Can You Put Two Baby Bearded Dragons Together? - Friendships & Enemies

This is a really common questions we hear all the time, “Can you put two baby bearded dragons together”. We assume this is such a common question due to the fact reptile stores house 5 or 6 baby bearded dragons together and they seem to be relatively tolerant of each other.

The matter of fact is, these reptiles are being sold. And the likeliness of them staying in the store long enough to grow to a size at which they can start becoming dominant is very small. Breeders will also house baby bearded dragons together, however they most likely already have buyers before the eggs have even hatched. So they will only need a couple of weeks care before being sold anyway.

(Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to find ‘Other related articles you might like’, once you are done reading).

Table of Contents

How Long Can You Put Two Baby Bearded Dragons Together For?

This really does depend of the individuals. As a rough guide it’s thought that baby bearded dragons can spend for 4-6 weeks together before you should think about separating them into their own enclosures. But this can change with every individual. Sometimes you may find that two individuals actually really enjoy each others company. You may want to house these together, but I would highly recommend you keep a close eye on each individual. They may not seem to be physically fighting, however no may become the dominant reptile, and this can cause stress and a lack of appetite for the other.

Even baby bearded dragons become really competitive at a young age and can injure each other pretty easily. So for this reason it’s not recommended to keep them together for too long. Baby bearded dragons should be separated between 4-6 weeks old.

Do Bearded Dragons Live With Each Other In The Wild?

Bearded dragons are very independent reptiles. They’re most comfortable when they are alone and rarely need a companion. If bearded dragons were to live together they would most likely be fighting all the time over food, basking spots, housing arrangements, the lot. So they tend to stay out of each others way where possible.

If you feel your pet bearded dragon is lonely, you’re probably wrong. Beard dragons usually prefer being housed alone, unless they’re mating. After mating the female will leave the male and never look back. Bearded dragons have no known emotion or connection with one another.

If your bearded dragon does seem lonely, then it’s probably a little bored. I would suggest spending some more time with them, handle them more often than you are, and give them some toys to keep their minds occupied throughout the day.

Can I put a baby bearded dragon in with an adult one?

No, absolutely not. Never put a baby bearded dragon in an enclosure with an already mature adult bearded dragon. Mature bearded dragons are known bullies, specially towards baby or juvenile dragons. They will literally throw their weight around, eat all the food, occupy the best basking and resting spots, and generally make life for a young bearded dragon very hard. In some of the worst cases, it’s been known that adult bearded dragons will sometimes even eat the smaller baby bearded dragons, so you’ll want to avoid this at all costs.

Even if the adult doesn’t physically injure the baby dragon, they will definitely dominate every corner of the enclosure. This will cause a lot of stress for the baby bearded dragon and will stunt its growth rate. Stresses main side affect is lack of appetite, and if your baby bearded dragon doesn’t eat, its chance of survival are very slim.

Rule to follow if housing two bearded dragons together…

Make sure each bearded dragons has at least 50 gallons to itself. Ideally minimum of 125 gallon enclosure for two dragons.
Each dragon needs its own hide and eating spot.
Make sure there are 2 basking spots at slightly different heights
Feed them separately if possible to avoid bullying from the dominant reptile
Never house males together
Only house a male and female when mating
Have lots of climbing toys, hides and accessories so they can each have their space when needed
Make sure the two bearded dragons are of similar age and size

However…

Please remember even when all the above requirements are met, there can still be aggression and competition between two bearded dragons. Like I have said before, it’s completely down to the individual reptile and their compatibility. There will always be a risk when housing two bearded dragons as they naturally do not like the company of others, so keep this in mind and monitor their behaviours towards one another.

Keep in mind that bearded dragons can become very aggressive towards each other very quickly. There will be time when you won’t be able to monitor their behaviours and honestly, anything can happen. Make sure to look out for any injuries, swelling, scratches or bites and any unusual behaviours such as avoidance, hiding for long periods and not basking.

These are all little signs that there has been some sort of aggression or bullying and one bearded dragon has become the dominant reptile. Once you see these signs it’s time to split them up as soon as possible. Keeping them together will eventually lead to the death of the less dominant dragon.

Finally the last few signs you need to look out for are, head bobbing, waving their arms and puffy beards. These three actions are all tell tale signs of aggression, even if they don’t seem that aggressive. These actions are warning signs to their threat, letting the know their presence. The signs tell their threat to stay well clear and to move away. Letting these signs go unnoticed will only end in a physical fight which you want to avoid.

After searching and testing many different products, we have come up with our list of “Must Have” items for recommendations for both price, and durability for the best enclosure accessories.

Bathing Water Bowl – Click Here

Heat Mat – Click Here

Heat Lamp – Click Here

Reliable Thermometer – Click Here

Vivarium/Enclosure – Click Here