2021 ANIMAL STORIES MAGAZINE

2021 PET MAGAZINE LINCOLN DAILY NEWS JANUARY 21, 2021 Page 17 Continue p characteristic of the lizard is its body armor of reptilian scales including the area on the throat that puffs up. Devin shared a photo of her two dragons. “The beardie on the left is a female named Mable, and on the right is a male named Bowser. Both are rescues, so I am not sure of their ages, but they are now at least two years old.” Devin said that she has always been fond of reptiles, and as a very small child her parents, for a time, had dragons. When she decided that she would like to have her own, she said it took a little convincing to get mom Bobbie Snyder to agree. “I’ve always loved reptiles; when I was growing up, we had two bearded dragons and I’ve loved them ever since. My mom is very supportive of me, however, it took a small amount of convincing to initially get her on board with another pet.” Note that Devin said another pet. Bobbie and Devin love animals and they have a few including dogs that they adore. Devin started her personal reptile experiences with a gecko, another pet that is by the definition of “unusual” considered to be an exotic. She then moved on to the dragons. “After I proved myself able to care for my leopard gecko, she (mom Bobbie) agreed to let me get at least one bearded dragon.” Devin said she proved herself to her mom, and in addition demonstrated that having the special pets made her happy. At the same time, mom expected that when Devin said she would be responsible, she meant it fully. “My mom told me yes because she saw that I was responsible, but also she saw that taking care of my babies made me happy and made me feel important -- I even pay their vet bills!” Devin noted that part of being a responsible pet parent was to be an informed pet parent. Before getting her dragons, she did her homework, literally. “To make sure that I was ready to care for my beardies, I started by asking my parents about what they did for my childhood beardies. After gaining some basic knowledge, I continued learning by looking at exotic care websites, articles, vlogs (video blog,) text threads, and learning about common mistakes and risks.” Devin concluded her comments about her pets. “I love making sure my babies are happy and healthy! One of the most rewarding things about having my beardies has been getting to know each of their little personalities, behaviors and attitudes. I don’t think I will ever live without a bearded dragon again!” Curious to see what Devin meant about personalities, LDN found a YouTube video of