ARE BOYS BETTER THAN GIRLS?

We are talking about bearded dragons here. I get asked often which is better as a pet, a boy or girl bearded dragon, and can you have more then one together? I am going to voice my options here and my experience with owning lots of both and hope it gives you enough info to make a solid decision.

The quick: I like the overall look of males and find them very fun to watch. However, my favorite dragons in personality and snugability have always been females.

Real quick notes, I think it’s best practice to get a dragon in the 1-3 months age first and handle them as much as possible. Nothing beats any dragons getting to know their forever person sooner then later. Most my babies by the time they hatch to 1 month old will run up to the glass because they know me and feel safe with me. After they get shipped to their new forever home there is always a skittish periode where they are getting used to their new person. Growing them up from baby to adult will do wonders for bonding with each other.

Pros and cons of Male Bearded Dragons:

Build: Male dragons tend to grow a little faster and bigger than female dragons. They tend to have bigger heads and keep more muscle tone.

Personality: I love watching my males play, they are much more active than females. Most of my males are just as sweet as the females but don’t tend to want to sit still. They might hang with me for a few minuites but then it’s explore time. Especially when they hit 6-8+ months they are moving into sexual maturity and can get very active in their tank trying to find a mate. You can get them small stuffed animals they will love to play with and act what looks like aggression with but that’s just them acting out their natures…

As with all things there is a spectrum, I have had males act like they are sexually mature at 2 months and try and mount females, and I have had 1-2 year old males not seem to have a sexual bone in their body and are the most chill. Overall males tend to act less lazy and you can get them to really work for their food and make mazes or obstacles in their tank or outside and it’s very entertaining to watch them play.

Head Bobbing: Male bearded dragons engage in head-bobbing behavior, which can be endearing to some owners.

Aggressiveness: Males can be more territorial and aggressive, which can make them more difficult to handle and care for.

Larger size: Male bearded dragons grow larger than females, which means they require a larger enclosure and often more food. However we recommend a tank that’s 4ft x 2ft x 18 inches tall, that’s a great forever tank size for males and females.

Pros and cons of Female Bearded Dragons:

Build: Females tend to be on the smaller side than males and will often still produce eggs without a male present, just like chickens. You will probably hear many horrific stories of egg binding in females. A condition where the eggs inside of her are bound together and she is unable to absorb them or lay them and surgery is required or death is very possible. I would just say this is not as common as an issue as people think especially if proper care is being followed. The number one thing you will notice is the females belly will be getting more rounded and she will get more active trying to dig around her enclosure. You can provide her a 24inch x 12inch container filled with children play sand (no additives or dyes) and if she is ready to lay she will just dig and lay her eggs. This is also a great way for her to get exercise even if she never ends up laying anything. You can dispose of the eggs and give her lots of protein rich foods dusted with calcium for the next week to help her recoup a lot of the nutrients she depleted in making the eggs.

Personality: Females are my favorite when it comes to reading a book, working, or watching a movie. They will just sit with me and be very content just hanging out. They are most likely to fall asleep and be the most sweet in personality with me. I have kids ages 6, 4, 3, and 1, and their favorite dragons tend to be the females because they let them pick them up and hold them with little to no squirming, the males usually will chill for a couple min then try and explore.

In my experience male dragons are often like dogs in their personality and high energy and have something to prove. Females are much more like cats, and can be seen as more lazy and not acting like they have anything to prove.

Cohabitation?

Dragons don’t like other dragons, some will simply tolerate them. I am sure you have seen lots of videos of dragons with other dragons or lots of babies in a tank. When they are freshly hatched newborns actually will be more stressed if you isolate them by themselves right away, and do way better when you keep them with their clutch mates, but right at the 2+ week mark you want to start pairing down how many are together. By the time they are ready to be shipped to their forever home 1.5+ months old they are just about ready to be all by themselves. They are big enough and established enough that they have the confidence to thrive on their own. When you introduce another dragon after this point, both dragons will be territorial, and if one is not submissive they will attack the other. Dragons can seem very chill with each-other which is why people think they are fine. But I have seen too many instances where out of the blue the other dragon did something to piss the other one off and bam, they bite their whole arm off. I have also had people tell me stories that they brought out their new 2month old dragon when they had their adult out who is very chill, and after about an hour she quickly ran up and bite the baby on the head causing instant death. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don’t have more then one dragon out at time. Unless you are experienced and know all the ins and outs, this is just a great general rule to keep, not matter what you see online.

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Cliff notes:

Pros of males

1. Grow larger, have stronger builds

2. Active personalities and very fun to watch

3. Head bobbing: this can be endearing to some bearded dragon owners

Cons

1. More territorial and can be on the more aggressive side at times (this is very rare in my experience to have any kind of aggressive dragon). The aggression is usually always towards other dragons, male or female which is why you should never have more then 1 dragon in a tank or out playing at a time.

2. Because they are larger will require more food.

3. If you don’t let them out and play they can get annoying how much tank surfing they will do (scratching and moving back and forth on the front of their tank).

Pros of females

1. They tend to be smaller

2. Often very sweet and the most docile of the sexes.

3. Most likely to sit with you on your lap and be very happy.

Cons

1. Egg laying which requires different care

2. Not as active as males and may not be as entertaining to watch

It's important to note that individual bearded dragons can vary in temperament and behavior, regardless of their gender. Ultimately, the decision of which gender to choose comes down to personal preference and the specific needs and characteristics of the individual bearded dragon.