Hi Damo.
That's a very interesting question. I'm just wondering if you meant males that are housed individually or in a collective.
Either way it's not the presence of other males that entice male Beardeds to mark their territory, it's a naturally occurring event that happens once the male reaches maturity even if they are housed individually. So I believe the answer to your question would be NO.
I presume you are referring to the femoral pores that are situated on the underside of each thigh close to the anus and are the openings of the follicular glands that produce a particular scent that is used not only to mark territory but to also assist the lizard to identify and confirm the sex of an opposing lizard (or lizards) of the same species living within, or near vicinity, of their territory as well as a means to attract mates. The secretions produced are made up of a fatty/waxy (lipid) substance, present in both sexes and are secreted through the femoral pores which expand during the mating season and become quite visible in males at this time. It should be noted that not all genera of lizards possess femoral pores.
Bearded Dragons don't consciously choose to "empty" their follicular glands. In the wild the secretions are deposited through the lizard walking about and rubbing the femoral pores on the ground or against tree trunks, stumps and branches. Blockage of the femoral pores (especially in males) in captivity is usually a result of not providing suitable cage furnishing (eg - rocks, branches, logs) for the lizards to rub against and deposit the fatty secretions.
Because male Bearded's are territorial and conducive to displaying dominance and are not frightened to engage in combat it's not wise to house multiple males together unless one houses them in an enclosure that provides sufficient space for each individual to establish a defined territory and is provided with a suitable number of females to establish a harem. Even then trouble can arise dependant upon the number of both males and females in the enclosure. As in the wild, in captivity, depending if they are provided the opportunity, they establish colonies which consist of a single dominant male who resides over a harem of females and if it is intended to house a number of males and females in the same enclosure then consideration should be given to the area in which they are to be housed to avoid undue stress and dominant combative territorial behavior by the males.
Hope this answers your question.
Cheers,
George.
