Stacking behavior

[GlassesTho]

This is the kind of stacking behavior I saw in petco just yesterday....so that definitely doesn't look like the little one is having a good time.

I understand how badly you want your two to be friends...but everyone here has really good intentions. They wouldn't insist that you separate them, if it wasn't for the best. It's just not worth the risk of the lizards deciding to "test" who's really dominant and biting it out, and getting infections and whatnot.

I can see other things wrong there too :
including they are on calcisand !!
the useless dial thermometer
.... based on these alone I'd not take any advice they gave as it will be bad advice.

Sorry, maybe I was not clear. I'm not taking any advice from them.

I was just trying to give a visual example of how uncomfortable stacking behavior can become based on what I had seen.

The advice I was referring to was from people on this forum suggesting the dragons be separated- to prevent issues like the one in the picture =)

But yes, there are other issues in the picture as well.

 

[Rankins]

Not sure if it's calcium sand or regular sand. But I have been complaining about the dangers of calcium sand ever since it hit the market almost 20+ years ago. It's a horribly dangerous substrate that can kill any reptiles on it.

 

[DarcyJP]

I know it might be a far field post to do but when i had 25! yes 25 babies in my box they all stacked, they all turned out fine and healthy. Most of the time i saw that if one anted to actually get more sun and UV, it would move out from underneath the other one and sit where it was capable of getting the needed heat. Alot of these guys really go by what others have warned and over exaggerated but it really just depends on how you treat them, what their personalities are like, How big they are, availability for food and water and space. Trust me when i say, if you get too worked p about what people say on the internet, you'll over think alot of things, stress out and end up not loving the dragon but instead be its maid.

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

I know it might be a far field post to do but when i had 25! yes 25 babies in my box they all stacked, they all turned out fine and healthy. Most of the time i saw that if one anted to actually get more sun and UV, it would move out from underneath the other one and sit where it was capable of getting the needed heat. Alot of these guys really go by what others have warned and over exaggerated but it really just depends on how you treat them, what their personalities are like, How big they are, availability for food and water and space. Trust me when i say, if you get too worked p about what people say on the internet, you'll over think alot of things, stress out and end up not loving the dragon but instead be its maid.

Darcy,
May I first acknowledge this discussion is about 2 months old now and the OP has likely already made their decisions. Also, and I'm not meaning to start "an internet argument", but it can be advice like yours that lead people to make fatal mistakes with keeping reptiles.

Firstly, 25 is WAY too many for 1 container. I'm not a breeder, but even I know they need to be separated into smaller groups in rearing tubs. Toe nipping, bullying, food hogging are only a few of the results of over-crowding an enclosure as babies.

Secondly, as babies, yes, many breeders (and pet stores) keep them housed together (mainly for convenience), but it's as they get older is when the concern comes in. To practically tell the OP that all these experienced keepers responding are "overreacting" is extremely insulting and very misguided. While some people have had success keeping multiple growing dragons together it is never recommended. Just because they didn't maim each other doesn't mean they're fine. There are underlying and constant issues housing multiple solitary creatures together, and one or both of the dragons will end up paying the price either physically or mentally.

Thirdly, no one said stacking was immediate cause for concern. What everyone replied with was that it is a dominant behavior (or result of stealing resources.) Whether the dragons grow up fine after stacking was not the concern, the concern was continuing to keep them together.

I apologize again for keeping this older thread resurrected, but I cannot let severely misguided information be provided to those using this forum still trying to learn the do's and don'ts of keeping these creatures.

And Darcy, I really do apologize if this comes off as a personal attack, but please realize that those that had responded to this topic are all long-time keepers and breeders of bearded dragons. Referring to them as internet people that are exaggerating to stress someone to the point they cannot love their pet is absurd. Please show respect for others and don't be so quick to dismiss their experience. They are trying to save them from potential heart break, not scare them.