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Re: Anyone have experience with leatherbacks?
I understand your concern/points and agree to some extent but I also think that it's healthy for animals to have a more active lifestyle even if that means interacting with other animals. I've had Wyrwrenth since she was a hatchling and for the majority of her life, she had run of the house. As I bred and showed cats (along with rescue work), she was interacting with them on a regular basis. As a hatchling, she was in a 300 gallon aquarium but once she hit about a foot long, I figured she'd be ok out. This was before I spent hours and hours online researching 'proper' care but I'm also a big proponent of giving animals the most enrichment possible. Dragons in the wild will roam relatively large areas and live a much more active lifestyle than our pets do for the most part. I had my brother's dragon (2 years younger than mine but from the same breeder) who passed away from heart failure and even the vets I spoke with said it's not uncommon for beardies to only live 7-8 years because they are fed too much and given too little exercise. This was the case with my brother's dragon. Mine, however, has lived an active lifestyle and despite the occasional (and what I feel is natural) stress from dealing with the cats, is 12 years old, runs down her crickets when she's given a treat, and loves being out in the house. She hates the 40 gallon she's in at night now but because of her age, I don't like the idea of leaving her out 24/7 anymore. Though I don't recommend this for everyone, I do feel that in my situation, the benefits of a healthier and longer lived dragon outweigh the minor risks. I also feel that they are minor as I know my cats well enough to realize that they will leave her alone. I've had animals all my life and know that having a dragon loose in the house isn't the best for most households. In my case it works and is no more dangerous than putting heat lamps on an enclosure.
If you still have concerns, I'd be more than happy to answer any questions about how I've done things or why. One of the great things on forums is getting to share and learn ideas. My way of keeping her is far from conventional and I understand that it might be concerning to others.
Ball Pythons: 1.1 Pastave (Regulus and Ceti), 0.1 Albino (Aria), 0.1 Lesser (Daenerys), 0.1 Mojave (Sangria), 1.0 Enchi Pastel (Declan), 0.1 Normal (Sydney), 1.0 Lesser pos. het Clown/Pied (Loki), 1.0 het Clown pos. het lavender albino (Liam), 0.2 het Clown (Cara and Milly)
Corn Snakes: 1.0 Blizzard (Flurry)
Other: 0.1 Bearded Dragon (Faranth), 0.1 Russian Tortoise (Henry), 1.1 Dogs (Floppy and Lucy), 2.1 Cats (Jack, Brando, and Godiva), 1 Very Understanding Husband
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