Can a Bearded Dragon live with any other lizard species?

[8k_Redline]

Specifically, I am considering an emerald swift lizard. Are they able to live together? I currently have a 1 year old beardie in a 50 gallon tank. I am considering either getting an emerald swift lizard (if it can live with the beardie) or buying a juvenile male beardie. Can a juvenile beardie live with a 1 year old beardie? Or would I need to seperate them until the juvenile gets bigger? TIA for the info.

[ohh_kristina]

simple answer: NO! they cannot live with other species.

Edit: Juvi beardies shouldn't be housed with older beardies unless they are the same size.

[8k_Redline]

I take it the older beardie will kill the juvenile? How aggresive are they towards each other?

[JeffT]

mixing species like that is a deffinate no no, very dangerous for them both. Even if they dont fight their feces may contain things that make eachother sick. Also, they dont have the same care requirements. They each live in different environments.

As for the beardie with beardie it depends. The juvie should be the same size as the other, the bigger one may take him as food otherwise. Also ther CANNOT be two males, they will rip eachother to shreds.

[ohh_kristina]

yes, older beardies will harm smaller beardies sometimes. There is always a chance, though, that even if they are the same size, that they will fight and cause harm to each other. DO NOT house two males together!

[8k_Redline]

My current Beardie is a female, sorry, I should have mentioned that. Thanks for the info. I think I will try keeping a male beardie seperate until it gets bigger, then combining them. How difficult is it to breed beardies?

[ChristinaM]

Breeding bearded dragons takes alot of time, effort and money. The dragons have to be in optimal health or you risk damaging their health. The eggs must be incubated for up to 80 days. The babies need frequent feedings, mistings, etc. Tis a lot of work.

[Tim and Julie B]

DO NOT MIX SPECIES!!!! If you like both, get both and set up each with their own enclosures. Although species live in the same regions of many countries they do not actually live together. It's important to remember that. That was a good question to ask.

Beardies do take a lot of work. If you buy this months Reptiles magazine it has some great info on breeding and keeping some of today's most popular species, beardies included. You will need to be dedicatded to breed any reptile, and beardies take a lot of time, but if you are truly interested and can afford too then I wish you the bestof luck!:D

Julie

[DragnDrop]

I wouldn't keep a beardie (or any other reptile) with one of a different species. It's not easy getting their environment right to suit both, even if they do have similar needs. There's also the problem of parasites - one species might have developed a tolerance, but it could decimate the other one.

As an example of what can happen when beardies share their quarters with another lizard: A few years ago an acquaintance insisted that the adult male beardie was perfectly okay living with a pair of Cordylus lizards. The cordylus are very spikey, well protected and tough skinned, but somewhat smaller than the dragon. Somewhere along the way the female cordylus gave birth to one baby, and I went over to see the little gaffer. I tried to convince my friend it's now definitely time to separate the species, but no go. Just as I was leaving, we saw the beardie sitting on his basking rock, with half a baby cordylus hanging out of his mouth. Before we could open the tank, he'd finished swallowing him. Like I said, cordylus aren't easy eating, but the beardie had no problems with the baby - spikes and all. It took about 2 weeks before the beardie passed the indigestible cordylus parts, and he didn't suffer any damage from his unorthodox meal.

Beardies are opportunistic predators, and they'll try to eat a smaller lizard when they get a chance. An emerald swift might be bigger than a newborn cordylus, but it's much softer and easier to swallow. I sure wouldn't risk it.

[eyespy]

Even if nobody kills anyone, the incompatible strains of gut bacteria can cause fatal indigestion. Both animals can slowly starve to death from not being able to effectively break down their food.