ever since i was a little kid, i had an intense fascination with all sorts of critters. i obsessively read animal encyclopedias, i used to catch snakes in my backyard, as much as my dad hated it (he was absolutely TERRIFIED of reptiles) he had a 20gal tank set up at all times so i could take them in and watch them for a couple of days before releasing them… i named them all, and did endless research on how to keep garter snakes as a little 6 year old kid. at the age of 6 i singlehandedly rehabbed a garter snake with an injury from a cat bite and released him. my parents always encouraged my love for reptiles, we ended up keeping turtles as family pets and a ball python (lovingly named monty by my dad once he finally came around to scaly critters) among other things. keeping reptiles has been a lifelong passion for me.
when i turned 9, my mom bought me two bearded dragons. id been begging her for months! one was named charlotte, and the other roxie. charlotte was always amped up, and bit everyone more than any other pet ive kept in my life. she was a cutie though. roxie, on the other hand, was the most relaxed beardie ive ever seen. she would sleep on my chest while i played mySims on my wii for hours, curled up and enjoying my bodyheat. she was named after the ice cream shop owner in the game, a girl who wore a bumblebee costume and who i had move right next door to me in the game because she was my favorite. the trend of naming my beardies after characters from the sims franchise continues with my new baby bob pancakes. its clear to see what my two passions are in life, lizards and life simulation games, haha.
unfortunately, and these are things i still feel heart wrenching guilt over all the time, both charlotte and roxie were kept together in a 20gal tank with dyed purple sand. i knew it was wrong, but i was 9 and couldnt sway my mom against what the petsmart employee had told her: “as long as the lizards can turn around, they will be fine and can be housed together”. their tank was bare, with a water dish in one corner and a food dish in another, no UVB lamp, no places to properly bask, i think back on that tiny enclosure and it makes me feel awful.
roxie and charlotte only ended up living for about 6 months after we had adopted them. charlotte went first, she had been sick and lethargic. i cried for hours upon hours when it happened. i was absolutely heartbroken. not long after, my family and i went away to visit my aunt in brooklyn for a couple of weeks, and left roxie with a young family friend. the friend didnt like the light and said it was too bright and that her electric bill would be too high, and had it turned off the whole time we were gone. it was winter at this point, and the freezing cold new jersey winter meant roxie didnt fare well in the garage she was kept in. when we returned to pick her up, she had passed. within a month or so id lost both of my babies, and i was miserable for ages after. i was terrified to keep more reptiles. after that i stuck to fish and dogs and cats.
that is, until the last year. i started toying with the idea in my mind of getting back into reptile keeping now that im 23 and have a job and can provide the perfect environment for a new little baby. my boyfriend and i spoke about it at length multiple times. he grew up in a family that only had cats and dogs, and the idea of keeping a reptile was something he had always had in the back of his mind. we talked and talked and talked, discussing prices, feeding, temperaments, and our schedules to figure out what species would be perfect for us. we decided that we would wait until we moved out, and probably get a ball python. but this isnt a ball python forum, so im sure you can see where this is going. regardless, i kept researching beardies. last week, we walked into a local pet store just to look around. we didnt wanna buy from them and encourage the pet trade, and we were still living with his mom, so we thought we werent gonna get anything. but as we approached the reptile section, there was bob. he was sitting at the front of his tiny tank, staring directly at my boyfriend. as we got closer he got more excited. we asked if we could handle him, and the employee opened up his tank and he immediately ran onto my boyfriends hand. he was so relaxed, and he and i shared a glance that said “yeah, hes coming home with us.” we told the employee to put him on hold for two hours, that we were going home to clear off a dresser for his tank and that we would be right back. the rest is history, we got bob a decent sized tank and bought absolutely everything a baby beardie could need. his tank is decked out, and the more research i do the longer the list of things to buy to make it EVEN BETTER gets. hes been home with us for a week, and will and i already look at him like hes our son. i feel guilty that i couldnt give roxie and charlotte the life i am giving bob, but i rest easy knowing that at the very least im giving this little guy the absolute best life i possibly can. id like to imagine roxie and charlotte looking down, glad past mistakes have been learned from.
anyway, thats my history with beardies. attached is a pic of me on my 9th birthday, holding roxie (the smaller one with the nubby tail) and charlotte (the big one), a pic of bob posing for the camera, and me holding a baby garter snake i found on my driveway a few days ago, excited about finding an animal that was so important to me as a child
sorry for the long post!! if you read this far, thank you! you guys are such a kind and supportive community, im glad to be somewhere i can share this without fear of getting guilted for what happened when i was a kid in the comments *side eyes reddit*
when i turned 9, my mom bought me two bearded dragons. id been begging her for months! one was named charlotte, and the other roxie. charlotte was always amped up, and bit everyone more than any other pet ive kept in my life. she was a cutie though. roxie, on the other hand, was the most relaxed beardie ive ever seen. she would sleep on my chest while i played mySims on my wii for hours, curled up and enjoying my bodyheat. she was named after the ice cream shop owner in the game, a girl who wore a bumblebee costume and who i had move right next door to me in the game because she was my favorite. the trend of naming my beardies after characters from the sims franchise continues with my new baby bob pancakes. its clear to see what my two passions are in life, lizards and life simulation games, haha.
unfortunately, and these are things i still feel heart wrenching guilt over all the time, both charlotte and roxie were kept together in a 20gal tank with dyed purple sand. i knew it was wrong, but i was 9 and couldnt sway my mom against what the petsmart employee had told her: “as long as the lizards can turn around, they will be fine and can be housed together”. their tank was bare, with a water dish in one corner and a food dish in another, no UVB lamp, no places to properly bask, i think back on that tiny enclosure and it makes me feel awful.
roxie and charlotte only ended up living for about 6 months after we had adopted them. charlotte went first, she had been sick and lethargic. i cried for hours upon hours when it happened. i was absolutely heartbroken. not long after, my family and i went away to visit my aunt in brooklyn for a couple of weeks, and left roxie with a young family friend. the friend didnt like the light and said it was too bright and that her electric bill would be too high, and had it turned off the whole time we were gone. it was winter at this point, and the freezing cold new jersey winter meant roxie didnt fare well in the garage she was kept in. when we returned to pick her up, she had passed. within a month or so id lost both of my babies, and i was miserable for ages after. i was terrified to keep more reptiles. after that i stuck to fish and dogs and cats.
that is, until the last year. i started toying with the idea in my mind of getting back into reptile keeping now that im 23 and have a job and can provide the perfect environment for a new little baby. my boyfriend and i spoke about it at length multiple times. he grew up in a family that only had cats and dogs, and the idea of keeping a reptile was something he had always had in the back of his mind. we talked and talked and talked, discussing prices, feeding, temperaments, and our schedules to figure out what species would be perfect for us. we decided that we would wait until we moved out, and probably get a ball python. but this isnt a ball python forum, so im sure you can see where this is going. regardless, i kept researching beardies. last week, we walked into a local pet store just to look around. we didnt wanna buy from them and encourage the pet trade, and we were still living with his mom, so we thought we werent gonna get anything. but as we approached the reptile section, there was bob. he was sitting at the front of his tiny tank, staring directly at my boyfriend. as we got closer he got more excited. we asked if we could handle him, and the employee opened up his tank and he immediately ran onto my boyfriends hand. he was so relaxed, and he and i shared a glance that said “yeah, hes coming home with us.” we told the employee to put him on hold for two hours, that we were going home to clear off a dresser for his tank and that we would be right back. the rest is history, we got bob a decent sized tank and bought absolutely everything a baby beardie could need. his tank is decked out, and the more research i do the longer the list of things to buy to make it EVEN BETTER gets. hes been home with us for a week, and will and i already look at him like hes our son. i feel guilty that i couldnt give roxie and charlotte the life i am giving bob, but i rest easy knowing that at the very least im giving this little guy the absolute best life i possibly can. id like to imagine roxie and charlotte looking down, glad past mistakes have been learned from.
anyway, thats my history with beardies. attached is a pic of me on my 9th birthday, holding roxie (the smaller one with the nubby tail) and charlotte (the big one), a pic of bob posing for the camera, and me holding a baby garter snake i found on my driveway a few days ago, excited about finding an animal that was so important to me as a child
sorry for the long post!! if you read this far, thank you! you guys are such a kind and supportive community, im glad to be somewhere i can share this without fear of getting guilted for what happened when i was a kid in the comments *side eyes reddit*
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I'm glad you decided to get another beardie, they all deserve good homes.
