Last summer I met a dragon.
His name is Harry, the Rankins Dragon. He could comfortably sit on my flat hand, although his tail doubles his length to about ten inches, so I was not too worried!
He is one of the group of bearded dragons. He was rescued from the RSPCA by an experienced reptile keeper. He was behaving as if he wanted to brumate, which is a form of slowing down shown by reptiles, which is not quite a proper hibernation. Neither of us could understand why the little fellow wanted to sleep during the best summer the UK has experienced in ages.
But a little research provided the answer. This is one of the things I really love about my job: I am still learning new things.
Because a Rankins Dragon hails from Australia, his brain is hard wired that our summer is his sleepy-time. It just goes to show. You can give a one year old dragon all the cues you like: timed temperature variations, lights off and on, controlled daylengths, but the pineal gland in his brain still knows what time of year it is Down Under! Amazing!
You may be aware that this is the time of year when we at The Mewes are inviting all pet owners to participate in our major fund raiser: the 2019 calendar Supermodel Competition.
If you have not already entered, you have just two weeks left to select your best shots. It is free to join in, and you can enter as many images as you wish. Only the very best shots can be printed in the calendar, so do check your focus for a chance to win!
We love photos of unusual pets for our calendar, including all reptiles, dragons, and tortoises, as well as rabbits, guinea pigs etc. We have had pigs and horses too.
The calendar will be sold in aid of the Cinnamon Trust, and the results and prizes will be awarded at our Christmas Party on Dec 1st. To see if your pet might be this year’s Supermodel, be sure to email your entry with your name and your pet’s name to Helen Bentley by midnight on October 31st.
