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Ok, Ok, Not Really Sure

V

Vandenberg

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Need some help with two 11" Male hatchling brothers (less than a year old) bearded dragons living in the same enclosure.

Details of husbandry:


Tank size: 20 gal long
media: Repiti cal sand 2"
lights: Fluor 18" B & a 100W Power Sun Metal Halide
Hot Side of Tank: Basking 93 to 95 F floor of tank 100F below Basking.
Cool Side of Tank: 78 to 85 F
Tank lights: Approximately 13 hours
Light off: Tanks cools to around house temp (68 to 72 f)
Food: 3/4" Crickets (dusted with T-Rex ICB), mixed greens chopped, few mealworms, superworms, and occ. waxworms.
Water: Offered daily, but I've never seen them drink.

Issue:

The Dragon have been doing great. When we got them they were small and grew fast. They were doing great eating a variety of things. They like salad and cricket best. Some weeks they were eat up to 800 1/2" crickets. Benny the biggests was a great eater until the last week or so. Now he doesn't eat much, a little salad, almost no crickets, and a few superworms. He hides more perferring the cool side of the cage. He doesn't seem to pooping as much either. The smaller of the two seems "off" as well.

I am thinking parasites, but I am not sure.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
It's very possible that being 2 males, they are under extreme stress being housed together......even at under a year old. 2 males should NEVER be housed together. Your basking spot could be a little warmer as well. Parasites are a possibility, it can't hurt to have a fecal done as well to rule that out as a problem.

It IS that time of year, however, and often even dragons that you think are too young to actually brumate will slow down into winter mode, not eat much, and sleep a lot. Keep an eye on them to make sure they aren't losing weight, and just keep offering the food.
 
I agree with cat, get a fecal , watch them close to see if one is intimadating the other , I have a female that is under a year and she slowed way down about a month ago. When the weather got cooler outside she slowed down. also seeks cool side not eating or pooping as much. Fecal was clean.. Watch them i'm sure they will be fine, But two males may fight with each other..
 
They seem okay with one another so far. Zero issues there. The bigger of the two does seem a little thinner which is what I am concerned about.
 
"So far" being the key words there. When they start reaching sexual maturity, they will NOT get along, brothers or not.

That said, if he's looking thin, a good soak and a vet visit would probably be a good idea.
 
One of the first signs of trouble between 2 males in a single enclosure is weight loss. It usually effects one dragon and he slowly drops weight and hides much of the time. The smaller dragon is intimidated to such a point he won't/can't eat and hides from everything. Eventually the intimidation increases to a point the "bully" will physically attack the smaller dragon. These attacks will continue until one of the dragons is killed. Given the age of your 2 dragons I would recommend an immediate separation.

Add that will all the other great advice given and your dragons should fine.

Good luck,
 
Great advise, thanks. However, do you still believe your point given that the dragon exhibiting the weight loss was the biggest. He is the more gentle of the two though.
 
Please take to Repti-Cal Sand out of there! Your dragons can die from it...It can cause clogging and lead to death. I recommend play sand or New Paper.
 
If they are not drinking spray them with the water...Bearded Dragons soak it through their skin. Also, I recommend Repti-Cal Calcium Supplements and Vito Supplements. Also, I recommend you get a Repti-Sun 10.0 UVB light for their cage
 
I prefer Ceramic tile, Easy to clean and looks nice, No need to worry about impaction from accidently injesting the sand. The tile also retains the heat nicley, also keeps the nails short..
 
I missed the Repti-Cal sand on your first post.....though the idea of sand/no sand will always be debated, the Repti-sand is definitely not the best option. I use sifted play sand for my adults (you can buy bags at Home Depot and such for a couple dollars), and paper towel bedding for babies/juvies. If you prefer sand, the play sand is the safest option.
 
Any type of sand without rocks will be OK for dragons of that size... For hatchlings, I recommend sifted playsand though.
There should be no need for additional UVB lighting, since you already have a Power Sun. Your dragon is losing weight, because he is not eating and being kept warm. So he is hiding on the cool side of the cage for a reason. You may want to follow his lead. It could be stress, or seasonal changes.
"dusted with T-Rex ICB" - The one thing I'd question is the supplement you are using. This one is a smorgasbord of stuff that users have attributed difficulties to - we stick to RepCal (Calcium/D3 only)
If you search for T-Rex under some of the other bearded dragon forums, you can read their experiences from back in 2004.

How is the smaller dragon acting? Did Benny start acting weird just around the daylight savings-time change?

Vickie

ps -
 
Last edited:
So RepCal (Calcium/D3only), but what about vitamins?

What is the benefit of sifted play sand? Do you guys buy it that way or sift it after you buy it??

BTW, if I am going to split them up what size tank is appropriate. I definately like some opinions please. I would also like some heating opinions on what ever tank you are recommending.

thanks so much. I am learning very fast thanks to this forum!
 
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