Mad About Pets!

One of the challenges of owning a pet is making sure that there is someone appropriate who can care for your beloved pet. This is true no matter what kind of animal you have. However, if you own a bearded dragon, you may find that it’s not that easy to get someone to pet sit your animal for you, especially if your neighbor has other animals in the home. Reptiles can be quite intimidating for many people so if you’re planning a trip, you can be faced with a dilemma whether you should leave it at home or take it along.

This decision will be based on where you are going and how long you are leaving for. If you’ll be out for a few days and you can manage to get a friend, neighbor or someone else to pet sit your animal, then you may want to consider leaving your bearded dragon behind. Bearded dragons can be quite sensitive to their environment so having it moved around and jostled can be quite upsetting for it. Having a warm and familiar environment is less stressful for your pet rather than having it moved around, even if you are there for the ride.

Now if you can’t leave your bearded dragon and you must or want to take it along, there are some things you need to do to prepare for the trip. First, make sure that the airline you will use knows that you are taking an animal with you. It’s very likely that you have to check in your pet with cargo as other passengers on the plan may not take well to having a reptile on board. Also, the hotel or place where you will be staying at needs to be made aware of the added guest. The last thing you want is to get kicked out or refused stay because you brought a pet along. Choose pet friendly hotels. If you are staying at a friend’s house, give them a head’s up so he isn’t freaked out by a surprise visitor.

Prep your pet for a car ride if you’re going by land. Place it in a cat carrier for a few days to accustom your pet to the traveling case. If you plan to drive, you need to keep your pet warm. It’s a good idea to place its cage or by the window where it can get a lot of sunlight. Bring your own water and food to keep things familiar.

These simple tips can go a long way in ensuring the comfort of your beardie whether you decide to leave it at home or take it along for the ride.

Mario Ross is the author of the free eBook "Bearded Dragon Quick Start". His blog will provide useful bearded dragon care sheets and he is offering his eBook free of charge to anyone interested in keeping bearded dragons as pets.