“I originally wanted a chameleon when I started getting interested in reptiles a couple of years ago. Eventually, my attention went towards bearded dragons because I found them really interesting. I begged my parents for one, and eventually, they got me a bearded dragon.  I named him Gobi because of the desert in Mongolia

My favorite thing about him is dressing him up with the accessories I bought for him. I have bat, dragon wings, and a hat and bow tie to which I accessorize him. My favorite thing about Gobi is all of his scales and little spikes on his face. Sometimes he opens his mouth up wide, making his beard really big. I was also really into dragons. I think that’s also part of why I wanted to get him in the first place because I wanted a dragon. But clearly, I can’t have a dragon, so I got a bearded dragon instead. 

 An interesting story about Gobi is when I give him baths. I put him in a dish that is usually used for baking and such. He gets out pretty easily, so he got out of it once and tried to eat a spider.

It’s funny when I let him roam around my room because he likes to go under my bed and get dust all over his face. He likes to jump on my curtains and jump up onto me. Then he also climbs up all the way up on my arm shoulder, which is cute.

My daily routine goes somewhat like this:  I wake up and turn on his lights, turn off his heat lamp, and give him fresh water, carrots, and a little bit of calcium powder. Then I give him around three cockroaches and a couple of mealworms. When I go to school I leave his lights on all day, and when I come home around eight o’clock, I turn his lights off. I usually try to take him out on a walk, and I even have a leash to walk him. Over the weekends, I try to get him to take a bath. Important parts of caring for bearded dragons are their diet and lighting: how warm and cold they are, because they can get really cold at night, especially during winter. I had to get a heating lamp for Gobi so that he wouldn’t get too cold. I also have a whole box of cockroaches and meal worms in my room to feed him. I have to maintain those ecosystems and make sure they’re good to go.”