 'looked' healthy, he had underlying issues that ended with his kidneys becoming enlarged, him no longer able to eat and me faced with making the right choice for him by having him put down so he would no long suffer.

Evee had scars on the back of her neck from Gonzo nipping her. She was malnourished and dehydrated. To top it off - she had an untreated broken jaw (tooth line straight down) and it got infected. I can't tell you how much I spent trying to heal her and make life better for her. She seemed to be healing up really well and needed another surgery though to fix that jaw. Wed. Fed 22 I woke up to her dead. My heart broke - I keep questioning what I did wrong, but I did everything for her I could. In the end - she died because she a bad start in life. I'm glad I was able to give her the care and love she needed while I had her.

Please, for your beardies health, please consider separating them before the issues become obvious.

Gwen

 

[AHBD]

Very nice + healthy looking beardies, and pretty colors on them as well. If you'd like to post pics of their rear ends here I can sex them for you. While they are setting flat on a table you lift the tail up,[ think of a happy dog -tail in the air ] Snap a few pics back there and post them here.

And if I might offer a suggestion for your tank [ or tanks ], get a nice basking log for them, beardies like to climb . You can even get it from outside, just pop it in a preheated oven for 60-90 minutes to kill any potential pests.

 

[zlandaal]

Very nice + healthy looking beardies, and pretty colors on them as well. If you'd like to post pics of their rear ends here I can sex them for you. While they are setting flat on a table you lift the tail up,[ think of a happy dog -tail in the air ] Snap a few pics back there and post them here.

And if I might offer a suggestion for your tank [ or tanks ], get a nice basking log for them, beardies like to climb . You can even get it from outside, just pop it in a preheated oven for 60-90 minutes to kill any potential pests.

My plan is to get a nice object for them to climb on (away from the mega ray, since they can't be closer than 18"!), I just wanted to start of simple when they first arrived! I'm in Washington state, so everything outside is pretty drenched and not worth of a tank, but I'm sure I'll find something. They absolutely love climbing any time I take them out.

This is how they bask together when they do. I really need to get my camera out for pictures, instead of my phone. The mega-ray light makes weird lines on my phone.

 

[Rankins]

If your in Washington you should come to the Hillsboro Oregon reptile expo April 1st & 2nd. I'll be a vendor selling my hatchling mexican beaded lizards and possibly some Gila monsters. Ill also have orange head roaches and probably a couple established colonies of dubia.
I doubt I'll do the Puyallup expo...Washington has weird venomous laws.