Does it harm a BD to never be let out of it's tank?

[abrigitea]

Hi, I'm on the adoption committee for an animal rescue and one of our applicants said that she has a 2 year old bearded dragon that "always stays in his tank." I'm not familiar with bearded dragons or their needs, so I am hoping to comfirm with people who know more whether never (or rarely) removing him from his habitat is acceptable treatment of their pet before I approve her to adopt a rescue cat. I apologize for my ignorance, but I'm unaware of whether bearded dragons benefit from human interaction & out of tank play. Thanks for your time!

 

[VenusAndSaturn]

It helps with exercise and my three beardies seem to enjoy a nighttime cuddle, however it depends on the tank and the behavior of the beardie in my opinion, some beardies hate being interacted with while others love it. I'd ask about the setup personally.

 

[Gormagon]

It is well known that dragons form a bond with their humans just like a cat or a dog. They actually miss you when you are gone. To leave one of these beautifully awesome creatures in a tank alone with no interaction is not fair to the dragon at all.
As for cats around dragons, I don't think they go well together since cat are geneticly predisposed to killing small creatures in a horrible fashion. They are very smart and sneaky. The dragon will most likely fall victim to predation from the cat in time.
The person doesn't care for their dragon properly, why would anyone think adding a cat to the mix would be beneficial.

Just my two cents!

 

[Gormagon]

It helps with exercise and my three beardies seem to enjoy a nighttime cuddle, however it depends on the tank and the behavior of the beardie in my opinion, some beardies hate being interacted with while others love it. I'd ask about the setup personally.

On very rare occasions do they not like interaction and, 75% of those are due to not knowing how to begin handling them when they are young!

 

[VenusAndSaturn]

True, honestly i dont think ive ever met a beardie that didnt enjoy handling or being outside of their enclosure. Other than venus, she likes handling to a extent but prefers roaming around tons more.

 

[abrigitea]

Thank you to each of you who took time out of your day to respond, your insight is helpful. I agree that most small reptiles and cats wouldn't make ideal companions unless they grow up together and all interaction is attentively supervised until it can be certain the cat doesn't pose a threat. I voiced that concern to the applicant, which is when she told me that her bearded dragon is confined to his tank so it isn't an issue. Now that you gave me more info, I will ask for details about her pet's enclosure and care routine so I can make a better informed decision.

 

[PodunkKhaleesi]

It makes me sad to think that there’s someone out there with a beardie that will be forced to spend its entire life locked in its tank. They’re such social, curious creatures and they love exploring. I make a point of giving my dragons plenty of playtime so they don’t go stir crazy. They always look forward to climbing and running around, and given that they spend so much time basking, I like to encourage their enthusiasm for exercise. I’m not sure why someone would want to purchase a bearded dragon they never plan on interacting with, so part of me hopes that she simply told you the bearded dragon never comes out of its tank because she thought that was what you wanted to hear so that she could acquire the cat.

 

[kingofnobbys]

If the tank is huge , I'm talking room size ( 3m x 4m say ) and has lots of opportunities to crawl about and climb about and explore and so the dragon has opportunities to be mentally stimulated and enriched , this will likely be OK.

But why get a pet bearded dragon if you are never going to interact physically with it and it will sit in a tiny tank for it's entire miserable life (it will be very miserable IMO) ?

IMO keeping a pet bearded dragon in a small tank and never taking it out is to be perfectly blunt - cruel to the dragon. If ever a dragon needed rescuing and rehabilitating , it's that one.

Maybe a bearded dragon is not a good pet for her , she'd be better off with a pet fish or a pet rock..

As to getting a cat when you already have a pet lizard ---- very bad idea .

I hope your committee refused her request and furthermore , I think steps need to be taken to remove the dragon from it's cruel living conditions.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Thank you to each of you who took time out of your day to respond, your insight is helpful. I agree that most small reptiles and cats wouldn't make ideal companions unless they grow up together

<<<< cats and lizards SHOULD NEVER be allowed to even see each other , or be in the same room.
<<<< cats and lizards CAN NEVER BE FRIENDS , the lizard will be attacked by the cat eventually.

and all interaction is attentively supervised until it can be certain the cat doesn't pose a threat. I voiced that concern to the applicant, which is when she told me that her bearded dragon is confined to his tank so it isn't an issue. Now that you gave me more info, I will ask for details about her pet's enclosure and care routine so I can make a better informed decision.

As a fellow rescuer, I've had cause to care for lizards who have been tortured by cats , my advise is you tell her the answer is a NON-NEGOTIABLE NO wrt her adopting the cat , UNLESS she surrenders the dragon to you.

 

[VenusAndSaturn]

I think thats a bit too far, i have 4 cats my self and 7 reptiles along with 4 dogs. Of course they arent in the same room, at least my reptiles arent but honestly hopefully she just said that to make the chance of getting the cat more better.
Of course cats and lizards cant interact but that doesnt mean she has to only have a lizard or only have a cat and surrender the other, as long as she hopefully has correct care and hopefully interacts with it and has no intention on having the two out together then i'd say its fine.
Speaking of cats honestly i had one living in the reptile room all year long, which is also my bedroom because the other dogs would bark and terrify her so she was forced to stay in my room and honestly i dont think i ever had a problem with her when it came to the reptiles except jumping on the tanks. Now that was annoying, especially when she jumped on the tops that were a bit flimsy and not hard. Shes living outside now though currently.

 

[GizmosGrammie]

I have a bearded dragon & two cats. The bearded dragon was in the home first. The cats were initially curios about Gizmo. Gizmo's Viv is in the same room I feed the cats etc. I've had NO PROBLEM what so ever. However, I do exercise caution. Gizmo the beardie does not run loose in the house. If I have her out (usually on my bed) I'm in a room with the door closed so cats & dogs don't pounce on her. Yes, cats may have a prey instinct but there are thousands of cat & beardie owners who co-exist in the same house peacefully. The adoptee may have been trying to convey the beardie isn't out of tank unsupervised, just running loose. Most are confined to a cage 80-90% of the time by most owners to begin with.

 

[GizmosGrammie]

I hope your committee refused her request and furthermore , I think steps need to be taken to remove the dragon from it's cruel living conditions.

Pretty ****ty advice kingofnobbys. Beardies DO NOT have to be EXCLUSIVE pets!!! My beardie is currently on my chest sleeping, one cat under Xmas tree in the same room sleeping, other cat in her favorite recliner in the basement, two dogs in bed with my son for the night. You probably prevented a wonderful person from giving a loving home to a cat that needed one. A beardie isn't like a cat or dog you can just allow to roam freely, that may have been all the cat adoptee was trying to convey. You supplied very negative, opinionated advice that isn't the do all be all rule to beardie ownership!! I hope that cat rescue doesn't take your comments as the golden rule for all future adoptions because you were wrong. SMH!

 

[kingofnobbys]

If I've prevented a silly person from bringing home a cat and saved their pet lizard from the cat's sadistic attention and a horrible death , then I can happily live with a cat not being rehomed with that person , or even being rehomed at all.

I have a very dim view of people who advocate keeping cats in the same home as lizards and who advocate this inexperienced beardie keeper noobs who go away thinking cats and lizards can be friends and their cat will never harm their lizard.

If this upsets you .... so be it. I think we've had this discussion before.

 

[VenusAndSaturn]

The thing is, cats and lizards can live in the same house. Just not interact with each other, thats the only thing that needs to be made aware. Cats and lizards dont get along so they can not interact with each other. However that does not mean you cant have both. As long as a person keeps these two separate then you can keep both in the same house.

 

[Beardiesforlife333]

I do not believe that bearded dragons and cats can be friends, it's against cat nature. I also do not believe this cat should remain homeless for such reason. It isn't about the cat liking the bearded dragon it's about keeping them separated from each other. It is one hundred percent possible to own cats and bearded dragons at the same time. I am appalled at the thought this poor cat could miss out on a home for something that is so opinionated. Properly advise the potential owner that beardies and cats don't get along and if they can handle that they can have the cat, as long as there aren't any other issue you spotted. Make sure they are aware the cat will not be the beardies friend ever, the behavior would be too unpredictable, but it should be fine as long as the cat is kept away. " I have a very dim view of people who advocate keeping cats in the same home as lizards and who advocate this inexperienced beardie keeper noobs who go away thinking cats and lizards can be friends and their cat will never harm their lizard." Cats and Beardies can be in the same house, hell, if your house is big enough you could live with both animals never fully knowing of each other's existence. The case where cats attack beardies are from irresponsible people who allow the cat to have an opprotunity to get it. You shouldn't have a dim view of everyone who owns a cat and a beardie because every single situation is different and it appears you've only opened your eyes to the ones with irresponsible people.