Ryu the Pumpkin Pirate

Ryu’s family moved to Jamaica and was unable to take her. So, she found a forever home with me. I grew up around lizards running around the Sonoran desert but never had any that we kept in a cage. This was going to be a whole new adventure for her and me.

When Ryu arrived, she was three years old, about 15 inches long. She seemed very happy and healthy but had spent most of her life in a glass cage. Her previous house was not safe for her to roam, they had cats and she could get eaten.

When she moved in with us, we moved her into a large 6x4x12 enclosure, not a glass cage. She has a few hours a week where she gets to roam free in the house. She loves it so much. Every few mornings she comes to the edge of her reptile room door and scratches to let me know that she’s awake and ready to go explore. Our dogs quickly caught on that she was part of the pack, not a toy or food. But we never trust them together alone. On the days when she is roaming the house, we are always close by, keeping an eye on things.

Her favorite place in the house is any windowsill. She loves to look out the window at everything that is going on, and if the sun is shining in, that's a bonus.

Another spot I can always find her in is one of the small dog beds next to a floor vent. She loves the soft fabric and the warm/cool air blowing next to her. You can always tell when she is in the dog bed because there will be a disgruntled pup close by, chased out of their own bed by a dragon!

She likes to go outside and sunbathe on the banisters on our deck. I have to keep an eye on her as she likes to escape and explore the yard… for a few days! Lucky for us both, bearded dragons won't travel very far on their outings, and can often be found close to the last spot they were seen. It's nerve-racking, but no need to panic. I have learned quite a lot about seek and find with this little lady.

Recently she’s become quite the explorer and has started roaming around the enclosed pumpkin patch. I had never considered this to be an area for her, but if it can keep the rabbits out, it can keep a dragon in. She loves to go and find a nice big round pumpkin to lay on and spend an hour in the sun rays. She will flatten herself out like a plate and soak up all the sun she can stand until she gets too hot. Then she slides down off the pumpkin on her belly into the cool grass, wallows around a bit. She’s a happy dragon.

When she is not happy, she can’t hide it. She gets black lines and patches all over her body. She won’t let you pick her up and will hunch down, flaring out her spikes making them poke you. Normally the spikes are soft and loose. Not when she is mad, might as well just walk away or she might just poke you. Bearded Dragons own you, you don’t own them. That’s the standard.

Little things will make her upset because she is a spoiled queen now. Not enough mealworms, she will go hide on her log for a day. If she decides I came in and paid more attention to the tortoise than her, she will ignore me for a week. If she misses her beloved daily bath time, she will blackout half her body and go on strike against the world, until a proper bath is made. She has become quite the diva.

For her 4th birthday, she received her own pirate ship to navigate the pumpkin patch. She set sail at noon and conquered the patch by two. Celebrations ran long and late into the day until she passed out from all the fun. It was a great day to be a dragon.

I wonder what she is going to do this winter… snowsuits and sled rides are waiting!