Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am preparing to obtain my first Beardie. I have a stack of books and even a video. Although I am very clear on housing, food, light, supplements, and temperature requirements. However, I have mixed signals on the number of lizards kept for the best interests of the Beardie. I would like one male Beardie except that at least one book specifically states that Beardies are social animals and infers that a Beardie kept alone will be psychologically damaged. I have no interest in breeding Beardies; I simply want an interesting pet. And, from what I read on the Internet it appears that most of the pairs are kept separate much of the time to protect the female. So, will one male Beardie be "fine"? If either the male or female are neutered, will this allow them to be kept safely together. (I have a reptile vet who has the skills to do this).
TIA, Mary Jane

In no way, shape or form, neutered or not, is it safe to keep a male with a female (adults) if you don't plan to breed. One or the other will get stressed out, and likely the male if he can't "get it up." If I were to start over, I'd have done exactly as I did the first time. Females can be quite tempermental, and are somewhat boring when they are alone. Their personalities can sometimes be lacking (not saying that males can't be the same way) and they are often not as colorful as even males of the same clutch. This is not to say that there are no colorful females, or that color is all you should look at when selecting your animal. What you should look for is alertness, personality, curiosity, and make sure you get to see them eat, if only one cricket. If you are going to see a private breeder, ask him/her for an appointment slot around the time when he/she would normally feed the little ones.

Anyway... my point was that males tend to be more active, more friendly, and more personable... after they go through their adolescent "I am King" stage, in which whey will attempt to bite everything that enters their cage. They also comonly develop more color, and even Normals grow to be very beautiful animals... and this is true of either sex. It's really a matter of preference, but I wouldn't give up Sonny for anything, especially when he decides my arm is a good place to hide under when he's tired.

Thank you for your advice. Mary Jane

First, I would like to commend your research. Excellent job trying to resolve any issues before buying.
Anyway, beardies don't live in the wild in groups, or at least not that i've ever heard. Males are territorial. A single beardie will do just fine on their own. I've got three males all living by themselves with no intentions on ever getting them females.
I have never heard of neutering a beardie either. Any operation would put the animal at risk, so you may want to consider that if you want a male and a female. If you really want two, two females would be the best way to do that.

I agree that dragons are fine alone. I only have a single male bearded dragon (only own him since march) and he is quite happy alone in his cage. I take him out a couple times a week to run around and explore my living room (under constant supervision..just in case he decides to go where he shouldn't, or where i can't find him LOL). He is very curious about anything around him, watches the TV with me (especialy movies LOL). He's a great pet even my reptile hating mom is charmed by him though she still thinks people will flee in terror if I bring him outside.

Glad to hear you did your research. With so many books you are bound to find some facts that are contridictory against other sources. It's great to bring them up to find out what is fact or fiction. Feel free to post any and all questions you have here.

Oh for selecting your dragon, I would recommend going to a breeder to get one. If possible, go onsite to see your potential dragon, instead of just ordering it online based on a picture. Not saying all online breeders are bad cause they are not, many here have ordered dragons from breeders online and received healthy and wonderful dragons are completely satisfactory. It's just a personal preference to see in person what I want to buy in a pet.

Thank you for your advice. Mary Jane