Beardie Temperament

[Gonzo]

I recently read the following quote on this forum,

"... if you are looking for a pet for your kids Central Beardies are the ones to get. The temperament of the other Beardies (while usually fine) is far less suited to constant handling and the like..."

I can't recall ever hearing or reading any information on this sort of comparison. I've done a search and can't find anything that support this claim. Is this a well known fact, or is it opinion?

I'd be interested to hear the opinions of people who keep centrals and another type beardie.
Have you found, from your experience, that the other beardies are, "far less suited to constant handling and the like..."

Gonzo

[Ewan]

Hi Dr Gonzo! From the contact I have had with Eastern Beardies (wild mostly) and Central Beardies (captive only) the temperament has been much the same. Some of the wild Eastern specimens I have found are sometimes unsettled to handle but rarely bite. Same goes for my Central captives. I have not had much contact with pygmy and no contact at all with westerns. In captivity I think the Centrals (compared to easterns) are more interesting in personality and colouration variety. Having said that I'm sure Eastern keepers will say they are better than Centrals. At the end of the day I would say that in captivity, even when handled often, they are all quite easy going and tolerent of frequent handling.

[falconboy]

I've also seen that comment, which specifically mentioned Pygmys, and its rubbish. More often than not its keepers who don't keep the type in question that blurt out such dribble. Or bias. One of the two.

I've kept Centrals, Pygmys and Dwarfs. If anything, I have found my Dwarfs to be a bit calmer, and they are only babies, which surprises me as generally the young ones aren't big fans of being handled since they aren't used to it. You can get good and bad in any of the types. My Pygmys are ok (not fantastic) to handle, but basically they only ever get handled when I need to move them. They aren't 'handled' as such, so considering that they are actually very good.

Keep in mind too, that the smaller species eat less, poo less and you can either keep them in a smaller enclosure, or the way I like to look at it - you can simply keep more of them!! I no longer keep centrals but only for size related issues. I'm glad I'm feeding 14 small species and not adult centrals!

But its like any animal, the more you handle, the better they will generally be.

[Aslan]

Gonzo - I believe that quote was made by me...

I have kept Eastern and Central Beardies for a number of years - I got out of Beardies for a while and have recently started keeping Centrals again...

Through my experiences and observations there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Central's are a much better captive animal. Despite having success in keeping and breeding Easterns I believe they are a much more 'delicate' species of Beardie and usually somewhat more tempremental...I would never recommend them as a first time lizard...

Centrals are a much bolder and more confident animal and as such tend to be better suited to the 'pet' life...my animals in general are rarely handled, and as such it makes little difference to me, however this is unlikely the case for a child's pet which is what the quote relates directly to...

The observations I have made have been discussed with a number of well regarded keepers of all species of Beardies and in general the consensus is the same...as you will note, my statement agrees that most types of Beardies are fine to handle - I don't disagree on this fact - but my experiences and discussions have all indicated that Centrals are much more tolerant and robust in this regard...

Central Bearded Dragons are one of the most commonly kept species of pet in the world today, I believe there is a reason for this...

Falconboy - It seems hypocritical to suggest a bias on my part - you no longer keep Centrals and have come to the swift defense of the Pygmy - explain the difference...?

The only possible bias I see here is that from people who are currently maintaining and breeding the 'other' types of Beardies - I have no Beardies for sale and no intention to breed any for a few years yet - can you guys say the same..?

[falconboy]

Hi Aslan. I didn't say I don't think Centrals are good beardies, I simply 'defended' what I thought was undeserved comments towards Pygmys. My only reason for not keeping centrals are the size, nothing else. No sweat mate. Sorry if I offended you.

But I see where you are coming from with keepers talking up their own beardies they breed. Not refering to anyone in particular, but 9 times out of 10 I've heard comments from potential buyers that a another seller of 'big' beardies has put down the others because they are 'harder to care for' or 'not as nice personality' which is a load of crock which really gets my goat. I guess Pygmy sellers have the advantage of being able to be 100% honest in their 'marketing' in saying they all are great pets with similar needs, but Pygmys eat less and take up less space. I go one further, which could actually be detrimental to a sale, in saying they don't tend to colour up like the others. Can't be more honest than that.

[Gonzo]

Thanks for your reply Aslan.
I don't have a problem with what you believe, every person is entitled to their opinion.
The problem is that in the initial post you presented your opinions as if they were fact.
I also don't have a problem with people talking up a species that they have kept and are familiar with.
I do disagree with them making comparisons between those and others of which they have no experience.
Your small positive contribution about the temperament of other types of Beardies - "while usually fine", is negated by the following line, which states that they are "far less suited to constant handling and the like..."
In what way, specifically, is the temperament of my Mitchelli, "far less suited to constant handling and the like..."
I agree that Centrals have an excellent temperament. However, your insinuation that their popularity over other dragons is proof of their superior temperament, is ridiculous. My opinion of why Centrals are the most common of the larger beardies, is that their colours make them more attractive/popular.
Most of the smaller dragons are rarer in captivity and not available in the US or UK. I don't think that this is due to any belief that their temperament is "far less suited to constant handling and the like.

I don't have a problem with Falconboy, or anyone else talking up whatever they are breeding or selling. As long as they don't try to pass their opinion off as though it were everyone elses.

[falconboy]

Originally Posted by Gonzo

I don't have a problem with Falconboy, or anyone else talking up whatever they are breeding or selling. As long as they don't try to pass their opinion off as though it were everyone elses.

Excellent point Gonzo, I agree, it happens a lot, but just to set the record straight, I wasn't talking up Pygmys because I keep them and not centrals, I was defending them because I have kept all 3 and didn't feel the comments towards Pygmys personality were founded. Thats all! I'd much prefer a pair of nice big orange Centrals than Pygmys any day of the week if you really must know, but for space reasons alone I choose Pygmys.

As I said in the previous post: "they all are great pets with similar needs, but Pygmys eat less and take up less space" I don't think anyone (not even Aslan) can argue with that.

[Gonzo]

Aslan - You say that your statement is based on your observations, and discussion with keepers of all species of Beardies.
What exactly did the Mitchelli keeper say about the their handling temperament, that makes them "far less suited to constant handling and the like..."

Also, the following statement was a bit vague.
"Central Bearded Dragons are one of the most commonly kept species of pet in the world today, I believe there is a reason for this..."
Was my interpretation of it correct?

Gonzo

[dragon lady]

I have helped look after Black Soil Dragons....they are adorable,have the same characteristics as a vitticeps
especially to each other....
yes i do agree that over a period of time...vitticeps can be handled more
without harm or stress
i did find that the little guys dont have as much patience...

i hope that helps....
ps: i love all dragons