Beardies being introduced to Colorado

[CooperDragon]

Don't do it .

They are very likely to be taken by local cats and other predators, or starve , if by some miracle they survive summer and fall , they will definitely die from exposure as soon as the first really cold weather hits.

Not to mention the fact that it's illegal to release animals that are NOT INDIGENOUS into the wild even if there is a poor prospect of them surviving their first winter in the wild.

IMO is a EXCEEDINGLY cruel thing to even consider doing this. I'm horrified that someone would even consider doing what you are proposing to bearded dragons (even if NOT TAME) in a location like Colorado.
There is no way you can justify this cruelty .

This might work in their natural range (in Australia) but NOT anywhere ELSE , OR in the USA. PERIOD.

It's blatantly obvious you know squat about the climate and habitat in their natural range here in Australia.

If you have dragons that you no longer want
rehome them
or give to the local pet shop to sell them ,
or contact the local reptile rescue group or local Herp Club ,
or ask the local vet to euphanise them humanly.

^ I interpret this as a hypothetical discussion about adaptation in different climates rather than an actual plan to release dragons into the wild.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Let's put it this way.

There have been thousands of bearded dragons held as pets and in breeding groups all over the USA for decades , being such inquisitive reptiles , it's very common for pet dragons to go exploring and find themselves' lost , or for them to take a fright and scurry away and promptly be lost by their keeper.A large proportion of these pet bearded dragons are never found again by their keepers and end up having to fend for themselves.

And it's well known that some college students abandon their pets when they return home or leave college.
And lots of people who have bought a hatchling on an impulse grow bored with them or discover they are not so easy to care for and dump these unwanted pets.


Are there regular reports by hikers and local herpetology enthusiasts and park rangers and animal control rangers of "feral" bearded dragons in Cororado ?
…. I'm going to hazard a guess and say no.

So ask your self why ?

The answer is as I've already spelt out above adnausium , these lost (feral) bearded dragons are starving to death, being killed and eaten by native predators, and the survivors of the warm summer and fall are being killed by the extremes of cold very quickly in winter.

The only places I've heard of feral (ex-pet) bearded dragons surviving long term are in Australia, hot areas of Spain and in some tropical African countries , places where it never goes subzero degrees C overnight or for weeks at a time. A frozen bearded dragon is going to be a dead one.

 

[Claudiusx]

You're taking this way too seriously. I'm sure OP wouldn't ever actually try to populate Colorado with wild bearded dragons. He simply was trying to start a discussion for curiosities sake. This is, after all, a discussion board.

Let people discuss things. You come off so hard you make people not even want to bring up random discussions like this.

Not to mention how rude it is to tell someone they dont know "squat" simply for trying to start a conversation. Unbelievable.

-Brandon

 

[kingofnobbys]

You're taking this way too seriously. I'm sure OP wouldn't ever actually try to populate Colorado with wild bearded dragons. He simply was trying to start a discussion for curiosities sake. This is, after all, a discussion board.

Let people discuss things. You come off so hard you make people not even want to bring up random discussions like this.

Not to mention how rude it is to tell someone they dont know "squat" simply for trying to start a conversation. Unbelievable.

-Brandon

If you have nothing relevant to add , why do you bother posting , um other than to take the opportunity to post another thinly vailed personal attack.

 

[Claudiusx]

It was relevant. You make people feel stupid and like they shouldn't discuss things. So I post to encourage them to continue discussing and not be brought down by your superiority complex.

If you're so concerned about posts not contributing to this thread, you're a little hypocritical and could have pmd me instead.

Especially when you call the OP stupid, dont act all holier than thou. Comical you're complaining about me supposedly thinly vail insulting you when you literally bluntly come out and call someone stupid by telling them they dont know squat.
You are ridiculous and I can't wait until you cross the line for the last time.

Dont call people stupid and make people feel like they cant talk on this board without expecting me to defend the person. Because how you treat people is wrong.

-Brandon

 

[CooperDragon]

Please try to keep the back and forth to a minimum. Let's keep the discussion along the lines of how bearded dragons may (theoretically speaking) adapt to different environments as the thread intends. It's an interesting topic worth discussing.

 

[bigsad9000]

No.

That isn't even my intention.

Sorry I'm not trying to be rude but I think you've jumped to an ignorant conclusion. You don't know anything about me so why would you conclude that "oH tHiS gUy DoEsNt KnOw AnYtHiNg"

I have a bearded dragon that I FULLY INTEND TO KEEP. I love him more than you could probably comprehend. I'm not going to release him into the wild. I am fully aware of both the climate of Australia and Colorado. This is a DISCUSSION. It will not be simulated in real life. I am simply expressing my thoughts and seeking the thoughts of others because I LOVE debating and discussing interesting topics.

Sorry but if you are rude to me and anyone else on this post then I'm going to have to ask you to leave.

And for the record if I found out anyone released an animal into the wild that wouldn't survive this climate then I would want them publicly lynched.

 

[bigsad9000]

No.

That isn't even my intention.

Sorry I'm not trying to be rude but I think you've jumped to an ignorant conclusion. You don't know anything about me so why would you conclude that "oH tHiS gUy DoEsNt KnOw AnYtHiNg"

I have a bearded dragon that I FULLY INTEND TO KEEP. I love him more than you could probably comprehend. I'm not going to release him into the wild. I am fully aware of both the climate of Australia and Colorado. This is a DISCUSSION. It will not be simulated in real life. I am simply expressing my thoughts and seeking the thoughts of others because I LOVE debating and discussing interesting topics.

Sorry but if you are rude to me and anyone else on this post then I'm going to have to ask you to leave.

And for the record if I found out anyone released an animal into the wild that wouldn't survive this climate then I would want them publicly lynched.

 

[bigsad9000]

If your going to be rude and not add to the HYPOTHETICAL discussion then **** off. No one wants to deal with your toxic bullshit.

 

[TinyBlue]

Or even if they would survive.
I think the topic is a very interesting one. In a similar vein, I think that some dogs, like bulldogs or other flatnosed dogs, would not survive long in the wild. THey can hardly breathe, poor things!
Dragons would survive in Spain, I'm sure.

 

[bigsad9000]

Or even if they would survive.
I think the topic is a very interesting one. In a similar vein, I think that some dogs, like bulldogs or other flatnosed dogs, would not survive long in the wild. THey can hardly breathe, poor things!
Dragons would survive in Spain, I'm sure.

I feel like dragons could do fine in the warmer parts of Colorado and the USA where it rarely if not at all snows.

 

[kingofnobbys]

I suggest in future , if the scenario is hypothetical , SPELL IT OUT in the first post .

You are right, I don't know you or what you are capable of doing.

The main concern is someone who is clueless will come to this thread and be led to believe their dragon will adapt to the Colorado climate (even winter) and survive in the wild fending for itself perfectly OK and dump or abandon their unwanted bearded dragon rather than rehoming it.

 

[bigsad9000]

I suggest in future , if the scenario is hypothetical , SPELL IT OUT in the first post .

You are right, I don't know you or what you are capable of doing.

The main concern is someone who is clueless will come to this thread and be led to believe their dragon will adapt to the Colorado climate (even winter) and survive in the wild fending for itself perfectly OK and dump or abandon their unwanted bearded dragon rather than rehoming it.

Alright thank you for being civil. While I dont agree that I would've needed to "spell it out" since you shouldn't make an assumption like that I dont wanna argue about it so let's just drop it and discuss the topic at hand.

 

[bigsad9000]

Aaanyway.

I could also see something else happening.

Let's say they've established a good population in these warm parts (Four Corners, Grand Junction, certain parts of California, ect) Then through generations of breeding and evolving new species started popping up that COULD survive in colder climates like Colorado. For example maybe a mountain bearded dragon (mountain dragon for short) or a foothills bearded dragon (foothills dragon). Idk what do you guys think?

 

[kingofnobbys]

Or even if they would survive.
I think the topic is a very interesting one. In a similar vein, I think that some dogs, like bulldogs or other flatnosed dogs, would not survive long in the wild. THey can hardly breathe, poor things!
Dragons would survive in Spain, I'm sure.

I feel like dragons could do fine in the warmer parts of Colorado and the USA where it rarely if not at all snows.

We have areas where it snows most winters here in Australia .
There are no wild bearded dragons ever encountered in these areas ( Barrington Tops, Blue Mountains, Snowy Mountains, ACT, Tasmania ) .


The most likely species of bearded dragon that are found in the warmer area's nearby these areas ( 3000 to 4000 ft lower altitude) are Eastern Bearded Dragons (Pogona Barbata) , who are hardier and more adaptable than their central bearded dragon (Pogona Vitticeps) cousins and have a natural range covering a wider latitude range than central bearded dragons.

I think the absence of wild bearded dragons from Australia's winter snow zones answers your question about the ability of Pogona (any species) to adapt to that climatic extreme , they've had several hundred million years to evolve naturally in Australia and haven't , so they wont in adapt to survive in Colorado in any human time scale.

I have been in these areas (Australia's snow zone in summer and never once saw a wild bearded dragon there) , so they don't migrate either. Bearded dragons are very territorial and stay in these territories year round.