My cats are just simply in awe at the sight of my Bearded Dragon. I'll say dragon, I'll say Beardie, I'll call her Issy or Isabella, but you will understand who it is that I'm talking about. She is my new love! I can't get enough of her, and I am just too interested in learning as much as I can. I have been a reptile person for many years, but I have never owned a Beardie even though I really really wanted to. I have always thought they look like larger Horny Toads and for that reason alone I should have raised them in the past. Most of my reptile ownership has been through adopting, fostering, rehoming, and/or rehab. With this as a backdrop, I could have and should have come across a few dragons in the past, and I guess I did, but I didn't have the setup at the times they were available. That's the only reason I can think of as to why it is that just now I am able to have one in my life. I am so happy.
A pet store associate friend and/or acquaintance gave me her Bearded Dragon when she was no longer able to care for it. The animal was sick, getting sicker, not eating, not pooping, and for all the young girl knew, the dragon was about to die. This broke her heart, as she didn't have the money to care for it should the animal need medical attention (which the owner thought was possible). I accepted the challenge, fully knowing that it may come down to taking her (Issy) to the vet. I prayed about it, as I do everything, and Jesus is just so wonderful sometimes, even to the little creatures He makes. Issy is definitely getting so much better in just a few days' time. WOO HOO!!
To begin with, I didn't really know all the ins and outs of setting up the cage or enclosure. I knew it was going to be different than that of an iguana. It has to be different as the animals are from different parts of the world! Iguanas are very tropical, while dragons are from arid deserts in Australia. Arid deserts can go on for miles and miles without water sources, and the animals rely on their food for that precious few drops of water they hope to find; whereas iguanas are literally soaking in the waters that surround their natural habitats. Deserts also don't provide the same sort of lush food sources that one might feed an iguana, so where to start is a good question; one that demands the attention of an expert.
Lucky for all of us, there is no shortage of experts online!! The problem is that everyone who has ever owned a Bearded Dragon feels that they are in fact certified experts, and I really wanted to do this correctly! I found about three really good sources online to follow. I found Clint's Reptiles on YouTube. He's fun. I found Cookie's Creatures. He's from Australia and is a breeder, and he is literally there in the deserts with the animals. He has a lot of knowledge. I also found a dad and daughter team a bit closer to my neck of the woods. They are in southern Georgia, not Oklahoma, but it's much closer than say, Brisbane! I watched video after video on subjects such as setting up the cage for the Beardies, and what to feed and when to feed, as the babies are very different from the adults in that matter. I found these three experts to agree in most cases, and that makes a giant difference to me.
From watching the experts I learned I was flat wrong on about six different levels. This information did not discourage me, it strengthened my resolve to get it right and to do right by the lizard! I had a water source in the tank. The experts explained that my tank would become too humid. It's not very humid in the deserts and the animal will become sick. They explained to me why I needed the light sources to have both UVA and UVB "rays" and that was a huge deal! I had tiny heat emitters but nothing like I was supposed to have. I didn't have a background on my tank, and though it's not 100% necessary it sure makes it nicer for the overall environment for my new baby girl. The desert background of Tucson, Arizona is pretty in the evening and I bought a nice drop for the tank. I may switch them out periodically just to be that pet owner who really tries to over-try!
My tank, though a 40-gallon, is too small. It's literally the smallest size any of the experts recommended. I didn't even think to ask about a bigger tank, thinking the 40 was good, but I guess I sort of knew because my Blue Tongue Skink (when I had one) required a much larger tank. I'll end up buying an 80-gallon tank soon, but for now, the 40 will have to work. I don't have space to really set up an 80-gallon in my room (which is where she is for now until I do move to another place). She's OK, but I will have to take trips to the backyard with her so she can scoot about. I'll have an outdoor enclosure made so I can do just that. It may be only 11-14" wide, but it will be much longer and I'll soon have a backyard I can use. Just waiting! It will happen. They don't stay out too long anyway, as the humidity has to be under 35% and the heat needs to be above 80; it's a summer thing.
Lizards, like bears and rodents, go into a type of hibernation. I didn't realize that was true. I knew my snakes did; it only makes sense that my Beardie will too. It will happen around the end of November, and she'll probably rarely eat and rarely move. She may end up staying in her hide rather than basking. She may decide to keep things private and never even speak to me, which would really be sad, but I would understand. It doesn't mean I won't play Celtic music for her, I will. She will probably wonder about my sanity; there is very very little Celtic activity in the scenic deserts of Australia - - very very little. She is possibly the only Bearded Dragon who understands Gaelic.
Lastly, if you get a Bearded Dragon, and you should, and you only want one not two for breeding, the experts all agree that having a male is easier and sometimes better than having a female. Females can produce eggs without being fertilized. If they form and she can't pass them she may need surgery to remove them. It is not something that happens all the time, it's even uncommon, but it never happens with males. Despite what some may believe, the female of any species is the only sex or gender that can become pregnant. I know, that's terribly controversial, but the facts are facts, and girly girl dragons are not excluded from this fact. Be comforted by knowing they never thought otherwise. We're the idiots, not the dragons!
Sidenote: I took Issy's water bowl out of her cage and she stared at me. She's not happy about it, but it's for her health! I promise. I'll spritz her in the mornings and give her spritzed food too. She can be bathed for 15 minutes two times a week, and if she's thirty she'll drink then. I was really surprised to hear about the water thing, but remember, camels go weeks without having to drink too. We just don't think about these things because we can't go that long. They aren't us. They are tiny dinosaurs. Literally.
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