Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I have two baby beardies. They have been together since I first got them, and did not know until recently that they shouldn’t be kept together esp if they end up being two males (I knew to separate them when they got older, but when they were young I thought it would be ok) Anyways, I separated them two weeks ago and they are now in tanks side by side. One thing that I don’t understand is that they get along fine, in fact they never part unless to eat. They bask together, play together (or I like to think), they really like being near each other, and never fight or ever threaten each other. I understand that two males can not be housed together so I understand the risk of housing them together, but why is it not ok when they are babies and when they are inseparable.

Is it ever possible that two males could ever be “friends” (I don’t know their sex yet)

-A

Babies can stay together. The problem starts when they are about 6 months old. The male hormones kick in.
To house two males together, you would need a VERY large enclosure, and that could still be risky.

The other problem is if you have a male and female, they will mate too early. If they are siblings, it's even worse due to inbreeding.
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TheClassyLizard

I actually don't think this is a very good idea at all but I've heard from a couple breeders that they have had no problems keeping two male together that have been together since birth, and have never been seperated...I don't think I would even attempt this though.

It's too risky, as soon as they hit anywhere from 6-9 months it's puberty time! They get all hormonal and aggressive...if not aggressive, they start head bobbing and looking for a mate. And as the previous post said....unless you are absolutely positive they are both male and male, you could end up with a young beardy giving birth to inbred babies....the babies could develop severe internal and external deformities and abnormalities and the risk of your original female dying from premature pregnancy.

Either way, separate them once they hit about 5-7 inches long.
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Chris

1.2.0 Bearded Dragons
1.2.0 Green Basilisks
1.1.0 Crested Geckos
1.2.0 Veiled Chameleons
1.1.0 Corn Snakes
1.0.0 Tokay Geckos
0.0.1 California Kingsnakes
2.5.1 Leopard Geckos

Yeah, thanks for the advice.

By the way, both babies are not related at all. They were purchased different days, different places..I will post pictures later today of the two