Bearded Dragons Aren't Scary Pets, Trust Me

I have a pet bearded dragon. I didn't go out and buy him, and honestly, I had no interest in owning a pet in college, but he fell into my care. My brother lives in a dorm at a different college and got him. However, he knew he would have to get rid of him because dorms don't allow pets. He was looking for someone to take him and I offered as a favor to my brother. I planned on just owning the bearded dragon until my brother got an apartment and could take him back but after I was given him, I fell in love.

And that's how I became a crazy lizard mom to Reggie, my bearded dragon.

I offer everyone who comes over the opportunity to pet him or see him because everyone has the same reaction: scared or weirded out. In reality, he's one of the calmest and most relaxed pets you can own next to a goldfish. He lives in a terrarium and needs a heat lamp to keep him warm. He's low maintenance, I put a bowl of veggies in his cage and it lasts about a week. About twice a week I'll feed him crickets, as many as he wants to eat, and every week before I put his veggie bowl in, I bath him.

Bathing him consists of putting some water in my tub, enough to where his stomach gets wet, and placing him in it. If he's messy, I'll gently scrub him with a soft-bristled toothbrush but otherwise, I let him just enjoy the water and then take him out when the water starts to cool.

The vegetables that my bearded dragon loves to eat and that I use as staples are collard greens and spaghetti squash in noodle form with some calcium dusted on top. Every blue moon I'll add a treat, like banana or tomatoes or a boiled egg. He loves the boiled egg and the spaghetti squash, specifically in the noodle form. Most people think that lettuce is a good stable green but in reality, it's not very nutritious for them and you should instead offer collard greens or kale.

Almost everyone that meets him is surprised at house sweet and calm he is. He lets everyone hold him and pet him and he doesn't blow up or show his beard to anyone (he's a very polite little man). A few of my friends were very anti-scales but after meeting him loved him, just like me. I love my sweet little boy and even though I seem crazy for babying a bearded dragon, I love him and I hope to keep him for many years.