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Sushidragons
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Post subject: Why are they fighting?
 Posted: Jan 12, 2010 - 11:21 PM
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Subadult Dragon
Joined: Dec 15, 2008
Posts: 217
Status: Offline
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| In the last two weeks I have had several disputes break out in my tanks. First it was the juvies, now it's my tank of young adult females. They have all cohabitated forever with no problems. Now they're all moody. No real damage done yet, but I'm getting worried. Any suggestions as to why they are acting out? |
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LisaAnnie
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 13, 2010 - 11:55 PM
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Moderator
Joined: Nov 21, 2003
Posts: 6611
Location: INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
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Hiya Rachel....WELCOME back! Missed ya!
REcheck ALL members of the problem enclosure(s). You are looking to see if someone was "ambiguous" when checked for gender earlier. You might find a troublemaker that way. If you've got one or two males...you know how to solve that little problem.
Usually a moody female population has one or two that are in the mood to mate. For some reason (grin) this makes them snotty. 
Example: Curry was acting like a real b*&^h to all the other dragons in the enclosure...starting fights, being SUPER-dominant, cranky, didn't want to eat. We FINALLY realized she wanted to mate and enlisted the cooperation of Oscar Wild. We didn't really have to twist his arm much. After they mated....peace reigned again.
The juvie tank hijinks is probably all about dominance. Double check the gender on all of them too....just in case. Two males will OFTEN do physical damage to each other, and it's not unheard of for things to progress to such an extent that one or both combatants must be euthanized. USUALLY it never gets that far, but, as always, we err on the side of safety.
The only other explanation we can think of is illness....an outbreak of some kind of parasite, but it's far more likely that
A)...there are multiple males in the tanks
B)....there are dominance issues at work
or
C)....one or more females are in the mood for luv. 
Waving and smiling,
Lisa and Annie |
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Sushidragons
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 14, 2010 - 01:52 AM
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Subadult Dragon
Joined: Dec 15, 2008
Posts: 217
Status: Offline
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Hiya! Sorry, I've been a slacker lately... I haven't been doing much of anything lately except puppy rescue and watching tv shows on Netflix... and eating... omg the food I have been snarfing... 
I really appreciate your advice and suggestions! I have spent so much time on Craigslist lately that I had completely forgotten what a nice forum was like.
So here's what I have deduced so far.
Tank One = Leucistic juveniles (roughly 9 months old). I am fairly positive I have two females and a male. Two have bite marks on their faces and one is still in perfect shape. I don't know if the female with no bite marks is the instigator or if she is just lucky to be spared from the raging battle. The two with boo boos are the male and a female. I haven't seen any of the actual fighting, so I don't who is doing what to whom. Hmmmm...
Tank Two = Young adult females (roughly a year and a half). All three definitely female. They haven't really fought since I saw them the other night. Or maybe they have, but they didn't leave bite marks. If they are hormonal, I know a certain red dragon who would be more than happy to ease their suffering. Xerxes already makes a beeline for their tank when he's out to play. He's always ready for action.
Thanks to Beautiful Dragons I have all sorts of good stuff for treating various ailments. Should I put everyone on a course of dewormer or something just to be safe? |
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Sushi Dragons
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LisaAnnie
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 14, 2010 - 03:20 AM
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Moderator
Joined: Nov 21, 2003
Posts: 6611
Location: INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
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Hiya Rachel...
We wouldn't put any of your dragons on meds unless you know they're "got" something. Put a microscope on your want list at beautifuldragons.com. Veronica can get you started info-wise.
We are also curious as to why one dragon has no battle signs on her. She could be the one starting the silliness. Some dragons are really hard to sex, so don't hesitate to ask your experienced herp vet to give you a hand with that.
You may have to let that red dragon boy help put an end to the hissy fits in tank two. Think of it this way: You'll make his year, and the gals will settle their butts down. You don't have to hatch the eggs...so everybody wins!
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Sushidragons
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 14, 2010 - 05:09 PM
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Subadult Dragon
Joined: Dec 15, 2008
Posts: 217
Status: Offline
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Okay, so the older girls get to go on a date tonight! So exciting! Maybe they'll have a hot tub party (aka a bath) and go skinny dipping!
As for the younger group. I will get a second opinion on their genders and see what we can see. My herp vet is REALLY far from my house, so I'm hoping a breeder that lives near me can swing by. Maybe I can bribe him with free mealworms.
I had a thought about the sudden aggression issues in the leucistic tank that I wanted to run by you guys as well. Is it possible that it's food competition? My daily schedule has changed recently and their not getting fed at their usual time. Maybe they are hungry and taking out their low blood sugar issues on each other? |
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Sushi Dragons
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LisaAnnie
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 15, 2010 - 02:49 PM
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Moderator
Joined: Nov 21, 2003
Posts: 6611
Location: INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
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Hiya Rachel....
Sure, hunger could be behind the sudden aggression. So could that good ole standby, dominance. Try giving them extra salad or pellet food to hold them over. Worth a try!
LOL, hot date night at Rachel's...spread the word!!  |
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Sushidragons
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Post subject:
Posted: Feb 06, 2010 - 02:28 AM
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Subadult Dragon
Joined: Dec 15, 2008
Posts: 217
Status: Offline
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Just here for an update!
The juveniles are back to being fed at their usual time. Things have settled down greatly since I gave in to their demands. They are more spoiled than I realized a reptile was capable of being... wow. I just live my life around their expectations and everything is happy again in Chacha land.
The older girls had a date night with Xerxes and everyone is friends again. Xerxes was more than happy to escort the ladies around the computer room. He bought them dinner (salad and worms on a plate in the middle of the room), and even walked them home at the end of the night (he had every intention of going into their enclosure when playtime was over). He got a little mad when I picked him up and put him back in the tank with his two wives. They don't interest him like the young fillies do. |
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Sushi Dragons
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LisaAnnie
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Post subject:
Posted: Feb 06, 2010 - 04:23 PM
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Moderator
Joined: Nov 21, 2003
Posts: 6611
Location: INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
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Hey Rachel....
Annie here. THANK YOU soooo much for that update. I started smiling, rapidly proceeded to grinning, and then laughed out loud. I NEEDED that! 
Dragons are just amazing! They know what they want, and they'll misbehave until they get it. Once you (the frazzled keeper) figure out what it IS that they want/need, and provide it, peace returnes to the kingdom. We're beginning to think that the term "keeper" refers to the dragons keeping us on our toes. |
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