Bearded Dragon Questions

[Kaveman]

Hey guys, i have 2 juvinille bearded dragons in the same tank, and i am not totally sure on the sex of either one. Now i have heard that having 2 males in the same tank may end up in a deadly battle for dominance, and lately my beardies have started to horse around with each other. By horsing around i mean, chasing eachothers tails skitishly following eachother around the tank fighting for food (at least that is what it looks like).

I was sorta wondering if this is a normal thing between 2 reptiles, or if i should considering seperating the 2 for a while and seeing what happens?

Also i was wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to sex bearded dragon, i have heard that it takes a while before you can be certain whether or not your beardy is male or female, i was wondering how old a bearded has to be, and what some of the distinguishable features between males and females are so i can figure out what i have here


all help is apreciated

thanks in advance
_Kaveman

[enso]

How old are the dragons, and what is the size of the tank?
Dachiu has a good faq and caresheets, check them out.
Here's the sexing info...
http://www.dachiu.com/sexing.html

[Kaveman]

Well to be honest I am not totaly sure on how old the beardies are, i would geuss around 1/2 year to 3/4 of a year, not sure exactly...they are about a foot long (with tail) each.

They are housed in a 60 gallon aquarium, and have plenty of branches to climb on and a large hut to hide in. they also have a large dish for water and a heat rock on the cooler side of their tank

[eyespy]

I can usually sex beardies at about 8 inches in length so these guys are easily sexable at that size. Once in a great while a male will fool you because his hemipenes drop on the late side but most times sexing at that size is fairly reliable.

Whether or not they are 2 males, 2 females or a mixed pair the behavior you are describing sounds like a territorial dispute and those can turn ugly very fast, it's probably best to separate them. See my post about "something in the air" for two horrible examples of territorial aggression. Both cases were females fighting each other. While not as common as males fighting, the outcome can be just as nasty.

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19699

Ditch the hot rock! They are infamous for burning reptiles, plus beardies are heliotherms who absorb their heat from above through bony armor plating on their backs. It is infrared and ultraviolet energy they need for proper thermoregulation, not just the radiant heat a hot rock provides.

[Dragon_Slave]

I agree with ditching the hot rock, baaaad idea for beardies. I know people who keep the rock in the cage for decoration but NEVER plug it in. Good luck with your babies! :D