Bearding the dragon
The brightly coloured, darting gecko, the Bearded Dragon motionless in the sun, the smoothly silent, slithering python. In a country with one of the largest reptile populations in the world, and where we can often see them visiting our backyard, it’s not hard to understand the fascination Australians have with keeping these ancient creatures as pets.
They make fascinating and rewarding pets, but by taking them out of their natural habitat we can introduce some potential health issues. In the collection of reptile and rodent articles here we examine some of the illnesses your scaly sidekicks may contract, and the things you can do to help them.
“At noon in the desert a panting lizard
waited for history, its elbows tense,
watching the curve of a particular road
as if something might happen.”
waited for history, its elbows tense,
watching the curve of a particular road
as if something might happen.”
— William Stafford
