I have never had a Bearded Dragon or any other reptile for that matter, the reason that I am looking into this particular sort of pet is that I am extremely allergic to dogs, cats, rabbits or any other animal with fur. However, I love having pets. Until I realized I had allergies, I had 2 cats for over 14 years, and a dog for 12 years.
So I have researched bearded dragons and they seem to such fun, affectionate creatures that I am intrigued. There are some things that other websites don't really mention too much. So here are my questions.
1. Has anyone ever been allergic to bearded dragons?
2. Do they or their cages develop a smell?
3. When handeling a bearded dragon, do they poop or pee on you? If so, how do you deal with said poop or pee?
Answers to these silly questions would be much appreciated.
1. I have never heard of anyone being allergic to a reptile before. They have no dander and cannot produce allergins so I think you're safe with that ^^
2. Their cages can produce a smell if poop is left in there but, if you clean it up daily (jevenilles poop 1 to 2 times a day) it won't smell. And if the tank does smell due to the factor of just being a reptile, it will not overpower a room.
3.Haha, beardies can poo on you. That is saying that they haven't gone all day and are comfortable with you as their parent (mine did this to me when I was reading a book on the floor) And beardies don't actually 'pee'. It's more like poo that is white and they do it all at the same time. The pee part of it is called urates.
1. Has anyone ever been allergic to bearded dragons?
2. Do they or their cages develop a smell?
3. When handeling a bearded dragon, do they poop or pee on you? If so, how do you deal with said poop or pee?
I'm not sure about allergies to dragons. It's possible you could be sensitive to some of the bacteria they carry or something like that, but I'd think it's unlikely you'd be allergic to them.
If they're cleaned properly, neither the dragon or the tank should have a strong smell, although some dragons do have their own particular odor.
Dragons poop and pee all in one, so if they've done one on you, they've done both (like birds). Young dragons can poop multiple times during the day and so are a bit more unpredicatable as to whether they'll go on you while you're handling them. Older dragons generally only go once a day or once every couple of days and so it's easier to predict when they'll go. I give my dragon a warm bath in the morning and she generally poops in there. Then I know it's "safe" to have her out anytime during the rest of the day because she's already done her pooping for that day. When she was a baby there were a couple of close calls, but beardies have a distinct "raise the tail, wiggle the butt" move they do just before pooping so I managed to get her off me before she let it loose. If they do poop on you, you just clean off the poo with tissues or something and flush it, then wash up well with soap and water (and if they get your clothes, change your clothes right away and wash the dirty ones).