I always wanted a pet dragon..
Jun 26 '00
I grew up with unusual pets. Over the years, my family had a raccoon, a mountain lion, horses, cows, a pig, goats, several varieties of snakes, rabbits, rats, mice, fish, a shark, frogs, finches, a peacock, chickens, hamsters, turtles, hermit crabs, guinea pigs, a chameleon, and of course dogs and cats. Having had experience with a variety of animals and their needs, when my daughter decided she wanted a pet, I thought interaction, limited space, and relatively low maintenance, and therefore took her to our local reptile supplier to look over snakes and lizards.
Our decision was not made in a day. That first day, all we did was look at the reptiles, let her hold several species, and discuss specific dietary and care needs with the herpetology expert that owned the store. Chelsea decided that even though she enjoyed watching the snakes feed at the zoo, she would be too tempted to fall in love with feeder rats, so we ruled out snakes pretty quickly. In a lizard, our interests were temperament, size, and speed. We wanted a larger and slower lizard that would be less likely to make escapes every time it was handled and one that wasn't a biter. This led us over to the bearded dragons. Chelsea fell in love with the spiky and gentle creatures. We left the store with the most authoritive layman's guide to bearded dragons available. Before she could get a dragon to bring home, Chelsea had to read the entire book and pass an oral quiz from us on feeding, handling, and health evaluation on the species.
Upon proving her knowledge, we took Chelsea back to select her dragon. She chose a three-month-old male after holding several of them. Bearded dragons are fully grown after a year, so Spike, as she named him, still had plenty to stretch, but was large enough to have already passed the period of most critical attention. After laying out the hundred dollars for the juvenile dragon and a couple hundred more for a terrarium and supplies, we brought Spike home to settle in.
Spike has turned out to be an absolutely wonderful family pet, quite the gentleman in spite of his permanent expression of baleful antagonism. Sitting on shoulders and claiming the top of a person's head are his favorite activities when out of his terrarium. Some visitors to our home are a little wary of a pet dragon at first, but he looks far more ferocious than he is and even those who never work up the courage to hold him find themselves fascinated by watching him. Those who do hold him, however immediately find him to be as harmless as a newborn kitten.
We feed Spike a good variety of foods to keep him healthy. He's a big fan of greens, peas, and shredded carrot and apple. One note on feeding reptiles vegetables: avoid spinach or any other vegetable containing potassium, since it can deprive your reptile of much needed calcium. Spike also enjoys freeze dried crickets and meal worms. Some people have had problems with getting their bearded dragons to eat prepared dragon food pellets if they're used to fresh foods, but Spike has never shown any aversion to it, and is quite content with this fare if left alone over a weekend. His water needs are extremely minimal if his food contains water and a small water bowl is all he requires. We supplement his diet with a reptile mineral powder to make sure he gets everything he needs.
We tested a few substrates before finding the perfect one for us. At first, on the recommendation of the supplier, we tried rabbit pellets, but we found them a bit too absorbent. On occasion Spike knocks his water over and the resulting brick of pellets was a smelly mess. Potting sand worked for a while, but we became concerned that he might be ingesting it when hunting down meal worms. Finally we found a ground bone substrate that we've stuck with in spite of it being a bit more expensive. It's extremely attractive, retains heat nicely, creates no odor, and is 100% ingestible. In fact, being calcium, it's actually healthy for him if he accidentally eats it.
Bearded dragons like hot environments, so Spike has a basking light as well as an ultraviolet light needed for reptile health. We tried a 'dark' bulb for a while that emits heat without light, but Spike wasn't exactly impressed. A normal incandescent bulb in a heat hood has him much happier. He has both a grape wood branch for climbing and a basking 'rock' (actually made of lightweight resin) that sits directly under his basking light. You can find him here about 90% of the time. A hiding cave provides him someplace to go if he feels insecure or wants to cool off. These accessories cost less than $100 for everything and create a terrarium that is not only comfortable for Spike, but makes an attractive centerpiece for our living room.
Reptiles may involve a little extra investment, but they make wonderful pets, especially bearded dragons. Chelsea not only has her companion, but has learned quite a bit, and loves to show off her dragon to her friends. Spike is as much a part of our family as our dog and our cats and has quite a personality. In fact, he's so much fun, we're considering getting him a playmate. Our younger daughter thinks that Charizard will make a good name for the new dragon when we do.
Bearded dragons are a desert species from Australia, growing up to 18 inches long. Standard bearded dragons are light tan in color with gray splotches, although specially bred varieties can be found in yellow, red, and even green. Their backs and crowns are covered in short blunt spikes. They're gentle and calm, although if startled or frightened they'll extend their beards, loose skin under their lower jaws, and turn black. They eat a variety of vegetables and meats, but also enjoy live prey such as crickets and meal worms, and the occasional pinkie (newborn mouse) when they're adults.
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Epinions.com ID:
QueenLyssa
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Member: Lyssa Jaraba
Location: Riverside, CA
Reviews written: 64
Trusted by: 19 members
About Me:
It's good to be queen.
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