The Cold Blooded News

The Newsletter of the Colorado Herpetological Society

Volume 28, Number 4; April, 2001

TV and Bearded Dragons

by Carol Kimbrough

Reprinted from the newsletter of the Toledo Herpetological Society, Vol.12, No.1, January 2001.

December, 2000:
I heard from fellow THS member Lisa M. that her iguanas enjoy watching television. It seemed like it might be a good way to give my dragons a bit of stimulation and reduce their boredom. So I pulled out a little TV that never worked very well, not holding a picture well enough for my enjoyment. I hung it from the ceiling a foot or so from the end of the dragons' enclosure, visible from both their basking sites and most of the enclosure itself. I turned it to a channel it got fairly well and sat back to watch.

So did the dragons! All three of my adult dragons enjoy TV most of the day, only leaving their basking sites/"couches" long enough to feed or stretch their legs. Early on, I noticed that their favorite shows were football games. They all sat enraptured during every game, more devoted to their chosen sport than most humans are! Sometimes I go into their room during a game and find them feeding or otherwise busy, not watching the TV. "What are you doing," I ask. "The game is on!" Without exception, when I look at the screen, I notice that it is....half time.

To my surprise, I noticed that they were rather indifferent to basketball, but they seem to enjoy golf. They also rarely take their eyes from the screen during "Wheel of Fortune." One summer evening past their normal bed time, I had to turn their basking lights back on when the insisted on staying up to watch the movie, "Flipper." I guessed that the dolphins' up and down swimming might resemble the dragons' head bobbing, but who really knows.

One might think that it is the visual movement that attracts them to the TV. They always have enjoyed the window from which they watch the human neighbors enjoy the backyard. But I've found that when I turn the TV's sound down, the dragons seem less interested. But when the pictures goes haywire, they still seem pretty interested. So I'm guessing it's both the sound and the sights they enjoy. When a good show is on past lights out, they not uncommonly fall asleep like children, still on the basking perches, eyes fighting to stay open just a little longer, and finally slipping shut.

When my summer babies got big enough not to be mistaken for large grasshoppers, I put them in with the adult (parent) dragons. You haven't lived until you see nearly 20 dragons of various sizes stacked high dragon-fashion, all watching the tube! Apparently, it's a family thing.

(Note: My collared lizard and veiled chameleon also seem to enjoy TV, though they are deprived, not having their own set.)