Thoughts on a second beardie?

[TeddyLC]

Admins: Please move if this isn't the right place for this. I wasn't sure if it belonged here or Behavior or somewhere else?

So obviously I know the basic rules of better not to keep two beardies together, if they do they should both be female, etc. etc... what I'm having trouble finding is more information on pros and cons of keeping two bearded dragons NOT together, but in enclosures close to each other with some occasional supervised playtime depending on how they take to each other?

My beardie is doing fine, but he's much more sedentary than he used to be. He has his moments of energy bursts, but most of the time he just basks and then goes to sleep. I'm aware that they do get more sedentary as they get older, so it doesn't overly concern me, but I'm wondering if the presence of another beardie nearby might perk him up a little, or if it could be stressful? He used to be one of the most active in his litter and was frequently in a beardie pile with his siblings as a juvie, and my life has gotten busier since I've gone back to school so I'm not around as much as I used to be most of the week. I also frequently see animals being rehomed in my area, and beardies have definitely come up quite a bit, so I've been thinking whether getting a second beardie would be good, meh, or potentially bad.

Thanks!

 

[AHBD]

Hi Teddy, well our adult captive beardies realy don't have much to do in their tanks so they do become sluggish unless they have a really huge tank. Adults WILL normally be much more sedentary though [ especially this time of year ] but it is good to provide some time out of the enclosure . Some owners put a little ramp up to a window sill, some let them roam in a safe room [ no foreign objects on the floor ] and this can give them a change of pace.

As for a new beardie friend, it is almost always more stressful. Males want to fight or mate, females that were raised alone may not like a newcomer around either. There are exceptions but it's a gamble. Plus you may bring home a dragon that has parasites, etc. and would need a quarantine time at first anyway. So probably best just to give him a change of scenery, outside time in the house [ esp. if it's warm where you live ] you can even set up an outdoor enclosure.

 

[kingofnobbys]

I never let my dragons have time TOGETHER , i'm not a breeder, and my gang were bought and raised as companion pets not as breeders.
So when I've had more than one bearded dragon , which was continuously over the last 8 years of so until very recently when my boy Toothless suddenly and unexpectedly took ill , and was two , and for a long time three. Their interaction was restricted to flirting when one was out for floor fun time and the others were still in their rearing tubs / tanks and looking out / in at each other.
The interaction is one of the joys of keeping the species, and something I miss now we only have one (our lovely affectionate snugglequeen Peppa).

When my boy Puff died in recovery after major surgery to drain and repair a large aneurism on his jugular and we were left with only his sister Rex , we bought two hatchlings home Peppa and Toothless , and Rex was must miffed by the suddenly arrival of the two little hatchlings and made it know she was boss beardie. Took a few months for Rex to accept the presence of Peppa & Toothless.

Of cause I housed my hatchlings separately from the getgo in their own individual rearing tubs.

I set up my tubs and tanks so the dragons do not have to stare at each over all day , in my case the 100L rearing tubs are stackable , and my home made timber tanks are also stacked.

Very important to consider at least a period of quaranteen of 3 months for all new reptiles who come into the home.

 

[TeddyLC]

Hi, AHBD and kingofnobbys. Thanks for your replies.

Unfortunately, my area is VERY cold (we were at 26ºF/-3ºC this week) so I can't give my beardie outdoor time, and I only have one window and it's not anywhere near his viv. (My home is very, very narrow, townhome-style - downstairs only has the front door and sliding glass back door, where he does get to play by, and upstairs only has two small windows that get drafty this time of year. I get very little natural light, tragically.) He definitely gets supervised playtime to run around my living room, although not every day, as sometimes I come home just as he's getting ready to sleep. My other animals are nocturnal for this reason. =\

Good to know that they should not have time physically together at all, though. I think I'll hold off on getting a second beardie if it isn't likely to do him any good, if it would just stress him out or be altogether unnecessary. Although the flirting does sound fun! Maybe if I wind up getting a second beardie someday, I'll get a female... I've avoided females thus far, as I'm kind of terrified of dealing with egg laying or potential egg binding, but he grew up with girls so maybe it would be fun for him to have someone to flirt with.

@kingofnobbys do you have a photo or a link to a photo thread I could see of your setup? Stackable tubs and timber tanks sound interesting! Sorry to hear about Puff... may he rest in peace.