Figment Outside

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Took Figment outside for the first time today... just onto the front porch for some sunshine. He seemed moderately freaked out, particularly at the sound of cars passing by, and his colors got a bit darker. As a result, I snapped a couple of pictures and brought him back inside. We'll try again when I've got an outdoor enclosure set up for him, so I can make sure he's safe and secure and won't leap to the ground and run off or anything miserable like that. Weighing the pros and cons of harnesses vs. just bringing out a storage bin and covering up half the bin to make a shaded area and an area for sun basking - will gladly accept any thoughts on the matter.

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Just hanging out on the table.

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Please ignore the dirty hind foot... he stepped in poop and hates baths, so I haven't gotten it cleaned yet.
 

Apollo15

Member
Hi! That is very cute. I have been meaning to take Apollo out ever since it got warmer. A little input: I use a harness as the first time I put Apollo in a basket and brought him outside, he puffed up. HUGE. Full black beard and everything. I had to take him back in, pet him, and return him to his comfy mattress. You know your beardie better than I do, but I just want to say that. :D Good luck!!
 

ComicBookMama

Sub-Adult Member
Original Poster
Apollo15":32zpz6v5 said:
Hi! That is very cute. I have been meaning to take Apollo out ever since it got warmer. A little input: I use a harness as the first time I put Apollo in a basket and brought him outside, he puffed up. HUGE. Full black beard and everything. I had to take him back in, pet him, and return him to his comfy mattress. You know your beardie better than I do, but I just want to say that. :D Good luck!!

I'm probably going to get a harness, but I'm also hauling out a large storage tub that I can line with newspaper and drape a towel over to create a shady half. I'll keep an eye on Figment for signs of stress... don't want outdoor time to become a bad experience! Thanks for sharing yours, too. :)
 

ComicBookMama

Sub-Adult Member
Original Poster
Figment got his first protracted outing today in a storage bin which, as things turned out, I'm glad I lined with newspaper rather than a towel.

Things went well for the first ten minutes or so. I could tell that Figment started off a bit nervous... his colors darkened up, and he was "frozen" in place... but after a bit his colors brightened up, his tail arched way up, and he started moving around the tub. I snapped a couple of pics - I was surprised at how his colors changed, and could almost see a bit of orange streaking down his back, like when he was little.

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Then he had a poo... and everything went south pretty quickly. He suddenly bolted and tried to run straight through the container wall, legs pretty much windmilling and sending the pooped-upon newspaper everywhere. I went to pick up the container to remove the paper, and he turned around and went into full threat display - black bearding for the first time, hissing, beard puffed way out. I talked soothingly to him as I removed the soiled paper, but when I went to take him (still in the container) back inside... we were locked out of the house. Just my luck.

So I moved the container with the now very stressed out dragon into the shade with me - he continued to hiss and puff his beard at me every time I touched the container - until my son got home and let us in. I got Figment back into his tank as soon as possible, and after about fifteen minutes of chilling out, he's been glass surfing and scrambling all around the tank like he does when he wants out. I was planning on giving him a bath today, but he has DEFINITELY had enough stress today... not sure if he needs to be running around on the floor right now, either!

Dragons. They sure do make life interesting.
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
Sounds like he may learn to like going outside -- or not. :lol:

Our beardie never got used to being outside -- just too strange for him and he turned all black. There are very few days in Alaska when it's even warm enough to think about taking a beardie outside, so he's never really had a chance to get used to it.

I think the bin is safer than a harness, but in Figment's case, no telling. :? Next time best to make sure you have a key to the house!
 

ComicBookMama

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SHBailey":qmu0fzzk said:
Sounds like he may learn to like going outside -- or not. :lol:

Our beardie never got used to being outside -- just too strange for him and he turned all black. There are very few days in Alaska when it's even warm enough to think about taking a beardie outside, so he's never really had a chance to get used to it.

I think the bin is safer than a harness, but in Figment's case, no telling. :? Next time best to make sure you have a key to the house!

Yes, the keys stay with me next time! I hope Figment does adjust to going out; natural UV is so good for them! But I don’t want to freak my poor dragon out on a regular basis... so I’ll be thinking hard on this. Maybe a larger tub next time, and put a hide in it (though he barely uses the hide in his tank at all). After seeing how fast his legs were going when he “bolted,” I’m not sure how I feel about harnesses- I can see him managing to wriggle out and taking off at a zillion lizard miles per hour!

I give you credit for trying to bring your dragon outside at all in Alaska! I had no idea it would EVER be warm enough up there... I thought you guys peak in the 70s! (I went through an “I’m going to move to Alaska” phase when I was younger... loved the idea of the wildlife, the vistas, the temps spring-fall... but the long, dark winters pretty much put the kabosh on THAT idea!)
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
I'm probably crazy for trying to keep a bearded dragon in Alaska. I have a UV meter and a high output UV lamp that puts out more UV than the sun does here in the subarctic, according to the meter. Bearded Dragons get all the UV that they need in Australia.

Figment probably feels safe in the house, but providing him with a hide when you take him out is probably a good idea because he might want to use it in that situation. I wouldn't trust a harness either. I once had a little dog that went under a hole in a fence when we were walking, backed out of his harness, and ran off. Fortunately, he still came back to me. "Ha ha, i can get off this leash whenever I want." I wouldn't put it past a bearded dragon to pull something like that.

Alaskan temperatures normally do peak in the 70s, but we broke a record last year -- it was 90 in Anchorage on the 4th of July and I almost melted. Ground zero for global warming, so I hope that's not going to be the "new normal." I was also afraid of fire but they wisely cancelled the fireworks.

The country here is beautiful, but the winters are overrated. You hole up in the house in front of the heater and hunker down until spring as much as you can, although we are subject to a weird Alaskan disease known as "cabin fever." :wink: (also a summer side effect if you have to stay home because of a global pandemic) But it's really not so bad. Snow is beautiful through the window, just as long as I don't have to go out in it or shovel it. :mrgreen:
 

ComicBookMama

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SHBailey":zqmv6vyv said:
I'm probably crazy for trying to keep a bearded dragon in Alaska. I have a UV meter and a high output UV lamp that puts out more UV than the sun does here in the subarctic, according to the meter. Bearded Dragons get all the UV that they need in Australia.

What bulb do you use? An Arcadia 14%? I can definitely see how it would be challenging to replicate the Outback in the Last Great Frontier... angle of the Earth and all that...

SHBailey":zqmv6vyv said:
Figment probably feels safe in the house, but providing him with a hide when you take him out is probably a good idea because he might want to use it in that situation. I wouldn't trust a harness either. I once had a little dog that went under a hole in a fence when we were walking, backed out of his harness, and ran off. Fortunately, he still came back to me. "Ha ha, i can get off this leash whenever I want." I wouldn't put it past a bearded dragon to pull something like that.

Neither would I! Especially since, to a dragon, any harness is a "dangerous object restricting movement" that they would be highly motivated to be free of. I've got a dog like that, too, but once she's free, she's GONE. She was rescued from the streets of Atlanta, and I guess you can take the girl off the streets, but you can't take the streets out of the girl... she has to be securely leashed at all times unless we're in the dog park, because left to her own devices she'll tunnel under any fence, slip any collar or harness, and head for the piney woods.

SHBailey":zqmv6vyv said:
Alaskan temperatures normally do peak in the 70s, but we broke a record last year -- it was 90 in Anchorage on the 4th of July and I almost melted. Ground zero for global warming, so I hope that's not going to be the "new normal." I was also afraid of fire but they wisely cancelled the fireworks.

The country here is beautiful, but the winters are overrated. You hole up in the house in front of the heater and hunker down until spring as much as you can, although we are subject to a weird Alaskan disease known as "cabin fever." :wink: (also a summer side effect if you have to stay home because of a global pandemic) But it's really not so bad. Snow is beautiful through the window, just as long as I don't have to go out in it or shovel it. :mrgreen:

My dear husband, who longs for freedom from governmental overlords and a way of life that is off the grid, watches all those Alaska reality TV shows... and ignores me pointing out that it would be awfully hard for him, a vegetarian, to live truly off the grid in Alaska with the short growing season and long months of darkness, unless he wanted to practice hydroponics. Besides the fact that he'd be doing it without his dear wife. I may have dreamed of running a dog team across the frozen tundra, but I am currently far too fond of my creature comforts to live anywhere in Alaska outside of its few urban areas! I would like to visit someday, though. :)
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
We use a Reptisun 10.0 T5 HO tube. Never tried the Arcadias, but lots of people seem to like them.

People who watch reality shows sometimes need a reality check. :lol: The real wilderness is not too far from Anchorage, but we have all the creature comforts here. We have some friends who live off the grid though. We've visited them at their place every summer now for 20 years, and once when my husband was struggling to find a job, he got all starry-eyed about their lifestyle and suggested that we could live like that. I told him that he could if he wanted to, but he'd have to divorce me and marry some native girl who was much younger than me and who grew up that way. Pretty much the same situation as you and your husband.

Besides, if you have a bearded dragon, or any other reptile(s) for that matter, how do you keep the heat lamps running if you're not hooked up to municipal light and power? I would think it would put a lot of strain on a gasoline powered generator. :roll:
 

ComicBookMama

Sub-Adult Member
Original Poster
SHBailey":2url3vlq said:
People who watch reality shows sometimes need a reality check. :lol: The real wilderness is not too far from Anchorage, but we have all the creature comforts here. We have some friends who live off the grid though. We've visited them at their place every summer now for 20 years, and once when my husband was struggling to find a job, he got all starry-eyed about their lifestyle and suggested that we could live like that. I told him that he could if he wanted to, but he'd have to divorce me and marry some native girl who was much younger than me and who grew up that way. Pretty much the same situation as you and your husband.

Besides, if you have a bearded dragon, or any other reptile(s) for that matter, how do you keep the heat lamps running if you're not hooked up to municipal light and power? I would think it would put a lot of strain on a gasoline powered generator. :roll:

I'm with you - we need the trappings of civilization to keep our reptikids happy and healthy! (And I agree about the reality shows... though I do enjoy watching the vet shows and the zoo shows.)
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The first time I took Hiccup outside he turned completely black - I had him sitting on me and we were sitting on the deck and he went completely black - I dont know what he saw I am guessing a bird and that was it-------------- I brought him back in the house immediately-- and have never taken him back out again-- he prefers to sit on the back of my big chair in the LR looking out our big front window or if its nice enough outside that I can open my front door he can go sit on the screen door hydroylic cylinder that keeps the door from slamming - he will prop himself up there for an hour or longer looking outside and getting fresh air at the same time - Blaze has not been out yet --- the weather here has been horrid w/ heat and humidity
Karrie
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
My husband and I also like Nature and Nova -- Wednesday night is PBS night. I don't recall if Nature has ever done a show that included bearded dragons -- lots of other kinds of lizards though.

I had a similar experience with Puff the first and maybe second and third time we took him outside as I recall -- turned all black and clung to me, although I had both hands over him because I was afraid he might bolt -- so much for getting any significant amount of natural sunlight on his skin. When it's warm enough, my husband wants to take him outside but no go anymore. I never figured out what frightened him the most -- the traffic, the leaves moving overhead, etc. I just figured that the whole experience was just too strange for him. Took him back inside and gave up on it just like you did, Karrie.

I guess I should be grateful for the weather in Alaska even though this is a heat wave for us in the high 70s. Alaskans start melting when the temperature goes too much above freezing. :wink:

We had illegal fireworks popping off all over the neighborhood almost all night and didn't get much of any sleep last night. We were afraid of possible mayhem and fire. My husband gave the yard a good soak in the evening -- we need some more rain.

Puff went in his hide yesterday afternoon and he's still there this morning just before his lights go on. Apparently he slept through the whole thing. Lucky him -- he's got a better coping strategy than ours. :roll:
 

ComicBookMama

Sub-Adult Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":2cy4w851 said:
The first time I took Hiccup outside he turned completely black - I had him sitting on me and we were sitting on the deck and he went completely black - I dont know what he saw I am guessing a bird and that was it-------------- I brought him back in the house immediately-- and have never taken him back out again-- he prefers to sit on the back of my big chair in the LR looking out our big front window or if its nice enough outside that I can open my front door he can go sit on the screen door hydroylic cylinder that keeps the door from slamming - he will prop himself up there for an hour or longer looking outside and getting fresh air at the same time - Blaze has not been out yet --- the weather here has been horrid w/ heat and humidity

I think I'll give Figment one more chance... I really think it's good for him to get that natural UV - but not at the expense of his nerves. I just wish there was some other way to see his "sunshine bright" colors! They really pop in the natural light, and I love to see them. Looking for a good viewing perch inside for Figment to be able to see the outdoors... we don't have many that are cat-free.
 

ComicBookMama

Sub-Adult Member
Original Poster
SHBailey":20z2cn5t said:
I had a similar experience with Puff the first and maybe second and third time we took him outside as I recall -- turned all black and clung to me, although I had both hands over him because I was afraid he might bolt -- so much for getting any significant amount of natural sunlight on his skin. When it's warm enough, my husband wants to take him outside but no go anymore. I never figured out what frightened him the most -- the traffic, the leaves moving overhead, etc. I just figured that the whole experience was just too strange for him. Took him back inside and gave up on it just like you did, Karrie.

The world can be a pretty scary place when you're a Very Small Omnivore! Just thinking about the amount of stuff a dragon would see and hear outdoors that they'd never encounter indoors is astonishing... frankly, I'm surprised how many dragons DO adjust to going outside!

SHBailey":20z2cn5t said:
We had illegal fireworks popping off all over the neighborhood almost all night and didn't get much of any sleep last night. We were afraid of possible mayhem and fire. My husband gave the yard a good soak in the evening -- we need some more rain.

Puff went in his hide yesterday afternoon and he's still there this morning just before his lights go on. Apparently he slept through the whole thing. Lucky him -- he's got a better coping strategy than ours. :roll:

Yes, people have been firing them off for days down here, and we're also dangerously dry. Figment doesn't react to fireworks or thunder, either... nor do our cat and dog... so we're lucky there. My mom's poor dog gets the shakes like nobody's business, so we're going to try her on Rescue Remedy.

It never occurred to me that beardies might react to thunder or fireworks! I wonder if any do.
 
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