|
 |
| Name: |
SnapDragon
|
Age: |
One year old
|
| Gender: |
Male
|
Kind: |
Bearded Dragon
|
| Home: |
Mantua, New Jersey, USA
|
SnapDragon
is more than just your average, everyday lizard - he is
also an ambassador! Snap entered my life a year ago when I decided my
first grade classroom needed a pet more interesting than fish or
hermit crabs. After doing some research I settled on a Bearded
Dragon, known for its tameness and relative ease of care.
When Snap arrived in my classroom he was a tiny pipsqueak of a dragon,
only a few inches long. My students were immediately enthralled, but
my coworkers were less than thrilled - at first. After a week or two
in the classroom, Snap soon had an audience every afternoon at feeding
time. The 'eeeeeeeeews!!!!' of my coworkers soon disappeared and more
of them started stopping by 'just to check on Snap!'
Snap was more than just a fixture in the classroom, he was a learning
experience. My students learned about his care and his natural
habitat, we kept journals on his growth and feeding habits, and my
students also learned responsibility in caring for him. My kids also
learned that reptiles are not 'icky' or 'gross', but fascinating in
their own ways. None of my students will ever grow up fearing
reptiles, and for that I am grateful to Snap. Snap was also amazingly
tolerant of my young students. He didn't even blink at the sight of
20-odd first graders rushing up to see him, and would often lounge on
my shoulder for hours as I taught lessons or wandered the halls at
school. For Halloween he even tolerated a set of felt dragon wings,
for his costume as a real dragon.
These days, Snap has grown from his original 5-6 inches to a whopping
foot and a half, and weights in at over a pound. He is the King
Dragon of my lizard family. I soon realized that Beardies are truly
addictive, and my household is now home to six other Beardies, and one
Frilled Dragon. Snap has outgrown his habitat at school, so his
ambassador job has been taken over by two of my smaller dragons,
Loiosh and his brother Aylee. Snap is enjoying his retirement, and is
being spoiled to his heart's content. SnapDragon, Loiosh, Aylee, and
all the rest of my lizard friends can be found at
Here there be dragons.
(For more photos, don't miss their photo page.)
|
Find out how your pet
could be Pet of the Day.
|
|
 |
|
