Beardeddragon123
Bearded Dragon Egg
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- 5
Hey everyone I need help deciding what to put in my cage and was wondering if you can post pics of the insides of yours to give me an idea!! ...thanks 
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Cage pics
- Thread starter Beardeddragon123
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- 4,493
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@JodyBerry - Something that you may really seriously want to consider ...
Is Bearded Dragon Co-habitation a good plan?
Is Bearded Dragon Co-habitation a good plan?
Thanks Germ. I've actually gone round and round on other forums regarding this and I know the risks.
We have 4 females and for the last 4 years we have had zero issues with fighting, aggression etc. I created the cage specifically so that it could be separated in case an issue arises.
We have 4 females and for the last 4 years we have had zero issues with fighting, aggression etc. I created the cage specifically so that it could be separated in case an issue arises.
Pat B
Super Moderator
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You have been very very lucky that one of your beardies has not gotten maimed in some way. It only takes a heart beat and a dragon is injured in some way. Germ has had dragons for years and years and would NEVER put 2 dragons in the same enclosure. Please listen to him. You know the risks but don't take measures to prevent a serious injury??
Do you see my cage? It has the capability to be split up into 4 or more sections. It's already 3 right now.
Did you read my last post? 4 years with no issues. IF and when an issue arises, I will rectify it.
I only submitted the pic to give the OP some ideas. I didn't come to this forum for a match.
My dragons are probably treated better than lots of dogs and cats out there.
EDIT: 2nd post and I'm already moderated!! Oops.
*Moderated*
Did you read my last post? 4 years with no issues. IF and when an issue arises, I will rectify it.
I only submitted the pic to give the OP some ideas. I didn't come to this forum for a match.
My dragons are probably treated better than lots of dogs and cats out there.
EDIT: 2nd post and I'm already moderated!! Oops.
*Moderated*
Pat B
Super Moderator
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- 1,469
- Location
- Columbia SC
I did read your post and looked at your picture. I like the way you have 3 stacked on top of each other. In no way did I mean to upset you or get into a match. It breaks my heart when I see pictures of beardies that have been maimed by other beardies in the same viv. You know your dragons best and what they do and don't do. Maybe when they get older it 'might' become more of an issue. What is your substrate? It looks black and am curious as to what it is. Please don't be offended as that was not my intent.
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- 833
- Location
- Indiana
Hi Jodyberry, from what i have read no one is attacking you.The attempt is not to bash you. I have been where you are believe me. When you walk in on the aftermath of the first fight and you see a dragon with a missing arm. I know for myself i thought "how selfish of myself to allow this". We make mistakes and from that mistake we hope to help someone that may be in the same shoes.
Your animals look quite young and it is possible you may never have issues. We just hope if that day ever comes when your not out at the grocery store or anywhere besides in front of that cage.
Your animals look quite young and it is possible you may never have issues. We just hope if that day ever comes when your not out at the grocery store or anywhere besides in front of that cage.
@Pat B Thanks for the post. I appreciate the concern. I had been on the "other" bearded dragon forum for a while and some members were so extreme they thought I was killing babies or something. I specifically made my cage huge and compartmentalized in case of any issues.
It was my first year with 2 dragons that I DIDN'T know about keeping them apart. They lived in a smaller aquarium and never had issues there either - (both female).
Since they were always scratching like they wanted more room, I decided to build the bigger cages. They love the space now.
My flooring is indoor/outdoor carpet. I decided against sand since a lot of people say it's not good. I made 3 sets of carpets for each cage so that I can easily change and clean them when they get dirty. Only problem since there's no tile substrate is their nails. My wife trims them regularly though. The carpet makes for great custom size hammocks which they LOVE.
@Gillie The photo you see is when I made the cage about 4 years ago, so the dragons are larger now. And I don't know if it matters or not (regarding fighting), but all our females came from the same clutch (correct term?). A friend who breeds them gave the dragons to us for free. I will try to post a more current pic.
It was my first year with 2 dragons that I DIDN'T know about keeping them apart. They lived in a smaller aquarium and never had issues there either - (both female).
Since they were always scratching like they wanted more room, I decided to build the bigger cages. They love the space now.
My flooring is indoor/outdoor carpet. I decided against sand since a lot of people say it's not good. I made 3 sets of carpets for each cage so that I can easily change and clean them when they get dirty. Only problem since there's no tile substrate is their nails. My wife trims them regularly though. The carpet makes for great custom size hammocks which they LOVE.
@Gillie The photo you see is when I made the cage about 4 years ago, so the dragons are larger now. And I don't know if it matters or not (regarding fighting), but all our females came from the same clutch (correct term?). A friend who breeds them gave the dragons to us for free. I will try to post a more current pic.
- Messages
- 833
- Location
- Indiana
Hi, you are correct. It is called a clutch. Females will fight and i will say it is not as common as males vs male but they can fight even from the same clutch. I dont want to sound like im a know it all or even that i have been doing this since the beginning of time. I have seen fights of all ages and sexes. There is no standard "ok" situation. You will just never know.
Just the other day i pulled two females out for a bath. After the bath i set them in a large empty tote. These two females circled with beards out just like two males would. Some females will even bob fast like a male for display. It was sometime last year i had separated a group that was around 3-4 months old. As the group sold i was at a point where there was only a couple in each bin so i decided to combine them as there was 4 left. I put them together left the room and come back to one with anothers head in its mouth. Neither dragon was injured but it shows that they can and will fight for no reason at all. Maybe the one gave the other the stink eye i dont know but even as a breeder raising young dragons. Fighting can happen at anytime and if we could we would give each dragon a separate cage.
Im not judging your level of care or even the passion you have for your dragons. Your cages look great and your dragons appear to be healthy for the pictures. I just hope for your dragons sake they dont fight.
- Messages
- 1,122
- Location
- Mungi's World- Dayton,Ohio
@Jodyberry...couple of things...
First I will agree that your enclosure look great. I am curious however as to the actual dimensions of each enclosure area and the reason that I am curious is that for each adult bearded dragon the minimum floor space size should be equal to a 40 gallon breeder tank 36w x 18d x 16h or 4.5 square feet of floor space.
I know that you have mentioned that your enclosures are built to be subdivided which is a cool option to have built in but that being the case then in order to give each of your dragons what they minimally need then each enclosure would need to be at least 72w by 18d assuming they are built to divide into 2 seperate spaces.
Without minimal required floor space that they need as well as a thorough knowledge and understanding of how bearded dragons view their world you do as stated repeatedly above have "recipe for disaster".
I am in no way pouncing on you but it is a very common mistake that people make with these creatures, due to their perceived "docile" appearance in believing that they are happy living together. The fact that they are clutch mates bears no weight as I highly doubt that they are aware they came from the same parents. The facts are that bearded dragons are solitary,territorial and dominance based creatures that only come together for brief periods of time to mate. Once they have mated then they go their separate ways once again. To force them into co-habitation without proper room goes against their nature and instincts which are to stake out their own little piece of territory and defend it. Also being dominance based creatures when housing them together even with proper space one will always suffer because the strongest dragon will always get the best basking spot and his/her pick of the best food leaving the other lacking.
These are things besides the danger of all out war that have to be understood however that risk of injury due to fighting for their piece of ground or that best spot of Sunlight should always be at the forefront of real possibilities in their care as a caretaker. Those risks are real and proven by decades of experience with these creatures and by countless caretakers who have unfortunately made the mistake and/or not headed the warnings and facts well before you acquired your dragons.
To me no risk which could be avoided or eliminated for the creatures I care for is acceptable risk but then again you as your dragons caretaker have to make that decision for yourself as to how you choose to provide for and care for your dragons and what risks are acceptable to you in caring for those creatures that depend on you.
Lastly, I do welcome you to the BDF Community and would offer just a word of advice in general... were I you when hopping into a new forum arena such as you have here it might be best and easier for you to acquire the answers and support you need or want if you not jump so quickly on the defensive with folks that are only trying to help based on whatever experience you may have had on any other forum previously. Given a fresh look with an open mind void of your previous forum experiences I think that you will quickly realize that this particular arena is filled with fact based knowledgeable and vastly experienced people who are here to help and share that knowledge and experience with you readily due to their passion for these creature and their well-being.
The internet and pet store industry is chocked full of misinformation and incomplete information pertaining to proper bearded dragon care and requirements as is and we here at the BDF take great strides in trying to correct that misinformation and provide only the right information to folks so that they have what they need to give their dragons the best chance of a thriving and long life. You benefit too in that you get the pleasure of sharing that long life span with your dragons knowing that they are getting the best fact and experienced based care they can get.
Again Welcome to the BDF!
Enjoy
First I will agree that your enclosure look great. I am curious however as to the actual dimensions of each enclosure area and the reason that I am curious is that for each adult bearded dragon the minimum floor space size should be equal to a 40 gallon breeder tank 36w x 18d x 16h or 4.5 square feet of floor space.
I know that you have mentioned that your enclosures are built to be subdivided which is a cool option to have built in but that being the case then in order to give each of your dragons what they minimally need then each enclosure would need to be at least 72w by 18d assuming they are built to divide into 2 seperate spaces.
Without minimal required floor space that they need as well as a thorough knowledge and understanding of how bearded dragons view their world you do as stated repeatedly above have "recipe for disaster".
I am in no way pouncing on you but it is a very common mistake that people make with these creatures, due to their perceived "docile" appearance in believing that they are happy living together. The fact that they are clutch mates bears no weight as I highly doubt that they are aware they came from the same parents. The facts are that bearded dragons are solitary,territorial and dominance based creatures that only come together for brief periods of time to mate. Once they have mated then they go their separate ways once again. To force them into co-habitation without proper room goes against their nature and instincts which are to stake out their own little piece of territory and defend it. Also being dominance based creatures when housing them together even with proper space one will always suffer because the strongest dragon will always get the best basking spot and his/her pick of the best food leaving the other lacking.
These are things besides the danger of all out war that have to be understood however that risk of injury due to fighting for their piece of ground or that best spot of Sunlight should always be at the forefront of real possibilities in their care as a caretaker. Those risks are real and proven by decades of experience with these creatures and by countless caretakers who have unfortunately made the mistake and/or not headed the warnings and facts well before you acquired your dragons.
To me no risk which could be avoided or eliminated for the creatures I care for is acceptable risk but then again you as your dragons caretaker have to make that decision for yourself as to how you choose to provide for and care for your dragons and what risks are acceptable to you in caring for those creatures that depend on you.
Lastly, I do welcome you to the BDF Community and would offer just a word of advice in general... were I you when hopping into a new forum arena such as you have here it might be best and easier for you to acquire the answers and support you need or want if you not jump so quickly on the defensive with folks that are only trying to help based on whatever experience you may have had on any other forum previously. Given a fresh look with an open mind void of your previous forum experiences I think that you will quickly realize that this particular arena is filled with fact based knowledgeable and vastly experienced people who are here to help and share that knowledge and experience with you readily due to their passion for these creature and their well-being.
The internet and pet store industry is chocked full of misinformation and incomplete information pertaining to proper bearded dragon care and requirements as is and we here at the BDF take great strides in trying to correct that misinformation and provide only the right information to folks so that they have what they need to give their dragons the best chance of a thriving and long life. You benefit too in that you get the pleasure of sharing that long life span with your dragons knowing that they are getting the best fact and experienced based care they can get.
Again Welcome to the BDF!
Enjoy
Thanks Mungi.
Actually my cage area is 48w x 18d x 16h. And in fact, since the photo (which is 4 years old anyway) I have added more hammocks which they love, thereby almost doubling each cage's floor area. Since only 3 are residing there now, each has it's own huge cage. Much better than an old aquarium with a dome light! Plus, we occasionally take them out to roam around outside their cage.
You mention that I came here for SUPPORT and immediately went on the defensive. I will have to respectfully disagree. My first post was to HELP a fellow member, and I immediately was jumped on, THEN I went defensive. I appreciate the concern from other members, but I stated I know all the risks, and in fact, probably have a better environment than many.
Obviously, it didn't mean anything that I said I've had ZERO issues for 4 years. I could say I've had zero issues for 20 years and I'd still probably get letters!
I appreciate your long response and concern but my dragons are FINE.
Actually my cage area is 48w x 18d x 16h. And in fact, since the photo (which is 4 years old anyway) I have added more hammocks which they love, thereby almost doubling each cage's floor area. Since only 3 are residing there now, each has it's own huge cage. Much better than an old aquarium with a dome light! Plus, we occasionally take them out to roam around outside their cage.
You mention that I came here for SUPPORT and immediately went on the defensive. I will have to respectfully disagree. My first post was to HELP a fellow member, and I immediately was jumped on, THEN I went defensive. I appreciate the concern from other members, but I stated I know all the risks, and in fact, probably have a better environment than many.
Obviously, it didn't mean anything that I said I've had ZERO issues for 4 years. I could say I've had zero issues for 20 years and I'd still probably get letters!
I appreciate your long response and concern but my dragons are FINE.
- Messages
- 1,122
- Location
- Mungi's World- Dayton,Ohio
Just an FYI.... 48w x 18d gives your dragons 6 square feet of floor space which is wonderful for a solitary dragon. However don't fool yourself in thinking that the addition of hammocks adds any floor space. In reality these are terrestrial creatures and as they age they tend to say closer and closer to the actual ground and are less inclined to climb which will probably make your "additional floor-space" useless in time. It's not that they can't climb but as they age they have a harder time climbing down and so will tend to steer clear.
I'm truly happy that in 4 years that you haven't had any instances. That I would consider quite a stroke of luck rather than as a result of adequate housing and you are correct in that no matter how many years you claim no instances in this situation it's still considered luck.
If I am reading your post correctly then you have separated them into individual enclosures which means somewhere along the line you got the proper info and made the right decision. That can only benefit your dragons so I applaud you on that.
Sorry to have missed your 1st post in which you were "immediately jumped on". I will have to go visit the thread but my guess would be that you weren't jumped on or if you were then the "help" you were giving contained misinformation or incomplete info as on this forum I rarely see anyone actually "jumped on". I have seen quite often someone correct wrong info being shared. Again it's part of what we are about on the BDF.
Regardless there is no need for defensiveness at anytime here. The moment you go on the defensive eyes and ears close and nothing of any good results for anyone involved...especially the dragon.
Enjoy your day.
I'm truly happy that in 4 years that you haven't had any instances. That I would consider quite a stroke of luck rather than as a result of adequate housing and you are correct in that no matter how many years you claim no instances in this situation it's still considered luck.
If I am reading your post correctly then you have separated them into individual enclosures which means somewhere along the line you got the proper info and made the right decision. That can only benefit your dragons so I applaud you on that.
Sorry to have missed your 1st post in which you were "immediately jumped on". I will have to go visit the thread but my guess would be that you weren't jumped on or if you were then the "help" you were giving contained misinformation or incomplete info as on this forum I rarely see anyone actually "jumped on". I have seen quite often someone correct wrong info being shared. Again it's part of what we are about on the BDF.
Regardless there is no need for defensiveness at anytime here. The moment you go on the defensive eyes and ears close and nothing of any good results for anyone involved...especially the dragon.
Enjoy your day.
EXACTLY!!! Since I posted a 4 year old photo with 2 dragons on the same log, all hell broke loose. Everyone assumed they all co-habitated. Yes, they did at first but not now. (Re-read my post to PatB earlier).
Keep in mind I was only posting it for the OP to add to his ideas. (and he's been curiously absent during all this!!)
Maybe I need to be descriptive on every photo I post!!
I know what you're saying about hammocks and logs not really adding floor space, but they REALLY love climbing all over them now. That's the whole point right? Giving our dragons more options. Yes, in time when I notice them slowing down, I will re-adjust.
I agree you probably know way more than I do in regards to dragons. Let's just leave it at that.
- Messages
- 833
- Location
- Indiana
Hi, Can we see some updated pictures? Id like to see how the dragons and enclosures have progressed over the years.
Pat B
Super Moderator
- Messages
- 1,469
- Location
- Columbia SC
Nice looking.....
