Laura and I were on the list (a very short list) of people who would be or could be allowed to adopt the little unhealthy bearded dragon at the Petco near our home. You see, pet stores often gain the trust of some patrons, and they allow them to adopt fish, birds, small animals, and even reptiles that have been returned or those sick or injured on the premises. We have done quite a bit of fostering and rehoming over the years.
The little bearded dragon who was being rehabilitated (it turns out) is very, very small. He or she was less than a full month old when we first heard about it, which was the main reason he or she was not allowed to be adopted; the secondary reason was that the animal was sick. By now, it's about two months old, and it has another two weeks to go on anti-biotics before it can be seen by the public. You'd be surprised what people can spread to other species.
Well, after thinking about it, I decided to go out and buy a good-sized healthy lizard and call it Aodhan. Should the time come when the other little guy or gal is healthy, we'll likely take it on as well, but I did want one that I knew was keen and going to be around for quite a while. I choose a good one. He (at least we think it's a he) is about 4 months old, and like Laura's little guy (yes, we think she too has a male, but we could be wrong), Aodhan is a red fancy bearded dragon.
The red fancy is just simply a pattern of the coat; it's not any different internally, mentally, etc., but the colors will vary, and the patterns of the scales will "pop" differently; they are considered to be "fancy," and for that, the shops will price them a little higher. I really didn't care if I got a fancy lizard or a standard one, I was going for clear eyes, general all-around attitude, behavior, personality, and of course, he had to be in love with me the second he saw me! (After all, if I'm going to fall in love, he should too!)
So, after visiting a couple of stores that sell bearded dragons, we ended up at Exotic Pets in OKC on North May, rather close to our homes. The breeders who supply both PetSmart and Petco have numerous complaints against them; we have seen it firsthand. I wanted to avoid it since I wanted an animal I could love for a very long time. I spoil my babies. I am genuinely very happy with my choice. Aodhan is perfect.
He already sits on me, under my sweatshirt jacket and over my heart, listening and feeling my pulse. He loves it there, and we bond for an hour or so two or three times a day. He even hangs out with me when I'm working. When he gets older, he'll come out from under the jacket and watch the screen, I'm sure, but for now (it's only been 2 days), he's happy to be held and loved. He eats well, although the first time we put dusted crickets in with him, he allowed them to crawl all over his body and head before eating them. I had a good laugh.
I just checked up on him. He's hanging out on his little hemp hammock and listening to one of my Alan Williams CDs...he's very grateful. I can tell; he has a smile and a glazed look in his eyes as if he's about to drift off at any moment. I love lizards...I really do.
No comments:
Post a Comment