Nessie and Zilla

Nessie and Zilla (we tried to keep with a theme of legendary lizards) are the two most recent additions to my zoo. I bought them both from the East Bay Vivarium in Berkeley for $39.00 each in early February. They both have been great eaters, taking fruits, veggies and crickets daily and have been growing at an amazing speed. Zilla, we can already tell is the dominant one and is growing more rapidly at Nessie. We've also noticed that Nessie will "wave" (in submission some say) to Zilla too. If you would like to see what I'm referring to, check out this link, it's pretty cute! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3ZPew3cvIQ.

Anyways, so the story on why I chose a couple of adorable baby beardies... Besides the obvious (them being so darn cute), Dominic my boyfriend and room mate is not so fond of snakes, spiders and geckos. He's recently become used to Murphy, the Savannah monitor rescue, but wasn't ready for anything without legs yet... So I decided to get something with an almost immaculate track record... BEARDED DRAGONS!

Beardies were referred to as "The Labrador of Lizards" by Reptiles magazine last year, and I think most people would agree. They are relatively inexpensive, usually costing around $60 and have fairly simple housing requirements. Since they are diurnal, they need a source of UVB light so that their bodies can process calcium. Basking temps should stay around 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit so that they can properly digest their food without risk of impaction. And last, babies should be sprayed down or soaked everyday to prevent dehydration. Offer them a variety of foods daily and enjoy as your baby dragon grows into a sub-adult/ juvenile in just a year or two!