Docile reptile: Six-year-old Orhan Shah holding a bearded dragon at the pets shop in Johor Baru. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
JOHOR BARU: This cold-blooded creature is named after a mythical animal, but this one cannot breathe fire. Enter the bearded dragon, which has become a favoured pet in Malaysia.
Demand for bearded dragons is increasing in view of the approaching Year of the Dragon next month, said Suprema Exotic Pets shop assistant Zulhashimi Abidin.
“It has become popular lately, especially ones that are red in colour,” he said.
He said the reptile is called a bearded dragon because it can puff up the underside of its throat to make it look menacing... like a dragon!
“When bearded dragons puff up the underside of their throats, it looks as if they have a beard. The reason why they do this is because it is part of their defence mechanism, or in trying to entice a mate in the wild.
Zulhashimi said that there was a growing demand for bearded dragons among Malaysians wanting to keep lizards as pets.
“Despite the spiny scales covering its body from tail to head, bearded dragons are actually gentle animals, making them suitable as pets,” he said.
He advised pet owners to have at least a two-foot (61cm) deep tank or aquarium, which must be equipped with two heat lamps.
The heat lamps, UVB and UVA, would provide the bearded dragon with much needed vitamins to prevent them from getting infected with metabolic bone disease, he said.
“In terms of diet, bearded dragons usually eat small insects and also vegetation,” he added.
The price for a bearded dragon depends on its size, he said, adding that it could range between RM200 and RM300.
“The lizard can live up to nine years in captivity and can grow up to 60cm long,” he added.
He also said the species, pogona vitticeps, comes from the lizard family where it can be found in the Australian desert.
