Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have and love my dragon. He's very docile and sweet.
He's approximately one year old and 16 1/2".

He seems to enjoy being handled and sits comfortable on my shoulders.

I'm considering another dragon (one which is more active) or a Uromastyx.

Do UM's like to be handled? Do they require more time vs BD's to be tamed?

What would most UM's do if put onto a floor? My dragon usually stays in one place and sometimes will walk a couple of steps.

I appreciate information on what makes UM's good pets and how they differ in their behavior vs BD's.

Thank you,
luvmybd

If you're looking for something docile to spend lap time, another BD would be a better choice. If you want something active and curious, and don't mind that it's less suited to handling and outside-the-cage time than BDs, then uros are great.

Because they're so active and they need such a wide temperature gradient, they need quite large cages. They also shouldn't be out of their cages for extended periods of time because average room temperatures are much cooler than uros should be. If you put one on the floor, it might calmly explore if you're lucky. If you're not lucky, you'll end up with a uro lodged in the 1" gap between the cabinet and the wall like a certain forum user did (me). They are EXTREMELY fast and can wedge into the most surprising places.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
0.1 Collared Lizard (Rorschach)
2.0 Green Anoles (Bowser and Sprocket)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

I really appreciate your response.

I'm going for another BD.

Thank you!!

LOL! When I let Taz out, I have to tail him very closely or he will be gone! So I follow him around and steer him away from the "underneath" places with my foot, and he turns around and licks my foot when I do. I just don't take him out if I can't watch him like a hawk, but I can let my beardies cruise around with moderate supervision.

They are very interactive, but as Torey said, they are less tolerant of handling. Taz eats out of my hand and loves to be stroked around his head and under his chin, but bolts if I try to stroke him down his back and squirms after I have handled him for a few minutes.

A friend saw a pic of my little one, Ngozi, and said they must be very slow and lethargic based on their appearance. LOL! Nothing could be farther from the truth! If I put that little belly dancing, tail whipping, ornery little beastie on the floor, I wouldn't see him again until he either decided to allow my presence enough to come out and find food or I followed the smell trail to a corpse!

luvmybd, do I know you from another forum? bd.org, perhaps?