In addition to the furry animals, I also have a passion for reptiles, especially bearded dragons.

A few years ago, my son, then age 7, came home saying he wanted an iguana. Well, I knew enough about iggies to know that they are too big and too hard to socialize for our household, so I started researching smaller species to see if I could find one that would be more suitable for us and came across beardies. By the time I told my son he could have a bearded dragon for Christmas that year, I was just as in love with the idea as he was, even more so!

I got my first beardie, Amber, from a breeder. She has had top notch care since day one, and it shows.





After having Amber a while, and perfecting my knowledge on beardie husbandry, I came across "Margaret" on Craigslist. I could tell from the picture she was emaciated, dehydrated and just not well. I contacted the seller to encourage him to hand her over to a rescue so she could get the care she needed, and he offered to give her to me. Well, Margaret turned out to be a "he" and was re-christianed Flapjack. He was sooooo thin and feather light, but surprisingly sprite and alert. After he got some weight on him, he was a perfectly healthy little dragon and full of attitude!

This is the pic from his Craigslist ad:


Here he is after he had been with me a couple months



Then, someone on my favorite beardie forum posted that they needed a home for their beardie because they were going in the military. I thought it would be a simple re-homing situation and since I was the closest member to his location, I agreed to take him. Then I got him and was shocked at his condition! Severe MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) which happens when the dragon does not receive enough UVB and calcium. Their bones become misshapen and brittle and he is all bent up with it. He has to eat baby food or very soft worms since his jaws do not line up. He has been a special case indeed, but he has improved lots in my care. His jaw has actually re-aligned enough so that he can chew veggies, so we're off the baby food. He's still a pitiful little fella, but don't tell him because he doesn't know!





Here you can see how he stands a little straighter, and his lips match up just a little better:



Next came Isha, also a Craisglist rescue. Same situation with Flapjack: I saw her pic, realized she was in desperate need and emailed the owner. He, too agreed to hand her over. She also has some MBD, although not nearly as bad as Freddie's. She was kept in a 10 gallon tank, with a blazing hot basking bulb with no cool side to escape to. She is gaining weight slowly but surely. Unfortunately, she decided to brumate when I would rather her not, but I'm monitoring her weight as she sleeps and so far so good so I don't think there will be any negative effects on her health. I'd just rather her eat and gain weight all winter instead of sleep!

Her CL picture: Anyone with half a brain can look at this critter and tell that she's just not healthy!


She perked up somewhat after going in her new and suitable home, but still could barely hold herself up:


And after a couple months, became quite perky and started getting a belly:



Then a couple months ago, I entered a photo contest. I didn't look at what the prize would be..I just assumed it would be a gift card to a pet store or something. Turns out, 1st prize was a leatherback baby beardie (has reduced scales in its back) and I won first place!

Here is the pic I entered of Amber:


And here is the baby, named Fizzgig!



Needless to say, I am very passionate about my dragons. I truly believe in doing thorough research on any animal you bring home, but especially exotic species. If your dog care is not perfect, the dog will still thrive and be happy (how many of us had parents or grandparents who had dogs that lived outside and ate only table scraps?) But if your provide less than stellar care for reptiles, their health suffers greatly. The owners of each of my rescues had good intentions and were not purposely neglectful. They all just took the care advice of the pet store and did not do any research of their own and their dragons were soon in bad condition. If anyone ever needs any advice about reptiles, especially dragons, I will be more than happy to help or at least point you in the right direction. My favorite beardie site is Bearded Dragon . org

Thanks for looking!

I have a baby tortoise.MOVED YOUR POST FOR YOU

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Ohh I love beardies, Although I don't have much room for one right now, but I was looking at the rankins dragons and there just gorgeous, pretty much the exact same as a beardie but smaller, think I'll be getting one of them when I'm ready x

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Chiara & Cici

Here's what I know about Rankins. This is not personal experience, but the experience I've read from others in the countless hours I have spent on reptile forums.

Rankins are a little smaller than beardies, but not that much smaller and their minimum living space is not that much less than for a beardie, so you're not really saving a whole lot of space by getting a Rankins.

Also, their temperaments are not quite as nice as a beardie...they are not as easy going and don't like to be handled quite as much, although they are still quite friendly. And, since they are rare, they are quite pricey.

Their care is similar to a beardie, but not exactly. For example, their basking temps would be a little lower than a beardies, but since they are relatively new to the hobby, there is still a lot to learn to perfect their husbandry.
There's not as much info out there on Rankins, so read whatever you can and try to sort out the good from the bad. I just went and glanced over 3 caresheets and they were all quite different.

Just some things to think about. Best of luck!

I few places I looked at said they have both beardies and rankins and prefer the rankins, guess it's just to do with the person :P. Oh and by the way the leather back beardie is lovely you must have been so chuffed to get 1st place

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Chiara & Cici

Great pics! What a good dragon mommy you are! We have a beardie as well... I'll have to post some pics... She is technically my daughters. She LOVES dragons (like the kind in books) and wanted one of her own in the worst way. My hubby had wanted a beardie years ago, but we never took the plunge. Finally when our daughter got interested, we dove in. We got Sephera from Craigslist as a baby... A guy had hatched some eggs he said just to see if he could. She was about 5 inches long from nose to the tip of her tail... Teeny! Man did she grow fast. We ended up getting her a huge tank from Craigslist as well. Someone that had an iguana in it.... They were moving and they didn't want this huge tank, so we bought it for $50.00! Great deal. Sephera's always been a GREAT eater! The biggest challenge was getting my daughter to handle the crickets, lol. But we told her that if she wanted a dragon, she had to learn to do the things that need to be done to care for her properly. Now she's fine with all of the bugs. I've never been a huge fan reptiles, but I must say, the beardie is a neat pet. She actually watches what's going on around her, and she gets excited when my daughter walks into the room. Someone once told me that the beardies are like the dogs of the reptile world. Thanks for sharing!

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its such a shame that many exotic animals are not caredfor properly

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Pola and coco

Lovely beardies!!

I got a new baby green iguana last week, he is stunning and such an outgoing little guy I've had reps all my life, much underrated pets but I agree, so many arent correctly cared for