Do we let nature take its course, or should we help it along? Should we intervene in the Environment of any animal - should we try to make it better while changing what it once knew? Should we play creator?
A lizard's world is small and expectations match its environment. In the case of Inland Bearded Dragons, of which there are many sub species, we are talking about needs that they all require. All a lizard needs is a very warm environment with a sandy bed, a cool area to control its lack of warm blooded body regulation, edible food consisting of mostly veggies with added protein (preferably live) and limited water. Add in a few logs to climb and the lizard is in nirvana!
But lizards, as do all living creatures, age. Nature is in control, and time controls nature. No temperature seems suitable; limbs start to ache; eyesight and sense of smell can no longer be trusted to find food. That sticky tongue - so marvelous at its ability to grab the succulent cricket, mealworm or choice piece of vegetation - not only misses its mark, but lacks the same, well, stickiness, so needed to bring the food to the mouth.
It becomes a chore to lap at the water, much less seek it out in the first place. Being held by those warm hands doesn't seem to help either. Being taken to running water will at least get the mouth working - looking for a water source - and the water droplet plunger does help to get the water in, as does a fine spray of mist with tepid water. But even that sometimes hurts, and more on a regular basis.
Basking under the heat lamp becomes an enjoyment of the past. A soft wiggling in the sand, over the course of the day, accomplishes the necessary movements to try and find a comfortable spot - which will soon, once again, become unbearable, and the process once again continues.
Should we, as humans, change that Environment. Should we provide a safer and deeper sleep. Should we let the conditions become natural, and not provide intervention in the aid of water and food, albeit gently forced. Should we let "nature take its course". Should we force the inevitable, and help nature - in the sense of a timeline.
Or do we, in our limited abilities, provide the small expectations of life, as seen from the eyes of a lizard.
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