Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have two young beardies I was planning to eventually move into a large 41 gallon octagon aquarium tank. Two of the sides of the octagon are mirrors. My question is: will the beardies be bothered by their own reflection? That is, will the male see another male and spend all day trying to assert his authority to a mirage (of sorts)? Would it be better to cover the mirrors in brown paper or something, or would the mirrors add more mental stimulation to their environment?
Your input would be appreciated.

First off, a 41 gallon is way too small for two beardie's. Minimum for one adult beardie is 6 square feet of floor space, or approximatly a 65 gallon tank. You can house two comfortably in a 75 gallon.

Secondly, you shouldn't be housing any beardie's together at all if they're both males or if one is a male and one is a female. Two males will fight and a male in a male/female pair will overbreed and stress out the female. The only way you can safely house two beardie's together is if they're both females, and even then it doesn't always work out.

Hope that helps!

I agree completely with the above statement, that is much too small of a tank.

And yes, i think mirrors would be a really bad idea for the BD's. My beardie freaks out if she see's her reflection in the glass, she charges the glass, puffs her beard and generally just hates it. So I would try and find a cage that didn't have any mirrors.

good luck

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