Think I'm going to purchase my first beardie soon :)

[Josh48329]

Hello,

I've never owned a bearded dragon before, but used to have iguanas and kind of miss them. One of my roommates recently purchased a beardie though, and I think I'm hooked and will be purchasing one once it warms up a bit.

Currently I'm looking at purchasing a 75 gallon tank, or building my own - I'm not sure yet. I plan on using reptile carpet as substrate if I purchase a tank, or maybe sealed slate tiles or shelf liner if I build my own. Reptisun 10.0 tube with a household bulb for light/heat, and a non-light emitting ceramic for night time if necessary. I know about using quality thermometers and placing the basking location at the highest point and the right distance from the lights. I plan on having this all setup and ready to go by the time I purchase the BD. I'm also already planning on purchasing some dubias and trying to start a colony as soon as the holidays pass and live shipping resumes. Hopefully that'll give me time to get at least somewhat of an established colony going before I really need it. Anyway, I think I'm more or less set on those aspects of being an owner, but I do have a few questions.

I'm pretty sure that I'll be purchasing a "breeding quality" female first from a reputable breeder. It'll be a pet, but I figure that gives me the option of breeding down the road if I wish. This is what leads to one of my questions... I've found what seems to be 8 or 10 reputable breeders online already, but all my decisions are based upon is the info on their own websites. Not to ruffle any feathers, since I'm sure there are many good breeders out there and it seems many even on this forum, but is there some sort of feedback thread or place for independent reviews of breeders so I can be sure before purchasing?

My other question... I've seen some care sheets that say it's alright to house 2 females together in the same tank. Should this be avoided at all costs, or does it work out? I know they aren't exactly social creatures, but will that just create more stress for them or is it possible they'll get along and won't bother each other too much in the right sized viv? Regardless, I plan on starting with only one BD, but am considering purchasing more down the road. Being that this could determine what size viv I want to setup initially though, I figured I'd ask.

 

[akingsley9000]

Hi,

I dont think we have a thread on here specifically for feedback on breeders. However - the beardie breeding community is a small one. If you have any questions on a breeder - you can ask if any one has dealt with them and get feedback that way - I can assure you will get enough info to make your decision.

As far as housing two females together - as you know - it is not recommended. That being said there are some people who have successfully kept two in one enclosure but the chance that something could happen is always there. You would have to watch very carefully to make sure there are no dominance issues, each is eating properly, getting proper UVB & heat exposure - this usually means two basking spots.

If you decide to keep them together make sure you have an extra enclosure on hand just incase. or perhaps if you build an enclosure you could set it up with a removable divider, that way if you find you need to separate them you can to so quickly and easily.

~Allison

 

[Josh48329]

Thanks for the quick response!

I guess once I figure out exactly what I want I'll ask/search around a bit to be sure its a good breeder. It seems most of the ones I've found that deal with the more "premium" BD's are quite knowledgeable and seem legit though. Is there anything I should watch out for or ask about that I might not have thought about? Any tricks/traps to watch out for?

I'm thinking I won't try to house 2 females together, but was just wondering how often it works out. I was considering the divider idea, but I'm not sure. If I were to attempt it though, are there any suggestions? Better to do it when they're still a few months old maybe?

Also, if anyone has any tips/suggestions or thinks there is something I seem to be overlooking, then PLEASE point them out! Thanks!

 

[akingsley9000]

One thing that is a very touchy subject is adenovirus - some breeders test for it some do not, some believe there is such thing as an adeno free colony some insist they all have it.

The only thing i can really tell you about it is do your research on it and decide if it is something that is important to you. However be forewarned that it will severely narrow your breeder choices.

Also if you need to have the beardie shipped make sure it is not sent USPS but by Fedex or UPS - there have been some horror stories of babies that were shipped regular mail (USPS) and went missing for days. As depending if its cold where you are will want the breeder to make sure the breeder uses heat packs.

As any time being better than another to put them together - as babies they all seem to get along fine other than mistaking tails and toes for bugs. Its when they get older that aggression becomes an issue. Even if you do not see any aggressive behavior for either of them you could still come home one day and find limbs missing even if they have been together for years.

if you take sometime to browse through the ER section you will see several stories of beardies that were housed together and it did not end well - granted most of them were male/female vs female/female

heres a few:
http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=74666&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=tail+off
http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=94360
http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=94350
http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=94209
http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=92774

Thats all i can think of off the top of my head - if anything else comes to mind i'll let you know.

 

[akingsley9000]

if you want to check out info on Adeno here are some links to discussions on that as well:

http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=82960&hilit=

This is a 2 for 1 adeno & breeder info: http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=89444&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=Adenovirus
http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=87814&p=692575&hilit=adenovirus#p692575
http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=83980&p=652376&hilit=adenovirus#p652376

If you have any questions on Adeno you should have a chat with Drache613 (Tracy) - she is our resident expert on almost anything else you could want to know but has done a done of research on adeno :wink:

 

[Josh48329]

Thanks again for the reply! I've read all the links you posted, and it sounds like I have more to research before making my purchase... Thanks for the head start on it!

 

[Craziness]

Heya. Rose here.

I thought I should put my two pennies worth in, I got mailed a link to this topic.

I've successfully housed 2 female dragons together, Izzy and Jess, with no problems. -Touch wood.-
In their enclosure I have a fake plants, one at the hot and other at cool end. 1 large basking spot, and one smaller one, several hiding places, climbing branches and 2 water dishes.
I feed my dragons separately when it comes to live food, however with the salads I feed them together, with a large bowl of salad in between. This helps as once one sees the other eating the salad they both do. They often share dandies leaves.

I have a small webcam in to monitor them if I'm not about, in case they do anything when I'm out, as I've got a spare viv. in case anything does go wrong, I can separate them off sooner rather than later.

Most people here advise against it, I do not, it does depend on how lucky you are, the temperment of your two new beardies and the layout of your viv.

~Rose.

E] They've been housed together successfully for over a year now.

 

[Josh48329]

Sounds like it's working out for you! Thanks for giving your input!

I'm still a bit on the fence and probably won't do it. If I were going to be home more through the day then I think I'd attempt it, but as it is I work 1.5 hours from home and couldn't make it home to separate them even if I knew something was happening the second it started. Regardless, think I will be starting with one and going from there!