You might have heard that bearded dragons could be cannibals sometimes and started to think if that is true? Well, after a lot of digging on the web and from people that own multiple bearded dragons, here is what I’ve found.
Bearded dragons are not born as cannibals, they normally eat live invertebrates and vegetables. They only act as cannibals if they are put together with two or more bearded dragons with limited living space with food. With that being said, it is unlikely to see bearded dragons eat each other in the wild.
We can say that it is not normal for bearded dragons to eat each other. However, if proper care has been given, bearded dragons will not act as cannibals.
Reasons Why Bearded Dragons Eat Each Other
If bearded dragons are not cannibals in nature. Then, here comes the question, what are the reasons that they eat each other?
Limited Food
Like I mentioned earlier, the main food source of bearded dragons is live invertebrates and vegetables. Bearded dragons usually eat insects to fill themselves but if food becomes scarce, they will resort to eating another bearded dragon if that’s the only choice.
In the wild, there are plenty of foods and water for a bearded dragon to survive. Hence it is very rare to see bearded dragons being cannibals in the wild.
However, If two bearded dragons are put into the same tank and have a limited amount of food, they will attempt to eat the other to survive. The smaller bearded dragon usually doesn’t stand a chance. In fact, bearded dragons will even eat their own babies for the sake of survival.
Territorial Behavior
Given the territorial nature of bearded dragons, they will not hesitate to kill and even eat another bearded dragon if they feel their territory has been compromised.
As we know, bearded dragons are solitary creatures and they will never get too lonely without another dragon unless it is mating season. They get extremely territorial when there is another creature around them.
The basking spot is one of the spots where bearded dragons are most territorial. Without light to bask, they will not be able to digest and survive.
When you put two bearded dragons into the same tank, the more dominant dragon will demand more space for itself. It will never let the other dragon come anywhere near.
This happens more easily between a male and female dragon as a male bearded dragon is normally more aggressive than a female. Due to the competition, the dominant bearded dragon will eat the other so that it gets more space.
Mating
You might have heard the scary saying about some female spiders eating up the male spider after mating. This happens to bearded dragons too. However, it isn’t quite the same.
Male bearded dragons can be very aggressive during mating season. For instance, if a female bearded dragon is satisfied and done but somehow the male bearded dragon is not, then this mating will not end happily.
The female bearded dragons might get eaten by the angry male bearded dragon. Also, like other animals, two male bearded dragons will fight and kill each other for a female bearded dragon during mating season.
This is done for the chance to mate with the female. The winner will eat the loser as well since they only consider each other as food. What a cruel creature.
Female Bearded Dragons Eating Their Own Egg
To some of you, this might be surprising but female bearded dragons will eat their own egg after laying. However, this is also pretty common in many wild animals.
Hence, this should not be too frightening. That being said, female dragons only eat their eggs when they are left alone to eat them. Nevertheless, there is a way to prevent this from happening.
Female bearded dragons should always be taken away from their eggs after laying. This can be done by removing the fertilized eggs from the laying box. It’s that simple, that’s all you need to do to keep the young bearded dragons safe from their mother.
How to Prevent Cannibalism In Bearded Dragons?
If you find out that your bearded dragon has been eaten by another, you might have nightmares about it. The easiest solution to prevent this will be to keep only one bearded dragon in each tank, especially if it’s a male bearded dragon.
Some owners will argue that their tanks are spacious enough for at least two bearded dragons. Well, I couldn’t emphasize more how strong the territorial awareness of a bearded dragon is.
Even if the tank is huge, never take the chance and house more than one bearded dragon in the tank. This will avoid any chance of cannibalism happening.
Even so, this doesn’t mean that you cannot have two tanks placed next to each other. As long as the two bearded dragons have their own space, own UVB light sources, and sufficient food, everything will be good then.
However, if you wish to breed them, you may place them in the same tank but you must remember to limit the duration to a few hours. Then, separate them again. Just a few hours should be long enough for them to breed.
Can a Bearded Dragon Digest Another Bearded Dragon?
If you have made mistakes and one bearded dragon has been eaten by the other, you got nothing to worry about regarding any digestion issue. Technically, bearded dragons are made of flesh, but in larger size compared to their usual meal.
Therefore, the only problem bearded dragons that cannibalized another will face is a much longer time needed to digest. Other than that, everything should be fine and nothing bad will happen.
Conclusion
In conclusion, bearded dragons are not cannibals in nature. They only eat each other when they are in certain situations. These situations include things such as competing for food, territory, or due to mating season.
Hence, it is very important to keep two bearded dragons apart in two separate tanks. Even for a mother bearded dragon and her eggs. Also, there is nothing to worry about if a bearded dragon eats the other as it can digest as usual.
I hope after reading this article, you have a better understanding of how to keep your bearded dragon. Never put them together in the same tank for an extended period or you will see them become cannibals.
