In 2006 we purchased two bearded dragons. We had fully researched
their care and their requirements for the vivarium and equipment, but
had missed any information about whether bearded dragons should be kept
on their own or in pairs or groups. Many of the books we referred to
were written by breeders who talked about their set ups with a number of
beardies. So we went into it a bit blind, with little knowledge and
made the decision to get a pair.
What can bearded dragons eat:
Knowing that we wanted a male and
female, the breeder that we had contacted had two clutches of eggs from
two separate pairs of breaded dragons hatching around the same time. He
accurately selected one from each group which would hopefully turn out
to be male and female (although he did point out he had done his best to
sex them, but could be wrong - a warning you should expect from any
experienced breeder). The two young hatchlings were put together in a
separate vivarium, so they were together from when they were less that a
week old.
The bearded dragons, named Shrek and Fiona, came to us
at 5 weeks of age, and were put immediately into a 5 ft vivarium where
they appeared to be very happy. They interacted well, although at times
seemed to treat each other as bits of furniture - one lying on top of
the other with seeming disregard as to whether they were sitting on the
other one's head! Although I had prepared my son that if they turned out
to be two males they would need to be separated, as they matured Fiona
started arm waving, and Shrek started head bobbing. They were definitely
male and female.
What can bearded dragons eat continued reading up about bearded dragons,
and it was then that we found information about the dangers of keeping a
male and female together. Mating wasn't so much a possibility, but a
certainty! And the warnings were there that they could mate too early
causing the female problems with laying eggs, and that the male, once
having started, would continually mate with the female making her life a
misery.
Well, sure enough, they did mate, but not until they were
over a year old and both fully grown. So we counted ourselves very
lucky. Seeing the eggs laid, watching them in the incubator and waiting
for the hatchlings to emerge was something that gave us great pleasure.
We had two clutches from that first mating - 37 babies were born in all,
and in 2008 the market was not yet flooded with too many beardies so we
managed to sell them all to good homes and made enough to cover the
cost of feeding the hatchlings and buying the set ups for them. I was
then worried about what would happen next, but Shrek and Fiona settled
down, and the next mating did not occur for another 18 months. Again, I
ticked this off as another success. Whilst advising other people not to
get two bearded dragons, I smugly thought that it had worked for us -
probably due to them having been together from just a few days old.
When
the eggs hatched this time around, and the hatchlings grew, it was much
harder to sell the babies - the price had dropped through the floor,
and although we made enough to cover the food, and we would have made
quite a loss had we not already had the equipment to raise them. We
ended up keeping the last of the hatchlings until they were 4 months old
just because it was so difficult to find them new homes.
After
that, Shrek and Fiona did not breed again, and I wondered why seeing as
there were so many warnings about over breeding. I started watching
their behaviour closely. I noticed that Shrek would indeed start head
bobbing and indicating he was feeling rather frisky, but Fiona -
although much smaller (Shrek was a 700g giant!) she made her displeasure
clear. They would circle around each other, and then Fiona would dart
at him, making him back off. She'd then take refuge somewhere where
mating was impossible - on the hammock, draped over a rock or a branch.
Shrek would give up and go off and have a sulk. They would then go back
to being their companionable selves again. Fiona was obviously boss.
In
late 2011 Shrek developed tumours, and died in the spring of 2012.
Having had the same companion for the whole of her life we worried how
Fiona would behave, and even worried that she'd pine away. Although
Shrek was put down by the vet, we let him die in the vivarium with Fiona
- the anaesthesia they use does not work instantaneously on reptiles.
The vet agreed taking him home to die was the best thing as most animals
however react better when they understand their companion has died,
rather than just disappeared. But as there's not a lot of research on
bearded dragon behaviour, he couldn't comment on what the lasting effect
on Fiona would be.
What can bearded dragons eat? Well, Fiona did not mope.
She did not stop eating. She started looking the best she'd ever looked
in all her life with lovely colour. She became more active in the
vivarium, more active when running about the house. Inquisitive, and
though it's difficult to tell, she seemed happy. She was difinitely more
relaxed.
