Why I Refused to get a Bearded Dragon

Since the dawn of time, aka seven years ago, when I started making videos, the first question all new people would ask whenever they see that I have a reptile is where is your

bearded

dragon

? You can't be a reptile keeper without a

bearded

dragon

when people were like oh what are you doing, who are you? and I'm like a reptile keeper, I'm like, oh, you have bearded dragons, actually, bearded dragons are the animal that everyone knows you about. You don't need to know anything about the community, you don't need to know any other animal by name, but everyone on earth knows what a bearded dragon is if you want a pet that's not as common as a dog or cat.

I always went for the bearded dragon because a lot of people are afraid of snakes and other lizards apparently don't exist and I still don't know why, they aren't even exactly the easiest lizards everyone says they are. They are super easy, but there is a lot to do with them, they don't have the simplest diet or heating or anything. I won't talk about any of that today, what I'm talking about is after a few years. getting into reptiles why I always avoided buying a braided dragon and yes this here is my bearded dragon you may remember.

I was in the vlog where I got stranded in my car because the charger wasn't working. I went to Charlotte or something like that. About two or three hours away, I was dropping off some animals and then I went to pick up a couple and he was the first one I went to pick up and we had so much time bonding in that car that we were together for a whole day. in the freezing cold in a car that had no battery, but that's all on video if you want to watch that vlog. um, I couldn't really use the heat because the car didn't have much battery, so we were warm. together in the pitch dark waiting for a tow truck and it was just true love at that moment, but I don't know if I've learned that feeling.

Now I understand it a lot every time we have an animal. I have the feeling that I know I'm going to keep this animal. If you didn't know, we pay full price for the emerald scale animals because otherwise the company would fail if we got them for free and second, it's just a good way to really make sure that we're really interested in the animal , so we pay what you would pay, uh, but basically I like, I have that feeling with how I am, oh, I know that I'm going to follow this is going to be very difficult not to do it and sometimes that's the case I've been left with two up now but other times I just lose interest uh he wasn't one of those I had him here for quite a while and what's terrible is one of the reasons I didn't want to get him is just because he was a bearded dragon and he used to say he would never get a bearded dragon, but come on, name just one youtuber, anyone on youtube who has made a video about reptiles.

That doesn't have this photo of them standing or sitting there with a bearded dragon on one side of their shoulder and your hand up. This is a true mascot YouTuber in the best way possible. I've officially peaked and I mean, I just have to deal. With this I want to be one of those nervous ones like avoiding regular people like oh I don't want a bearded dragon. They are so basic but I got over it after several years so I'm going to go into detail. from my past with barbets why I didn't want one and how I finally ended up buying one so I got my first true reptile in 2013.

That was sunny, my wall python, I call them my first true reptile because I had caught a lot of reptiles before of that, um, I would still temporarily release some things that you probably shouldn't do. I was like 12 or younger because I started doing that when I was like I don't know six or seven or something, but I finally finally went to a current exhibition. I was going to say I actually did my research, but I didn't do my research. I actually paid for one and got an animal that was bred as an exotic pet, so at first I wanted a snake, um, the reason I was going to get one. corn snake but I dated a ball python.

I know it's a big job and then my second reptile that I bought was a lizard and what I would do is make lists of the animals that interested me. I can not do this. With anything I'm interested in, whether it's a new camera or games or whatever, I'd make a list and do pros and cons and everything, and bearded dragons would always be on that list of animals, but they'd be around number five. to seven they weren't on my first list because I knew I wanted a snake first, they were on my second list, a few animals after the leprechaun gecko, which I ended up getting the leopard gecko and then I got a blue tongue skink, I think there were seven on that one list like they were down there, they were there because I was like, you know, the beardies, people say they're good and I'd never really had practice with the braided dragon.

I really had the only intention of seeing them in person. at petco or something, these dying, skinny, sad little guys, some of them were probably already dead and no one said anything because they didn't want me to cry because they were dead and they still had never touched a dragon in years like me. I had been making videos for years and had yet to come into contact with a bearded dragon. I didn't really know any reptile keepers in person. It was like a photography class or something in high school. I guess someone brought in a beardie for a project. and that was actually I don't know why I even remember it wasn't monumental it was just hey there's this cool dragon breed yeah where is this video going but I realized there when I was sitting at the table and he was.

I relaxed in the middle of the table and thought, "Wait, this is my first time touching a dragon. I'd just like to pet him a couple of times and he wasn't amazed or anything." what a bearded dragon is like and I left that day it's no different it didn't make me not like dragons but I didn't want one anymore uh that was just my first experience that was a mini story wow amazing story I saw a person, but after that I never I had handled one in person, in fact the first time I handled a bearded dragon in my own hands it was emerald scales when we took them and now I was going to take care of one, this was just a little over a year ago so I didn't have any concern, we were prepared, we had the supplies and this was the first time I really worked with the breeder dragon and I thought I knew they were coming so I was like oh boy I'm really going to see if I like bearded ones and I still don't like them.

I liked them I didn't like them I didn't like them like crunchy geckos no I really only say that now because I know people get sad when I say I don't like crunchy geckos, but there were bearded ones here, they were in my care and it was definitely cool to have one in my hands. I thought, wow, this is pretty good, so my first impressions were neither good nor bad. I was actually going to give a first impression, but I figured I have no opinions on this animal and I'm not going to give one, so I guess as expected, they felt normal, they felt cool, they were like a cool lizard, so we got . to work with a bunch of different dragons, there were some super cool ones, like huge, um, really big dragons, I think they're in old vlogs and stuff, but they were huge, they sold really well, they went to good homes, they were overall . in excellent condition so I was really able to get a feel for a lot of different dragons and I still don't think any of them tempted me and there were several reasons for this, the first reason I always mentioned when people would ask what was not the main reason or the main reason it was only the first is the fact that they are so saturated that there is not a reptile keeper who does not have a bearded dragon, obviously there will be some but it was very rare to see them without them so I felt good not having one and I'm focusing on unique species that I wanted to do but never really did.

I kept getting more basic species like a ball python and a corn snake and a leopard gecko I still don't have a crested gecko, that's a side note. Come back next year when I say why didn't I get a crested gecko and then I have a scab on my shoulder probably not what if I actually Basically I kept saying I was going to get more unique animals but I actually did because these other things kept attracting my interest and it was so uninteresting like this video was so uninteresting like I found bearded dragons and there were a ton of things that I learned about these lizards that I just didn't know breeder dragons were very different because you could like you could feed some animals and then leave the beardies on the table and they would eat their own meals.

They are very independent animals um and meanwhile if you leave it like a leprous gecko on the table it will just run away like you've seen in all the videos or the skin of a bluetongue could probably fall off the table. The bearded ones were actually mature and intelligent enough. enough to not do that, if you actually watched my video ranking my lizard from smartest to dumbest, this bearded one was just chilling, he sat down at the table, so that was definitely the biggest difference I've noticed from to the others and they are very reptilian looking if you are looking for reptilian it will probably be a bunch of bearded dragons um that feels good continue oh yeah oh yeah you don't need to go to the dollar store for a back scratcher I have one right here and they were kind of a which I would really dedicate a lot of time to because sometimes I work.

I am concerned if there is an individual animal. If I give it too much time I'll end up wanting it just because it's nearby, but I could have beardies hanging on my table for hours or on my desk while I edit or work or something and I didn't care at all, they were hanging there but I still didn't want one and each of us who have already left. through a timeline of like seven years of my mini experiences with beardies and they were all the same every time, I think they're cool but overall pretty uninteresting, so at the end of the day the main reason I didn't get one was just because I didn't do it, it didn't pique my interest if someone had left me one and said I can't keep it and before I rehomed I probably would have said okay and I would have it and they would take care of it and I would probably give it a name or whatever , but I don't think it would have been a very basic and disappointing pet for both of us because beardies seem to be an animal that really enjoys human contact. uh, at least more than others and finally there was a bearded dragon that was relocated to us that I really liked.

It was this orange type. It's in a handful of videos, it's in a lot of Instagram photos and I really love it. this lizard I don't know why his personality really attracted me this is very strange because I don't know what was different it was just this strange human emotion or this trigger that my mind had that was like I like this bearded one but not all these other bearded ones when in reality each one was unique in its own way but he didn't have anything unique that stood out, we had much more beautiful colored ones, if you ask me, we had bigger ones, we had smaller ones. older and younger we had all these random beauties but this one really caught my eye and I thought we had them on the site and I was like 80 sure I was going to buy them and I thought okay, I think maybe a few. days I will buy it and then it sold that day so I was pretty bummed about that.

That was the saddest box I ever had to make in my life. What is the opposite of an unpacking? Just a boxing like I put it in the box and brought it to fedex, I think I took a picture like right before I closed the box or right before I put it in the box because I was really bummed like it wasn't something big enough to get me excited about , but I thought I really don't want to take them, but at the same time I never had enough motivation to get them because I could have gotten them at any time, there was nothing stopping me, I had the money for it, I just never got it. above that peak, so basically he was exactly the same as every other beardie, but for some reason I liked them more and like the others, I couldn't get over that problem, he's barely uninteresting, so it's very strange, um , and finally We went through other beauties after that and then we ended with this one and I really think one of the big differences is that we had a really unique first impression from the beginning because it was during a memorable trip.

I only drove a few hours, it was a single day trip, but I got a good feel for them. I picked them up in the parking lot of a McDonald's, uh, by a guy who came out of this big, raised white thing, like an F-150 or something. and the moment he opened the door nothing against this guy, he doesn't know who I am, I don't think so, but he opened the door and you could like in a cartoon, when you see a smell, I felt like I could see the smell of smoke coming out of cigarette, so I'm always a little upset, well, very worried when an animal comes from a smoking house, when I didn't go to his house, this was just his truck and we were in a parking lot at Walmart, I don't mean Walmart , McDonald's, where the smell, why is Walmart, where the smell is very powerful of that processed chicken, but my mind was definitely overcome bythat cigarette smell, so I immediately felt bad for the lizard, but then he talked to him and it sounded like they really cared about him uh, I don't know if he really had an enclosure, they basically roamed him around freely, but he looks amazing by having roamed freely, he doesn't have any metabolic bone disease, I don't know how.

Basically they did, I don't remember his exact words, but what he implied is that he lived on his couch like they always watched, like you know, watch TV with your animal and things that apparently sound like the beardies really They will enjoy. seeing the colors and movements on TV so you can actually watch TV with them and like feeding them and stuff, it seems like they had a good diet. What's strange is that everything was pretty normal and uninteresting, which is like any other experience. I have had a bearded one but I knew this guy would really like human attention and usually when I know an animal really needs that attention I am more inclined to rehome him with someone who has fewer animals as they have my back . and I can't give each animal as much time as I did when I had two reptiles, so if you plan on growing a collection, that's great, but if you only have a few now, cherish those moments because I really miss them. when I could, just when I had two sunny golden animals and then a couple of amphibians, those were really great times and I didn't actually pick them up at the time because then they just kept growing, so there are definitely benefits that I don't regret having. obtained. of these animals, well, I have made some videos that I like, I wonder if I regret it, but I don't regret getting the amount of animals that I have, so from there I don't remember exactly how I said, you can watch this vlog because it was literally everything documented, which is the best thing about vlogging, so if you're just vlogging for yourself, take pictures and videos of things, because then you don't have to just tell the story, you can show it. spicy, uh, it's cool to see visually, but we spent all day, we stopped at different chargers and finally we were stranded and every time I looked at him, he was so cute, he was so satisfied that he didn't flinch, he didn't bother. he was like casually looking at you and then looking around, looking into the wind, oh that was the cutest thing when you just sit there and look out the window, like when you watch tv, i guess he was in the passenger seat, no , No.

Don't think I hit him at child protective services, here they don't come buckled up, they sit in the passenger seat and he was literally watching the world go by and I was like, oh this is so sweet, I have a feeling a lot of babies they would do that, but I actually got to see it first hand and I spent half a day with him and I don't know, he just didn't complain, I don't know how he would complain like a lizard, they don't. it made a lot of noise but he just seemed satisfied and happy with everything um and then yeah we got to the toad and he got there he met the crane driver the crane shot was like he was a cool lizard it was like an hour drive on the tow truck and he was the bumpiest thing I had ever been on and he was shaking all the time and I felt really bad about it.

I kept him awake. He was in a bathtub, so I held the bathtub. elevated above my legs all the time and my hands got really tired because I was trying to like their suspensions and somehow it worked, um and then they took us to another charger, we loaded there and then we went home, so No I just had all these cute moments, they were like little movie scenes of oh, it's like looking out the window oh, he's taking a nap, I think I had my blanket from Adventure Time or something and he was snuggled up in it next to me. to the charger and yes.

They were good times, the vlog didn't get many views, but it was one of my favorites, so I keep saying you should watch it, you should do it, and it was that moment where I realized it was just because we had all those moments that we really I wanted them, but after a few days I didn't say I was going to get it, but I was implying that all the animals are quarantined for a while, so I had a lot of time to think about it and I did. give him more attention than the others I would let him spend more time and relax and I really got to know him but he had no changes he was just a perfect average little braided dragon and I think that's one of the reasons I liked him because he was perfectly normal, it wasn't something crazy, it wasn't a crazy transformation, it wasn't a crazy price, I paid like 150 for it, it was just a cold beauty that I came off Craigslist and spent the day with.

That was me finally getting over my desire to be a quirky, offbeat, unique YouTuber who doesn't have a beard, just all these other species. Because I did it, I thought it was cool and fun, so it happened that it doesn't have a name, you can leave suggestions, but I'm very picky, so I probably won't choose your name. It takes me months to name animals. It's taken me up to a year and I'm a little tempted. I've been tempted to do it. brings more places, I don't want to do anything crazy that will stress him out more than him, he'll enjoy it, for example, I want to do more solo trips in the future and I thought, what if I just brought? him just for the adventure, so I can't decide if it would probably be more fun for him than it would be for me to bring it, uh, because I imagine it would be pretty stressful overall, but I'll consider it, he'd like to set it up.

Okay, think about this, you could put together a little travel package, do you realize I didn't write an outline for this video? Think about what would happen if he had his own small suitcase, that he had a suitcase and included it, what if it was a little? Mike, two little micro bulbs, some UVB and a little heat bulb in his own briefcase, what if it had his name engraved on it and that's it? It would be that and then it could be like a little thing or like a little one. bug bag as a lunch, okay, there's a lunch box, there's a small lunch box inside its little carrying bag, the lunch box has bugs in it and then there's a smaller lunch box in that lunch box and the things in it are food for the bugs and then you have your briefcase and you have a little heat bulb, a little heat lamp, um, like a safety rep thingy or maybe even like a little bottle of pre-treated Reptisafe Deer Park.

I could give him some Fiji water or something because that's probably safe actually uh and then he'd just like to have his own set up, the only problem is if I took him to an Airbnb he'd probably like to poop everywhere , but that's the point is that bearded dragons are fine, how am I fine? It's going to sound bad. when I say this, but they are kind of a toy in the sense that you can really move them around and do whatever you want with them, but in a respectful way that still puts their well-being before your own enjoyment of playing with your animal as you.

You can put things on their heads like little hats or you can put them on the table and enjoy them while they are calm. They're things like that that don't really bother them like nothing dangerous or annoying or stressful, but they're the animal that you can do the most with, but I still don't think that's what attracted me to it at all, so I still don't know why. I bought it, in particular, I just had that emotional response that made me give money to get it and I. I'm fine with it and I'm happy with it, so this is the bearded dragon.

No, I don't plan on making a care guide any time soon. I usually try to make care guides after at least several years of owning an animal. but anyway there are a lot of beard videos so I definitely want to do more beauty videos but not necessarily about their breeding but who knows what will come in the future. This is just a very confusing and strange story of why I have this beard. and my experience with other beauties in the past so I guess the bottom line is that back in the day I specifically wanted to not have a beard and then I didn't really care if I had a beard and then I saw this beard that barely stung. my interest is enough to get you to understand, um, I haven't really featured it at all, so I mentioned a few times that this is my video and that I got one, but I never really bothered to get into it, so this is it my official announcement that I got a bearded dragon miniature.

Let's see that thumbnail. Curious fact. All my thumbnails are basically just screenshots from the video, but they are very high quality because this camera has good quality. No, I won't use it.