Reptile & Amphibian Forums

does anyone know if this is possible. i have a male beardie that is about 11" long head to tale. i work at a local pet shop, and we got two plated lizards saturday at the kentucky reptile expo. i didnt go...or i would have asked around up there. we have one that only has 3 legs. he is the coolest. he is full of personality...and spunk. he is great. i dont realy want to set up anoher tank, so i just that that i would see if they could go together

thanks in avance

evan

n/p
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www.classylizard.com

This question is asked all the time, and it always gets the same answer. I really think someone should put a large notice/banner on top of this forum saying "DO NOT MIX SPECIES!". Well, I guess it's a good thing that people ask before going ahead and actually doing something like that.

Well, before you even consider it, you should be sure that the plated lizard has a clean bill of health. Once that is determined the only way to see if they will accept each others presence is to try it. You should be sure there is several hides. You should be prepared to observe there behavior towards each other and assess if there are signs of aggression. You should also be prepared to either keep them seperate if they don't get along or return the plated lizard. I would try it out if it interests you. I don't think the answer is a simple as no,never mix species. It's not like it has not been done successfully before.
good luck
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Bill DiFabio
Garden State Herpetoculture...website to follow...
Email Me
"If you don't have enemies, you don't have character." - Paul Newman

I think it's that simple, in this case, when you are talking "tank".
If people do mix species, it is normally in a very large vivarium setting to allow for multiple basking temperature requirements and even substrates.

The enclosure needs to be large enough to accomidate both needs. That's not going to happen in a tank
Plateds require a basking spot of 20 degrees lower then a bearded, and the cool side is 10-15 degrees lower. A full grown plated should have at least a 2x3 foot enclosure to himself.

Melissa Kaplans site says they should have a mixture of potting soil lightened with clean sand and orchid bark shreds. You would not want to put a bearded on any type of bark.

Plateds also require a large dish for swimming , which could raise the humidity levels to unhealthy levels for a dragon.
Bacteria growth in the water could be another potential hazard.
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www.classylizard.com

Evan,
Here's a link to a post I made about mixing species. I feel that if you have two healthy lizars and you a confindent that you can set up a cage that will accomodate the needs of the two lizards, go for it. If you want more help or opinions on how I would go about it, email me.
good luck,
Bill

Link to post

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Bill DiFabio
Garden State Herpetoculture...website to follow...
Email Me
"If you don't have enemies, you don't have character." - Paul Newman

I have to say it really amazes me how you are willing to risk the health and well-being of animals just to experiment, and how you encourage others to do the same thing. I would think that the point of owning a pet would be to take the best possible care of it?

Of course, there is a possibility that two species with similar needs, will actually tolerate each other, and have no short-term health-problems, at least. But why on earth take the risk???

By all means, do what you want, but it really makes me uncomfortable when you encourage others to do the same thing, claiming it's a piece of cake.

When taking advice from others you have to make your own final decision as to what advice to take. There are many different things that work for many different people. BUT there is usually a method that has been proven to be succesful by the majority of experienced keepers and has been agreed upon to be the safest thing to do for your animals.

You can go the experimental route that has worked for a few but be certain you are willing to take the higher risk of complications and will probably have fewer resources for help when these complications arise.

Or can go the with the methods proven by a greater number of experienced keepers to be safe and if you have complications there will most likely be more resources you can rely on for help.

Again, it is your decision and if you do choose to go the experimental route it would be appreciated if you share any complications or successes you have so we can gain a better understanding if these experimental methods are a good choice or not.

IMPORTANT:

If you are new to reptiles I strongly suggest you do not experiment because you will probably not be able to recognize the subtle signs of complications. In addition, you will also have fewer resources available if you do have complications. I would strongly consider leaving the experimentation up to the experts.
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Rob Talkington

IMO, what people don't understand about the bacteria issue is:
When mixing species from two different parts of the globe (in this case Africa/Australia), it can be like exposing a human jungle tribe to Chicken Pox or measles. A disease they have never known and would likely kill them.
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www.classylizard.com