You know....this girlfriend thing has been tossed around a lot. I don't want to breed and wanted to get him a companion. I posted to another bd forum and everyone said not to do it, beardies are not social and cannot be housed together except for breeding, etc. or maybe 2 females so that sort of ended that.

However, as I re-read The Bearded Dragon Manual by Dr. Sue Donoghue, et al social deprivation is mentioned as well as co-housing separately from the breeding colonies info. He definitely perks up when he is with me or hanging out with his favorite cat on the window perch. Well, the tech at my vet's office, who also has a single male dragon, has been thinking the same thing. She told me yesterday that she got two females and when she showed one to Grendel he went nuts trying to get at it. They are currently being quarantined and she says she will keep them anyway. I asked if I could "borrow" one just to get his reaction. I cannot go to the expense of setting up a new one, quarantining for 30-90 days and then not have it work out. I am moving next year and just can't add an additional tank to what I have (plus the expense). But on the other hand I do think he is lonely. Sure, I understand the whole anthropomorphizing thing but when you have just a few animals as companions (as opposed to breeding colonies) you really get to know them. My chameleon is by himself but I KNOW they are not social and do not worry about him being lonely (he's got it made anyway, free range jungle gym, dripper and humidifier turned on at his command - he's got me wrapped around his prehensile tail!)

Darwin is in my bedroom all by himself whereas my cham and blotchies are in my office with me. I feel bad that he is in there all alone and have thought of moving him in here, which would be a big job and I would have to coax a burly neighbor to help me The irony is that the day after I got him in his big tank my chameleon, Luna, died and he could have gone in here after all. I now have another cham and he is in here. I don't know, the logistics, his health - what do you think? What's your opinion, experience with (or if you know someone) who has non-breeding couples.

You are right about the vet thing but I was going to check the forums first. I wanted to get the blood result ranges and then I was going to post the whole situation to get the forum's input. Guess I should have known better than to think I could get away without someone asking what was wrong! lol! I've been on the forums for years and I know I would have asked!!

thanks!
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Chameleon Help & Resource Info
1.0 Nosy Be Panther Chameleon - Cyrus
0.1 Veiled Chameleon - Luna. She's now hanging from her big jungle gym in the sky
1.0 Beardie - Darwin
1.1.1 Side-blotched lizards - Ana and Stan
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Lita
0.1 African Clawed Frog - Skippy
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh, Died 4/21/06
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha, donated to science 4/4/06
?.? Pinktoe Tarantula - no name yet

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