Sunshine just might be one of the most underrated luxuries in the world; abundant as it is, very little compares in the realm of comfort and physiological health than letting your skin soak in some of those sweet ultraviolet rays, so long as it’s done in moderation. It’s no surprise, then, that we send our pets outside as often as we can so that they can indulge as well.
But for some domesticated critters, the outdoors are less a vacation and more a complete and utter battle royale, with all the lawlessness and power imbalances that we humans—with our cities and constitutions—are quick to overlook. TikTok‘s @jazzyjezzica, however, will no longer be doing that, lest her bearded dragon doesn’t have as much luck next time.
In the video, Jess is watching her beloved reptile from a distance on her porch (according to the video description, this is something they do regularly), when a hawk suddenly comes out of nowhere in hopes of adding a few scales to its diet. But, with what’s presumably a triumphant “not today,” the bearded dragon puffs its features out and successfully startles the hawk away, after which she scampers back into the arms of Jess, and perhaps rethinks her decision to not purchase travel insurance.
Some commenters were quick to reprimand Jess for letting her lizard venture so freely into what we now know to be hawk-infested sidewalks, but depriving bearded dragons of outdoor time could potentially be even more dangerous than avoiding enemy territory completely. Bearded dragons who are held in captivity in any capacity are more vulnerable to health issues, the most common of which being metabolic bone disease (or MDB). MBD is often brought on by improper lighting and malnutrition, and causes the lizard’s skeleton to weaken and detrimentally change shape. This is because the lizard’s body will extrapolate calcium from its skeleton if it’s not consuming enough of the mineral. Sunlight, then, is an invaluable asset when it comes to the health of bearded dragons.
Nevertheless, this was certainly a learning experience for Jess and her cold-blooded comrade, who will henceforth be enjoying the great outdoors from the safety of a mesh cage, or perhaps an adorable, lizard-sized leash. The battle rages on, however; the threat of the hawk may have been circumvented, but who’s to say the guerilla tactics of foxes and snakes will be so easily countered? Indeed, Jess’ bearded dragon has an uphill climb ahead of her if she wants to enjoy that sweet sunlight in peace; maybe we humans will count ourselves luckier in that regard from here on out.
