A Cute Guy With a Beard and 4 Legs!

exanime15 (63)in #blog • 7 years ago (edited)

Dear Steemians, after a short break, here I am again!
Let me introduce you to a really unusual pet of my cousin.
His name is ZeZe, he has beard and 4 legs.

Pogona Vitticeps, better – known as the central bearded dragon is an extremely intelligent animal that can even respond to his name and recognize his owner. Bearded Dragon is only found in Eastern Australia. Since collecting of these animals in the wild is banned in Australia there are non –native dragons bred in captivity as pets all around the world.
The life span of the cultivated Dragon is from 7 to 10 years. The bearded dragon is so named because of the pouch-like projection under the throat that he puffs out when feeling threatened.

Zeze eats insects, fruits and vegetables. Still, his favourite food is worms and grasshoppers. Food is not cheap, for example for about $ 15 you get 150 crickets and it lasts for 15 days. He likes lettuce and big worms too. Crickets and worms need to be fresh and alive.This is definitely not an animal for those with sensitive stomach lol! It is interesting that after his feeding you should leave the light on for at least 2 hours for his better digestion! The radiation of neon lamps helps synthesize vitamin D3 in his body.

Bearded dragons are prone to obesity so it is important to pay attention to the amount of food that is being given to them. While they still young they eat more meat and as they age, they eat more herbs. ZeZe does not require a lot of care, he lives in the terrarium, but can be often found laying down on the sofa in the living room! An interesting fact is they do drink a very little because they are desert animals and all the necessary hydration they take with the fruit. The water pots in the terrace are more used to maintain moisture. The bottom of the terrarium must be covered with at least 5 cm of sand. It shouldn't be too many decorations inside, just one bigger branch or stone to sunbath and a little spot to hide. The temperature should range from 15 to 45 degrees. One part has to be colder, the other one warmer. Believe it or not, Vitticeps can be given a bath from time to time! You can give them a bath in a large deep bowl, but they shouldn't be left unattended!

The most common diseases are bone diseases due to lack of vitamin D3, fractures may occur in severe cases, digestive diseases caused by overindulgence and swallowing of excessive prey. Hailing due to too little moisture or injury, and internal and external parasites and inflammation of the respiratory system due to the cold environment.

Vitticeps prefer to be alone, except in cases when they want to mate. Adults are sexually mature at 1.5 years and grow up to 50 cm. Sex is more difficult to determine and is determined by the overall appearance and tail. All in all, they are not aggressive and with little attention and tenderness, they can be great pets!