I have two bearded dragons that I bought about two months ago. One of the is striving and getting huge. He or she eats like crazy and has lots of energy. The second is not doing so well. The past month it has stop eating and is half the size of the other. It eats maybe two to three crickets every other day while the other will eat a dozen at least every day. I have been feeding them separately but it does not help. I have fresh greens that I chop up daily that consist of spinach, broccoli, grapes, carrots, and celery that both don't care for. I make sure I don't feed them anything bigger then the size between their ears. The smaller one seems to always have its eyes half close and just doesn't look healthy. Any ideas on what's going on and what can I do for the little guy?
If they are housed together, they should be separated. It could be a couple of things; competitive stress from the other dragon ("bullying") or perhaps the beardie is ill. A common misconception about bearded dragons is that they require the company of others. Two females sometimes get along just fine, but two males will never play nicely together and a male-female combination results in premature breeding efforts that can be very taxing and potentially fatal to the female. The social hierarchy system of bearded dragons is vastly different in captivity due territoriality over the enclosure, ideal basking location, and food/resources forces competition on one another. It may not be apparent, physical harm being caused, but the psychological effect can be devastating to the submissive individuals who will be too stressed to feed properly and are discouraged from utilizing prime locations in the enclosure. Often, people mistaken competitive acts (i.e. sleeping in the same location or on top of one another while basking) with acts of affection. The fact that one of your beardies is doing well and the other is taking a turn for the worse raises a bit of a concern to me about the possibility of bullying. Additionally, separating them would prevent the possibility of the other dragon picking up a pathogen from the one who is not faring well in case he is ill. Can you provide us with some additional background information regarding your husbandry/care practices? Often, simple husbandry changes can make a significant difference in the well-being of reptiles. -What kind of substrate/bedding are you using? What brand of UVB producing bulb are you using and how old is it? What are the temperatures throughout the enclosure (basking spot included) and how are you measuring them? A digital thermometer or tempgun is essential as the plastic "stick on" thermometers sold at pet stores can be inaccurate.
