Hi everyone!

After keeping a bearded dragon about ten years ago and my leopard gecko who I still look after I decided to purchase two baby Rankins Dragons in March of this year.

I have to say they are a fantastic pet to keep and are so full of character. However I have recently noticed some strange behavior between the two.

Before purchasing I had done plenty of research and found out that as Rankins are very social two males can be kept together. The reptile dealer assured me that although it is hard to sex the dragons at an early age he had plenty of experience and would definitely pick two males.

My two dragons are now very different in size, with Eric being considerably larger than Egg, although Egg is eating and has a brilliant appetite.

The main problem is the smallest of the two, Egg, regularly jumps on Eric's back, grabbing his neck in his/her mouth and pins him to the floor, while Eric waves, a sign of submission I'm led to believe.

My question is have I in fact got a mating male and female or is it two males sorting out who is the dominant lizard?

Thank you.

Phil

It sounds like you have a mating pair. But, how old are they now. I don't really know of many reptiles that can be kept together that are both males.

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I would say that whether they are male or female is moot. You have 2 dragons that are fighting for dominance and it's not a good situation for them to be in. I would suggest separating them.

The fact that the one is eating and still not growing is kind of concerning as well. I would also suggest a vet visit for a fecal test at the very least just to make sure nothing is going on with parasites or something along those lines...

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Thanks guys!

I know what the problem is now they are definately a mating pair and it's normal behaviour as the mod of another forum led me here Bearded Dragon Care

I have also found out that the size difference is normal as female rankins tend to be larger than male.

To answer your question Venus they are just over 9 months old.

Rankins males can be kept together as they are very social lizards several websites and the shop keeper confirmed this to me, however my problem now is if the two are from the same batch, so I need to get in touch with the seller asap.

I will have to seperate them if this is the case.

thanks again

Unfortunately unreliable sources. Shop keepers often will tell a person anything they want to hear to make a sale, and you have to be careful in selecting an internet care sheet. Sadly, they aren't always accurate.

You may want to take your research one step further and look up books, or find people who work professionally with them. Or even a certified reptile vet may be able to give you specifics on them. These would all be good ways to confirm the research you've done.

Admittedly I don't know much about Rankins. My knowledge of other reptiles tells me even social reptiles, as Bearded Dragons are usually referred to, are at least somewhat territorial. While you may be able to keep *some* together without problems, many do have big issues when kept together - issues which sound much like you're describing. One will stop eating or eat less while the other grows very large. They may act nervous, or skittish, or fight. This can happen between two males, two females, or a male and a female.

I did a quick search, and on the first caresheet I found: rankins caresheet, it says "If you opt to house males together, monitor them closely for signs of aggression and make sure there is plenty of room in your enclosure."

So it does seem that there is a possibility for aggression. (Although, you'll want to take this with a grain of salt. That same website recommended sand as the best substrate, which is a matter of much debate here.)

Anyway, I'm not trying to argue with you or anything. You've probably done a lot more than my quick little web search.

But it would be a *really* good idea to separate them for awhile. They're showing signs of aggression. Hopefully is nothing more than normal mating. However, if you put them in different cages for a few months, and the small one starts to grow rapidly, or they seem calmer and less stressed out, you'll know for sure that you have a problem with aggression that could really escalate into serious injury one day - so best to keep them separated. If not, then you can prove us doubters wrong.

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