Many bearded dragon owners think whether their bearded dragon needs a companion and if it can get lonely. Some other bearded dragon owners want to get another bearded dragon to have a pair, or to simply enjoy two different personality dragons. But can 2 bearded dragons live together? Can 2 or more bearded dragons live in the same tank?
So can 2 bearded dragons live together? The general answer here is ‘no’. There are many reasons why you shouldn’t house 2 bearded dragons together, and negatives outweigh the positives. We will discuss negatives and minimal conditions to house 2 bearded dragons together.
Let’s discuss the negatives of housing 2 bearded dragons together.
- Bearded dragons compete for food, basking spot, water, space.
- Each life stage brings its own challenges – babies and juveniles fight mainly for food and space. Babies housed together will grow at different rates, and weaker ones will be stressed and bullied.
- Adults on top of it hit puberty, become hormonal and start fighting.
- Each bearded dragon needs a 40-70 gallon tank. If housing 2 bearded dragons, this needs to be almost a double. That is a huge tank.
- Larger bearded dragons can even eat smaller ones.
- Bearded dragons can injure each other in bad ways – nip the tail, damage eyes and limbs, which won’t grow back.
- Bearded dragons don’t need a companion – they are very solitary.
- If one of the bearded dragons becomes ill or infected, there is a high chance another one will become too.
- Bearded dragons can become mad at each other very suddenly, even if they cohabited well before.
Number #1: Bearded dragons can injure each other for life
2 bearded dragons living together can injure each other seriously. This can happen even if they seem to be comfortable with each other most of the time. This can happen when you are not at home – and it can keep you worried.
Sudden aggression can cause a dominant bearded dragon (alpha) bite the other dragon and injure it for life. Bearded dragon’s tail, toes or limbs don’t grow back. Babies also tend to injure each other when competing for something or when confusing moving limbs or tail for food.
Number #2: Bearded dragons don’t need a companion, they prefer all the space to themselves
Bearded dragons don’t like living with others, they are quite solitary. If you house them with each other, they will compete for the best basking spot, food and space.
Each adult bearded dragon needs at least 40-50 gallon tank to itself. If you house two bearded dragons together, you need a huge tank that is double the size. Two bearded dragons would need a tank that is at least 130 gallons.
This can be hard to achieve, and the tank would probably need to be custom built. Otherwise, if there is no enough space in the tank, bearded dragons will get angry, stressed and competitive.
Number #3: Bearded dragons compete for food, water, space, basking spot and more
In any group, there will be an alpha male or female, which will try to disturb the submissive dragon. This is especially true if there is lack of space and food.
Bearded dragons will lay on top of each other at the basking spot, and this is to get closer to the light. This is not for cuddling or other friendly type of behavior.
Larger bearded dragons can even eat smaller ones, especially if hungry. Even if bearded dragons don’t injure each other when competing, the smaller or weaker dragons will get less food and space. Continuous stress will also affect the immunity and growth.
Do bearded dragons live together in the wild?
No, bearded dragons in the wild don’t live together. Only male bearded dragons might get contact when fighting for a female, or when a female and male mate. But after mating, female leaves and there is no emotional or lifelong connection.
Do bearded dragons get lonely?
No, bearded dragons don’t get lonely if they live on their own. So don’t think that your bearded dragon needs a friend or companion like people do, it’s better to house them individually – they won’t get lonely.
How long can baby bearded dragons live together?
Even baby bearded dragons tend to be competitive and can injure each other, so it’s not recommended to keep them together for too long. Aim to separate baby bearded dragons once they turn 2-4 weeks old.
Can I put a baby bearded dragon with an older one?
No, never put a baby bearded dragon with an older one. Older bearded dragon will bully the younger one, get all the food and the best spot and can even eat the younger dragon. This will cause slow growth of a younger bearded dragon, possible injuries and even death.
Can you put 2 male bearded dragons together?
No, never put 2 male bearded dragons together. Males get especially territorial will cause each other injuries and lots of stress.
Can 2 bearded dragons live in a 40 or 55 gallon tank?
No, each adult bearded dragon needs at least 40-55 gallons to itself, and even 40 gallons for an adult is not much. To house 2 adult bearded dragons, at least a 125-130 gallon tank would be necessary.
That would be a bare minimum requirement to house 2 bearded dragons together. If these are baby bearded dragons, then you could house them in a 40-55 gallon tank for some time, but it’s still not a good idea.
It can be hard to find such large tanks, so it will probably have to be custom made. However, this Carolina Custom cage terrarium is around 135 gallons. Such big tanks might need special multiple separate shipping, so always read carefully before buying.
If you already have a big tank that would fit 2 dragons, you can get a tank divider to separate dragons physically. But even seeing one another can cause stress.
How to house bearded dragons together?
- Make sure each bearded dragon gets around 50 gallons to itself.
- Each bearded dragon needs its own hide and place to eat.
- Separate basking spot for each dragon is necessary. Higher the basking spot, higher the ranking. Place basking spots that are clearly separated (can be of different heights so each can take its spot).
- Feed each dragon separately, or otherwise a dominant one will get more. This will result in different growth rates.
- Don’t house males together.
- And don’t house female and male together unless you want them to mate. A male will harass the female and cause injuries!
- Have lots of accessories and hides so they can hide from each other when feeling threatened or scared.
- Make sure bearded dragons in a group are of same size and age!
If you really wish to house two or few bearded dragons together, make sure there is only 1 male in a group. You can try housing two or few females together, but only with one male.
A least dangerous group would be 2 adult females. But even females can become aggressive towards each other, it all depends on personality of each of them. Just experimenting can be risky.
It’s not a good idea to house babies or juveniles together, as they can confuse toes and tail with moving food, and bites are very common. You never know when something bad might happen.
However, don’t house a male and female during the breeding period, as male will go after a female and cause her stress. They will also try to breed. Males reach sexual maturity sooner (as early as 7-8 months old), and females need to be older to start breeding successfully.
If you wish to introduce male and female bearded dragons to each other, do it for few days and separate after they have mated.
How to introduce bearded dragons?
If you want to introduce bearded dragons, make sure that a new one is quarantined for at least a month. Quarantining means that you must keep a new dragon separate before you make sure it’s healthy and has no parasites.
Keep a new dragon on paper towels, watch its poop and take the poop to the vet for a full screen. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling a new dragon.
You must also make sure they are the same size and age. Don’t introduce bearded dragons of different age or size. They will be either uninterested, or competitive and aggressive.
How to introduce male and female bearded dragons?
Only once you are able to determine the gender of your dragon (often 6 months and over), you can introduce male and female bearded dragons ONLY if you think about breeding them.
If you are not planning to breed your bearded dragons, don’t house a male and female together, especially after 6 months of age.
After the puberty, males become very pushy with females. A male will chase the female, bite her, cause her stress, harass her and try to breed with her constantly. So never house them together permanently.
If you want to breed your bearded dragons, make sure your female is around 2 years old. Male should be at least 18 months old. They should receive proper nutrition and be in good condition to breed successfully. Keep them in separate tanks and only introduce for a while.
If they don’t mate the first time, repeat the next day. Put them on a floor or other enclosed area. Watch them – if the female is receptive, he will bite on her neck and lay on top to mate. Head bobbing, black beard and sudden movements are all common.
Summary:
Please remember that even if all the needs and requirements are met, there can still be accidents and competition between the bearded dragons. The risk is always there, even if it’s lower in better conditions.
Always watch your bearded dragons if you house them together. If you start noticing various behaviors (head bobbing, arm waving, aggression), then separate them straight away. However, there can even be subtle signs that you might miss.
Most bearded dragons living together cause each other stress. One will start growing faster than another because it’s eating aggressively and taking the spot to bask.
So, to summarize, IT IS VERY RISKY to house two or more bearded dragons together. It would be better to get separate tanks and house them like that. And even, a big plus would be to house them in different rooms, or at least somehow that they can’t see each other (they might sense and smell each other).
Bearded dragons can become aggressive with each other quickly, and you won’t be able to monitor them all the time.