Meet Patton Veterinary Hospital's Resident Dragon!

Dragon Appreciation Day

               January 16^th is Appreciate a Dragon Day.  It is a day to celebrate the whimsy and magic of dragons.  Created by author Donita K. Paul in 2004, it is also a chance to explore dragons in culture, history and literature.  From Maleficent’s evil dragon counterpart in Sleeping Beauty to Dragon who was sweet on Donkey in Shrek to Hagrid’s pets in the Harry Potter series and of course the wildly popular dragons of Daenerys Stormborn, the Mother of Dragons herself, in Game of Thrones, dragons have a way of capturing our imaginations.  They are such fantastical creatures with horns and scales and wings and the ability to breathe fire.  Who wouldn’t love a dragon?

 While it is fun to think about mythical dragons, did you know Patton Veterinary Hospital has its very own dragon?  Meet Sydney the Bearded Dragon!  Sydney and his kind are much tamer and easier to care for than fictional dragons—Sydney doesn’t fly nor does he breathe fire, but he is rather charming.  Bearded Dragons can make good pets for beginning reptile aficionados, but, they still need proper care to thrive. 

“Beardies” are native to Australia and can live an average of 6-12 years in captivity.  They tend to be non-aggressive and hardy reptiles.  Adults can reach 2 feet in length.  Bearded dragons eat insects such as crickets and they also need a variety of vegetation in order to stay hydrated.  Calcium and vitamin/mineral supplements should also be fed to ensure healthy bones.  Beardies also require a UVB light source and should be housed in a large ventilated aquarium or enclosure.  Dragons like it hot! They need an average basking temperature of 100F.  They like to be misted lightly with water and will lick water droplets off the sides of the enclosure or drink from a shallow dish.  Newspaper, paper towels or reptile carpet make a more ideal substrate than sand as there is some concern, especially with young dragons, that they may ingest the sand, but Sydney does OK with sand in his enclosure. 

This is not meant to be a complete care guide to owning a Beardie.  If you are considering purchasing a Bearded Dragon or any type of reptile, do your research on all the proper care required and make sure you have the time and finances to properly raise your reptile.  Also, remember that they may need veterinary care if they become ill, so make sure to budget for unforeseen problems.  We invite you to visit Sydney anytime in our lobby and don’t forget to take some time this week to honor your favorite dragon!

This blog brought to you by the Patton Veterinary Hospital, serving Red Lion, York and the surrounding areas.