Two Beardies in the same tank?

[kingjake]

This is just a hypothetical question since I only have one Bearded dragon and a tank that would be too small for two.. But I've seen some arguments about keeping bearded dragons housed together. Is that a major no-no? I've only seen people say not to do it on this site but several other places say it should be fine as long as they are around the same age/size and even better if they are both babies. Even my local pet store says it is okay in most cases as long as one of them doesn't start getting aggressive, and many of their experts keep multiple bearded dragons together. So what's the ruling? Is it okay as long as there's enough space and the beardie's temperaments are in check?

 

[frazbertos]

Bearded Dragons are solitary animals and should not be housed together due to dominance and territorial reasons. Males will fight resulting in injury or death of one or both animals. Housing one male and females can result in over-breeding, which is not healthy for the females. Dragons should only be placed together for breeding. Just females housed together is the safest combination, however, this can still cause problems. I would suggest one.

 

[SukiLove]

The problem with keeping more than 1 in the same enclosure is that as territorial reptiles very few owners have the space required to provide comfortable territories for each. I would never house 2 males or a male and a female to echo fraz' statement. You could feasibly house 2 females together, but the space required is double that of a single beardie enclosure, so around 8' x 4' x 2'+(height). Not many people have that kind of space to provide for them. Now, there are people who have successfully kept females together in enclosures but it does require vigilance to make sure both are happy and healthy. I think it requires a lot of experience in reptile behavior and a willingness to separate if needed.

 

[AcceptableGeek]

I agree with one beardie per enclosure

 

[kingofnobbys]

Only beardies that seem to be social are Rankin's (Pygmi or Black Soil) Dragons, they are commonly kept as groups here in Australia.

You can keep small groups of hatchies together but risk toe and tail nips and eventually one will assert itself and become dominant and their enclosure mate will loose out on prime basking spots, prime napping spots, and on the food and will not grow as fast. Best to separate juveniles before this happens (about 5 - 6 months old). I did this successfully and separated Puff and Rex as soon as I noticed minor issues starting to happen (ie Puff started nibbling Rex on the back and neck and blackbearding, headnodding and armwaving started up).

Otherwize - see above posts - concensus of opinion is only bring 2 beardies (M + F) together for brief periods for breeding. Occasionally some pairs (F + F) are successfully kept together. Not worth the risk though unless you have a very large enclosure with multiple basking spots and multiple hides.

 

[MorsCerta]

Please search for other post on here regarding cohabitation and the gruesome pictures resulting from this unnatural (to BDs) practice. I had the same question 15 minutes ago and am glad I found this forum...

 

[diamc]

Here's a link regarding cohabitation of beardies: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=154908&hilit=housing+multiple&start=255#p1550565

 

[RicoTheDragon]

Just females housed together is the safest combination, however, this can still cause problems. I would suggest one.

So, when I go to stores like PetSmart or Petco. They have the bearded dragons together in one cage. Does that mean they're all girls? Or are they not territorial when at a young age?

 

[RicoTheDragon]

Just females housed together is the safest combination, however, this can still cause problems. I would suggest one.

So, when I go to stores like PetSmart or Petco. They have the bearded dragons together in one aquarium. Does that mean they're all girls? Or are they not territorial when at a young age?

 

[onceblue]

There's some leeway for hatchlings because they aren't as territorial/aggressive/hormonal as adults, but many baby beardies end up with nipped limbs and tails as a result of being in a tank with other hatchlings. You'll see babies described as having tail nips and such, and that's a result of being housed with other hatchlings, especially if they are in a small tank and not a large tank that's big enough for all of them. If you watch beardies in Petsmart or Petco, you'll also notice that the dominant behavior (one sitting on top of another to soak in the most UVB/heat) starts very early as well.

Petsmart/Petco just isn't a good example of how beardies should be housed/cared for in general. I've heard that some are better than others, but I know at my local one the humidity is too high, the UVB is wrong, too many beardies are together in a small space, and the crickets they feed are WAY too big and they leave them in the enclosure.