Sunday, February 7, 2016

Black Beard Beginnings

We all start somewhere with our knowledge of bearded dragons. No one is born an expert.


Seven years ago, I bought my daughter a bearded dragon for her birthday. Lizzie (a boy) was the most docile beardie ever and served as my Etsy model for the first year. He was a good boy even though we didn't know much of what we were doing.  He was on sand for the first year and didn't eat high calcium greens. 


I remember the first time Lizzie's beard turned black. My daughter panicked, I panicked, and my husband looked online and told us Lizzie was either scared or hormonal (and not dying). Phew! 


Now I have a house of black bearding beardies. It's hormone season and all the boys are crazy all day, bobbing & black bearding. Dr Folland says beardies release pheromones and can smell each other. No kidding! I bet my house smells like crazy boy beardies! 

Black bearding is mostly used to show off or intimidate other lizards. It can also be a sign of fear or surprise (like if a bird flies overhead). Or it can also be seen on a really sick beardie. 


Anyways, what once took me by surprise and troubled me is now so normal it doesn't even phase me. 


So start where you're at and begin learning. I am STILL learning things about bearded dragons! Like the pheromones thing.