Bearded Dragon Tales
I ran the Charm City Reptile and Amphibian Rescue for 14 years (no longer in operation). Here are four stories about bearded dragons.
Bearded Dragon Disaster
If you don’t know what stink bugs are… they are a menace. They seem to have no predators and are taking over Baltimore. Stink bugs don’t smell unless you smoosh them. Most people pick them up with a tissue and flush them. It seems to be the only way to kill the bug without the stink. One day I received this interesting email.
My father currently has a pair of beardies which were left in his care by an acquaintance of his. He informed me tonight that he has been feeding them stinkbugs dusted with Rep-Cal. I immediately went into “rescue mode” because while I may not know much about herps, I’m an animal lover at heart, and my gut told me that stinkbugs weren’t good for them! He was told as much, and he said that he was trying to “give them variety”… I think the only variety they need is veggies, crickets and mealworms, with the occasional pinky mouse [a baby mouse with no fur.]!
To give you an idea of the setup, the lizards are under a Swamp-Glo lamp in a glass aquarium. The substrate is currently crushed black-walnut shells; I told him to switch to newspaper. There’s a hot rock in the setup (I assume for nighttime heat), and he is misting them with water twice per day, and dripping water onto their noses with a syringe/straw setup.
I am hoping to get them from him sometime either this week or next, and am looking to turn them over to a rescue group, as I don’t really have an interest in keeping beardies. Please let me know what I would need to do in order to facilitate the rescue process, and do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. Thank you very much!
My answer
Crushed walnut shell is possibly the worst substate ever. It causes impactions if the animal ingests it. Heat rocks, don’t get me started! They burn animals all of the time, unless you put them on a rheostat. Feeding stinkbugs? I don’t know if they are toxic, but it wouldn’t surprise me one bit. Hey, he was putting calcium powder on them so I guess it’s okay. Not really.
I had to look up SwampGlo lights. They are for use as heat with aquatic turtles. They are shatter resistant in case water splashes on them, but give off no UV light (bearded dragons require UV light).
Why do people assume that bearded dragons don’t need a water bowl? They absolutely love to soak in a water bowl. Every living thing needs hydration. Spritzing them with water or dripping from an eyedropper isn’t sufficient. If they are licking water off the walnut shells, that’s even worse. Their tongues are a little bit sticky and when they lick at things, they can ingest them.
Did this guy do anything right with this poor creature? I turned this animal down. We already had three sick bearded dragons that were not adoptable yet. I couldn’t deal with another one. All I could do, is hope for the best for this animal.
Best Question of the Day
Hello, I currently own a 15-inch bearded dragon and I noticed that he isn’t really growing. I read somewhere that if you keep a fish in a small bowl it won’t grow; does that pertain to bearded dragons as well? Well right now he’s in a 20-gallon tank and I found out that he needs at least a 50-gallon tank. I might get him a 55-gallon tank. On craigslist I saw that you have 50 and 55-gallon tanks! I was wondering where the store is located so one day I could swing by and look at the tanks! Thank you!
My answer
In case you don’t know this… An animal’s growth has nothing whatsoever to do with the size of the enclosure. That is a horrible myth that has been perpetrated for many years. So many people fall for it. Anyone who makes a sale by telling a person that the animal only grows to the size appropriate for the cage should be buggy-whipped. I hear the same thing with large snakes. Cold blooded animals, like reptiles, depend on heat to keep them warm. Their metabolism is based on their temperature. If they are kept warm enough, they will eat and grow. The size of the cage has nothing to do with it.
Another Email from a Pet Owner
I purchased a full-grown bearded dragon for my children Sunday. It was sold with all supplies at Congressional Aquarium in Rockville. The staff said it was left with them after the owner died and the husband no longer wanted to take care of it. It seems healthy. The children (ages 3 and 8) love it, but as I’ve done more reading, my wife and I are worried about Salmonella. I’ve read dozens of websites and saw the CDC website on reptiles and salmonella, which says children under 5 shouldn’t handle them. We’ll know in three days whether we made a tragic error.
My question: How many owners of bearded dragons do you personally know that have children, and how many have gotten salmonella from them?
Thanks for your help.
And my response
We don’t recommend kids under the age of six handling reptiles without close supervision. Compulsive hand washing is key! The problem is that kids put their fingers in their mouths. You have to make sure they wash their hands before they have a chance to do that.
It is much more common for kids to get salmonella from undercooked chicken than from reptiles. My own nephew was hospitalized for a week when he was five from salmonella. The first thing the doctor asked was if they had pet reptiles, which they do. My brother, who is a doctor, was convinced it was from chicken they got at a fast food restaurant. Another kid who ate at the same franchise nearby got salmonella at the same time. My niece, who was seven at the time, also got sick, but it wasn’t as serious.
All reptiles and birds CAN carry salmonella and there is no accurate test for it. There are tests out there, but they have false positives and false negatives so you can’t rely on them too much. Just because reptiles (and birds) can carry it, doesn’t mean they always have it. It can be part of the natural flora in their gut.
My suggestion is to keep the cage where the three-year-old can’t get to it or open it (cage clips or a lock would help). Keep anti-bacterial gel right there by the cage. Anyone who touches the animal, cleans the cage or water or feeds the animal, immediately uses sanitizer on their hands (including Mom and Dad). Then go wash your hands with soap and water as soon as is reasonable.
I hope this has been helpful.
Please leave your comments below.
Read more by Holli Friedland.