Should I Get My Juvenile Dragon A Friend?

[RelentlessChaos]

Here is the thing, I know that it can be a bad thing but not only do I want another dragon for my gf, I feel that it may be easier for my dragon to feed if he sees or both see one or another eating food. I could be entirely wrong & one could fear the other of course but I also feel like I have enough space to house to Juveniles in a 40 gallon, with tons of different basking spots along w/ plenty of live food. Although, my main dragon has had his enclosure all to himself for about a month now which could be bad letting a new dragon into his well known territory.

 

[snazzyglasses]

Getting your dragon a friend is fine! But only if he is in a separate viv, because unfortunately beardies are solitary critters and don't share living space very well. This article explains it viewtopic.php?f=6&t=154908

 

[munchkins9802]

if you get a second one, do NOT house them together!

 

[bunnyrut]

they don't really need another bearded dragon to play with. they only need to be around one another to mate.
once they are fully grown they each need a minimum or the 40 gallon tank. so you would need 2 tanks and 2 sets of lights.

they do crave social interaction with people. and they love to explore.

 

[Spikeshuman]

I feel like my 40g is too small for Spike.. and shes only 3 months old. I am debating which fish tank to drain.. my 75g or my 125g. I guess the 125 might be overkill.. but the 40g is already small and shes got a lot of growing to do. How do you fit multiple basking spots in a 40g? Spike has her log and a hammock and that kinda fills one whole side of the tank.. with her hide and water dish at the other side.. that's all I have room for.

 

[RelentlessChaos]

Yeah, I already know it's bad. I'm over it, I was more hoping to hear something positive out of it.
There is no point in owning multiple dragons at all.

 

[isabelleandpaul]

Actually I find it very interesting to own two dragons (in separate viv), because both have different personalities, both have different food preference, temperature preference, etc. I find it amazing that two similar animals are so different... kind of like people...

 

[troyncindy]

theres many positives for housing dragons together, though a 40 gal probably isn't great for more than one dragon, its questionably big enough for a single one. you would want to keep atleast two females with a male,( females can't be housed with males until they're a safe breeding age) can be more, its probably best to keep one male per enclosure, though they have been housed together successfully, you want them to be roughly the same size. they are very interactive animals. a guy i know had two housed together, him and his wife split, they each took a dragon. they both quit eating, basking, they were depressed. three weeks went by. he gave the dragon to his wife in an effort to save the dragon, when the two dragon got back together they were eating and basking and not depressed anymore. they're alive and well with all their parts. if he kept them seperated, they would have died. theres a story on here about miss o and miss y. they were housed together, one died, the other died shortly from depression. ( broken heart)

 

[Brieana]

Seriously, TroynCindy?! Are you trying to stir the pot or something?

 

[kcarello]

Once again for emphasis!!
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=154908

 

[troyncindy]

not at all, many people house their dragons together, this site just causes people to be in the closet about how they house their animals. check out other forums and videos on youtube. people need the information in the event they do house them together. with out the information is why you have all these damaged dragons from being tossed in with adults, so if you're going to house them together, this is the way it should be done, i said nothing about your posts/opinion. i'm giving mine. we don't all need to agree, its the beauty of life.

 

[Brieana]

Let me tell you a little anecdote. My avatar is my dog Chester. I adopted him when he was 3 and have been graced with a pug that doesn't snort or wheeze on a regular basis. Does this mean I'm going to tell prospective pug owners that they never have to worry about their future dogs having breathing issues? Am I going to tell them to get a Pug because they don't have to worry about that dog having an elongated soft palate and needing an extremely expensive operation to shorten it so their dog can live? No. That would be irresponsible of me because every situation is different.

My issue is you are giving impressionable newbies false hope that they will be the exception to the rule. There is far more evidence that they will eventually fight down the line than there are stories like yours.

We have a responsibility as Bearded Dragon lovers to educate the less knowledgable on proper, safe husbandry.

 

[troyncindy]

i beg to differ. have you housed any dragons together yourself? nobody should be commenting on topics if they have no experience in them. hear say is nothing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH1Bi4TfP0Q read at 41 sec, not hear say. i'm answering questions, not looking for advice, thank you. I'm gonna start a new topic to discuss this topic after i get out of work, " We have a responsibility as Bearded Dragon lovers to educate the less knowledgable on proper, safe husbandry."..... atleast we're thinking the same on that. thought thats what i was doing

 

[bunnyrut]

i agree that every situation is different.

if the tank is large enough, they are well fed, and have constant supervision then they could be fine together.

but how many people here can keep up with all that?

i had to separate my 2 babies after a month because the male was growing faster and dominating the smaller one. then he bit her face.
and they were only babies. (still fitting on my finger)
that was enough for me to decide not to house 2 beardies together. i didn't want to come home to the smaller one dead because i wasn't there to stop a scuffle.

a lot is from personal experience. people have lost or rescued bearded dragons in shared housing, and they just want to prevent others from experiencing that.

but i wouldn't recommend housing 2 together if you are a first time owner. just because you are not prepared for all the things that could (or will) happen. you forget a feeding and one gets antsy. one gets sick? they may all be sick.
it's stressful enough with one new beardie in your home, you are learning a lot. but once you understand them and get attached most people end up with a second one a year later. go on, raise your hand if you have done this. *raises hand*

keep in mind that the more dragons you own, the more money you have to spend on food and medicine. when they are separate you can keep whatever they have (parasites, etc) contained, but when they live together as far as you know they all have it.


hearing both sides of housing is the best way to make an educated decision. and we shouldn't shoot down someone for telling about their experience on that, but you should always share the negative side of every situation.
if i knew how expensive owning a bearded dragon would be i may have been more prepared, for example ordering food in bulk or having a colony set up. i spent more money in the beginning than was necessary. and i definitely wouldn't have gotten 2 to start with.

 

[snazzyglasses]

Can I just second what bunnyrut posted? Very well said bunnyrut