Rankin's cuteness - Rankins Dragons thread

[Whirleeq]

Here's Cato, hanging out on my juvenile beardie Primrose:

<3

 

[Menolly07]

Eeeee!!! I just made a squee that only dogs could hear!!! Primrose is SO pretty! And Cato is adorable. I love that photo. So very much. I just want to snorgle both of them!!

 

[sweetiepie9]

So do I, you can see the difference between the two species right away. Cato is so small in comparison, but I know they're small anyway. I'm glad you got him, he sure looks healthy & happy.

Shannon, do your little guys live together? They are all 3 so cute!
Deb

 

[Menolly07]

I really think that if we ever do get another dragon I would very much like a Rankins. I love their little faces. I also like the idea of not having to worry about the hormone mess that would come with a possible male with our female Odahviing. Plus... Did I mention their faces? ^.^

 

[Whirleeq]

Not sure about the hormone thing not being an issue... Most of the time Cato seems to either ignore Prim or stack on her for basking, but there was one time I thought they were starting to fight, and seperated them quickly.... Only to google the behavior and find out that it was no fight

Ahem.... Anyway, little guy sure tried, but I seperated them immediately. It was kinda funny to watch... Dude has little guy syndrome, thinks he is the big man on campus, LOL.

 

[ShannyBeard]

So do I, you can see the difference between the two species right away. Cato is so small in comparison, but I know they're small anyway. I'm glad you got him, he sure looks healthy & happy.

Shannon, do your little guys live together? They are all 3 so cute!
Deb

Cato is so cute and he came with a wonderful story. You also got a lucky chance to get something that is so much like a beardie, yet so interesting and different.

They have similar mannerisms but very different behaviors. For one thing, they don't bask with the same intensity as a bearded dragon does, and they will lounge around the basking area most of the day, with short breaks to bask. We have multiple basking levels and many times throughout the day they will all be scattered around the area, sleeping. They enjoy laying on low, flat rocks in the basking area, too.

They also have a water dish, because unlike beardies, they will drink from standing water. The Rankins all drink in their bath and they enjoy being in the water. So far we are not having any humidity issues with the water dish.

Deb, we do house them together. They seem to respect each other's personal space and never display dominant or breeding behaviors such as head-bobbing, black bearding, arm waving, stacking, etc., and that appears to be the norm with Rankins. If you search information on Rankins dragons, there isn't as much out there as there is for bearded dragons, so there are things that aren't really known about their husbandry, or just assumed that they are the same for beardeds, but in our experience, they are completely different. We are really watching them and learning as they grow. They have almost doubled in size since we got them! :shock: They are sweet tempered and curious, but not very brave. They watch everything that happens in their room with intense scrutiny and they will get close to each other if they see something that alarms them. Sometimes they make me laugh because they look like meerkats on high alert. They are all terrified of our blue tongue.

I have seen them appear to band together, and even when outside of their viv I have seen them go to the same dark spot to sleep, as if they had already planned where they were going to meet up to sleep.

 

[Menolly07]

Hmmmmm... I've GOT IT!!!! Odahviing is half Rankin, half German Giant! Because she's HUGE and she's a water dragon! It all makes sense now! :laughhard:

 

[ShannyBeard]

Hmmmmm... I've GOT IT!!!! Odahviing is half Rankin, half German Giant! Because she's HUGE and she's a water dragon! It all makes sense now! :laughhard:

Now that's crazy genetics! LOL!!

 

[ShannyBeard]

Not sure about the hormone thing not being an issue... Most of the time Cato seems to either ignore Prim or stack on her for basking, but there was one time I thought they were starting to fight, and seperated them quickly.... Only to google the behavior and find out that it was no fight

Ahem.... Anyway, little guy sure tried, but I seperated them immediately. It was kinda funny to watch... Dude has little guy syndrome, thinks he is the big man on campus, LOL.

LOL their offspring would be a Pogona Vittikins - a cross between a bearded dragon and a Rankins dragon. I definitely don't want any of my beardeds or Rankins breeding! So far the Rankins are all afraid of everyone else, still. Hope it stays that way! They are the little guys, after all.

 

[sweetiepie9]

Shannon, they really do sound so different than dragons, amazingly so. Here I always thought they were just a small species of bearded dragon, but the way you describe them, they're so different. You wouldn't be able to house dragons together like you are doing with the Rankins, which is nice that they get along so well together. I liked your description that they're like meercats, one of my favourite wild species! I've never seen a Rankins anywhere around here, but I do know they're very rare. Lucky you to have 3!
Deb

 

[ShannyBeard]

Deb, I will have to post some meerkat-like pictures of them in their home together. It's very funny the way they look around at what us going on in the room. And they are about 4 feet off the ground now; they were on the floor for the first few months we had them, so being up high is different and new and they are in awe!

We are hoping to have little baby Saharas in the near future. :love5: They will hopefully be a little less rare if that happens!

I would certainly not advise keeping bearded dragons together, for sure. That's a disaster waiting to happen. The Rankins are extremely different and like I said, seem to get true comfort or safe feelings from each other. None of my beardies have anywhere near the same behaviors. We don't play with our animals safety or intentionally put them in any danger. I have a huge heart for my critters and I would never allow them to be harmed or dominated. I can definitely promise that they cohabitate with no problems. I wouldn't have them together if there was a chance they would harm each other.

I am so excited at the possibility of having little babies that I can't stand it. They are just so sweet.

 

[sweetiepie9]

So does this mean that Sahara is preggers? Oh that would be so exciting, having little Rankins running around. Being able to live together is a plus, too, as they feel so much better & safer together. That is so cute.

I didn't mean anything re: dragons together, you and I feel the same way about that. I mistakenly let Leo out when Didi was hiding & I forgot he was out, turned my back & they were fighting. When I turned back there were 2 bloody tales & Leo had almost lost 2" from Didi biting on his tail. Thank goodness for Betadine baths & polysporin, they both had white tails for about 5 days, but the soaks & polysporin worked. You can't bandage a beardie's tail, taking it off damages scales; so polysporin on the wounds really worked. I just put a really thick layer on, took it off for the betadine baths, put it back on; went through a tube; so that fight just reinforced that they can't be together at all. And I know you think the same way as I do.

So keep me updated about your Rankins, I just loved their pics! They're really different!
Take care, hugs to all your babies,
Deb

 

[ShannyBeard]

Deb, when we first got the Rankins is was scared to death they would eat each other. :shock: I just couldn't get my head wrapped around the idea that they are not mini beardies. LOL. I used to sit and stare at them and watch them and worry about their every move. I scrutinized them for any dominant behavior and had what-if debates with the hubby over them. I laugh now but at the time I just worried that I'd come home and someone would be missing a tail. :shock:

Sahara doesn't appear to be gravid yet.

I remember hearing about your beardie fight! I had a close call with Smurf and Chief, believe it or not. Of all beardies to protect, too. Chief looked like he was going to eat Papa's face and Papa was sitting there looking helpless. Now you know, Papa can seem fierce, but I don't think he ever planned on actual contact with Chief! LOL. What happened was I had Papa out in the living room and I didn't properly communicate that to the hubby, and Chief gets let out almost daily. Well, Chief got let out and next thing we knew he was in the middle of the living room floor looking infuriated and Papa was an inch in front of him looking worried. I don't even have words to express how horrified I was and I felt like I couldn't get to them fast enough.

We always have several beardies out at the same time, and we have to PAY attention! :silent:

 

[Irwinshealth]

I can't wait to see the photos. I think a Rankins will be my next pet. Of course this won't be for like 10years yet I can barely keep up with what I have now.

 

[Menolly07]

Oh. My. Squee... Shannon.. If you had baby Saharas ... I would die. I would actually roll over and die. Right there on the floor. The cute would do me in. I could not take it. D-I-E Die. I love the new hatched baby beardies... Rankins? What am I meant to do with myself? I'll never wipe the nose smudges off the glass from trying to peer through.