Smaug the Beardie...

To all who are reading this,

Many people who know me quite well know that I'm not a fan of scaly creatures, like lizards, crocodiles, and snakes. I was quite averse to these creatures, and even when my partner had a female bearded dragon, and a male corn snake, I wasn't happy. The idea of feeding a defrosted mouse to a snake just sends shivers down my spine... *insert realistic shudder here readers*

So, you will be pleasantly surprised to know I am now an adoptive mother of a bearded dragon! Meet Smaug! Yes, he is named for the eponymous dragon of the classic Tolkien book, The Hobbit. Oh believe me, there was a great list of male and female names - many of them coming from the fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin.

Now... You're probably wondering how this has happened.

Well, my partner has recently moved house, and as a result, hasn't had a true pet of his own for a while. His two family dogs were unfortunately put down, and knew that he wouldn't be able to have a big dog at the house (he likes German Shepherds and Husky's - mainly because they have wolfish characteristics about them). He also likes lizards and snakes.

We spoke about getting him one, running over various problems like a feeding schedule when he is at work, where the vivarium (enclosure) will go, what age he'd prefer, which sex would have a better temperament, what we could actually feed them etc. Yes, I actually discussed it like a human being!

So, as I was leaving work one lunch time, I popped into Medusa's Reptiles, in Cleethorpes, just five minutes away from my home. The shop is owned by Charr 'Medusa' Marshall, a young reptile enthusiast, and good friend. Now, I'd never been in a reptile shop, so I was pleasantly surprised. The vivariums were good sized, the creatures clearly looked after, and with a great variety of choice to personalise and make your new pet feel at home. It didn't have a smell that people associate with reptiles, and it was also home to a Myna bird named Diablo.

There were so many creatures in the store - snakes, tortoises, lizards, geckos and more. I inquired whether she had any bearded dragons of a good age that would go to a good home, and she brought out a little fellow, who came to be Smaug. She checked the sex under the tail, told me he was a male. He has a orange/ginger beard, and he was still quite young - not a baby, but not an adult. He would be a live wire during the day, and sleep at night. He has a kink in his tail from when he was hatched. He doesn't have a tragic back story - the owners were simply moving, and couldn't take him with them.

I've never held a lizard before, so when Charr popped him onto my arm, I was initially freaked out! But he was a very gentle creature, with lovely scales. He likes to lick people that he gets on with, so I was lucky I guess. And I was smitten. I decided to ring my partner and we discussed it on the phone, whilst Smaug was on my arm. We put a deposit on, and were told that our hand crafted vivarium would arrive on Monday. We would collect him on Tuesday!

Unfortunately, through no fault of Medusa's Reptiles, the gentleman building the vivariums had staffing issues, which led to our vivarium being delivered on Friday morning. Friday afternoon rolled by, and I arrived at my partner's house to find the vivarium, and our accessories in his room, the lizard clambering up on top of him.

Building the vivarium was a stress. Cables had to be fed through vents, and for that night, we had to duct tape the heat and UV lights to the roof, until we could get some pins, as our vivarium came without pin holes to hook them up. The heat lamp caused the duct tape to pull away from the roof, so we had to turn them off and remove them for the night. Bearded dragons have twelve hours of heat and UV a day, so we were lucky. Other than that, it was a great set up - well crafted and lovingly made.

The next day, we bought the pins and hooked the lamps up for him. He'll now sit on the wooden bridge we have for him, and bask in the light. In the evening, he sits under the bridge and sleeps.

He's an energetic lizard, often trying to scratch the glass and come out for a cuddle and a run around. He likes to run up arms and shoulders and lick you. So, there's plenty of heart stopping moments from when he jumps off you and runs across the bed, and you have to catch him as soon as possible, before he disappears and injures himself.

He has salad for seven days a week - no iceberg lettuce, cucumber or tomato though. He has bugs for four days - mealworms are a great favourite already. He'll take them from your hand, but the bugs are my partners job. He has fresh water everyday, and enjoys burying himself in his vivarium sand and trying to eat it. Mainly because it's calcium based and it's good for him. The sand in his vivarium is changed once every four to six months.

It's weird saying goodbye to him, and coming home to my cats, and it's scarily how much he is under my skin already. I love the little critter, but I don't like the scratching at the glass to wake me up in the morning! 

I am officially a beardie lover! As one of my friends on Instagram called me: "Mother of Dragons!" My response... "Khaleesi!"

You can check out Medusa's Reptiles on Facebook here, or if you are in the area, pop in. See the creatures, get some advice, get your scaly friend some treats, or be converted like me, and hold them! Very competitive prices for all your needs!

Yours, with eternal ink,

Zoe

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Currently reading: The Pillow Book of the Flower Samurai by Barbara Lazar