How To Tame Your Dragon XI Waking the Dragon

You can now download a Free PDF of this series by clicking here! Handling your Bearded Dragon is not difficult.  We must understand that while we may enjoy interacting with our reptiles, generally speaking they are more of an attitude of tolerating our existence.  They have no desire to interact with us except that they may understand that we are the ones that provide them food recognizing either our scent or maybe even our body or facial structures.  Whatever the case may be handling your Bearded Dragon Pogona sp. is a practice which a lot of people are going to want to do.

Handling begins with how to pick up your Bearded Dragon Pogona sp. You can’t just reach and grab the lizard as this may lead to a surprise.  I open the enclosure and make sure that this has awakened the Bearded Dragon Pogona sp. before gently placing my hand onto its back to let it know that I am there and have no intention of eating it.  In the wild anything bigger than you is considered a threat.

Gently place one hand on each side of the mid body region, between the front and rear legs and lift slightly then shift the Bearded Dragons Pogona sp body to rest in your palm with the tail pointed towards you and the head away from you.  This allows the dragon to grasp your forearm and my hand as if it was a branch that he was on.  Supporting a dragon in this way you can carry it to an area where you can be seated and then further interact with it.

Bearded Dragons Pogona sp. can be very fast moving when they want to be I therefore advise against taking them out into public or carrying them on your shoulders.  The potential for an accidental fall is too great and concrete from that distance is bound to do some serious damage to your lizard pet.  Then there is the public at large which may not be into reptiles like you and you run the risk of frightening someone and then causing further incidents of distaste for reptiles.  Keep them in your house and handle them over soft surfaces when handling them to prevent injuries.

To wrap all this up, Bearded Dragons Pogona sp. in captivity are rated as the number two lizard pet for people interested in keeping reptiles as pets not due to their popularity but due to their complexity of care and needs.  They aren’t for everyone and do require a substantial amount of care and equipment to maintain.  If you’re considering keeping a Bearded Dragon Pogona sp. do yourself and the dragon a favor.  After reading this go buy a book on the species, I personally recommend buying The Bearded Dragon Manual, it contains all the basic and in depth information that you will need to provide excellent care for Bearded Dragon Pogona sp.

How To Tame Your Dragon X Decorating the Lair

You can now download a Free PDF of this series by clicking here! Sand blasted Grapevine that leads from the floor to just below the basking area are the best piece of décor.  They assist in shedding and also give the Bearded Dragon Pogona sp. an area and a reason to climb which is a normal behavior in the wild.  You can also employ slate or flagstones that have been glued together with aquarium silicone and these could create caves and basking areas within the enclosure.  You may choose to go the route of the plastic or molded epoxy type hides from the reptile shop and these are fine as well.  Giving the Bearded Dragon Pogona sp. multiple climbing sites is great as long as you have an enclosure large enough to give them the needed floor space.

I leave 50% of the enclosures floor open for the Bearded Dragon Pogona sp. to roam through without being impeded by décor.  You can also provide a water bowl for babies and juveniles.  Once they hit about a year to 18 months of age I actually just soak the Dragons once a week in the bathtub then bleach it afterwards.

How To Tame Your Dragon VIV Feeding Myths

You can now download a Free PDF of this series by clicking here! While on the subject of feeding greens there are rampant statements of don’t feed this or that vegetable Spinach and Kale are the two that most come to mind.  First of all it’s worth mentioning that these people who are stating this refer to it as calcium blocker and they are getting their information from the USDA which is funny to me because last time I checked Homo sapiens weren’t ever classified as reptiles.  Anyway, I am here to tell you that yes there are some greens which have secondary elements to them that block calcium absorption.  If you were to feed these exclusively then your Bearded Dragon Pogona sp. might experience issues but that would be the case with any vegetable matter being fed exclusively.