WHAT IF!!!! Cats, were the evolved form of dragons? The scales just turned to flesh and fur. And the wings are actually invisible and cannot be seen under x-ray? Ohh, and they go down all the time, when you are not looking, they come out and your cat flies around and hides your socks! Also the remote and other misc items that you tend to lose. Think about it! Most cats are indeed evil enough. My cat is. She will randomly slit open my leg with her claws as I walk by. That is dragony instinct! Same with their natural want to jump on crap. Like on top of the fridge. Their wings actually help them fly up there, and that's also why they land on all fours! Dragons sometimes also had more than one life. After time, it turned into just nine! It is the only real case of evolution. Dragons grew skin and fur when the comet hit, that's why there has never been any dragon skeletons found! They were all kitties by then. FLYING DOUCHE BAGS!! They were. Now common house pet douche bags.
WHAT IF?!?! (scream that out loud again) SCENARIO 2!!! (this is also just for fun, same deal applies here)?
Thanks for finally letting me know why i find my cat hovering over me in the middle of the night trying to smother me with a pillow. I just thought she was possesed. That also explains her facination with every candel in the house that is burning. she steals my lighters and get mad when i steal them back. She also ends up in the weirdest places that i never thought she could be. Do you think that is why cats want to eat birds because they getto fly around all the time and noone cares?
Reply:You know, now my cat makes a hell of a lot more sense. If she is in fact a dragon, I know how that lil pain gets up on top of the entertainment center and then behind the TV. I also now know where all of my lighters are going.
Reply:Well... my cats already have delusions of grandeur. No real point in encouraging that kind of talk.
My main fear if something like that were true would be the 50' tall cat sitting on the pile of treasure that likes to eat people waking up :-)
Reply:And all this time I thought our cat was smoking weed when we weren't looking.
Reply:OOOOOOOOOOH now I understand why LittleCat blows out puffs of smoke from his nose and how his catfood gets that charbroiled look. :D
Reply:Puuurrrty funny. Cats--Dragons--now I understand why they are 2 of my favorite creatures-subconsciously, I somehow knew kitties %26amp; dragons were of the same lineage!! Hooray another breakthrough to tell my shrink.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Would anyone please tell me about the English/Nordic/German mythology about the worm/dragon?
I heard there are several different versions.
There is one about the Laidly Worm, and it involves kissing the worm three times.
I also heard another version from my professor that it involves a girl kissing the nasty worm and scrubbing the skin of the worm off.
Would anyone please tell me about the English/Nordic/German mythology about the worm/dragon?
The version I heard involved a nobleman by the last name of Lambotten who went fishing on a sunday rather than go to church. He pulled up a small worm like reptile and realizing it was a dragon threw it in the well hoping it would drown. He then went off on the crusades without telling anyone. This dragon then grew very large and was undefeatable because any time a knight tried to kill it by chopping off it's head the body and head would reconnect. Lambotten returned and when he realized what he had done went to a priest and confessed. The priest advised him to draw the dragon to the stream where he had caught it since it was fast moving and fight it there. As Lambotten began cutting off the sections of the dragon they were swept away by the stream before they could reconnect. Lambotten was then instructed that when he got home he should kill the first person/creature he saw and while that turned out to be his father he killed his favorite dog instead hoping the priest wouldn't find out. According to the myth the Lambotten family had bad things continually happen to them. One version says he went to see a witch not a priest but since the story takes place around the crusades it is unlikely a nobleman would have gone to a witch.
Don't know if that was the version you were looking for or not. I have never heard of the Laidly Worm. In Norse mythology worms or Wyrms as it was spelled were the offspring of Midgardsorm the sea dragon. It was said that Aegir the Sea God caught wyrms and roasted their hearts for the various Aesir and Vanir gods and goddesses to eat and the blood to drink. According to Norse mythology the blood of the wyrms and I guess any dragon was supposed to provide wisdom and the heart was supposed to provide strength and courage.
Reply:the worm in the norse mythology is:
the sea serpent Jormungand was a child of Loki and Angerboda. The Aesir knew Jormungand would be dangerous for humanity, so they tossed him into the waters that encircled Midgard. Jormungand grew so big that he was able to surround the earth and grasp his own tail.(see Ouroboros).
During Ragnarok, Thor will finally kill Jormungand, but not before Jormungand can drop poison on Thor and kill him as well.
Jormungand is also sometimes referred to as the Midgard Serpent.
Reply:There are several. Most notable is Nidhog who devours the roots of the great tree that supports all of the worlds. Jormungand is not a dragon but a serpent who encircles Midgard the world of men. Fafnir was a man who turned into a dragon and took his family's treasure. Siegfried killed Fafnir and bathed in his blood, so he became invulnerable, except in a spot where a leaf fell onto his back. As one might guess, he was slain by a spear in that spot. Beowulf's last deed was to slay a dragon.
Reply:The version I heard involved a nobleman by the last name of Lambotten who went fishing on a sunday rather than go to church. He pulled up a small worm like reptile and realizing it was a dragon threw it in the well hoping it would drown. He then went off on the crusades without telling anyone. This dragon then grew very large and was undefeatable because any time a knight tried to kill it by chopping off it's head the body and head would reconnect. Lambotten returned and when he realized what he had done went to a priest and confessed. The priest advised him to draw the dragon to the stream where he had caught it since it was fast moving and fight it there. As Lambotten began cutting off the sections of the dragon they were swept away by the stream before they could reconnect. Lambotten was then instructed that when he got home he should kill the first person/creature he saw and while that turned out to be his father he killed his favorite dog instead hoping the priest wouldn't find out. According to the myth the Lambotten family had bad things continually happen to them. One version says he went to see a witch not a priest but since the story takes place around the crusades it is unlikely a nobleman would have gone to a witch.
Don't know if that was the version you were looking for or not. I have never heard of the Laidly Worm. In Norse mythology worms or Wyrms as it was spelled were the offspring of Midgardsorm the sea dragon. It was said that Aegir the Sea God caught wyrms and roasted their hearts for the various Aesir and Vanir gods and goddesses to eat and the blood to drink. According to Norse mythology the blood of the wyrms and I guess any dragon was supposed to provide wisdom and the heart was supposed to provide strength and courage.
-- written by brian
.
hahahahahahahahaha
.
Reply:no.
Reply:Ahhhh...very simple. Many years ago, a man was searching for food for his family. He wasn't having much luck so he decided to sit down for a while and fish while he rested his feet. He was turning over rocks to find some bait when he came across this red winged worm. He picked it up and stuck it on his hook. He cast his pole and the bait landed in the water. To his supprise, the worm was still alive and started to fly. He reeled it in, looked at it, shrugged his shoulders and cast it out once again. He continued this until he finally caught enough food for his family. Hence, fly fishing was invented...lol
There is one about the Laidly Worm, and it involves kissing the worm three times.
I also heard another version from my professor that it involves a girl kissing the nasty worm and scrubbing the skin of the worm off.
Would anyone please tell me about the English/Nordic/German mythology about the worm/dragon?
The version I heard involved a nobleman by the last name of Lambotten who went fishing on a sunday rather than go to church. He pulled up a small worm like reptile and realizing it was a dragon threw it in the well hoping it would drown. He then went off on the crusades without telling anyone. This dragon then grew very large and was undefeatable because any time a knight tried to kill it by chopping off it's head the body and head would reconnect. Lambotten returned and when he realized what he had done went to a priest and confessed. The priest advised him to draw the dragon to the stream where he had caught it since it was fast moving and fight it there. As Lambotten began cutting off the sections of the dragon they were swept away by the stream before they could reconnect. Lambotten was then instructed that when he got home he should kill the first person/creature he saw and while that turned out to be his father he killed his favorite dog instead hoping the priest wouldn't find out. According to the myth the Lambotten family had bad things continually happen to them. One version says he went to see a witch not a priest but since the story takes place around the crusades it is unlikely a nobleman would have gone to a witch.
Don't know if that was the version you were looking for or not. I have never heard of the Laidly Worm. In Norse mythology worms or Wyrms as it was spelled were the offspring of Midgardsorm the sea dragon. It was said that Aegir the Sea God caught wyrms and roasted their hearts for the various Aesir and Vanir gods and goddesses to eat and the blood to drink. According to Norse mythology the blood of the wyrms and I guess any dragon was supposed to provide wisdom and the heart was supposed to provide strength and courage.
Reply:the worm in the norse mythology is:
the sea serpent Jormungand was a child of Loki and Angerboda. The Aesir knew Jormungand would be dangerous for humanity, so they tossed him into the waters that encircled Midgard. Jormungand grew so big that he was able to surround the earth and grasp his own tail.(see Ouroboros).
During Ragnarok, Thor will finally kill Jormungand, but not before Jormungand can drop poison on Thor and kill him as well.
Jormungand is also sometimes referred to as the Midgard Serpent.
Reply:There are several. Most notable is Nidhog who devours the roots of the great tree that supports all of the worlds. Jormungand is not a dragon but a serpent who encircles Midgard the world of men. Fafnir was a man who turned into a dragon and took his family's treasure. Siegfried killed Fafnir and bathed in his blood, so he became invulnerable, except in a spot where a leaf fell onto his back. As one might guess, he was slain by a spear in that spot. Beowulf's last deed was to slay a dragon.
Reply:The version I heard involved a nobleman by the last name of Lambotten who went fishing on a sunday rather than go to church. He pulled up a small worm like reptile and realizing it was a dragon threw it in the well hoping it would drown. He then went off on the crusades without telling anyone. This dragon then grew very large and was undefeatable because any time a knight tried to kill it by chopping off it's head the body and head would reconnect. Lambotten returned and when he realized what he had done went to a priest and confessed. The priest advised him to draw the dragon to the stream where he had caught it since it was fast moving and fight it there. As Lambotten began cutting off the sections of the dragon they were swept away by the stream before they could reconnect. Lambotten was then instructed that when he got home he should kill the first person/creature he saw and while that turned out to be his father he killed his favorite dog instead hoping the priest wouldn't find out. According to the myth the Lambotten family had bad things continually happen to them. One version says he went to see a witch not a priest but since the story takes place around the crusades it is unlikely a nobleman would have gone to a witch.
Don't know if that was the version you were looking for or not. I have never heard of the Laidly Worm. In Norse mythology worms or Wyrms as it was spelled were the offspring of Midgardsorm the sea dragon. It was said that Aegir the Sea God caught wyrms and roasted their hearts for the various Aesir and Vanir gods and goddesses to eat and the blood to drink. According to Norse mythology the blood of the wyrms and I guess any dragon was supposed to provide wisdom and the heart was supposed to provide strength and courage.
-- written by brian
.
hahahahahahahahaha
.
Reply:no.
Reply:Ahhhh...very simple. Many years ago, a man was searching for food for his family. He wasn't having much luck so he decided to sit down for a while and fish while he rested his feet. He was turning over rocks to find some bait when he came across this red winged worm. He picked it up and stuck it on his hook. He cast his pole and the bait landed in the water. To his supprise, the worm was still alive and started to fly. He reeled it in, looked at it, shrugged his shoulders and cast it out once again. He continued this until he finally caught enough food for his family. Hence, fly fishing was invented...lol
I have found what i think might be a water dragon or even a lizard how do i find out what i have?
Its about 20 cm long head to tail its also has light grey triangles running down either side of its spine but the over all colour of it is like a greyish green and ir does have rough skin
I have found what i think might be a water dragon or even a lizard how do i find out what i have?
contact you local pet store or wildlife agency and they should be able to help you could also look online im sure you will find some information on here
Reply:Sounds like some kind of lizard to me. Take it or photos of it to your local pet store to see if they can help you identify it.
Reply:you should be able to check it out on the net
I live in Brisbane %26amp; we now have water dragons running around here now
one even goes under my house on hot days to get cool
they are longer than my key board but 1/3 the width
yours may be a pet that got away because the dragons here are a creamy colour with red under its neck %26amp; that red may change
at times
Reply:put a pic on here...i used to have a water dragon
Reply:well if your from the west nebraska,new mexico,colorado, the dakotas or any near by states it is probably a sage brush lizard. water dragons are a little bigger then that and are (usually) bright green with blue or orange markings down there side. does the lizard have a blue belly? if so its a sage brush lizard look it up on an image search
Reply:get a book about reptiles and lizerds
I have found what i think might be a water dragon or even a lizard how do i find out what i have?
contact you local pet store or wildlife agency and they should be able to help you could also look online im sure you will find some information on here
Reply:Sounds like some kind of lizard to me. Take it or photos of it to your local pet store to see if they can help you identify it.
Reply:you should be able to check it out on the net
I live in Brisbane %26amp; we now have water dragons running around here now
one even goes under my house on hot days to get cool
they are longer than my key board but 1/3 the width
yours may be a pet that got away because the dragons here are a creamy colour with red under its neck %26amp; that red may change
at times
Reply:put a pic on here...i used to have a water dragon
Reply:well if your from the west nebraska,new mexico,colorado, the dakotas or any near by states it is probably a sage brush lizard. water dragons are a little bigger then that and are (usually) bright green with blue or orange markings down there side. does the lizard have a blue belly? if so its a sage brush lizard look it up on an image search
Reply:get a book about reptiles and lizerds
Help with my 6 year old bearded dragon?
so i just came into possesion of a 6yo beardie. the people who gave him to me only fed him about 2-4 times a week and often left to go on vacation. i want to make sher hes healthy and well so what are some signs to look for? he eats most of the things i give him and he just finished shedding his skin. i can def feel him bones through his stomach but i dont know if thats natural. hes fast and moves around a lot. does he sound okay?
Help with my 6 year old bearded dragon?
take it to vet for check up to be safe.and buy a good book.for bearded dragon care.
Reply:yep sounds like a healty beardie to me! (take him to the vet just to check him out, and be sure) they are cold blooded, so they do not need to eat all the time. What kinds of things are you feeding him? they are mainly insectivores...they usually loooove crickets! Ours also get some chopped greens. But make sure that he has a lamp. heat is very important for a bearded dragon in the digestion of food. (they love food. ha ha) Congrats on the beardie, by the way. they are one of my favorite pet reptiles! Also, they like to climb. If he dosnt already have something in his enclosure, get him some stout branches (maybe a shortened, twisty tree limb layed on its side) for him to climb on.
Reply:He sounds okay to me... You should be sure to take him to the vet though to get checked up. Make sure the vet sees "exotics."
Reply:feed him every day mix diet of lettuce mill worms and crickets powder the crickets take him to the vet (herp vet)
Reply:Please visit
http://www.beardeddragon.org
for some great care sheets and a great discussion forum for loads of advice from experienced handlers.
Heat and light and UVB are important issues.
As an adult, he will only eat about 30 crickets a week, but mostly veggies. But he needs to have those veggies available to him every day!!
Read the site above for info on proper hydration, lighting, heating etc. There's a whole lot involved in taking care of a dragon.
Also, here's a site for a list of the best foods to make available to him:
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.co...
In general, leafy greens, Mustard, turnip, collard etc are great. Anything with the word "lettuce" is generally NOT good as it is mostly water and practically no nutritious content.
Please do some reading and research so you can have the healthiest pet possible!
Help with my 6 year old bearded dragon?
take it to vet for check up to be safe.and buy a good book.for bearded dragon care.
Reply:yep sounds like a healty beardie to me! (take him to the vet just to check him out, and be sure) they are cold blooded, so they do not need to eat all the time. What kinds of things are you feeding him? they are mainly insectivores...they usually loooove crickets! Ours also get some chopped greens. But make sure that he has a lamp. heat is very important for a bearded dragon in the digestion of food. (they love food. ha ha) Congrats on the beardie, by the way. they are one of my favorite pet reptiles! Also, they like to climb. If he dosnt already have something in his enclosure, get him some stout branches (maybe a shortened, twisty tree limb layed on its side) for him to climb on.
Reply:He sounds okay to me... You should be sure to take him to the vet though to get checked up. Make sure the vet sees "exotics."
Reply:feed him every day mix diet of lettuce mill worms and crickets powder the crickets take him to the vet (herp vet)
Reply:Please visit
http://www.beardeddragon.org
for some great care sheets and a great discussion forum for loads of advice from experienced handlers.
Heat and light and UVB are important issues.
As an adult, he will only eat about 30 crickets a week, but mostly veggies. But he needs to have those veggies available to him every day!!
Read the site above for info on proper hydration, lighting, heating etc. There's a whole lot involved in taking care of a dragon.
Also, here's a site for a list of the best foods to make available to him:
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.co...
In general, leafy greens, Mustard, turnip, collard etc are great. Anything with the word "lettuce" is generally NOT good as it is mostly water and practically no nutritious content.
Please do some reading and research so you can have the healthiest pet possible!
I need help with a chinese water dragon!?
He keeps jumping at the top of the cage sometimes hanging upside down. I am going to get a taller one for him in the future but I need a quick fix for now because I do not have the money for it. I have put in things for him to climb on but he ignores them. Also he shed about a week ago and now his skin has a kind of ashy look near his back legs and around his head. He is really worrying me I don't know if he is dry or if he is about to shed again but it seems to soon to be doing that. I try to keep the humidity dry, have a big pool of water for him and have a hot/cold area so I dont really know what i am doing wrong here
I need help with a chinese water dragon!?
Your dragon sounds all right to me.
An adult Chinese water dragon (over 2 years) needs a cage 6 feet tall, 4 feet wide, and 2 feet deep. I made my own cage for mine. Some of them rub their snouts raw on glass, so I ended up using a half-inch fencing mesh for the sides, which they didn't rub on. I used a wooden framework. Then I had some shelves and climbing structures. There were some areas in the cage heated and others not, so they could choose where they wanted to be. Most of the time the adults stayed in unheated areas at room temperature, but they were able to warm up as needed, especially for digestion. I really enjoyed my water dragons.
Reply:it's just look like I think
Reply:Asian water dragons like to jump and do often ignore climbing things, some use them and some don't so I think this is normal, when you do have the extra money you may want to get him a larger tank. The ashey look may just be the areas that haven't shed yet.Another way for great info is just type in Asian Water Dragon care in the search bar and there are a ton of sites that can help.
Reply:Don't worry about the him jumping at the top of he screen I've watched a wild caught panther chameleon basically climb there glass for two days straight because there was a fake plant on the outside of his tank and he had and enormous enclosure lol as for the shedding problem give him a quick luke warm bath or a spray to get the skin off hope this helps...
golden ball
I need help with a chinese water dragon!?
Your dragon sounds all right to me.
An adult Chinese water dragon (over 2 years) needs a cage 6 feet tall, 4 feet wide, and 2 feet deep. I made my own cage for mine. Some of them rub their snouts raw on glass, so I ended up using a half-inch fencing mesh for the sides, which they didn't rub on. I used a wooden framework. Then I had some shelves and climbing structures. There were some areas in the cage heated and others not, so they could choose where they wanted to be. Most of the time the adults stayed in unheated areas at room temperature, but they were able to warm up as needed, especially for digestion. I really enjoyed my water dragons.
Reply:it's just look like I think
Reply:Asian water dragons like to jump and do often ignore climbing things, some use them and some don't so I think this is normal, when you do have the extra money you may want to get him a larger tank. The ashey look may just be the areas that haven't shed yet.Another way for great info is just type in Asian Water Dragon care in the search bar and there are a ton of sites that can help.
Reply:Don't worry about the him jumping at the top of he screen I've watched a wild caught panther chameleon basically climb there glass for two days straight because there was a fake plant on the outside of his tank and he had and enormous enclosure lol as for the shedding problem give him a quick luke warm bath or a spray to get the skin off hope this helps...
golden ball
Tell me, can I drop a little dragon poetry on you before I break for the house?
Today has been so much fun, my dear.
And we all got to steal just a little leer.
Our trouble, we'll fling
Out the tire swing.
God bless old Charles Goodyear.
Things are quite odd at my place of employment
Which is why to the tire swing, I conducted deployment.
I'll stifle my grin
Should I see a little skin
Or display mine for your mild enjoyment.
'Tis the best remedy I know, for all grief and all sorrow.
I'll take it like a man, if my trunks you must borrow.
And when the sun does set
We'll all go home wet
And the truck'll smell like a wet dog on the morrow.
Tell me, can I drop a little dragon poetry on you before I break for the house?
Love it Billy, you're such a gentledragon!
Reply:Wow, That really cheered me up and smile. Thank you :)
Reply:Your dragonology is always most welcome!
Reply:wooohooo....meet you at the swing silly....
Reply:ahhhh I do love dragon poetry
Reply:A perfect swan song! i gotta go too...gotta be up at 1 am to get honey boy off to work. See ya tomorrow
Reply:*sniff* you know the rest of what I want to say.
Reply:Lovely, as usual! I'll get you a car air freshener...
Reply:Well done! See ya tomorrow. You just like making all the ladies swoon now don't ya!?!
Reply:that was wonderful*sigh.....
Reply:I liked that Billy, and you just got a star out of me. You always have a great way of enlightening all of us, who appreciate you. Thanks.
Reply:it's always fun with you billy!!the truck smelling like wet dog?well,i guess all us ladies have to get that car washed up!!wouldn't that be a sight to see!!!:)
And we all got to steal just a little leer.
Our trouble, we'll fling
Out the tire swing.
God bless old Charles Goodyear.
Things are quite odd at my place of employment
Which is why to the tire swing, I conducted deployment.
I'll stifle my grin
Should I see a little skin
Or display mine for your mild enjoyment.
'Tis the best remedy I know, for all grief and all sorrow.
I'll take it like a man, if my trunks you must borrow.
And when the sun does set
We'll all go home wet
And the truck'll smell like a wet dog on the morrow.
Tell me, can I drop a little dragon poetry on you before I break for the house?
Love it Billy, you're such a gentledragon!
Reply:Wow, That really cheered me up and smile. Thank you :)
Reply:Your dragonology is always most welcome!
Reply:wooohooo....meet you at the swing silly....
Reply:ahhhh I do love dragon poetry
Reply:A perfect swan song! i gotta go too...gotta be up at 1 am to get honey boy off to work. See ya tomorrow
Reply:*sniff* you know the rest of what I want to say.
Reply:Lovely, as usual! I'll get you a car air freshener...
Reply:Well done! See ya tomorrow. You just like making all the ladies swoon now don't ya!?!
Reply:that was wonderful*sigh.....
Reply:I liked that Billy, and you just got a star out of me. You always have a great way of enlightening all of us, who appreciate you. Thanks.
Reply:it's always fun with you billy!!the truck smelling like wet dog?well,i guess all us ladies have to get that car washed up!!wouldn't that be a sight to see!!!:)
Which skin do i pick to win a dell laptop and what size do i pick?
Blue blinds, Watercolor rose, Red Horizon, Kaleidoscope, Stained Glass, Red Dragon.
"12","14","15","17"
Which skin do i pick to win a dell laptop and what size do i pick?
My foreskin. I'll get you anything you want.
Reply:http://www.skinit.com
Reply:Watercolor rose
"12","14","15","17"
Which skin do i pick to win a dell laptop and what size do i pick?
My foreskin. I'll get you anything you want.
Reply:http://www.skinit.com
Reply:Watercolor rose
Can a bearded dragon bite hurt you?
My beardie has gotten pretty aggressive lately, and has nipped my fingers a couple of times while I was feeding him. Is there any way he could hurt me? Are his teeth capable of breaking the skin? and if they are, could I get a disease or infection?
Can a bearded dragon bite hurt you?
the answer is yes but very rarely will you get anything that can be considered a side affect such as salmonella if the bite is treated correctly. remember to wash with antibacterial soap before you feed to keep from giving him anything you may have gotton on your hands and wash with antibacterial soap after you feed to keep you safe. when the skin is broken it is important to scrub with bactine and antibacterial for 60 seconds and flush the wound for another 60 seconds allow it to bleed and coax some blood if necessary and possible just to push any bacteria that may have gotten in out. it may seem over kill but it is always better to be more protective than less. also waring protective gloves particularly leather will keep the beardie from penatrating the skin or if wearing cotton or fabric gloves from getting "strings" caught in his teeth and ingested. you may want to spend a little more time just letting him know you are still his buddy and are not there to hurt him. if his actions are deliberate. if the bites are incedental or accidental the gloves will be all you need. if he is that agressive when eating it may be a good idea to fool him with a veggie since they so not normally eat veggies without some sort of trick. unless your a lucky one and they eat veggies like they should. one of mine will eat veggies they other two I have to trick them by finely chopping the veggies and misting the crickets then coating the crickets with the finely chopped veggies.
Reply:yes if he has samonella. he can break the skin (but not too badly) because it's happened with my beardie several times before. just wash the wound off with alchohol, bactine and soap, and put a bandaid on it.
Reply:use gloves
Reply:Yes it can they like to grab and hold......but I had a beardie for 7 years and never got bit that's strange they usually love to be handled.
Reply:Yes, it does hurt. I had an 18 inch Bearded Dragon that mistook my finger for a super worm and bit right through my finger nail. It took weeks to heal. I've never gotten salmonella from getting bitten, but a bite can easily get infected if you don't clean it up and put something like Neosporin on it. Good luck with your Bearded Dragon.
Reply:i hand feed my beardies like 2 or 3 times a week they always bite me because i think they are excited to eat and they just miss see and accidentally bite u.
Can a bearded dragon bite hurt you?
the answer is yes but very rarely will you get anything that can be considered a side affect such as salmonella if the bite is treated correctly. remember to wash with antibacterial soap before you feed to keep from giving him anything you may have gotton on your hands and wash with antibacterial soap after you feed to keep you safe. when the skin is broken it is important to scrub with bactine and antibacterial for 60 seconds and flush the wound for another 60 seconds allow it to bleed and coax some blood if necessary and possible just to push any bacteria that may have gotten in out. it may seem over kill but it is always better to be more protective than less. also waring protective gloves particularly leather will keep the beardie from penatrating the skin or if wearing cotton or fabric gloves from getting "strings" caught in his teeth and ingested. you may want to spend a little more time just letting him know you are still his buddy and are not there to hurt him. if his actions are deliberate. if the bites are incedental or accidental the gloves will be all you need. if he is that agressive when eating it may be a good idea to fool him with a veggie since they so not normally eat veggies without some sort of trick. unless your a lucky one and they eat veggies like they should. one of mine will eat veggies they other two I have to trick them by finely chopping the veggies and misting the crickets then coating the crickets with the finely chopped veggies.
Reply:yes if he has samonella. he can break the skin (but not too badly) because it's happened with my beardie several times before. just wash the wound off with alchohol, bactine and soap, and put a bandaid on it.
Reply:use gloves
Reply:Yes it can they like to grab and hold......but I had a beardie for 7 years and never got bit that's strange they usually love to be handled.
Reply:Yes, it does hurt. I had an 18 inch Bearded Dragon that mistook my finger for a super worm and bit right through my finger nail. It took weeks to heal. I've never gotten salmonella from getting bitten, but a bite can easily get infected if you don't clean it up and put something like Neosporin on it. Good luck with your Bearded Dragon.
Reply:i hand feed my beardies like 2 or 3 times a week they always bite me because i think they are excited to eat and they just miss see and accidentally bite u.
My water dragon hasnt shed in months, whats wrong?
he shed very poorly when we first got him but now some of his skin just looks dark like it was gonna shed then stopped. we've tried soaking him and spraying him everyday. also he wasnt well when we first got him and we're not convinced he was terribly well looked after before he was given to us.his motabolism was really slow so we took him to the vet who gave him a glucose and electrolites injection and he perked up alot after that. hes got a fogger for humidity and eats healthy and is active. any ideas?
My water dragon hasnt shed in months, whats wrong?
Probably nothing. You could try increasing the humidity, but water dragons may only shed once a year.
Reply:When he starts growing again he will shed.Sometimes they only shed every 2-3 years.Don't worry
Reply:calcium levels, lighting, state you live in? abstract your using for bedding? are u using sun bulbs and night bulbs? out door temp ? if cold outside move to interior wall.. when skin pulled gently from body does it retract or stay pinched looking? hydration?! again lighting? worth the investment while treating health issues. abstract? eco-earth....... great for reptiles, cost effective, easy to clean, resistant to pest, etc. available at many pet stores(looks like brick).... diet? proteins, calcium's, fresh greens,fruits, how big? crickets? mice? check food source for contamination or pests,.. clean water daily no soaps, light bleach rinse well then rinse cold, ceramic dishes? best and can get at feed store or local goodwill,,,, look for cracks or damage as bacteria can live in areas such as these...... given to you? just dragon or equip. too? possible brought it with him and can't get rid of cause living in it. there is a very effective spray out that helps restore skin. also your weather permitting outdoor venture? amazing what a walk and fresh air will do... when last time eat? check feces for signs of stress,,,, only visible if you know what normal looks like. sugar and electrolites, why? did he say what purpose? hard to say..... did he do any test or you recall exam proceedure? last visit to vet for this reason? if so may want to recontact and infrom sugar and elect. didn't work... perhaps needs antibotic and vitiamins injections for week to ten days... vet should be able to show injection site and whatnot.how long after sugar and elec. before given reason for additional concerns?
My water dragon hasnt shed in months, whats wrong?
Probably nothing. You could try increasing the humidity, but water dragons may only shed once a year.
Reply:When he starts growing again he will shed.Sometimes they only shed every 2-3 years.Don't worry
Reply:calcium levels, lighting, state you live in? abstract your using for bedding? are u using sun bulbs and night bulbs? out door temp ? if cold outside move to interior wall.. when skin pulled gently from body does it retract or stay pinched looking? hydration?! again lighting? worth the investment while treating health issues. abstract? eco-earth....... great for reptiles, cost effective, easy to clean, resistant to pest, etc. available at many pet stores(looks like brick).... diet? proteins, calcium's, fresh greens,fruits, how big? crickets? mice? check food source for contamination or pests,.. clean water daily no soaps, light bleach rinse well then rinse cold, ceramic dishes? best and can get at feed store or local goodwill,,,, look for cracks or damage as bacteria can live in areas such as these...... given to you? just dragon or equip. too? possible brought it with him and can't get rid of cause living in it. there is a very effective spray out that helps restore skin. also your weather permitting outdoor venture? amazing what a walk and fresh air will do... when last time eat? check feces for signs of stress,,,, only visible if you know what normal looks like. sugar and electrolites, why? did he say what purpose? hard to say..... did he do any test or you recall exam proceedure? last visit to vet for this reason? if so may want to recontact and infrom sugar and elect. didn't work... perhaps needs antibotic and vitiamins injections for week to ten days... vet should be able to show injection site and whatnot.how long after sugar and elec. before given reason for additional concerns?
Poorly Bearded Dragon! Help!?
Ozzy was fine when we got him, he was very alert and was catching the crickets and eating them, he seemed happy.
He has grown a bit now and started shedding his skin the other day which was cool to watch. We gave him a warm bath to help him shed a bit easier, and it did help alot.
Recently though, we've noticed he's not moving much, and he always has his eyes shut alot. He seems to be resting his head down too and not really holding it up high like he used to.
He's not very alert at all and doesnt want to eat.
We give him small crickets and tiny bits of cucumber and lettuce. But he's not really interested in food anymore!
It really looks like he's lost weight and has seem to of got smaller!!
Help!
Poorly Bearded Dragon! Help!?
Try to really vary the diet. Try not to do lettuce. It has no nutritional value. Mine loves kale, dandelion greens, collard greens,mustard greens, bok choy, turnip greens, escarole and chicory. You can also try butternut squash, yellow squash, spaghetti squash,acorn squash, all other varieties of squash, green beans,parsnips, sweet potato, snow peas and carrots. Avoid citrus fruits like grape fruit and oranges. Again avoid lettuce or spinach, which binds and blocks calcium absorption.
You can also try waxworms. My beardie loves these, not too many! They can be fattening, but a good way too mix things up.
Make sure that your beardie has the proper UV lighting and the temp is correct. When giving crickets make sure to gut-load and dust your crickets. The crickets by themselves have no nutritional value. If there is a problem don't let it go to long. With reptiles you have react quickly, make sure you take Ozzy to the vet.
Reply:hi there
first thing is is what ur feeding it ... cucumber and lettuce has no nutritional value
collard greens dandelion leaves... mix veggies... squash... are a better food source...chop depending on the size between the eyes and from nose to eyes ...
more on our website....under the lizard section
Reply:Has he got a UV light and a hot spot in his tank? Maybe he is cold, is he warm enough? Do you dust your crickets? You should really dust them to give them some nutritional value.
Reply:try to get Ozzy to your local exotic vet asap (you should probably try calling first and if you don't know the number try the yellow pages or search local exotic vets online and type in your zip code)
good luck to you and Ozzy and i hope he gets better
P.S. if he doesnt have a heat lamp that could also be a problem i believe you can get them at any exotic pet store or petco well bye hope i helped you some what.
Reply:this is common adult bearded dragon behavior, they just soak up the sun and sleep.
still, only give him foods that are super high in nutrition.
if your really concerned, you should take him to the vet, but it isn't easy to get your lizard sick. I have a feeling you didn't do all the research, read every book and care sheet you can find until you know the facts for your lizard like the back of your hand, that helps.
oh, and he HAS to have the right lighting and diet or he will develop bone disease.
Reply:you need to feed him better things[no lettece]. it's possible he's gone into burmation [mine has] which is like hibernation except it's not a continious sleep. he will eat a bit so keep feeding him. but just incase take him to a vet because then again it may not be burmation
Reply:Find a vet and take a fresh sample of his poo, and have the vet check for internal worms and parasites. If he has a high load of them, he may not feel well. But like another poster said, he may just be feeling the time of the year.
peacock plant
He has grown a bit now and started shedding his skin the other day which was cool to watch. We gave him a warm bath to help him shed a bit easier, and it did help alot.
Recently though, we've noticed he's not moving much, and he always has his eyes shut alot. He seems to be resting his head down too and not really holding it up high like he used to.
He's not very alert at all and doesnt want to eat.
We give him small crickets and tiny bits of cucumber and lettuce. But he's not really interested in food anymore!
It really looks like he's lost weight and has seem to of got smaller!!
Help!
Poorly Bearded Dragon! Help!?
Try to really vary the diet. Try not to do lettuce. It has no nutritional value. Mine loves kale, dandelion greens, collard greens,mustard greens, bok choy, turnip greens, escarole and chicory. You can also try butternut squash, yellow squash, spaghetti squash,acorn squash, all other varieties of squash, green beans,parsnips, sweet potato, snow peas and carrots. Avoid citrus fruits like grape fruit and oranges. Again avoid lettuce or spinach, which binds and blocks calcium absorption.
You can also try waxworms. My beardie loves these, not too many! They can be fattening, but a good way too mix things up.
Make sure that your beardie has the proper UV lighting and the temp is correct. When giving crickets make sure to gut-load and dust your crickets. The crickets by themselves have no nutritional value. If there is a problem don't let it go to long. With reptiles you have react quickly, make sure you take Ozzy to the vet.
Reply:hi there
first thing is is what ur feeding it ... cucumber and lettuce has no nutritional value
collard greens dandelion leaves... mix veggies... squash... are a better food source...chop depending on the size between the eyes and from nose to eyes ...
more on our website....under the lizard section
Reply:Has he got a UV light and a hot spot in his tank? Maybe he is cold, is he warm enough? Do you dust your crickets? You should really dust them to give them some nutritional value.
Reply:try to get Ozzy to your local exotic vet asap (you should probably try calling first and if you don't know the number try the yellow pages or search local exotic vets online and type in your zip code)
good luck to you and Ozzy and i hope he gets better
P.S. if he doesnt have a heat lamp that could also be a problem i believe you can get them at any exotic pet store or petco well bye hope i helped you some what.
Reply:this is common adult bearded dragon behavior, they just soak up the sun and sleep.
still, only give him foods that are super high in nutrition.
if your really concerned, you should take him to the vet, but it isn't easy to get your lizard sick. I have a feeling you didn't do all the research, read every book and care sheet you can find until you know the facts for your lizard like the back of your hand, that helps.
oh, and he HAS to have the right lighting and diet or he will develop bone disease.
Reply:you need to feed him better things[no lettece]. it's possible he's gone into burmation [mine has] which is like hibernation except it's not a continious sleep. he will eat a bit so keep feeding him. but just incase take him to a vet because then again it may not be burmation
Reply:Find a vet and take a fresh sample of his poo, and have the vet check for internal worms and parasites. If he has a high load of them, he may not feel well. But like another poster said, he may just be feeling the time of the year.
peacock plant
My Bearded dragon is not growing a bit worried. help anyone?
i have 3 bearded lizards. 2 are growing well n big. they are abt 27cm long and the only one that is seems not to be eating as much is 16.5 cm long. for a few weeks he seem not to be eating well n seem tired. also it is not sheading skin. i have been feeding it normally as the other 2 , so i dont understand why it is not growning. is this normal ?at most it eats 2 small silkworms n 1 cricket a day and it will stop eating. is it because of winter that it slows down his eating? please help.
My Bearded dragon is not growing a bit worried. help anyone?
he might stop eating all together so he might feel threatend by the other 2 maybe take the others out of the tank for a while and try and feed him on his own, for the shedding keep the humidity up in the tank spray the cool end with warm water and let it all steam up, he might be slowing down for the winter, try and keep them seperate and see if his condition improves
good luck
Reply:I hope you have a permit for them. You should take him to a specialist vet if he doesn't start eating soon. Check it's neck, jaw and inside it's mouth in case there is something going on there. Are you misting them like you're supposed to ?There seems to be a lot of veterinary help online if you look around.
I had a look around andfound this..
http://www.beardeddragon.org/bjive/viewt...
Reply:Have him checked by a vet. I had one that died of some sort of worms in his intestines. If that is what it is then they will give him a shot and he should be back to normal in about a week.
Reply:If it is winter, they will slow down or stop eating, but that sounds extreme, if they are all the same age and in same housing. I'd take it a vet to be sure, also separate it from the others in case it spreads disease! Good luck.
Reply:hi there
try placing it in a separate tank or container and feed it... it may b/c it's getting intimated by the other 2 ...as well beardies grow at different rates ... the winter shouldn't have any thing to do it as long as u keep ur temps the same ... u could try butter worms they are more fatty and will help it along ...i breed beardies
hope this helps
Reply:I am guessing you have them all in the same enclosure? If so, the reason is dominance. They will not all grow at the same rate, because the others will eat more, and they will bask more and get more UV. If they are together, seperate them now.
Do they sit on top of eachother? That means they are not getting the proper heat or UV. Most people don't take this into consideration. Keeping bearded dragons together is very dangerous. One will ALWAYS be smaller and this is the reason. Bearded dragons do not share. They get whatever they can, and the smaller one is always going to suffer.
Anyone who has actually done their research on bearded dragons would know that they are SOLITARY animals and cannot be kept together unless you are breeding.
That's another thing to worry. If you have male and female together, the female is going to be overbred. She will be stressed out, and you're going to end up with eggs.
Otherwise, you need to get a vet checkup.
Reply:I would take it to the vets or ask someone at petco that is what I did with my snake
My Bearded dragon is not growing a bit worried. help anyone?
he might stop eating all together so he might feel threatend by the other 2 maybe take the others out of the tank for a while and try and feed him on his own, for the shedding keep the humidity up in the tank spray the cool end with warm water and let it all steam up, he might be slowing down for the winter, try and keep them seperate and see if his condition improves
good luck
Reply:I hope you have a permit for them. You should take him to a specialist vet if he doesn't start eating soon. Check it's neck, jaw and inside it's mouth in case there is something going on there. Are you misting them like you're supposed to ?There seems to be a lot of veterinary help online if you look around.
I had a look around andfound this..
http://www.beardeddragon.org/bjive/viewt...
Reply:Have him checked by a vet. I had one that died of some sort of worms in his intestines. If that is what it is then they will give him a shot and he should be back to normal in about a week.
Reply:If it is winter, they will slow down or stop eating, but that sounds extreme, if they are all the same age and in same housing. I'd take it a vet to be sure, also separate it from the others in case it spreads disease! Good luck.
Reply:hi there
try placing it in a separate tank or container and feed it... it may b/c it's getting intimated by the other 2 ...as well beardies grow at different rates ... the winter shouldn't have any thing to do it as long as u keep ur temps the same ... u could try butter worms they are more fatty and will help it along ...i breed beardies
hope this helps
Reply:I am guessing you have them all in the same enclosure? If so, the reason is dominance. They will not all grow at the same rate, because the others will eat more, and they will bask more and get more UV. If they are together, seperate them now.
Do they sit on top of eachother? That means they are not getting the proper heat or UV. Most people don't take this into consideration. Keeping bearded dragons together is very dangerous. One will ALWAYS be smaller and this is the reason. Bearded dragons do not share. They get whatever they can, and the smaller one is always going to suffer.
Anyone who has actually done their research on bearded dragons would know that they are SOLITARY animals and cannot be kept together unless you are breeding.
That's another thing to worry. If you have male and female together, the female is going to be overbred. She will be stressed out, and you're going to end up with eggs.
Otherwise, you need to get a vet checkup.
Reply:I would take it to the vets or ask someone at petco that is what I did with my snake
My 4 yr old bearded dragon is molting. Is this a seasonal thing? Should I be giving her more water?
She has only lost small amounts of skin around her feet and face. The skin that comes off is gray and underneath her color is almost yellow. She eats lots of crickets and lettuce. She layed 25 eggs about 6 weeks ago and I wonder if these events (shedding and laying eggs) are related.
My 4 yr old bearded dragon is molting. Is this a seasonal thing? Should I be giving her more water?
Wow! Someone really likes to copy and paste!
Anyways...
Bearded Dragons aka Pagonas shed alot as they grow. The underneath skin is her natural color of which can be one of many different shades.
I am concerned about what you are feeding her and that she laid eggs recently.
Lettuceis a no no in reptiles/herps. You should feed her a mixture of bright colored fruits and veggies such as Kale, squash, collards ect.. She should also have a high protein diet such as a variety of crickets and worms(Ive been told no superworms because of their fat content, but as a rescuer I need to bulk my herps up when they get here because they are usually underweight.). Occasionally for my thinner dragons I feed a small mouse for calcium and fat, this is controvercial and I will hear some crap for it, but underweight animals are a big problem. She also needs alot of calcium after laying those eggs. I hear of alot of female herps dying from calcium definciencies after laying eggs and not being properly cared for.
So dont worry about the shedding/molting, its a good thing it shows she is growing. My 6 year old beardie still does it.
I hope this information helps.
Reply:Background: behaviors, "languages" and origins
Bearded Dragons get their name from their ability to "puff out" a throat pouch that has prominent spikes formed from modified scales. This "beard" can also change color, becoming jet black and even more impressive. Beards are not limited to males; the females will show off their beards as well, in a very interactive communication. Indeed, bearded dragons are very social animals. They have a rich gestural language, bobbing their heads at one another (watch video), gaping their mouths, flattening their bodies and tilting as they circle one another ("see how big I am!"), swishing their tails, using their tongue to check each other or their environment out, etc. They even have a variety of submissive gestures. For instance, both sexes will raise one arm and hold it stationary or slowly wave it in circles (watch video), evidently to signal "hey, its ME, stop harassing me, I'm harmless!" They rapidly establish a hierarchy and adapt to their caretakers, so the more extreme aggressive gestures become rare in captivity (unless you give them new territory to conquer). They are very curious and love being let out to investigate.
Some dragons can recognize humans' clumsy attempts at their body language. My male adolescents become excited if I extend my hand with fingers held together and pointed, to mimic a dragon head, and then "bob" my mock-dragon head. They will often bob right back. However, they will become quiet and assume a satisfied "I am dominant" pose if I then circle my thumb at them to mimic submission. I initially suspected that my dragons responded to my signals only because I had trained them. I tested this hypothesis during a visit to the San Diego Zoo, which has a large outdoor habitat for beardeds. During my visit, several dragons were sunning themselves and ignoring human gawkers. After surreptitiously assuring myself that no one was looking, I began a "bobbing" display with my hand. Instantly, dragon heads turned toward me. The closest dragon ran a few steps toward me and bobbed his head. I bobbed in return. He advanced and bobbed more emphatically. I bobbed back. He ran closer and bobbed with such an amplitude that his chin hit the ground. I pointed my hand somewhat downward and slowly moved my thumb in a circle. He bobbed once (which I translated as a "So, there!" gesture), turned sideways to me and raised his head in the "I am supreme!" gesture. I concluded that I can speak dragon! Well, at least in pidgin form.
One of the joys of caring for this species is its mellow but interactive nature. Beardeds appear to communicate with us, at least in broad terms. Long, piercing stares are apparently designed to transmit the mental message "feed me crickets.... crickets.... crickets...." Although they will interact with you, they show their full social repertoire only to one another, an argument for keeping more than one dragon. If your dragon has a buddy, you will be able to enjoy a full behavioral series as they set up and maintain a dominance hierarchy. You will see "lizard stacks" as they pile up on one another beneath their basking light. If you have a male and female, you will see mating displays (and mating). Sometimes however, interactions become aggressive, and such individuals require separate quarters. If you have two dragons together and one stops eating, likely he has been intimidated and will require special feeding, or even different quarters. Do not house dragons together if they differ dramatically in size. One could furnish lunch for the other.... Indeed, if you plan on acquiring a companion for your pet, make provision in case they do not get along; they may need separate quarters!
As their name also indicates, bearded dragons originate in Australia. Of the 6-7 Australian dragon species, those in captivity are predominantly Pogona vitticeps (up to a few years ago, called Amphibolurus vitticeps). They have not been (legally) exported from Australia for years. Virtually all those available are captive bred, originating from stock that entered the USA from Germany. They breed readily (even eagerly) in captivity and the eggs hatch well with proper incubation. Captive bred stock is healthier than wild-caught, is often parasite-free, and does not disturb natural populations. Captie breeding has produced a number of different color "morphs", all of whom are still of the same species.
The captive populations are currently robust and birth defects are rare, but the gene pool is so small that this happy situation may not continue long. An early sign of inbreeding is loss of full size. If you want to breed dragons, avoid inbreeding: ask your breeders what line they have (mine are the hearty "German" stock) and trade to get new bloodlines. If you bought two dragons from the same tank in a pet store, they are most likely siblings. Breeding them will be breeding brother to sister. If you sell the progeny to a pet store, someone else will buy--and breed- siblings. Since deficits are seen in the first generation of such breeding, this practice will quickly reduce the genetic health of American-bred dragons!
TOP
Resources
This caresheet gives a personal view: I tell you what has worked for me. Note, however, that many areas of care are controversial, opinions vary, and herpetoculture is still in its infancy. Consult more than one source and make up your own mind. My favorite book on the topic is The Bearded Dragon: an Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet by Steve Grenard. Others like The Bearded Dragon Manual by Vosjoli and Mailloux. On the internet, peruse caresheets by Mellissa Kaplan, Bill Mears, Sarah Coatman, Eric Sorin and others (see annotated links for additional sources). A superb source of information is the accumulated wisdom on the Pogona discussion list. Check out the Pogona archives.
Owning a reptile and hygiene:
Good hygiene is essential, not only to your dragon's health, but to your own. Reptiles can be non-symptomatic carriers of Salmonella, bacteria that cause sometimes lethal food poisoning. Children, the aged, and those who are immune-compromised are particularly susceptible to Salmonella from any source. Don't kiss your dragon. There are measures you can take to minimize risk. After handling your dragon, wash your hands with soap for at least 30 seconds, or use hand disinfectant. Disinfect any area you used to clean cages, dishes, etc. by using a 10% bleach solution. Use separate cleaning utensils, not the sponge you use to wash your own dishes. Reptiles are NOT recommended if you're pregnant or have a young child or an immuno-compromised person in your home.
TOP
General care
Infant dragons demand much more care than adults. They need lots of food to fuel their astronomical growth rate. They average 3 1/4 inches long (snout to tail tip) at hatching, and nearly double in length (and more than double in bulk) by the end of their second month. Most deaths happen during the first month; older dragons are more robust and hardier. Juveniles grow rapidly, attaining adult length (14-24 inches, including tail) within a year. A dragon will often be around ten inches long at 5 months. At 6-9 months, they often stop or slow their eating for awhile (resting from their growth spurt?) and I suggest you check for parasites then to assure all is well. Dragons are usually initially free of parasites, being captive bred, but they can ingest parasites from crickets or greens. Take a stool sample from your creature to a reptile vet (and the first time you see your vet, take your animal as well for a well-dragon check; vets cannot prescribe medications without having seen the patient). Make sure your vet is actually familiar with reptiles; many aren't. If yours isn't, ask for a referral. Or check Herp Vet Connection or the Association of Reptile and Amhibian Vets for a recommended vet near you. Do a fecal check if the lizard stops eating, slows its growth significantly, appears stressed and hides, has runny stools or just doesn't look its usual active self for several days, unless it is molting. Adult dragons often appear lethargic (depressed?) when shedding, but juvenile appetites are sometimes not slowed even by skin loss. The skin comes off in large patches. Don't help them to pull it off--you can damage the new skin underneath. Letting them soak in shallow warm (98 deg) water or misting them helps shedding. Letting dragons bathe periodically is good for their health. It can stimulate defecation, which is useful if you suspect impaction, or even if you simply want them to produce, before sitting on your lap.
Dragons are omnivores, requiring both insect and vegetable food, in about one-to-one proportions (below). Between three and six weeks, feed your dragon small crickets 2-5 times a day, greens and veggies in the morning, and water them once or twice. Youngsters also love to chase, capture and eat fruitflies, which probably give them more exercise than sustenance. (You can acquire a fruit fly colony and food from Carolina Biological Supply, 1-800-334-5551. Or you can simply leave out a ripe banana and attract your own.) As their size increases, baby dragons can take more and larger food items and more vegetable manner. Increase the variety in each category. After two months, care becomes less demanding and they can be fed insects once or twice a day, feeding them all they will eat at a time. Greens and veggies offered in the morning can be increased. Babies will eat more greens than veggies. Adults can be fed insects every other day, with daily greens and veggies. Some stop eating for periods, without ill effects.
For growing dragons, it is critical to avoid feeding insects that are too large. Crickets should be no longer than the distance between your dragon's eyes. Feed babies "2-week old" (1/4 inch) crickets; feed juveniles 1/2 inch crickets. Unfortunately, babies will swallow larger items, but such items can lead to terminal indigestion... literally terminal. They can die, often extending their hindlimbs straight back as though paralyzed or in excruciating pain. Note that basking or sleeping dragons often extend their hindlimbs; don't panic and confuse this posture with the indigestion-induced paralysis, in which the legs remain extended and are unable to move. If you beardie can move its legs normally, it is OK. Dragons may sleep in all sorts of wierd postures; do not be alarmed. Most grow out of sleeping in the most extreme back-wrenching postures.
Bearded dragons live in arid, rocky, semi-desert regions and arid open woodlands where they get most of their water from what they eat. In captivity, adults do not require water dishes in their cages. However, babies (who I speculate may hatch as the rainy season arrives) require water, generally given twice a day as simulated "dew" from water sprayed directly in their faces or deposited on their noses with a medicine dropper. They lap the water from their faces, the wet glass or occasionally from each other. Some learn to drink form a syringe, or from a shallow bottle cap filled with water. (Change such water and wash the container daily; bacteria grows quickly in such fluid.) A few learn to drink from a hamster bottle. To train yours to do so, Rod Mitchell suggests putting an ice cube on top of the bottle; it slowly melts, drips off the nipple, and helps the beardie learn that it is a source of water.
Dragons tend to be robust and healthy, but they are living animals, and thus can develop illnesses. Many can be minimized by proper husbandry. For instance, metabolic bone disease is preventable by a proper diet, lighting and calcium supplementation, as detailed below. Dragons may pick up parasites such as coccidia or various worms, which are treatable with a vet visit. Two relatively new and serious diseases that are communicable among dragons are yellow fungus and adenovirus. There are indicators that can help you to determine if your dragon is sick. Although dragons have much less difficulty laying eggs than some other lizard species, such as iguanas, sometimes the become egg-bound and need to be spayed.
TOP
Insects to feed
Crickets are a dominant insect food at all ages. Other insects add variety for larger dragons, such as mealworms, silkworms, superworms (Zophobas; they have less indigestible chitin than do mealworms) and waxworms (high-fat "lizard candy" most people suggest that you don't overfeed this delectable item). Avoid feeding mealworms (especially in excess) to a young dragon, since their high chitin levels can cause lethal impaction. Follow insect caresheets and supply insect food to keep your dragon's food heathy. You can also harvest insects from outside in the summer, but be sure they are free of pesticides. Don't offer lightning bugs or boxelder bugs; they are lethal. There have been reports of beardies dying after eating only one firefly. There has been only one report of a dragon surviving after having eated fireflys, and only inspired emergency veterinary treatment saved him.
Most quality pet stores offer crickets and all the recommended insects are also available commercially. You can also buy them wholesale, and have them delivered boxed to your door. An excellent Michigan company for purchasing these insects is called Top Hat Crickets (phone 1-800-638-2555) where, for instance, a minimum order of 500 crickets costs about $16; larger quantities cost proportionally less per cricket. They also sell a good cricket food and a convenient waterer. Phone numbers for other companies are on my annotated links. Keep the crickets in a 5-10 gallon tank with torn up egg cartons or toilet paper rolls (to let the crickets hide and minimize cannibalism) and clean the tank well each time you get a new order.
There is a trick for transferring crickets from the shipping box to a holding tank without cricket escapes. The trick was originally described on the internet by Melissa Kaplan. Place the unopened box in a large, clear plastic bag. Open the box inside the bag, take out the egg cartons, shake the crickets off, remove the empty cartons and box. Shake the crickets into the bottom of the bag. Place the open end of the bag in the tank, and tip the crickets into the tank.
When you buy crickets, feed them well ("gut-load" them) before offering them to your dragon. Crickets from some sources may have subsisted on paper and are starving when you get them; others may have been overdosed with vitamin A preparations (which will depress calcium metabolism). Chicken laying mash is high in calcium and makes a good cricket diet. A good home-made cricket diet includes dried grain (e.g., oatmeal), milk powder, low-protein dry dog or cat food, dried alfalfa (grass or pellets), vegetables (e.g., leftover veggies uneaten by your dragons), and a piece of orange or potato. An even better alternative is the excellent cricket food sold by Ronnie Buck is highly recommended. Keep wet items in a separate dish and change them often to avoid mold. For moisture, you can include a damp sponge; crickets promptly drown in any open water source. I use a commercial waterer (the type with a screw-in water bottle), put small stones in the reservoire to let errant crickets escape, and loosely cover it to keep dirt out.
A major issue for keeping crickets alive is to keep them dry and aerated. The container lid should allow air to enter freely (e.g., a screen top). I put Canadian peat moss in the bottom, with Alfalfa hay, and food is kept in shallow containers, and consists of oatmeal, dry milk, dog food kibble, or even better. Keep crickets dry; damp cricket cages smell horrible. Moreover, if crickets are exposed to wet conditions or mold, they can develop a fungal disease that can sicken dragons.
To feed crickets to your dragons, shake crickets into a plastic bag, add a pinch of phosphorus-free calcium supplement (such as Rep-Cal; see below), "shake and bake", and then dump crickets into your dragon's lair or a separate "feeding cage". You can offer them individually if you can bring yourself to handle the insects. Dragons do love being hand-fed. They extract items from your fingers by flicking out their tongue, which has a sticky bulb at the tip.
Bearded dragons are voracious when young (the appetite does diminish in adults). If you aren't feeding them enough, and if they have cage-mates, they may nibble toes and tail-tips for sustenance. If young dragons aren't eating, something is wrong. The most likely problem is that the temperature is incorrect: their bodies must reach 100 degrees F to digest their food. They may be intimidated by a larger cage-mate. They may have eaten something that cause impaction. If they are new, they may simply be taking time to feel comfortable--give them a few days to a week.
Feeding frequency varies with age. Feed crickets to youngsters at least twice a day, beginning about an hour after their lights go on (they must warm up before they eat; remember, they are "cold blooded") and ending with the last feeding no later than an hour before the lights go out. I have a timer that turns the light on an hour before I get up; once I am up, they get fed. Feed all they will eat at each feeding; they will initially eat 5-20 crickets each. I feed my adults veggies every day and crickets about every other day (in winter they may eat much less--or nothing). I also leave a casserole dish with 20-30 superworms in adult’s cages for snacks. The dish has straight sides (so the worms seldom crawl out) and contains a light layer of veggies and a slice of potato to keep the worms well-fed. Feed gravid females more often, increase their UVB light and calcium supplementation and give them waxworm treats.
Some people are attempting to use commercial dried foods in place of insects. These foods have yet to be tested longitudinally, over time, so their effect on lifetime and health is yet uncertain. I do not use them, except on occasion, because unknown nutrients are still being discovered even for human diets, and are unlikely to be represented in commercial preparations. However, the most well researched food is Susan Donoghue's Walkabout Mixes, prepared by a respected veterinary nutritionist, and many knowledgeable people recommend it. You can also read an article on evaluating commercial foods.
TOP
Greens and veggies
Vegetables come in two categories, greens and veggies. Feed both categories each morning. For babies, chop all offerings finely and offer them in a wide bottle lid. Don't use a deeper dish since they must be able to see the greens or they won't go eat them. You can also clip an entire leaf to something in the cage, for them to tear bites from: if you don’t clip the leaf down, the dragons just carry it around, which funny to us but frustrating to them! Initially, babies eat more greens than veggies; increase veggies gradually. Wash all items you give them well to get rid of dirt, pesticides, mites, etc.
Some dragons take a while to learn to eat their veggies. For some hints, visit the getting 'em to eat veggies site.
Dragon lovers argue interminably about the proper ratio of insects to veggies and the best items to feed. The following are common recommendations.
First, dark green leafy vegetables (all high in calcium). Don't settle on just one: keep offering them a mix of at least 2-3 or more at a time.
use as staples:
collard greens
escarole
turnip greens
mustard greens
romaine
dandelion greens
parsley
kale
carrot tops
add for variety:
bok choi
red cabbage
endive cilantro
radicchio
Avoid except as ocassional treats:
spinach oxalic acid, which binds more calcium that it offers, actually reducing the total calcium available. Use only well dusted with RepCal.
iceburg lettuce has little food value, offering mainly water and fiber
If you and your beardie would like more variety in your greens, you can also offer any of the following: basil, Bermuda grass, chard, cilantro, clover, dycondra, endive, grape leaves, hibiscus leaves and flowers, mallow, mint, cactus pads (often available in Meiers; cut out the spines before feeding), plantain, radish tops, ruguula, rye grass, sorrel, violet leaves, watercress. As treats, dragons also readily accept edible (pesticide-free) flowers such as clover, dandelions (a real favorite), daylilies, hibiscus (another favorite, especially red), honeysuckle, lettuce flowers, lilacs, nasturtiums, pansies, rose petals, squash blossoms, violets and wild mustard.
Second, a variety of other vegetables. Variety is the operative work. Variety assures access to vitamins, minerals and other micro-nutrients, including those not yet codified by the FDA. I generally choose several veggies from the recipe below, modified from one by Melissa Kaplan that is well enough balanced for even fully vegetarian lizards such as iguanas. Her recipie calls for rabbit pellets to provide protein, and I leave pelets out of the recipie for dragons: insects fed to BDs supply plenty of protein. Do NOT feed them meat or chicken--that amount of protein can cause kidney damage.
Some veggies have a low nutrient to water/fiber content and, while they make great human diet food, should never make up the bulk of a dragon's diet. Examples are all types of sprouts (the seed uses up most of its nutrients by sprouting, and these often carry Salmonella), summer squash, zucchini, Boston and head lettuce.
Dragons will also nibble on living houseplants--including some that are poisonous, so check a plant for edibility before putting it in their cage. Edible plants include ficus, geraniums, hibiscus, petunias, pothos, violets. Some suggest putting such a plant in the cage if you have to leave your lizard while on vacation, to provide a source of living vegetable matter. Be wary of feeding them a plant fresh from the store--these plants have often been treated with systemic pesticides. "Systemic" means that the plant has taken the pesticide up internally, into its system. Washing won't remove the poison: it must "grow out", which it will do in 6-12 weeks.
recipe, modified from on originally developed by Melissa Kaplan. Note that quantities are approximate.
* 1/2 cup shredded green beans or lima beans (for protein)
* 1/2 cup shredded orange-fleshed squash, yam, sweet potato or carrot
* 1/2 cup vegetables chosen for variety such as bell peppers of all colors, broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, corn, kohlrabi, parsnip, peas, potatoes (cooked, plain), rice (cooked, plain), pumpkin, radishes, rutabaga, snow peas.
* 1/4 cup chopped or mashed fruit, such as apple (no seeds), apricots, blueberries, bananas (no skin), berries (mine LOVE raspberries), cantaloupe, figs, grapes, honeydew, kiwi, mangos, papaya, peaches, pears, plums, watermelon (no seeds).
Mix and store in the refrigerator. You can freeze the mix in ice cube trays or snack bags and defrost before feeding. However, because freezing destroys thiamin, you should lightly sprinkle defrosted items periodically with powdered thiamin, which you can get in vitamin sections of stores. Some people supplement with Brewer's yeast (NOT bread yeast, or you'll have a fermented mess).
Charts on the nutritional value of foods commonly fed to dragons are found at Bill Meer's site and at the Green Iguana Society (with food pictures as well). Also check out these links to poisonous plants, and the compendium of knowledge at Melissa Kaplan's food and feeding site.
TOP
Supplements
Dragons must have two things for proper bone growth: calcium and full-spectrum UVB lights (below). If calcium or vitamin D3 are deficient, the dragons get metabolic bone disease, which is deforming and ultimately fatal. Most diets and care regimens today focus on maximizing calcium and vitamin D3 levels. To synthesize vitamin D3 your dragons need light at the right wavelengths; unless you can offer light typical of the desert, both in intensity and spectral quality, you must supplement the diet with calcium, and probably with D3 as well. Rep-Cal powder is a commonly used commercial formula that contains calcium and vitamin D3 but no phosphorus; added phosphorus can depress calcium metabolism, particularly since the insects already supply high phosphorus. ("Tums" are mainly calcium carbonate and can be ground up as an emergency substitute.) Sprinkle a pinch of powder on the veggies. Dump your crickets in a plastic bag, add a pinch of powder and "shake and bake" before offering them to your dragons.
Use multi-vitamin supplements (such as Herptivite) very sparingly, no more often than once every two weeks (I do so once a month). Some brands of these supplements are excessively high in vitamin A which can cause multiple health problems; they can, for instance fatally depress calcium levels.
TOP
Lighting
Lighting plays two roles. First, natural sunlight or full spectrum lighting is vital for calcium metabolism. The operative wavelengths are in the ultraviolet UVB range, which is offered by a few "full spectrum" fluorescent-type bulbs. The Zoo-med's Reptisun UVB 5.0 is most commonly available and is widely reported to be sufficient to grow healthy dragons. The UVB stimulates the skin to synthesize vitamin D. All full-spectrum bulbs lose the UVB component of their output with time and must be replaced every 6 months. Note that the UVB does not penetrate glass or plastic; don't use a glass top to your dragon's lair. Use a screen top.
Second, use an incandescent bulb in a heat-reflector fixture to control heat and to provide the bright light that beardies need to keep active and happy. A correct temperature is critical to healthy growth. Dragons must become warm enough (body temperature of about 100 deg F) to digest their food. Digestion is temperature-sensitive. If they are too cold, their food will merely decay in their stomachs. Dragons that are eating poorly are likely living at the wrong temperature. To achieve the correct temperature, set up a temperature gradient in the cage: place the light bulb over one end of the cage, not at the center. The gradient should range from the mid 70's or low 80's on the cool side to the mid 80's on the warm side, with a basking area ranging from 95-105. Don't guess the temperature; buy a thermometer. Adjust the wattage of the bulb and height of the basking site to get the correct temperature. DON'T COOK YOUR DRAGON. If you wish, you can put the heating element on a thermostat. Although beardeds primarily dwell in the desert, they bask in the mornings to warm up and then seek out relatively cool areas as the day becomes scorching. A gradient lets them chose their temperatures.
Under-tank heaters are sometimes used to add gentle bottom heat. They can aid the dragons' digestion, particularly since they can keep bearded bellies warm for 24 hours a day. Constantly warm tummies may therefore enhance growth rate. The heaters are, however, a supplement rather than a substitution for basking lights, since they do not provide the beneficial light that simulates daytime. In addition, hot rocks have lethally burned lizards, which are less sensitive to heat from a ventral source and may not know they are being burnt until too late. Avoid hot rocks. I use under-tank heaters only from gravid females. Using them can, however, prevent developing a good temperature gradient. You don't need them.
Place both UVB and basking lights on an appliance timer (12-14 hours on; off at night). Erratic day lengths will screw up their circadian rhythms and make them first lethargic and then actively sick. The detect environmental cues important to their circadian rhythms through their "third eye", the parietal eye. The dark period will also allow night temperatures to fall appropriately. Temperature can go down to the 60's or even the upper 50's without harm. Dragons are well adapted to cool semi-desert nights.
TOP
Habitat: the dragon's lair
Initially, hatchlings can live in a 10 gallon tank. You can transfer a juvenile to adult quarters when it is about 6 months old. Adults, while much smaller than iguanas, need significant space: a 40 gallon tank is a minimum, 55 or more for a pair. Check out my shopping list for items to acquire, Theldara's site for a sample setup procedure, and the Tenny and Swofford pages for terrarium possibilities.
For youngsters, I suggest a minimalist decorating scheme, with one elevated basking area, a hiding area, and paper towels as a substrate. Put the basking area closer to the heat source. If you supply a plethora of neat branches and rocks, you inadvertently provide abundant places for crickets to hide. Hiding crickets are problems in two ways. One, the beardeds can't eat what they can't find. Two (and more serious), the crickets come out at night and nibble on beardeds, who sleep quite soundly. At best the crickets stress the dragons; at worst they maim by, for instance, chewing holes in eyelids.
An alternative is to house your dragon in a well-decorated tank and to feed it in a separate tank. Add your dusted crickets to the empty tank, then put in your dragon and let it alone to feast for awhile. When it's done, it will usually start scratching at the glass. This method sometimes helps dragons with poor appetites get on track because transfer to the "eating tank" means eat now or skip a meal. It also helps if you have a pair of dragons and the smaller one begins to eat less because it feels stressed; feed them one at a time in a separate, neutral tank. Dragons have an idiosyncratic notion of sharing: "I'll eat crickets until I am completely full, and then you can have one."
House your dragon somewhere interesting--for the dragon. They prefer to be in the thick of things, where they can watch their pet humans display their incomprehensible activities. Do not hide them away in a seldom frequented bedroom. They have immense curiosity!
TOP
Substratum
The best substratum to use is hotly debated. Many keepers adamantly condemn sand, particularly the fine silica sand. Sand sounds like a natural substratum, but in the Australian wild the sand is evidently usually mixed with dirt and compacted into a "desert pavement" where it is less easy to ingest. Auatralia is not a Saharan-type of desert. The danger is that captive beardies may eat sand deliberately (in search of calcium) or accidentally when it sticks to tongues or food items. Silica sand is sharp-edged (glass is made from it) and it can compact in the gut and cause fatal impaction. Aquarium sand is larger, but would you like to swallow rocks? Several reputable people do recommend crushed limestone sand, which is a form of calcium carbonate; it has softish edges and tends not to compact into an indigestible lump in the gut. A calcium sand is commercially available, but it is expensive and needs frequent replacing since it is difficult to clean, and some have reported compaction with it, particularly with baby dragons (it may be fine for adults). Various people use potting soil (impossible to clean, grows mold, hides crickets, coats dragons), newsprint or paper towels (absorbent and easy to replace but not pretty), orchid potting mix or garden mulching bark (wash very well, then remove sharp slivers and smaller pieces), commercial "reptile bark" (wash off the dust and remove small pieces that could cause impaction; somewhat difficult to clean, crickets hide in it, but it is pretty), alfalfa pellets ("rabbit food": it will grow mold if it gets wet; nice odor, cheap, harmless when ingested by adults or larger juveniles, absorbs waste) or reptile carpet (watch carefully for frayed edges since loose threads can cause impaction; buy a duplicate for when you clean the cage, since the carpet dries slowly). Never use cedar or cypress, the fumes are lethal.
For babies, I use paper towels. For late juveniles and adults, who don't have a water dish in their cage, I use rabbit pellets (the cheap kind, without extra vitamins and supplements--remember what it is being used for...).
Regularly change the substratum to assure good health. Beardeds have an active metabolic rate, so plan on cleaning often. Their fecal pellets are generally compact and damp rather than runny, so are easily scooped out. If the feces smell very bad, suspect coccidia and get a sample to a vet. Some of my adults are trained to "potty" on paper towel that is secured near their basking area. This training works as long as I remove the waste the day it was deposited. I don't guarantee that all dragons are so trainable or so fastidious. For routine cleaning, I use an antibacterial soap. Periodically, disinfect their cage and furniture using a 10% bleach solution: rinse very well afterward. Always disinfect any sink and surrounding area where you cleaned a tank, furniture, or dishes to kill any residual Salmonella.
TOP
Handling your dragon
Beardeds grow large enough to handle and they do not resent being picked up and held--as long as you are polite, supportive, and considerate of their concerns for balance and their rather fragile limbs. To be polite, don't suddenly grab your dragon. Especially initially, when you are still relative strangers, approach slowly. For babies, place a finger under the chin and extend it under the body; the baby will cling to your finger (I call this the Klingon phase). Soon, your baby or juvenile can be gently transferred to your hand. Support your pet fully in the palm of your hand, with its head pointed in the direction of your fingers. Place your thumb lightly on his/her shoulder blades. Don't press down hard. If you are pressing hard enough to depress the body, you are pressing too hard. If your beardie starts to squirm, place your other hand over his head. If your beardie makes a run for it, DON'T GRAB. Our impulse is to try to close our fist on a quickly escaping small object, but you can crush a young dragon this way. Instead, keep your hand flat and slightly cupped and quickly put it over your escaping pet. Think of trapping him under your hand, rather than grabbing him.
For adults, scoop them up more directly, by the body. Hold them in your hand in the same posture as with juveniles, with their tail supported by your upper arm. If you don't support their tail, they will feel out of balance and will thrash their tail. If you want them to sit on your chest or shoulder, keep a supporting hand handy. They tend not to hang on tight. They seem to think that, if you want them to perch on you, then it's your business to keep them there. Be wary of letting them jump from high places; they can break their limbs or injure themselves internally. To keep your dragon eager to come into your hands, reinforce their ideas that your hands lead to good things. I bribe mine with waxworm treats; they then associate being handled with getting lizard "candy".
I often let my adults wander the house under light supervision. They love investigating. When they are out, I leave a basking light on with the bulb about 4-6 inches from the floor. They return periodically to bask and warm up. In the evening, they each retire to their favorite bedding-down place (generally under a bookcase) where I can scoop them up to return them to their lairs. If you have other pets, dogs or cats, be very very cautious. A small dragon can be an irresistable lunch.
Dragons will develop sharp claws that can leave your hands and arms with many tiny scratches that sting and raise eyebrows among your friends. You can trim their claws with a cat claw trimmer. (An illustrated guide to iguana claw clipping is available at Adam’s site.) Let your dragon sit on your lap, gently raise one paw at a time and clip off the tip of each claw. Clip only the sharp, black portion; if you clip too much, you will cut a vein. The dragon will bleed, hurt, and look at you as though you betrayed it. Have cornstarch handy to stop bleeding. My dragons put up with nail clipping even better than my cats do. They appear to take the process philosophically, only occasionally eyeing me with apparent amazement at what their human gets up to.
TOP
Sex
Bearded dragons are difficult to sex accurately when they are young. Experts may resort to "hemipenal eversion", pushing at the cloacal area to evert the male sex organs. This procedure can damage the lizard and is NOT recommended. Body proportions differ: males tend to have a larger head to body ratio, whereas females have a large body with a medium head and are often smaller overall. Adults become sexually mature as early as 8 months and can usually be sexed then since the adult males have enlarged femoral pores (rounded pores on the undersurface of the thigh in a line above the femur bone). The external anatomy has subtle differences, pictured and explained here, that can help you to determine gender.
Dragons have active courtship rituals and reproduce very well in captivity. The female will bury up to two dozen eggs, and will threaten you with gaping mouth if you try to pick up her eggs during the process, but afterwards offers no parental care. I've found that one mating can generate enough fertile eggs for several layings (either that or my female, "The Babe," has learned how to get from her lair to the male's at night....). "The Babe" laid 6 clutches of ca 20 babies each on summer, from a single mating. That is a lot of babies!!
Reply:don't most animals get a new coat, and mate in the spring?
I would think that is the common denominator
Reply:no its not seasonal it is growing sheding should happen once or twice a year no she dont need more water jusk keep the humidity around 80% to keep her skin soft and moist so that it will come off easier and keep something with a rough surface in there for her to rub up against to help take the skin off
My 4 yr old bearded dragon is molting. Is this a seasonal thing? Should I be giving her more water?
Wow! Someone really likes to copy and paste!
Anyways...
Bearded Dragons aka Pagonas shed alot as they grow. The underneath skin is her natural color of which can be one of many different shades.
I am concerned about what you are feeding her and that she laid eggs recently.
Lettuceis a no no in reptiles/herps. You should feed her a mixture of bright colored fruits and veggies such as Kale, squash, collards ect.. She should also have a high protein diet such as a variety of crickets and worms(Ive been told no superworms because of their fat content, but as a rescuer I need to bulk my herps up when they get here because they are usually underweight.). Occasionally for my thinner dragons I feed a small mouse for calcium and fat, this is controvercial and I will hear some crap for it, but underweight animals are a big problem. She also needs alot of calcium after laying those eggs. I hear of alot of female herps dying from calcium definciencies after laying eggs and not being properly cared for.
So dont worry about the shedding/molting, its a good thing it shows she is growing. My 6 year old beardie still does it.
I hope this information helps.
Reply:Background: behaviors, "languages" and origins
Bearded Dragons get their name from their ability to "puff out" a throat pouch that has prominent spikes formed from modified scales. This "beard" can also change color, becoming jet black and even more impressive. Beards are not limited to males; the females will show off their beards as well, in a very interactive communication. Indeed, bearded dragons are very social animals. They have a rich gestural language, bobbing their heads at one another (watch video), gaping their mouths, flattening their bodies and tilting as they circle one another ("see how big I am!"), swishing their tails, using their tongue to check each other or their environment out, etc. They even have a variety of submissive gestures. For instance, both sexes will raise one arm and hold it stationary or slowly wave it in circles (watch video), evidently to signal "hey, its ME, stop harassing me, I'm harmless!" They rapidly establish a hierarchy and adapt to their caretakers, so the more extreme aggressive gestures become rare in captivity (unless you give them new territory to conquer). They are very curious and love being let out to investigate.
Some dragons can recognize humans' clumsy attempts at their body language. My male adolescents become excited if I extend my hand with fingers held together and pointed, to mimic a dragon head, and then "bob" my mock-dragon head. They will often bob right back. However, they will become quiet and assume a satisfied "I am dominant" pose if I then circle my thumb at them to mimic submission. I initially suspected that my dragons responded to my signals only because I had trained them. I tested this hypothesis during a visit to the San Diego Zoo, which has a large outdoor habitat for beardeds. During my visit, several dragons were sunning themselves and ignoring human gawkers. After surreptitiously assuring myself that no one was looking, I began a "bobbing" display with my hand. Instantly, dragon heads turned toward me. The closest dragon ran a few steps toward me and bobbed his head. I bobbed in return. He advanced and bobbed more emphatically. I bobbed back. He ran closer and bobbed with such an amplitude that his chin hit the ground. I pointed my hand somewhat downward and slowly moved my thumb in a circle. He bobbed once (which I translated as a "So, there!" gesture), turned sideways to me and raised his head in the "I am supreme!" gesture. I concluded that I can speak dragon! Well, at least in pidgin form.
One of the joys of caring for this species is its mellow but interactive nature. Beardeds appear to communicate with us, at least in broad terms. Long, piercing stares are apparently designed to transmit the mental message "feed me crickets.... crickets.... crickets...." Although they will interact with you, they show their full social repertoire only to one another, an argument for keeping more than one dragon. If your dragon has a buddy, you will be able to enjoy a full behavioral series as they set up and maintain a dominance hierarchy. You will see "lizard stacks" as they pile up on one another beneath their basking light. If you have a male and female, you will see mating displays (and mating). Sometimes however, interactions become aggressive, and such individuals require separate quarters. If you have two dragons together and one stops eating, likely he has been intimidated and will require special feeding, or even different quarters. Do not house dragons together if they differ dramatically in size. One could furnish lunch for the other.... Indeed, if you plan on acquiring a companion for your pet, make provision in case they do not get along; they may need separate quarters!
As their name also indicates, bearded dragons originate in Australia. Of the 6-7 Australian dragon species, those in captivity are predominantly Pogona vitticeps (up to a few years ago, called Amphibolurus vitticeps). They have not been (legally) exported from Australia for years. Virtually all those available are captive bred, originating from stock that entered the USA from Germany. They breed readily (even eagerly) in captivity and the eggs hatch well with proper incubation. Captive bred stock is healthier than wild-caught, is often parasite-free, and does not disturb natural populations. Captie breeding has produced a number of different color "morphs", all of whom are still of the same species.
The captive populations are currently robust and birth defects are rare, but the gene pool is so small that this happy situation may not continue long. An early sign of inbreeding is loss of full size. If you want to breed dragons, avoid inbreeding: ask your breeders what line they have (mine are the hearty "German" stock) and trade to get new bloodlines. If you bought two dragons from the same tank in a pet store, they are most likely siblings. Breeding them will be breeding brother to sister. If you sell the progeny to a pet store, someone else will buy--and breed- siblings. Since deficits are seen in the first generation of such breeding, this practice will quickly reduce the genetic health of American-bred dragons!
TOP
Resources
This caresheet gives a personal view: I tell you what has worked for me. Note, however, that many areas of care are controversial, opinions vary, and herpetoculture is still in its infancy. Consult more than one source and make up your own mind. My favorite book on the topic is The Bearded Dragon: an Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet by Steve Grenard. Others like The Bearded Dragon Manual by Vosjoli and Mailloux. On the internet, peruse caresheets by Mellissa Kaplan, Bill Mears, Sarah Coatman, Eric Sorin and others (see annotated links for additional sources). A superb source of information is the accumulated wisdom on the Pogona discussion list. Check out the Pogona archives.
Owning a reptile and hygiene:
Good hygiene is essential, not only to your dragon's health, but to your own. Reptiles can be non-symptomatic carriers of Salmonella, bacteria that cause sometimes lethal food poisoning. Children, the aged, and those who are immune-compromised are particularly susceptible to Salmonella from any source. Don't kiss your dragon. There are measures you can take to minimize risk. After handling your dragon, wash your hands with soap for at least 30 seconds, or use hand disinfectant. Disinfect any area you used to clean cages, dishes, etc. by using a 10% bleach solution. Use separate cleaning utensils, not the sponge you use to wash your own dishes. Reptiles are NOT recommended if you're pregnant or have a young child or an immuno-compromised person in your home.
TOP
General care
Infant dragons demand much more care than adults. They need lots of food to fuel their astronomical growth rate. They average 3 1/4 inches long (snout to tail tip) at hatching, and nearly double in length (and more than double in bulk) by the end of their second month. Most deaths happen during the first month; older dragons are more robust and hardier. Juveniles grow rapidly, attaining adult length (14-24 inches, including tail) within a year. A dragon will often be around ten inches long at 5 months. At 6-9 months, they often stop or slow their eating for awhile (resting from their growth spurt?) and I suggest you check for parasites then to assure all is well. Dragons are usually initially free of parasites, being captive bred, but they can ingest parasites from crickets or greens. Take a stool sample from your creature to a reptile vet (and the first time you see your vet, take your animal as well for a well-dragon check; vets cannot prescribe medications without having seen the patient). Make sure your vet is actually familiar with reptiles; many aren't. If yours isn't, ask for a referral. Or check Herp Vet Connection or the Association of Reptile and Amhibian Vets for a recommended vet near you. Do a fecal check if the lizard stops eating, slows its growth significantly, appears stressed and hides, has runny stools or just doesn't look its usual active self for several days, unless it is molting. Adult dragons often appear lethargic (depressed?) when shedding, but juvenile appetites are sometimes not slowed even by skin loss. The skin comes off in large patches. Don't help them to pull it off--you can damage the new skin underneath. Letting them soak in shallow warm (98 deg) water or misting them helps shedding. Letting dragons bathe periodically is good for their health. It can stimulate defecation, which is useful if you suspect impaction, or even if you simply want them to produce, before sitting on your lap.
Dragons are omnivores, requiring both insect and vegetable food, in about one-to-one proportions (below). Between three and six weeks, feed your dragon small crickets 2-5 times a day, greens and veggies in the morning, and water them once or twice. Youngsters also love to chase, capture and eat fruitflies, which probably give them more exercise than sustenance. (You can acquire a fruit fly colony and food from Carolina Biological Supply, 1-800-334-5551. Or you can simply leave out a ripe banana and attract your own.) As their size increases, baby dragons can take more and larger food items and more vegetable manner. Increase the variety in each category. After two months, care becomes less demanding and they can be fed insects once or twice a day, feeding them all they will eat at a time. Greens and veggies offered in the morning can be increased. Babies will eat more greens than veggies. Adults can be fed insects every other day, with daily greens and veggies. Some stop eating for periods, without ill effects.
For growing dragons, it is critical to avoid feeding insects that are too large. Crickets should be no longer than the distance between your dragon's eyes. Feed babies "2-week old" (1/4 inch) crickets; feed juveniles 1/2 inch crickets. Unfortunately, babies will swallow larger items, but such items can lead to terminal indigestion... literally terminal. They can die, often extending their hindlimbs straight back as though paralyzed or in excruciating pain. Note that basking or sleeping dragons often extend their hindlimbs; don't panic and confuse this posture with the indigestion-induced paralysis, in which the legs remain extended and are unable to move. If you beardie can move its legs normally, it is OK. Dragons may sleep in all sorts of wierd postures; do not be alarmed. Most grow out of sleeping in the most extreme back-wrenching postures.
Bearded dragons live in arid, rocky, semi-desert regions and arid open woodlands where they get most of their water from what they eat. In captivity, adults do not require water dishes in their cages. However, babies (who I speculate may hatch as the rainy season arrives) require water, generally given twice a day as simulated "dew" from water sprayed directly in their faces or deposited on their noses with a medicine dropper. They lap the water from their faces, the wet glass or occasionally from each other. Some learn to drink form a syringe, or from a shallow bottle cap filled with water. (Change such water and wash the container daily; bacteria grows quickly in such fluid.) A few learn to drink from a hamster bottle. To train yours to do so, Rod Mitchell suggests putting an ice cube on top of the bottle; it slowly melts, drips off the nipple, and helps the beardie learn that it is a source of water.
Dragons tend to be robust and healthy, but they are living animals, and thus can develop illnesses. Many can be minimized by proper husbandry. For instance, metabolic bone disease is preventable by a proper diet, lighting and calcium supplementation, as detailed below. Dragons may pick up parasites such as coccidia or various worms, which are treatable with a vet visit. Two relatively new and serious diseases that are communicable among dragons are yellow fungus and adenovirus. There are indicators that can help you to determine if your dragon is sick. Although dragons have much less difficulty laying eggs than some other lizard species, such as iguanas, sometimes the become egg-bound and need to be spayed.
TOP
Insects to feed
Crickets are a dominant insect food at all ages. Other insects add variety for larger dragons, such as mealworms, silkworms, superworms (Zophobas; they have less indigestible chitin than do mealworms) and waxworms (high-fat "lizard candy" most people suggest that you don't overfeed this delectable item). Avoid feeding mealworms (especially in excess) to a young dragon, since their high chitin levels can cause lethal impaction. Follow insect caresheets and supply insect food to keep your dragon's food heathy. You can also harvest insects from outside in the summer, but be sure they are free of pesticides. Don't offer lightning bugs or boxelder bugs; they are lethal. There have been reports of beardies dying after eating only one firefly. There has been only one report of a dragon surviving after having eated fireflys, and only inspired emergency veterinary treatment saved him.
Most quality pet stores offer crickets and all the recommended insects are also available commercially. You can also buy them wholesale, and have them delivered boxed to your door. An excellent Michigan company for purchasing these insects is called Top Hat Crickets (phone 1-800-638-2555) where, for instance, a minimum order of 500 crickets costs about $16; larger quantities cost proportionally less per cricket. They also sell a good cricket food and a convenient waterer. Phone numbers for other companies are on my annotated links. Keep the crickets in a 5-10 gallon tank with torn up egg cartons or toilet paper rolls (to let the crickets hide and minimize cannibalism) and clean the tank well each time you get a new order.
There is a trick for transferring crickets from the shipping box to a holding tank without cricket escapes. The trick was originally described on the internet by Melissa Kaplan. Place the unopened box in a large, clear plastic bag. Open the box inside the bag, take out the egg cartons, shake the crickets off, remove the empty cartons and box. Shake the crickets into the bottom of the bag. Place the open end of the bag in the tank, and tip the crickets into the tank.
When you buy crickets, feed them well ("gut-load" them) before offering them to your dragon. Crickets from some sources may have subsisted on paper and are starving when you get them; others may have been overdosed with vitamin A preparations (which will depress calcium metabolism). Chicken laying mash is high in calcium and makes a good cricket diet. A good home-made cricket diet includes dried grain (e.g., oatmeal), milk powder, low-protein dry dog or cat food, dried alfalfa (grass or pellets), vegetables (e.g., leftover veggies uneaten by your dragons), and a piece of orange or potato. An even better alternative is the excellent cricket food sold by Ronnie Buck is highly recommended. Keep wet items in a separate dish and change them often to avoid mold. For moisture, you can include a damp sponge; crickets promptly drown in any open water source. I use a commercial waterer (the type with a screw-in water bottle), put small stones in the reservoire to let errant crickets escape, and loosely cover it to keep dirt out.
A major issue for keeping crickets alive is to keep them dry and aerated. The container lid should allow air to enter freely (e.g., a screen top). I put Canadian peat moss in the bottom, with Alfalfa hay, and food is kept in shallow containers, and consists of oatmeal, dry milk, dog food kibble, or even better. Keep crickets dry; damp cricket cages smell horrible. Moreover, if crickets are exposed to wet conditions or mold, they can develop a fungal disease that can sicken dragons.
To feed crickets to your dragons, shake crickets into a plastic bag, add a pinch of phosphorus-free calcium supplement (such as Rep-Cal; see below), "shake and bake", and then dump crickets into your dragon's lair or a separate "feeding cage". You can offer them individually if you can bring yourself to handle the insects. Dragons do love being hand-fed. They extract items from your fingers by flicking out their tongue, which has a sticky bulb at the tip.
Bearded dragons are voracious when young (the appetite does diminish in adults). If you aren't feeding them enough, and if they have cage-mates, they may nibble toes and tail-tips for sustenance. If young dragons aren't eating, something is wrong. The most likely problem is that the temperature is incorrect: their bodies must reach 100 degrees F to digest their food. They may be intimidated by a larger cage-mate. They may have eaten something that cause impaction. If they are new, they may simply be taking time to feel comfortable--give them a few days to a week.
Feeding frequency varies with age. Feed crickets to youngsters at least twice a day, beginning about an hour after their lights go on (they must warm up before they eat; remember, they are "cold blooded") and ending with the last feeding no later than an hour before the lights go out. I have a timer that turns the light on an hour before I get up; once I am up, they get fed. Feed all they will eat at each feeding; they will initially eat 5-20 crickets each. I feed my adults veggies every day and crickets about every other day (in winter they may eat much less--or nothing). I also leave a casserole dish with 20-30 superworms in adult’s cages for snacks. The dish has straight sides (so the worms seldom crawl out) and contains a light layer of veggies and a slice of potato to keep the worms well-fed. Feed gravid females more often, increase their UVB light and calcium supplementation and give them waxworm treats.
Some people are attempting to use commercial dried foods in place of insects. These foods have yet to be tested longitudinally, over time, so their effect on lifetime and health is yet uncertain. I do not use them, except on occasion, because unknown nutrients are still being discovered even for human diets, and are unlikely to be represented in commercial preparations. However, the most well researched food is Susan Donoghue's Walkabout Mixes, prepared by a respected veterinary nutritionist, and many knowledgeable people recommend it. You can also read an article on evaluating commercial foods.
TOP
Greens and veggies
Vegetables come in two categories, greens and veggies. Feed both categories each morning. For babies, chop all offerings finely and offer them in a wide bottle lid. Don't use a deeper dish since they must be able to see the greens or they won't go eat them. You can also clip an entire leaf to something in the cage, for them to tear bites from: if you don’t clip the leaf down, the dragons just carry it around, which funny to us but frustrating to them! Initially, babies eat more greens than veggies; increase veggies gradually. Wash all items you give them well to get rid of dirt, pesticides, mites, etc.
Some dragons take a while to learn to eat their veggies. For some hints, visit the getting 'em to eat veggies site.
Dragon lovers argue interminably about the proper ratio of insects to veggies and the best items to feed. The following are common recommendations.
First, dark green leafy vegetables (all high in calcium). Don't settle on just one: keep offering them a mix of at least 2-3 or more at a time.
use as staples:
collard greens
escarole
turnip greens
mustard greens
romaine
dandelion greens
parsley
kale
carrot tops
add for variety:
bok choi
red cabbage
endive cilantro
radicchio
Avoid except as ocassional treats:
spinach oxalic acid, which binds more calcium that it offers, actually reducing the total calcium available. Use only well dusted with RepCal.
iceburg lettuce has little food value, offering mainly water and fiber
If you and your beardie would like more variety in your greens, you can also offer any of the following: basil, Bermuda grass, chard, cilantro, clover, dycondra, endive, grape leaves, hibiscus leaves and flowers, mallow, mint, cactus pads (often available in Meiers; cut out the spines before feeding), plantain, radish tops, ruguula, rye grass, sorrel, violet leaves, watercress. As treats, dragons also readily accept edible (pesticide-free) flowers such as clover, dandelions (a real favorite), daylilies, hibiscus (another favorite, especially red), honeysuckle, lettuce flowers, lilacs, nasturtiums, pansies, rose petals, squash blossoms, violets and wild mustard.
Second, a variety of other vegetables. Variety is the operative work. Variety assures access to vitamins, minerals and other micro-nutrients, including those not yet codified by the FDA. I generally choose several veggies from the recipe below, modified from one by Melissa Kaplan that is well enough balanced for even fully vegetarian lizards such as iguanas. Her recipie calls for rabbit pellets to provide protein, and I leave pelets out of the recipie for dragons: insects fed to BDs supply plenty of protein. Do NOT feed them meat or chicken--that amount of protein can cause kidney damage.
Some veggies have a low nutrient to water/fiber content and, while they make great human diet food, should never make up the bulk of a dragon's diet. Examples are all types of sprouts (the seed uses up most of its nutrients by sprouting, and these often carry Salmonella), summer squash, zucchini, Boston and head lettuce.
Dragons will also nibble on living houseplants--including some that are poisonous, so check a plant for edibility before putting it in their cage. Edible plants include ficus, geraniums, hibiscus, petunias, pothos, violets. Some suggest putting such a plant in the cage if you have to leave your lizard while on vacation, to provide a source of living vegetable matter. Be wary of feeding them a plant fresh from the store--these plants have often been treated with systemic pesticides. "Systemic" means that the plant has taken the pesticide up internally, into its system. Washing won't remove the poison: it must "grow out", which it will do in 6-12 weeks.
recipe, modified from on originally developed by Melissa Kaplan. Note that quantities are approximate.
* 1/2 cup shredded green beans or lima beans (for protein)
* 1/2 cup shredded orange-fleshed squash, yam, sweet potato or carrot
* 1/2 cup vegetables chosen for variety such as bell peppers of all colors, broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, corn, kohlrabi, parsnip, peas, potatoes (cooked, plain), rice (cooked, plain), pumpkin, radishes, rutabaga, snow peas.
* 1/4 cup chopped or mashed fruit, such as apple (no seeds), apricots, blueberries, bananas (no skin), berries (mine LOVE raspberries), cantaloupe, figs, grapes, honeydew, kiwi, mangos, papaya, peaches, pears, plums, watermelon (no seeds).
Mix and store in the refrigerator. You can freeze the mix in ice cube trays or snack bags and defrost before feeding. However, because freezing destroys thiamin, you should lightly sprinkle defrosted items periodically with powdered thiamin, which you can get in vitamin sections of stores. Some people supplement with Brewer's yeast (NOT bread yeast, or you'll have a fermented mess).
Charts on the nutritional value of foods commonly fed to dragons are found at Bill Meer's site and at the Green Iguana Society (with food pictures as well). Also check out these links to poisonous plants, and the compendium of knowledge at Melissa Kaplan's food and feeding site.
TOP
Supplements
Dragons must have two things for proper bone growth: calcium and full-spectrum UVB lights (below). If calcium or vitamin D3 are deficient, the dragons get metabolic bone disease, which is deforming and ultimately fatal. Most diets and care regimens today focus on maximizing calcium and vitamin D3 levels. To synthesize vitamin D3 your dragons need light at the right wavelengths; unless you can offer light typical of the desert, both in intensity and spectral quality, you must supplement the diet with calcium, and probably with D3 as well. Rep-Cal powder is a commonly used commercial formula that contains calcium and vitamin D3 but no phosphorus; added phosphorus can depress calcium metabolism, particularly since the insects already supply high phosphorus. ("Tums" are mainly calcium carbonate and can be ground up as an emergency substitute.) Sprinkle a pinch of powder on the veggies. Dump your crickets in a plastic bag, add a pinch of powder and "shake and bake" before offering them to your dragons.
Use multi-vitamin supplements (such as Herptivite) very sparingly, no more often than once every two weeks (I do so once a month). Some brands of these supplements are excessively high in vitamin A which can cause multiple health problems; they can, for instance fatally depress calcium levels.
TOP
Lighting
Lighting plays two roles. First, natural sunlight or full spectrum lighting is vital for calcium metabolism. The operative wavelengths are in the ultraviolet UVB range, which is offered by a few "full spectrum" fluorescent-type bulbs. The Zoo-med's Reptisun UVB 5.0 is most commonly available and is widely reported to be sufficient to grow healthy dragons. The UVB stimulates the skin to synthesize vitamin D. All full-spectrum bulbs lose the UVB component of their output with time and must be replaced every 6 months. Note that the UVB does not penetrate glass or plastic; don't use a glass top to your dragon's lair. Use a screen top.
Second, use an incandescent bulb in a heat-reflector fixture to control heat and to provide the bright light that beardies need to keep active and happy. A correct temperature is critical to healthy growth. Dragons must become warm enough (body temperature of about 100 deg F) to digest their food. Digestion is temperature-sensitive. If they are too cold, their food will merely decay in their stomachs. Dragons that are eating poorly are likely living at the wrong temperature. To achieve the correct temperature, set up a temperature gradient in the cage: place the light bulb over one end of the cage, not at the center. The gradient should range from the mid 70's or low 80's on the cool side to the mid 80's on the warm side, with a basking area ranging from 95-105. Don't guess the temperature; buy a thermometer. Adjust the wattage of the bulb and height of the basking site to get the correct temperature. DON'T COOK YOUR DRAGON. If you wish, you can put the heating element on a thermostat. Although beardeds primarily dwell in the desert, they bask in the mornings to warm up and then seek out relatively cool areas as the day becomes scorching. A gradient lets them chose their temperatures.
Under-tank heaters are sometimes used to add gentle bottom heat. They can aid the dragons' digestion, particularly since they can keep bearded bellies warm for 24 hours a day. Constantly warm tummies may therefore enhance growth rate. The heaters are, however, a supplement rather than a substitution for basking lights, since they do not provide the beneficial light that simulates daytime. In addition, hot rocks have lethally burned lizards, which are less sensitive to heat from a ventral source and may not know they are being burnt until too late. Avoid hot rocks. I use under-tank heaters only from gravid females. Using them can, however, prevent developing a good temperature gradient. You don't need them.
Place both UVB and basking lights on an appliance timer (12-14 hours on; off at night). Erratic day lengths will screw up their circadian rhythms and make them first lethargic and then actively sick. The detect environmental cues important to their circadian rhythms through their "third eye", the parietal eye. The dark period will also allow night temperatures to fall appropriately. Temperature can go down to the 60's or even the upper 50's without harm. Dragons are well adapted to cool semi-desert nights.
TOP
Habitat: the dragon's lair
Initially, hatchlings can live in a 10 gallon tank. You can transfer a juvenile to adult quarters when it is about 6 months old. Adults, while much smaller than iguanas, need significant space: a 40 gallon tank is a minimum, 55 or more for a pair. Check out my shopping list for items to acquire, Theldara's site for a sample setup procedure, and the Tenny and Swofford pages for terrarium possibilities.
For youngsters, I suggest a minimalist decorating scheme, with one elevated basking area, a hiding area, and paper towels as a substrate. Put the basking area closer to the heat source. If you supply a plethora of neat branches and rocks, you inadvertently provide abundant places for crickets to hide. Hiding crickets are problems in two ways. One, the beardeds can't eat what they can't find. Two (and more serious), the crickets come out at night and nibble on beardeds, who sleep quite soundly. At best the crickets stress the dragons; at worst they maim by, for instance, chewing holes in eyelids.
An alternative is to house your dragon in a well-decorated tank and to feed it in a separate tank. Add your dusted crickets to the empty tank, then put in your dragon and let it alone to feast for awhile. When it's done, it will usually start scratching at the glass. This method sometimes helps dragons with poor appetites get on track because transfer to the "eating tank" means eat now or skip a meal. It also helps if you have a pair of dragons and the smaller one begins to eat less because it feels stressed; feed them one at a time in a separate, neutral tank. Dragons have an idiosyncratic notion of sharing: "I'll eat crickets until I am completely full, and then you can have one."
House your dragon somewhere interesting--for the dragon. They prefer to be in the thick of things, where they can watch their pet humans display their incomprehensible activities. Do not hide them away in a seldom frequented bedroom. They have immense curiosity!
TOP
Substratum
The best substratum to use is hotly debated. Many keepers adamantly condemn sand, particularly the fine silica sand. Sand sounds like a natural substratum, but in the Australian wild the sand is evidently usually mixed with dirt and compacted into a "desert pavement" where it is less easy to ingest. Auatralia is not a Saharan-type of desert. The danger is that captive beardies may eat sand deliberately (in search of calcium) or accidentally when it sticks to tongues or food items. Silica sand is sharp-edged (glass is made from it) and it can compact in the gut and cause fatal impaction. Aquarium sand is larger, but would you like to swallow rocks? Several reputable people do recommend crushed limestone sand, which is a form of calcium carbonate; it has softish edges and tends not to compact into an indigestible lump in the gut. A calcium sand is commercially available, but it is expensive and needs frequent replacing since it is difficult to clean, and some have reported compaction with it, particularly with baby dragons (it may be fine for adults). Various people use potting soil (impossible to clean, grows mold, hides crickets, coats dragons), newsprint or paper towels (absorbent and easy to replace but not pretty), orchid potting mix or garden mulching bark (wash very well, then remove sharp slivers and smaller pieces), commercial "reptile bark" (wash off the dust and remove small pieces that could cause impaction; somewhat difficult to clean, crickets hide in it, but it is pretty), alfalfa pellets ("rabbit food": it will grow mold if it gets wet; nice odor, cheap, harmless when ingested by adults or larger juveniles, absorbs waste) or reptile carpet (watch carefully for frayed edges since loose threads can cause impaction; buy a duplicate for when you clean the cage, since the carpet dries slowly). Never use cedar or cypress, the fumes are lethal.
For babies, I use paper towels. For late juveniles and adults, who don't have a water dish in their cage, I use rabbit pellets (the cheap kind, without extra vitamins and supplements--remember what it is being used for...).
Regularly change the substratum to assure good health. Beardeds have an active metabolic rate, so plan on cleaning often. Their fecal pellets are generally compact and damp rather than runny, so are easily scooped out. If the feces smell very bad, suspect coccidia and get a sample to a vet. Some of my adults are trained to "potty" on paper towel that is secured near their basking area. This training works as long as I remove the waste the day it was deposited. I don't guarantee that all dragons are so trainable or so fastidious. For routine cleaning, I use an antibacterial soap. Periodically, disinfect their cage and furniture using a 10% bleach solution: rinse very well afterward. Always disinfect any sink and surrounding area where you cleaned a tank, furniture, or dishes to kill any residual Salmonella.
TOP
Handling your dragon
Beardeds grow large enough to handle and they do not resent being picked up and held--as long as you are polite, supportive, and considerate of their concerns for balance and their rather fragile limbs. To be polite, don't suddenly grab your dragon. Especially initially, when you are still relative strangers, approach slowly. For babies, place a finger under the chin and extend it under the body; the baby will cling to your finger (I call this the Klingon phase). Soon, your baby or juvenile can be gently transferred to your hand. Support your pet fully in the palm of your hand, with its head pointed in the direction of your fingers. Place your thumb lightly on his/her shoulder blades. Don't press down hard. If you are pressing hard enough to depress the body, you are pressing too hard. If your beardie starts to squirm, place your other hand over his head. If your beardie makes a run for it, DON'T GRAB. Our impulse is to try to close our fist on a quickly escaping small object, but you can crush a young dragon this way. Instead, keep your hand flat and slightly cupped and quickly put it over your escaping pet. Think of trapping him under your hand, rather than grabbing him.
For adults, scoop them up more directly, by the body. Hold them in your hand in the same posture as with juveniles, with their tail supported by your upper arm. If you don't support their tail, they will feel out of balance and will thrash their tail. If you want them to sit on your chest or shoulder, keep a supporting hand handy. They tend not to hang on tight. They seem to think that, if you want them to perch on you, then it's your business to keep them there. Be wary of letting them jump from high places; they can break their limbs or injure themselves internally. To keep your dragon eager to come into your hands, reinforce their ideas that your hands lead to good things. I bribe mine with waxworm treats; they then associate being handled with getting lizard "candy".
I often let my adults wander the house under light supervision. They love investigating. When they are out, I leave a basking light on with the bulb about 4-6 inches from the floor. They return periodically to bask and warm up. In the evening, they each retire to their favorite bedding-down place (generally under a bookcase) where I can scoop them up to return them to their lairs. If you have other pets, dogs or cats, be very very cautious. A small dragon can be an irresistable lunch.
Dragons will develop sharp claws that can leave your hands and arms with many tiny scratches that sting and raise eyebrows among your friends. You can trim their claws with a cat claw trimmer. (An illustrated guide to iguana claw clipping is available at Adam’s site.) Let your dragon sit on your lap, gently raise one paw at a time and clip off the tip of each claw. Clip only the sharp, black portion; if you clip too much, you will cut a vein. The dragon will bleed, hurt, and look at you as though you betrayed it. Have cornstarch handy to stop bleeding. My dragons put up with nail clipping even better than my cats do. They appear to take the process philosophically, only occasionally eyeing me with apparent amazement at what their human gets up to.
TOP
Sex
Bearded dragons are difficult to sex accurately when they are young. Experts may resort to "hemipenal eversion", pushing at the cloacal area to evert the male sex organs. This procedure can damage the lizard and is NOT recommended. Body proportions differ: males tend to have a larger head to body ratio, whereas females have a large body with a medium head and are often smaller overall. Adults become sexually mature as early as 8 months and can usually be sexed then since the adult males have enlarged femoral pores (rounded pores on the undersurface of the thigh in a line above the femur bone). The external anatomy has subtle differences, pictured and explained here, that can help you to determine gender.
Dragons have active courtship rituals and reproduce very well in captivity. The female will bury up to two dozen eggs, and will threaten you with gaping mouth if you try to pick up her eggs during the process, but afterwards offers no parental care. I've found that one mating can generate enough fertile eggs for several layings (either that or my female, "The Babe," has learned how to get from her lair to the male's at night....). "The Babe" laid 6 clutches of ca 20 babies each on summer, from a single mating. That is a lot of babies!!
Reply:don't most animals get a new coat, and mate in the spring?
I would think that is the common denominator
Reply:no its not seasonal it is growing sheding should happen once or twice a year no she dont need more water jusk keep the humidity around 80% to keep her skin soft and moist so that it will come off easier and keep something with a rough surface in there for her to rub up against to help take the skin off
My bearded dragon doesn't eat much when she's shedding. is that normal?
even in the "before shedding" phase where her skin is gray. she just doesn't seem to have much of an apetite. but then after she sheds, she pigs out. is that normal?
My bearded dragon doesn't eat much when she's shedding. is that normal?
That's absolutely normal. you can also soak your dragon to keep her hydrated and help the shed process.
Dragons seem to be devoted to stress out their slaves/owners, your reaction is perfectly normal :)
Reply:yep, it gives the new skin a chance to stretch.
Reply:Yes very normal. Shedding is stressfull to them.
Reply:yes
Reply:no that is bad take it 2 the vet
Reply:DUH!!!!!!
Reply:Yes, it's normal, not to worry!
Reply:yes. it happens to most reptiles.
Reply:are vaginas normally called "bearded dragons" where you come from ?
Reply:Yes almost no reptiles eat much when they shed
Reply:i didnt think this was normal as i have two bearded dragons and they eat fine when they are shedding.
Reply:Yes. It's absolutely normal. Think of shedding time as PMS time, you get all weird when you PMS (though maybe you pig out instead of not eating) she gets all weird when she sheds.
My bearded dragon doesn't eat much when she's shedding. is that normal?
That's absolutely normal. you can also soak your dragon to keep her hydrated and help the shed process.
Dragons seem to be devoted to stress out their slaves/owners, your reaction is perfectly normal :)
Reply:yep, it gives the new skin a chance to stretch.
Reply:Yes very normal. Shedding is stressfull to them.
Reply:yes
Reply:no that is bad take it 2 the vet
Reply:DUH!!!!!!
Reply:Yes, it's normal, not to worry!
Reply:yes. it happens to most reptiles.
Reply:are vaginas normally called "bearded dragons" where you come from ?
Reply:Yes almost no reptiles eat much when they shed
Reply:i didnt think this was normal as i have two bearded dragons and they eat fine when they are shedding.
Reply:Yes. It's absolutely normal. Think of shedding time as PMS time, you get all weird when you PMS (though maybe you pig out instead of not eating) she gets all weird when she sheds.
Bearded Dragon Shedding?
I was feeding my baby beardie (only about 4 inches long from head to tail) And I saw papery skin peeling off on his head. A few hours later it reached his neck. Is this shedding? I'm a worried that it's some sickness.
Bearded Dragon Shedding?
He is shedding and it's completely normal! He will be going through this a lot at it's small size.
Shedding is very uncomfortable for any lizard, gently mist him with water to loosen up the old skin for it. As he gets older and bigger, you can try giving him some luke warm baths, which also helps for hydrating it.
Reply:Yep! He is shedding. Mine loves to rub back, and forth against things in his tank when I spray him.
He needs moisture, so either mist his tank more often or provide a moist hide for him. Mine looks so funny under the drops of water when he sheds!
Reply:Yes, very normal. Here is some good info to check into! :)
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.co...
http://www.bearded-dragons.com/tips/
http://www.biology.lsa.umich.edu/researc...
http://www.reptilerooms.com/
Reply:I have a two year old beardie. And yes that shedding is normal. Mine does it too. That just means that they are growing and gettin bigger, and need new skin to cover their new sized body. Nothing bad, no worries.
Reply:Definitely shedding, put some rough rocks/wood in the enclosure to help with shedding,
pink
Bearded Dragon Shedding?
He is shedding and it's completely normal! He will be going through this a lot at it's small size.
Shedding is very uncomfortable for any lizard, gently mist him with water to loosen up the old skin for it. As he gets older and bigger, you can try giving him some luke warm baths, which also helps for hydrating it.
Reply:Yep! He is shedding. Mine loves to rub back, and forth against things in his tank when I spray him.
He needs moisture, so either mist his tank more often or provide a moist hide for him. Mine looks so funny under the drops of water when he sheds!
Reply:Yes, very normal. Here is some good info to check into! :)
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.co...
http://www.bearded-dragons.com/tips/
http://www.biology.lsa.umich.edu/researc...
http://www.reptilerooms.com/
Reply:I have a two year old beardie. And yes that shedding is normal. Mine does it too. That just means that they are growing and gettin bigger, and need new skin to cover their new sized body. Nothing bad, no worries.
Reply:Definitely shedding, put some rough rocks/wood in the enclosure to help with shedding,
pink
Dragon Riddles!?
What is the answer?
In marble walls as white as milk,
Lined with skin as soft as silk,
Within a fountain crystal clear,
A golden apple does appear.
No doors are there to this stronghold --
Yet theives break in and steal the gold!
Dragon Riddles!?
egg
Reply:the dragons heart
Reply:baby dragon egg!!
Reply:An Egg
: )
Reply:Honey comb
In marble walls as white as milk,
Lined with skin as soft as silk,
Within a fountain crystal clear,
A golden apple does appear.
No doors are there to this stronghold --
Yet theives break in and steal the gold!
Dragon Riddles!?
egg
Reply:the dragons heart
Reply:baby dragon egg!!
Reply:An Egg
: )
Reply:Honey comb
Bearded dragon shedding???
I have a one year old female. She has proper lighting, I give her baths every other day, and she eats very well. There is one peice of dead skin the size of a dime on her back shoulder that just will not come off. She has had it for over a month now. I've tried to just lightly nudge it, but it seems like it is fused with new skin. Anything I can do to remove it?!?!
Bearded dragon shedding???
Nope, just leave it be and it will come off probably during next shed. My Water Dragon has the same thing going on. Bathing helps and the shed ease stuff from pet stores. Dont pull it off. Let it be and when its ready it will come off and if it was bothering her she would scratch it off so let it be and let time work it out. http://www.beautifuldragons.com
Reply:it's best just to leave it alone, and let it come off on its own
Reply:She Is Probably Growing Out Of Her Skin And Little Piece's At A Time Will Fall Off On Its Own So I Suggest You Should Just Leave It Alone.
Reply:i have a bearded dragon myself and its 7 years old. ((arent they soooo cute)
you should just let the skin come off on itts own cause it will hurt her if you pull. She might try rubbing it off her back and thats ok.
good luck
Reply:It will come off with her next shed in a few months. If it doesn't, apply hot water and vegetable oil (pet stores carry Shed Ease that will help). Rub it on then gently peel off with tweezers. It is nothing to worry about, but if it does not come off with the next shed it could constrict the tubercle spikes later on, and it will be easier to get off the earlier you try.
Anyway, nothing serious.
Bearded dragon shedding???
Nope, just leave it be and it will come off probably during next shed. My Water Dragon has the same thing going on. Bathing helps and the shed ease stuff from pet stores. Dont pull it off. Let it be and when its ready it will come off and if it was bothering her she would scratch it off so let it be and let time work it out. http://www.beautifuldragons.com
Reply:it's best just to leave it alone, and let it come off on its own
Reply:She Is Probably Growing Out Of Her Skin And Little Piece's At A Time Will Fall Off On Its Own So I Suggest You Should Just Leave It Alone.
Reply:i have a bearded dragon myself and its 7 years old. ((arent they soooo cute)
you should just let the skin come off on itts own cause it will hurt her if you pull. She might try rubbing it off her back and thats ok.
good luck
Reply:It will come off with her next shed in a few months. If it doesn't, apply hot water and vegetable oil (pet stores carry Shed Ease that will help). Rub it on then gently peel off with tweezers. It is nothing to worry about, but if it does not come off with the next shed it could constrict the tubercle spikes later on, and it will be easier to get off the earlier you try.
Anyway, nothing serious.
My Bearded dragon has a gray head?
I've had him for 2 or 3 years and have never seen him shed his skin. Suddenly his head is gray and I have seen some skin in his cage. Is the gray skin the lower layer and will it turn beige again? Or should I be concerned that somethg else is wrong?
My Bearded dragon has a gray head?
2 or 3 years and this is his first time shedding? That's a little long...he should be shedding atleast once a year...even if that. Give him a luke warm bath for 20 minutes once a week. fill the water no futher than his arm pits. That will help him shed and it will aid in his hydration. You can use suitable size rubbermaids or you bath tub for this. Good luck.
Reply:He is probably shedding. When mine sheds, his whole body turns grayish. Spray him with water and give him a bath to help him shed, but don't try to pull the dry skin off of him, it can damage the new scales and hurt him.
My Bearded dragon has a gray head?
2 or 3 years and this is his first time shedding? That's a little long...he should be shedding atleast once a year...even if that. Give him a luke warm bath for 20 minutes once a week. fill the water no futher than his arm pits. That will help him shed and it will aid in his hydration. You can use suitable size rubbermaids or you bath tub for this. Good luck.
Reply:He is probably shedding. When mine sheds, his whole body turns grayish. Spray him with water and give him a bath to help him shed, but don't try to pull the dry skin off of him, it can damage the new scales and hurt him.
Is my bearded dragon ill?
I bought 'him' last week and hes around 3/4 weeks old. Since then hes been ok and yesterday i noticed he's shedding his skin.
Today though, his skin seems very dark. Is this down to him shedding his baby skin and his bigger skin being a darker colour?
He's been eating crickets, but doesnt seem too keen on his veg although it does go down while im at work and i presume the crickets cant eat it that quick.
Any ideas?
Is my bearded dragon ill?
Yes, every time bearded dragons shed their skin, the newer fresher layer of skin will always seem darker, especially because while they're preparing to shed, the layer of skin loosens up and turns a lighter gray.
As far as the veggies go, hes probably munching on it while you aren't there watching him...at least thats what mine does, since I dont leave uneaten crickets in his cage. As for your case, I doubt its the crickets, unless you have tons of them in his cage, which shouldn't be the case anyways. :)
Reply:I would assume it's normal for it to be darker- the old skin would seem lighter anyway as light would shine through it.
I would contact your vet if you're worried?
Reply:so you have a dragon!Don't you think it could be a danger if it grows strong one day or it is of the miniature type just to frighten people around ?Can it be trained?
Reply:No he is not sick, it is just his new skin is darker then his baby skin.
Reply:also young berdies are darker anyway
Reply:They will change colour before and after shedding, that's normal. If the veggies are disappearing during the day, I'd say he's eating them,not a cricket or twenty. Beardies don't eat everything at once, they will eat early, usually live food, then eat veggies during the day.I'd say yours is OK, but if worried contact your vet.
Reply:a lot of baby beardies don't eat much veg, they tend to eat more veg as they get older, at the moment he is growing fast and needs the nutrients in the crix more than the veg. Veg should still be offered of course. just make sure you are gut loading your crix with either veg, fish flakes or purpose made gut loading mix, to ensure you are feeding your beardie nice healthy crix with all the nutrients 'he' needs.
As for the skin, i think you have your answers above, no point repeating good advise!
Reply:It's normal for bearded dragons to have darker skin when they have shed, it'll return to normal.
As for the veg, 'he' is probably nibbling while you are at work. Lizards can be secretive and shy.
periwinkle
Today though, his skin seems very dark. Is this down to him shedding his baby skin and his bigger skin being a darker colour?
He's been eating crickets, but doesnt seem too keen on his veg although it does go down while im at work and i presume the crickets cant eat it that quick.
Any ideas?
Is my bearded dragon ill?
Yes, every time bearded dragons shed their skin, the newer fresher layer of skin will always seem darker, especially because while they're preparing to shed, the layer of skin loosens up and turns a lighter gray.
As far as the veggies go, hes probably munching on it while you aren't there watching him...at least thats what mine does, since I dont leave uneaten crickets in his cage. As for your case, I doubt its the crickets, unless you have tons of them in his cage, which shouldn't be the case anyways. :)
Reply:I would assume it's normal for it to be darker- the old skin would seem lighter anyway as light would shine through it.
I would contact your vet if you're worried?
Reply:so you have a dragon!Don't you think it could be a danger if it grows strong one day or it is of the miniature type just to frighten people around ?Can it be trained?
Reply:No he is not sick, it is just his new skin is darker then his baby skin.
Reply:also young berdies are darker anyway
Reply:They will change colour before and after shedding, that's normal. If the veggies are disappearing during the day, I'd say he's eating them,not a cricket or twenty. Beardies don't eat everything at once, they will eat early, usually live food, then eat veggies during the day.I'd say yours is OK, but if worried contact your vet.
Reply:a lot of baby beardies don't eat much veg, they tend to eat more veg as they get older, at the moment he is growing fast and needs the nutrients in the crix more than the veg. Veg should still be offered of course. just make sure you are gut loading your crix with either veg, fish flakes or purpose made gut loading mix, to ensure you are feeding your beardie nice healthy crix with all the nutrients 'he' needs.
As for the skin, i think you have your answers above, no point repeating good advise!
Reply:It's normal for bearded dragons to have darker skin when they have shed, it'll return to normal.
As for the veg, 'he' is probably nibbling while you are at work. Lizards can be secretive and shy.
periwinkle
Hey everyone im stuck?
im on my final speech and its a persuasive speech we had two previous speeches one a history speech and a pro con speech all on the same topic. my topic was soldiers equipment in iraq my pro con was about their current body armor vs dragon skin armor and also on the way they are loaded humvees with tons of armor witch makes them hard to control. now im stuck im my pursuasive speech its my last one for my fi nal and im completly stuck!!!!!!
Hey everyone im stuck?
persuade the drinking age to be lowered,
people not to litter,
you parents to extend your curfew,
your fellow peers not to drink and drive,
anything can work.
Reply:First of all if someone thinks that too much armor on humvees is bad then they are not that smart.....jk
Reply:you have already brought up current body armor vs dragon skin armor. pick a side you would choose and know more about. good luck
Hey everyone im stuck?
persuade the drinking age to be lowered,
people not to litter,
you parents to extend your curfew,
your fellow peers not to drink and drive,
anything can work.
Reply:First of all if someone thinks that too much armor on humvees is bad then they are not that smart.....jk
Reply:you have already brought up current body armor vs dragon skin armor. pick a side you would choose and know more about. good luck
US armor vests.?
Have you heard that the vest our military provides is not the best. Dragon skin is. But our military did one of those no bit contract things. Owner must have been a friend of someone who works for the government. Have you also heard that if the government spends a small fraction of the military they could save the lives of most of the solders lost. Something to do with the roadside bombs.
US armor vests.?
In several military tests, Dragonskin failed. Expecially in tempature tests.
It did do betting against some impacts then Interceptor did, but it did not pass in all impact tests.
So basically, Dragonskin is better in certain situations, but is not well rounded enough for the military's needs.
Reply:i think the army works with the cheapest contractor thingie.
more money left to spend on Backwater then...
Reply:Maybe if Congress approved more funding to the military???? I'm sure you can figure out the rest of the sentence.
Maybe if Clinton hadn't done so many cut backs, the military would have had better protection in the first place.
Reply:Dragon skin is not quite as awesome as it looks. To start with the vest weighs 28 pounds alone, which is ridiculous compared to the IBA. Next, in tests the adhesives used to hold the multiple ceramic plates together failed in extreme heat and cold, I'd say Iraq qualifies for extreme heat. It's just not a practical solution to the problem, we need less weight, and more protection. More weight and a little more protection is a step backwards.
The only real way to eliminate the chance of soldiers getting killed is to have everyone switch to Nerf or laser tag. It's war, people die, deal with it.
US armor vests.?
In several military tests, Dragonskin failed. Expecially in tempature tests.
It did do betting against some impacts then Interceptor did, but it did not pass in all impact tests.
So basically, Dragonskin is better in certain situations, but is not well rounded enough for the military's needs.
Reply:i think the army works with the cheapest contractor thingie.
more money left to spend on Backwater then...
Reply:Maybe if Congress approved more funding to the military???? I'm sure you can figure out the rest of the sentence.
Maybe if Clinton hadn't done so many cut backs, the military would have had better protection in the first place.
Reply:Dragon skin is not quite as awesome as it looks. To start with the vest weighs 28 pounds alone, which is ridiculous compared to the IBA. Next, in tests the adhesives used to hold the multiple ceramic plates together failed in extreme heat and cold, I'd say Iraq qualifies for extreme heat. It's just not a practical solution to the problem, we need less weight, and more protection. More weight and a little more protection is a step backwards.
The only real way to eliminate the chance of soldiers getting killed is to have everyone switch to Nerf or laser tag. It's war, people die, deal with it.
For all those in the military branch, police, or security forces.?
Do you think that the Dragon Skin bullet-proof vest is better than the Interceptor vest?
If yes, why is the government so slow to accept the idea?
If no, what are the pros and cons of each vest?
For all those in the military branch, police, or security forces.?
If you watch the episode on Futureweapons on Dragon Skin armor it is pretty amazing. The only thing that it didnt stop at about 75m was a .50 cal round. For some reason the military has just put forward a new vest that is the same as the IBA except it puts more of the weight based around your waist, not your shoulders. The bottom line is that it doesn't matter if it's uncomfortable or weighs a little too much, if it can be tested to sustain round after round of 7.62, the "suffering" you endure would be far better than the suffering you entail with a Purple Heart. The reason the Dragon Skin armor was initially turned down was that the "scales" were very flimsy and came apart, especially in heated environments. I believe the company proposed the idea to the government too quickly without testing it, from what I gather now, they have fixed their flaws and the Senate has pushed to retest the armor.
Reply:I personally like it after seeing field tests but I feel the gov. just doesn't like change after having the interceptor for a while.
Reply:Although body armor can stop penetration there is no way to stop the trauma the body will take when hit with medium to large caliber rounds. Even though the interceptor is an imrovement in safety, stopping a .50 cal round from penetrating, doesn't stop a large slug from slamming into the soldiers body crushing ribs, bones, and vital organs.
Reply:It's all about someone lining their pockets with a government contract.
If yes, why is the government so slow to accept the idea?
If no, what are the pros and cons of each vest?
For all those in the military branch, police, or security forces.?
If you watch the episode on Futureweapons on Dragon Skin armor it is pretty amazing. The only thing that it didnt stop at about 75m was a .50 cal round. For some reason the military has just put forward a new vest that is the same as the IBA except it puts more of the weight based around your waist, not your shoulders. The bottom line is that it doesn't matter if it's uncomfortable or weighs a little too much, if it can be tested to sustain round after round of 7.62, the "suffering" you endure would be far better than the suffering you entail with a Purple Heart. The reason the Dragon Skin armor was initially turned down was that the "scales" were very flimsy and came apart, especially in heated environments. I believe the company proposed the idea to the government too quickly without testing it, from what I gather now, they have fixed their flaws and the Senate has pushed to retest the armor.
Reply:I personally like it after seeing field tests but I feel the gov. just doesn't like change after having the interceptor for a while.
Reply:Although body armor can stop penetration there is no way to stop the trauma the body will take when hit with medium to large caliber rounds. Even though the interceptor is an imrovement in safety, stopping a .50 cal round from penetrating, doesn't stop a large slug from slamming into the soldiers body crushing ribs, bones, and vital organs.
Reply:It's all about someone lining their pockets with a government contract.
Battle Helmet?
What is the best possible helmet for war.
I mean like dragon skin is the best body armour you can get.
Battle Helmet?
Dragon skin isn't the best armor out there. Despite being an interesting concept, it has flaws in extreme conditions. That said, the MICH helmet is the best.
Reply:PASGT = more protection
MICH = smaller protection but better fitting and easier using optics
Reply:British Army Helmet
night blooming cereus
I mean like dragon skin is the best body armour you can get.
Battle Helmet?
Dragon skin isn't the best armor out there. Despite being an interesting concept, it has flaws in extreme conditions. That said, the MICH helmet is the best.
Reply:PASGT = more protection
MICH = smaller protection but better fitting and easier using optics
Reply:British Army Helmet
night blooming cereus
Wii dogz 2?
i need to know how to get past inferno cave to collect the kimodo dragon skin
Wii dogz 2?
Sneak up behind the dragon and howl or bark (hold down minus button); He will jump and the skin pops up.
Wii dogz 2?
Sneak up behind the dragon and howl or bark (hold down minus button); He will jump and the skin pops up.
Wii game info?
im trying to get kimodo dragon skin on catz game, please tell me how to do it, its driving me mad
Wii game info?
go to gamefaqs
Reply:dunno i hate that game!
Reply:Go to gamefaqs or something.
Wii game info?
go to gamefaqs
Reply:dunno i hate that game!
Reply:Go to gamefaqs or something.
What body armor do British soldiers wear?
I recently found out about the incredible Dragon Skin body armor and the whole argument over why US troops don't use it as it is far superior to what they are currently wearing, which is called Interceptor.
I am British and was wondering what British troops wear and how it holds up against these other kinds. I'd like to find out what it's called and how good it is.
Thanks!
What body armor do British soldiers wear?
Osprey Improved Combat Body Armour. The usual complaint is that it's too heavy, too bulky and restricts movement. But that's what body armor, no matter what kind it is, does.
There's an add-on(?) kit also callked Kestrel for higher protection levels.
Dragon Skin is not as great as it's manufaturers, or the media, want you think it is.
It's not especially superior and fails under a variety of cercumstances that you don't see tested on the television, such as rounds coming in at other than straight on angles (the disks overlap--think about it), and the adhesive that hold them in place fails under extreme temperatures.
Add to that that the manufacturer has misrepresented the certifications of his product--I don't want it.
Reply:the british use the osprey body armour. it was a recent change from the cba. there are alot of complaints about it mostly similar to the u.s. interceptor armor.
I am British and was wondering what British troops wear and how it holds up against these other kinds. I'd like to find out what it's called and how good it is.
Thanks!
What body armor do British soldiers wear?
Osprey Improved Combat Body Armour. The usual complaint is that it's too heavy, too bulky and restricts movement. But that's what body armor, no matter what kind it is, does.
There's an add-on(?) kit also callked Kestrel for higher protection levels.
Dragon Skin is not as great as it's manufaturers, or the media, want you think it is.
It's not especially superior and fails under a variety of cercumstances that you don't see tested on the television, such as rounds coming in at other than straight on angles (the disks overlap--think about it), and the adhesive that hold them in place fails under extreme temperatures.
Add to that that the manufacturer has misrepresented the certifications of his product--I don't want it.
Reply:the british use the osprey body armour. it was a recent change from the cba. there are alot of complaints about it mostly similar to the u.s. interceptor armor.
A knitting question!?
Well I learned how to knit,I got a book I did eveything and read everything in the book took me a long time but I got it.So know I have a pattern it said K1,I don't know that one,what is M1 mean?how does that stitch go,it is going to be a Dragon Skin pattern very pretty .I am so proud of my self oh I am left hand it.The book does not explain anything about M1 everything else did.Thanks
A knitting question!?
The k1 means knit one stitch. When you take the stitch off the needle it should look like the stitches look in the front of a sweater. If you are increasing, in ONE stitch make a knit and a purl. If you pick up and increase a stitch by using the bar across two of the stitches you can make a hole on the project.
Reply:M1 is another way of increasing. You can either make a backward loop and add it to the needle or, if you're doing something like the 5-Hr. baby sweater, what you do is pick up and knit a stitch through the bar between the last stitch you worked and the next one. You can also just knit into the front and back of the next stitch, but that leaves you with a purl stitch on the front that you may not want if you're knitting stockinette (knit one row, purl the next).
If the stitch seems too loose on the next row, you may want to knit or purl it, whatever is required, through the back loop to tighten it up some.
Ellen, knitting in Florida
Reply:Congratulations on teaching your self to knit.
K1 simply means to knit one stitch. Knitting patterns use abbreviations to tell you what to do.
M1 is a method of increasing that does not involve an existing stitch. For a video demonstrating the technique try this link: http://www.arcadiaknitting.com/tutorials...
The site also gives a list of abbreviations used in patterns.
Hope this helps.
Reply:That pattern sounds interesting and very nice. If you need the various knitting abbreviations 'translated' into plain English, go to www.lionbrand.com and hunt around a little on their site. They have a page explaining knitting terms. Most knitting sites and books have that.
Reply:Here is a link for left-handed knitting below and a glossary of knitting terms.
http://www.hintsandthings.com/workshop/k...
Reply:Is this, perhaps, the Dragon's Skin Shawl from Dragontale Fibers? Lovely shawl, I'm working on the edging myself. In this pattern, whether the shawl or the stitch pattern, the lifted M(ake) 1 is best used. Use the tip of your right needle to lift the strand running between the stitches below the needle in the previous row to the tip of the left needle, so that the left edge falls to the back of the needle and knit into the back.
BTW, handedness has no bearing on knitting, lefties and righties learn the same way and knit the same way. You almost always knit from the left to the right. Knitting right to left can be done, but it also involves transposing your pattern completely, it's much more taxing to do that, even though it isn't technically more difficult to do. I have learned to knit in both directions, so I never have to turn my work as I go. This doesn't mean I don't choose to turn my work, I just don't always have to %26lt;G%26gt;. It takes lots of practice, though.
orchid cactus
A knitting question!?
The k1 means knit one stitch. When you take the stitch off the needle it should look like the stitches look in the front of a sweater. If you are increasing, in ONE stitch make a knit and a purl. If you pick up and increase a stitch by using the bar across two of the stitches you can make a hole on the project.
Reply:M1 is another way of increasing. You can either make a backward loop and add it to the needle or, if you're doing something like the 5-Hr. baby sweater, what you do is pick up and knit a stitch through the bar between the last stitch you worked and the next one. You can also just knit into the front and back of the next stitch, but that leaves you with a purl stitch on the front that you may not want if you're knitting stockinette (knit one row, purl the next).
If the stitch seems too loose on the next row, you may want to knit or purl it, whatever is required, through the back loop to tighten it up some.
Ellen, knitting in Florida
Reply:Congratulations on teaching your self to knit.
K1 simply means to knit one stitch. Knitting patterns use abbreviations to tell you what to do.
M1 is a method of increasing that does not involve an existing stitch. For a video demonstrating the technique try this link: http://www.arcadiaknitting.com/tutorials...
The site also gives a list of abbreviations used in patterns.
Hope this helps.
Reply:That pattern sounds interesting and very nice. If you need the various knitting abbreviations 'translated' into plain English, go to www.lionbrand.com and hunt around a little on their site. They have a page explaining knitting terms. Most knitting sites and books have that.
Reply:Here is a link for left-handed knitting below and a glossary of knitting terms.
http://www.hintsandthings.com/workshop/k...
Reply:Is this, perhaps, the Dragon's Skin Shawl from Dragontale Fibers? Lovely shawl, I'm working on the edging myself. In this pattern, whether the shawl or the stitch pattern, the lifted M(ake) 1 is best used. Use the tip of your right needle to lift the strand running between the stitches below the needle in the previous row to the tip of the left needle, so that the left edge falls to the back of the needle and knit into the back.
BTW, handedness has no bearing on knitting, lefties and righties learn the same way and knit the same way. You almost always knit from the left to the right. Knitting right to left can be done, but it also involves transposing your pattern completely, it's much more taxing to do that, even though it isn't technically more difficult to do. I have learned to knit in both directions, so I never have to turn my work as I go. This doesn't mean I don't choose to turn my work, I just don't always have to %26lt;G%26gt;. It takes lots of practice, though.
orchid cactus
Custom made helmets?
Is their any place i can get custom made helmets
Please note Price dose not matter
i want to make a helmet with the side with spectra fiber,Kevlar and small ceramic disks like in the dragon skin armor to make it built proof and glass that no one can see my face but i can see normal out of the helmet and with a built in head set and built proof glass for the front and the breathing apparatus for filtering out smoke and other Chemicals and well maybe if possible to have the glass in the helmet work like a computer screen so i can see data go on the web look at stuff and maybe a camera in the helmet so i can take photos and i thumb print scanner so i can only take it off or put it on
i mean i have some ideas on how to make the helmet but i rater buy it have that in it and then make my mod factions
Custom made helmets?
Sure it can be done. The price will be no less than $10,000.00 US.
Place the order by mailing a certified check in the amount of $5000.00 us, for deposit.
Extreem Moto-Helmets.
Reply:that would be fu£kin awesome,, so while youre on the web you can crash,,but you could use the net to find a hospital......that is probably the dumbest thing ive heard in a long long time.!
Reply:No there isn't 'cos they all have to conform to EU/BSI standards and one offs can't because it will cost so fippin much to do it.
Reply:A bulletproof helmet for Web surfing?
with a built-in gas mask?
Sorry, can't type....... laughing.......glasses fell off.....................
Reply:dam! I almost passed. That is the longest run on sentence I have ever read. I don't think they make a "built" proof glass. I am guessing you mean BULLET proof glass.
Reply:The Dust Remover Spray Is For The Computer! Quit Spraying It In Your Nose And Shot Gunning RedBulls At The Same Time!..... Your Inner Voice Told Me To Tell You This.
Please note Price dose not matter
i want to make a helmet with the side with spectra fiber,Kevlar and small ceramic disks like in the dragon skin armor to make it built proof and glass that no one can see my face but i can see normal out of the helmet and with a built in head set and built proof glass for the front and the breathing apparatus for filtering out smoke and other Chemicals and well maybe if possible to have the glass in the helmet work like a computer screen so i can see data go on the web look at stuff and maybe a camera in the helmet so i can take photos and i thumb print scanner so i can only take it off or put it on
i mean i have some ideas on how to make the helmet but i rater buy it have that in it and then make my mod factions
Custom made helmets?
Sure it can be done. The price will be no less than $10,000.00 US.
Place the order by mailing a certified check in the amount of $5000.00 us, for deposit.
Extreem Moto-Helmets.
Reply:that would be fu£kin awesome,, so while youre on the web you can crash,,but you could use the net to find a hospital......that is probably the dumbest thing ive heard in a long long time.!
Reply:No there isn't 'cos they all have to conform to EU/BSI standards and one offs can't because it will cost so fippin much to do it.
Reply:A bulletproof helmet for Web surfing?
with a built-in gas mask?
Sorry, can't type....... laughing.......glasses fell off.....................
Reply:dam! I almost passed. That is the longest run on sentence I have ever read. I don't think they make a "built" proof glass. I am guessing you mean BULLET proof glass.
Reply:The Dust Remover Spray Is For The Computer! Quit Spraying It In Your Nose And Shot Gunning RedBulls At The Same Time!..... Your Inner Voice Told Me To Tell You This.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)