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Older Reptiles

By Paym Bergson

There’s a wonderful Topic in the Health Community, I May Be Getting Older, But I’m Not Dead, which at first glance may not seem to have anything to do with Reptiles, right?

Wrong.

Time passes. Our original group of bearded dragons has changed dramatically. Starting with one wee baby, no bigger than a child’s thumb, we gradually (?) increased our family to five: three babies, one abandoned adult and one misused juvenile. As life has a way of happening, they all grew up, grew together, had babies, had grandbabies, and eventually some passed on to a sanctuary of perpetual belief.

There are now only three remaining beardies of the original five – older and wiser. Their needs have changed, and they have helped us to change our attitude. We know how to treat babies, get them to grow stronger, deal with misformed limbs, blind eyes, etc. We know how to get beardies to breed, feel safe and secure; we know how to gently scoop the laid eggs, check for fertilization, incubate and successfully hatch, starting the cycle all over again.

But aged lizards?

Well, we figured out they weren’t eating as much, not as much spryness to them, a little slower to catch their food, a little slower in moving and responding, some aches in their limbs, more prone to sore legs.

According to our local and trusted vet, older lizards still need all their supplements – but nothing can replace the medicinal effects of natural sunshine. Food intake slows down, as does water consumption for some reason. Eyesight starts to seem unfocused, and hand feeding becomes a necessity – we’ve found that once a week of hand feeding along with keeping a daily full food dish (for the spryer ones) seems sufficient.

But their need for touch increases dramatically, as does their need for privacy. For the past few months, we’ve felt that ZRT (an original) is not long for our world. Most mornings she looks as if she’d passed on; but upon touching her to confirm our worst and dreaded fears, she slowly opens an eye and glares.

So, on a sunny day we placed her and the others in the sunshine – what a difference! She preened, she stretched and flattened to get every drop, she loved it! She even climbed down the chair (well, fell off is more accurate) and started scurrying around, examining her old haunts.

Not long for this world, indeed!

And we have adjusted – now, when we think she has passed away and touch her gently, we understand her glare – to parapharse – “I May Be Older, But I’m Not Dead - yet”.

About the Author:

As a professional writer and trainer, I find the hardest thing to write about is myself. Suite 101 has given me many opportunites and I have read with interest the various articles penned by Contributing Editors. Now it's payback time. Reading their personal submissions and sharing of information has given me the courage to be a Contributing Editor as well.

After 5 years of raising Bearded Dragons we (family) finally had a successful clutch (two in fact). The lack of proper information given us by retail reptile stores as well as the lack of substantial information on the Internet (with a few excellent exceptions) has prompted me to try and help others in all areas of reptiles. Our menagerie at the moment consists of 5 adult dragons, 4 juveniles, one bird, one hamster, 2 turtles, one fish - and a whole bunch of critters that make their home and nests in our woodpile, trees, and house (I just saw the baby bunnies having a chew on our garden).

Paym may be contacted by email at careeradvice@suite101.com.

Article courtesy of Suite101.com.