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[Bigbird]

Hi all

I have two beardies that are six months old (Bill and Ted). After some initial teething problems with feeding when I first got them, they have both been eating well on roaches. Up until about a month ago, they were both eating about 40 roaches a day (over two meals and they are fed separately in another box , outside of their enclosure) and a fair amount of veg too.

However, over the past three to four weeks Bill has stopped eating as many roaches and has gone from forty a day to maybe ten to fifteen on an average day and twenty if I'm lucky. Whenever I put him in the feeding box, he eats for a little while and then just tries to climb out. I have also noticed that he tries to hide a fair bit. He used to get behind a log that's in the enclosure, but would ending up staying there for hours (I think he got stuck because it's a pretty small space he would get into!) so I blocked up the hole. There is another hide in there, but as Ted sleeps in there most nights, I think Bill is reluctant to go in there when he wants to hide.

They were both pretty even in size until about a month ago when Ted grew more than Bill and is now about forty grams heavier. I have noticed on occasion that he will attack Bill and based on what I have read in other threads I think I may have to separate them. Ted hasn't injured Bill in anyway that I have noticed. I also think that they are both male, but I haven't had it confirmed by a vet yet.

Their enclosure is 4' x 2' x 2' and the basking spot ranges between 35 and 43 degrees and the cooler end is between 25 and 29 degrees and they have a repti-glo 10.00 UVB bulb that they can get within 20cms of.

Is separation my only option or is there any way around it? Of course I want to do what best for my beardies, but we live in a very small unit so trying to fit another 4' x 2' x 2' enclosure in there will be very tricky. Any advice, as always, is greatly appreciated.