I agree completely with you on that. Not only have they been domesticated for thousands of years, they are also mammals. I stand on both sides of the fence with this debate as a result of questions I don't know the answers to. I have a B.Sc. in biology with coursework heavy on animal behavior. I worked as a research assistant for 2 years in a behavior lab. I also have I minor in nutrition. None of these things makes me an authority on either subject, just want to let you all know where I'm coming from.

I have often wondered the legitimacy of giving emotions to our reptile pets, such as boredom and depression. I wonder if what we perceive as these emotions is just a lack of response to a stimuls that is not present, such as a moving cricket. Feeding response in reptiles is an instict that occurs when a stimuls is present. That would be movement with insects and colors and shapes with non-prey foods. Does the lack of that stimuls make a dragon bored? Does a dragon have the ability to sit around and ponder the absence of moving prey and as a result get deppressed? Are we going to far by projecting these emotions onto a reptile pet? I do not fully know the answers to these questions, but have my own opinions about them. All this considered, I do offer live food to my dragons, some more than others. I keep my dragons individually, and feed each dragon by what they seem to like more. Admittedly, I would prefer they eat more of the pellet and salad mixes.

As far as the nutrition aspect is concerned, I don't have any doubts that a dragon that eats the pellets(rep-cal) regularly will be any less healthy than a dragon raised on a diet of live and non-live foods. All the nutrients are there. The protiens in the pellets are complete protiens. The pellets contain as much protien as a cricket by dry weight, and more in the case of the juvenile formula. Anyway, I could go on for pages about nutrition, but I fear I might bore everyone. It's a subject I'm obbsesed with for both my reptiles and myself. I'm done, for now.
good luck
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Bill DiFabio
Azteclizard.com
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