Should I get my lizard a 'girlfriend'?

April 15, 2012 3:13 AM

I want to get a second bearded dragon, preferably as a companion to my current beardie. My current bearded dragon is male, and I know that two males will not get along in the same cage. Should I get a female/companion or would I be best off just setting up a second terrarium.

I really enjoy having my bearded dragon as a pet, and I have read that they will interact with each other more frequently than they will with a human owner. My bearded dragon has lived with me for 2 years and hasn't seen any other of his kind since I've owned him.

posted by Drumhellz to pets & animals (3 answers total)

I don't know about bearded dragons, but my chameleon (male) reacted very aggressively to other males (including his own reflection). Just because they don't have to share a cage doesn't mean they'll get along outside. If you have the option to get a second terrarium, I'd say go for it and a female companion. If they get along, you can always have them move in together at a later point.
posted by MinusCelsius at 2:16 PM on April 15, 2012

Second terrarium. Bearded dragons do not live well in pairs, regardless of sex; a male-female coupling would still lead to territorial disputes, aggression and fighting, not to mention the male would attempt to breed with her really often and potentially make her sick doing so.
posted by buteo at 8:05 PM on April 15, 2012

Thanks guys, I had gotten some bad advice about allowing males>females to share a terrarium. I didn't think that was a good idea and I'm glad to have that corroborated.
posted by Drumhellz at 1:51 AM on April 16, 2012