If you’ve ever asked a little kid what they want as a dream pet, it’s either a cat, dog, unicorn, or dragon. Well, dreams do come true for Emma Provencio and Lily Sisk.
Coach Snyder had 3 bearded dragons, but there was one big problem. Bearded dragons can NOT live together because they’ll eat each other. So, she needed to find a home for two of them. Emma Provencio, hermit crab, bird, iguana, chicken, and hamster owner, heard about the opportunity and realized she could rehome them.
Head of girls’ athletics and P.E. and volleyball coach, Coach Snyder expresses, “It was two years ago, and we saw [bearded dragons] on videos and people [in their area] caught them on our property. We decided to get three for my three kids. We pulled up to a gas station to meet this lady with a giant container full of bearded dragons the size of my pinky. My kids were so scared to meet this random lady; it was definitely an experience. It was hilarious.”
“Homing the beardies is actually a lot harder than you would think,” Snyder explains. “You need to research how much food to feed them based on eye size, which is based on age. They hibernate and need UV lights to stay warm, and you can only feed them if they’ve been warm for two hours. Since we didn’t play with them enough, we decided we need to get rid of two of them so we could focus on taking care of one.” While caring for a bearded dragon may seem fun and easy, it can quickly turn into a trip to the vet. If you overfeed them or give them crickets that are too large, they could become constipated and die.
In giving the dragons a new home, Emma added some of her own personal details: “Because every animal needs love and every animal is only a chapter of your life, but you’re their whole world. They need to know what a safe place is. Animals are only allowed to see the world you let them see.” Beautifully put, Emma describes how keeping the dragon of her dreams is not just a fun experience; it is a meaningful part of her life that builds a connection.
Not all dreams come true, but if you get lucky, you might get a bearded dragon.
