Bearded Dragon Project!

[Hazel_Basil10]

Hello,

So I'm in my last year of Middle School and since the end of the school year is here, there is one final huge assessment in English which is to create a "Blog" About something............ I could've picked a dog or cat....... But I picked nothing other but the Bearded Dragon itself! I know things about them, but still learning them! My teacher also says to not use a .com website so if I can get as much help with it I would very much appreciate it!! I know the majority of things they can and cannot eat(I don't know all though since I only feed mine collards, greens like Kale and lettuce and squash!), the tank setup, how to care for them, and some interesting facts about them but majority of stuff I find isn't really accurate online and I am refusing to go onto the petco or petsmart website!

 

[Hazel_Basil10]

Uhhhhhhhhhh Some reason this uploaded twice............... -_-

 

[AHBD]

You probably know more than you think and definitely more than the average person. Once you start thinking of what to write it will come to you.

 

[AHBD]

Are there any specific aspects of bearded dragon history or care that you're wondering about though ? I didn't mean for you to not get any comments or input from others.

 

[Hazel_Basil10]

Are there any specific aspects of bearded dragon history or care that you're wondering about though ? I didn't mean for you to not get any comments or input from others.

I'm wanting to know about the health of a dragon, what they like or don't like, or even just some interesting facts that I don't know about. I would also like to know more about what to buy for them what not to buy that'll be better for their health.

 

[xp29]

I agree with AHBD, you are probably far more knowledgeable than your giving yourself credit for. But anything your curious about or need input on, by all mean ask.

 

[xp29]

I say this a lot when talking about baths because I want folks to understand how dangerous a bath can be. But an interesting fact is that beardies use the same muscle group to walk and to breathe. They can't do both at once.
Another interesting fact is that they have more rods and cones in their eyes than humans so they can see colors and spectrums of light that we can't.

 

[Hazel_Basil10]

I say this a lot when talking about baths because I want folks to understand how dangerous a bath can be. But an interesting fact is that beardies use the same muscle group to walk and to breathe. They can't do both at once.
Another interesting fact is that they have more rods and cones in their eyes than humans so they can see colors and spectrums of light that we can't.

I did not know that LOL that is interesting!

 

[ChileanTaco]

I say this a lot when talking about baths because I want folks to understand how dangerous a bath can be. But an interesting fact is that beardies use the same muscle group to walk and to breathe. They can't do both at once.

As I've read about this a while ago, I was wondering if this is the reason why many reptiles (observed in the wild) run a meter or two when startled, stop, wait a moment, and run again?


@Hazel_Basil10
If you need a reference:

Lung ventilation during walking and running in four species of lizards - PubMed

The relationship between locomotion and aspiration breathing was investigated in the lizards Iguana iguana, Ctenosaura similis, Varanus exanthematicus and Varanus salvator, and the quail Coturnix coturnix. Respiratory air-flow during walking and running on a 7.3 m track or on a treadmill was...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[AHBD]

I'm wanting to know about the health of a dragon, what they like or don't like, or even just some interesting facts that I don't know about. I would also like to know more about what to buy for them what not to buy that'll be better for their health.

So far you would know that they need specific uvb lights, they need a heat gradient of [ low end ] around 75 F to [ high end ] around 98-105. That high end can very slightly either way. They are found in arid parts of Australia, sandy/grassy and some rocky areas, various shrubs and small trees. Lots of fallen logs to climb and hide in.
All of our pet beardies in the U.S are captive born, Australia does not allow the exportation of their animals. The first beardies arrived in the U.S. in either the very late 1970's or early 1980's,some reportedly brought from excess zoo stock in Germany.

They come in many different colors, from earth tone tans + browns to those with bright orange, yellow, red, and some almost white. The average length is 17" to 24", a very few might be slightly smaller or larger as adults. In the wild they brumate [ the reptilian equivalent of hibernation ] for several months during the cooler season and many also do this in captivity. At this time they rarely eat and may breathe so slowly that they appear to be not breathing at all ! Females lay large clutches of fertile or infertile eggs, averaging 18 -30 but can be a few less or an astounding 40 or more. One female of the German Giant morph laid 60 eggs in one clutch.

Beardies are one of the most popular, if not THE most popular pet reptiles in the world due to their tame nature and ease of handling. Many people can't get just one but a new owner is wise to count the cost of owning multiple dragons as they can be expensive to care for. They eat many types of greens and other veggies, fruit should mostly be avoided because of high sugar content. They also love insects of all sorts, and there are many insect breeding companies throughout the U.S and a few other countries that have booming businesses selling crickets, black soldier fly larva, dubia roaches, silkworms, hornworms, mealworms and superworms.

 

[AHBD]

As I've read about this a while ago, I was wondering if this is the reason why many reptiles (observed in the wild) run a meter or two when startled, stop, wait a moment, and run again?


@Hazel_Basil10
If you need a reference:

Lung ventilation during walking and running in four species of lizards - PubMed

The relationship between locomotion and aspiration breathing was investigated in the lizards Iguana iguana, Ctenosaura similis, Varanus exanthematicus and Varanus salvator, and the quail Coturnix coturnix. Respiratory air-flow during walking and running on a 7.3 m track or on a treadmill was...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A few thoughts on the Pubmed article. Animals all have unique characteristics that are common to them but hard for us to fathom. They are perfectly fine walking and breathing or in some cases appearing to not breathe because they can slow this process way down at will. While on a treadmill with one nostril blocked their body is going to react differently than in the wild because it's a completely artificial environment on a treadmill, being forced to engage in an unnatural experiment that is most likely stressful. They can swim, although they wouldn't seek it out as part of ther natural activity but of course not many people [there are a few on youtube ] have their dragons swimming .

 

[ChileanTaco]

Great!
What I would also add to this is something that is obvious to all of us, I think, but often not recognized:

Reptiles aren't emotionless. Bearded dragons show their emotions not only by behavior and body positions, but also by their changing colors ("stress marks"). Even as their emotions might not be the same as ours, it is easily to understand from an evolutionary point of view that emotions are one of the things that evolved early as they protect an animal from dangers, make it cautious and help to remember things.
Reptiles also aren't beings without intelligence. There are studies that show they can learn by imitating other bearded dragons and humans, even when what they should imitate is only shown on a video screen. Their intelligence will help them in their natural environment, harsh deserts, to avoid predators and to find food.
It can be shown in medical studies that reptiles possess the brain cells associates with emotion processing and intelligence. Their brain is just structured differently than mammal brains, which have specialized areas for emotion and cognition.

 

[ChileanTaco]

A few thoughts on the Pubmed article. Animals all have unique characteristics that are common to them but hard for us to fathom. They are perfectly fine walking and breathing or in some cases appearing to not breathe because they can slow this process way down at will. While on a treadmill with one nostril blocked their body is going to react differently than in the wild because it's a completely artificial environment on a treadmill, being forced to engage in an unnatural experiment that is most likely stressful. They can swim, although they wouldn't seek it out as part of ther natural activity but of course not many people [there are a few on youtube ] have their dragons swimming .

Agree on that! (Also as a researcher myself.)
The case is with many scientific articles and methods who try to measure something, but in either a too artificial way (like here: has nothing to do with their life on the wild, they are doing perfectly fine) or use something as a proxy.

An example for the latter: Once I took an assignment in which, among other things, also memory was tested. My score was super low, which didn't line up with everyday experience (like: school grades, hobbies requiring very good memory). I wondered. looking deeper into the test evaluation, I recognized they only used a part of the test for that where one had to remember faces and the name shown for them, and thus used "facial recognition" as proxy for "memory". (I'm a person with Asperger's and prosopagnosia, and in fact score super low on facial recognition, but high on memory tests with numbers, facts, abstract shapes.)

And things like that happen a lot: The usage of proxies that seem to work, but in fact don't.

 

[xp29]

Agree on that! (Also as a researcher myself.)
The case is with many scientific articles and methods who try to measure something, but in either a too artificial way (like here: has nothing to do with their life on the wild, they are doing perfectly fine) or use something as a proxy.

An example for the latter: Once I took an assignment in which, among other things, also memory was tested. My score was super low, which didn't line up with everyday experience (like: school grades, hobbies requiring very good memory). I wondered. looking deeper into the test evaluation, I recognized they only used a part of the test for that where one had to member faces and the name shown for them, and thus used "facial recognition" as proxy for "memory". (I'm a person with Asperger's and prosopagnosia, and in fact score super low on facial recognition, but high on memory tests with numbers, facts, abstract shapes.)

And things like that happen a lot: The usage of proxies that seem to work, but in fact don't.

Me I suffer from CRS .... wait what were we talking about? Lmao