Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
I have 2 bearded dragons of about 6-7 months that are kept together. I found that they're a male and a female. I know I have to separate them eventually because the female should not breed until she is 2 years old. The question is, when do I have to do it? Is it in about 2 months, when my male will reach sexual maturity?
Also, I think someone on the forum said that he only separates his male and female at certain times of the year. When is it?
It's not a problem for me to separate them, but I would like them to be together as long as possible.. they look to enjoy being with each other...they're like glued together, always on the back of the other! (I know, they're lizards... maybe they don't really care about each other and it's probably only my imagination...)
So, I would like to know what are my options.
Thank you very much for your advices!

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Lisabeth

1.1 Bearded dragons (Flake and Rusty)
1.0 Uromastyx geyri (Spiky)
1.0 Guinea pig (Pumpkin)

You should never keep bearded dragons together. They only come together in the wild for mating. If you don't separate them you will end up with injured or even dead dragons. When they lay on top of eachother its a sign of dominance or you might see hand waving or head bobbing which means the same. You usually wont witness an injury or see sings of one until it's too late. I bought my dragon from a pet store, she was housed with all of her clutchmates, and she has broken toes and a bend in her tail most likley from nips. I am a member of another dragon forum on the net and have read about these horror stories too. aside from injury your male could breed your female too soon which could cause death in your girl. and if you bought them together... like from a pet store then they are likley clutchmates and you would have inbred babies... if she was able to lay at the young age. she could lay multiple clutches from one mating session too.... Breeding is very time consuming and the cost is very high. Do whats best for your dragon... seperate them immediately.

The last poster offered a worst case senario. Often issues are caused by poor conditions. I have females that do well together in 3's. My practices and enclosures ensure that their is no competition for resources such as food, basking sites, etc. Yes even with females their will always be a dominace order.

As far as M/F pairs you have to be much more careful. I would recommend you separate them. I have some that work but have to separate them at times because the male just gets too rough and restricts her access to food and basking. But at other times they are best friends and always together.

BDlvr...is their a certian time of year that the males get aggressive with females? or can it be any time of the year that the male can become violent?

It really depends on the pair. But in general, mid summer is the worst. I had a great m/f pair together throughout the breeding and egg laying season. They were just too cute together. Then in mid to late June he started being very aggressive with her. He was not mating her but was constantly biting her head to show dominance. She was super panicked by this and I had to separate them.

The female is 3 years old 22" and 630 grams. Her mate is 11 months old, 22 1/2" and 685 grams. He mated her when he was only 6 months old and produced 4 clutches of all fertile eggs. Part of the problem with them is that he just won't stop growing. He is so strong that he can bite her head and drag her around under his body and she is my 2nd largest female. She'll have to get a new mate for next year unfortunately.

My oldest pair was also fine until about the same time also when the male became very aggressive. I separated them and now they are back together happily again. She is 3 1/2, 22" and 765 grams. He is 3, 19 1/2" and 630 grams.

One of my vets has an enclosure with 2 males and 3 females at her house. They stay together all year. She has a much higher tolerance for dragons beating up on each other than I do though. But they have no injuries and always seem to get along fine when I'm there.

I have a lot of dragons and work at finding compatable mates for them because I feel if improves their quality of life. I just know, that if you only have one male and one female the odds that they will live together happily are against you. Also keep in mind that my enclosures are very large. Multiple dragons are in 5' x 3.5' floor space enclosures with 2 basking spots and 4 hides. Funny but the m/f pairs more often than not share 1 hide.

Ok...
I'll do it this weekend! I have to prepare her new home. For the moment, I have a 30 gallon aquarium for her. I'll try to build something bigger, as soon as possible. I'm thinking about making a second floor in the 30 gallon, so she'll have more floor space.
Thanks a lot for your advices, it's always appreciated.
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Lisabeth

1.1 Bearded dragons (Flake and Rusty)
1.0 Uromastyx geyri (Spiky)
1.0 Guinea pig (Pumpkin)

Separate them now. I think bearded dragons should not be housed together after they are 6 months old, if ever.

Though it is possible to have dragons together all their lives the risks are high for many things, even with two females. Males tend to reach sexual maturity at about 8 months on average...females usually around 12 months...on average. This doesn't mean they should be bred at that age. Females don't have to be two years old either...but at least 14 is recommended...with 18 months more ideal. This ensures she is fully grown and has a chance to put on a good weight as well.

Females have produced eggs as young as 6 months, though 8 months is more common. Sometimes they do this regardless to having any exposure to a male, physically or visually. (in this case the eggs are infertile).

Besides, eggs and being bred too young, competition for food, basking spots, etc can also put stress on one or both dragons. In the long run, its best to house them separately.
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PHLdyPayne