Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My daughter bought her first bearded dragon at the reptile show here in Raleigh last weekend. We love the lizard! So docile, a real joy. Anyway, we wish we had gotten two because we think she (?) is lonely and they are just super pets. Can we add another lizard if it is simular in size without a commotion and possible deadly consequences?

beardies do not get lonely. they are solitary creatures who prefer a habitat to themselves. furthermore, the only cohabitation which is workable is to have females sharing an enclosure. two males together would fight, and a male/female combo would result in constant breeding which is stressful for the female (not to mention that they are sexually mature at 6 months but should not be bred until at least 18 months to prevent underdevelopment/complications in the parents). any new addition to the collection must also be quarantined for at least 3 months to prevent introduction of parasites/mites/disease to your existing animals.

so although you may want to add another dragon, my recommendation is to stick with the one you have at the moment, then if you can afford another entire setup and have space for it, you could consider exanding your collection later.
-----
Ross

0.2 Bearded Dragons (1 Yellow, 1 Chris Allen/Sandfire)

I second that answer. Dragons are really not social creatures. Even two females do not always get along. Dragons like to be along in their own territory. Other dragons are not friends, they are competition for resources. In the wild if two dragons entered the same territory the dominant one would stay, the other would move on. they would not hang around and socialize.

It is extremely common to hear someone post about their dragons and say

"we have two, when we got them they were the same size, one is growing like crazy but the other hasn't grown at all. He tries to hide all day and won't eat or bask"

This is because the dominant dragon is stressing the smaller one. When these people are told to seperate the dragons the little one usually begins to improve right away.

IF you want a second dragon I recommend a second full tank setup with UVB and everything it needs to live. There is a good chance that the dragons will have to be seperate.
-----
____

Signature file edited; oversized banner removed. Please update/correct. [phw 9/6/04]

thank you both for the great information. We sure are enjoying this lizard! Her name is Saphira or Eragon if a male. I love the way she runs over when I feed her kale.