Mason and Me - Life with a Teacup Dragon (7)

Dragon from Shrek

Oops!

There are some animals where it's hard to tell their sex when they're just born. Cats are one type of animal that suffers this. Turns out that dragons also suffer from this little problem and despite an expert assuring me that I had a male, Mason is in fact a girl dragon.We only realised because Mason had a play date with his, I mean, her brother today. The difference became obvious when we saw them side by side, for Wilfred (the brother) is much stouter in his build and his skin is rough, while Mason has a rather graceful build and though scaly, her skin is quite soft and smooth.

Well, we are a female heavy household to begin with, so what's one more? I do feel sorry for Andy-Dog sometimes though, being the only man.

Mason, guarding my North & South DVD

Am suddenly wondering if I can get Mason a little pink tutu or something. Don't worry, I wouldn't really be that cruel.

However, it does explain one interesting factoid, Mason's interest with North and South. You see, I thought that she fancied Margaret (though she wasn't that interested in her scenes) sympathised with the working classes, or perhaps empathised with John's struggle.

But nope, it turns out that I have fire breathing competition for Richard Armitage affections.

My only hope!

Let's face it, girls, when vying for his attention, who is he going to choose? The rare, believed to be extinct dragon, or the slightly mad author? It's a no brainer really.

*Sigh*

My only hope now, is to get a ridiculously cute puppy before meeting him.

Of course, given that neither Mason or me are likely to meet him, that might be a little drastic.

Still, it's nice to have company to watch the mini-series with, when I can wrestle the DVD box away from her, that is. She's weirdly possessive of it.

I haven't daren't show her the Vicar of Dibley yet, I'm afraid her ovaries might burst! 

Mason and her brother, Wilfred.

Previous Mason blogs : Intro | Feeding | Other Breeds | Oh Dear! | Tricks and more | First outing |

Mason and Me - Life with a Teacup Dragon (6)

First outing.

During the glorious good weather we had the other week, we thought we'd try our first trip outside. There are a few things to remember when acclimatising your teacup dragon to new things.

1) They are very shy creatures. Try to find a bag, pocket or similar, so that they can still peek out but also feel safe.

2) Don't go anywhere loud or crowded.

3) When scared, they tend to flame. Make sure you have some oven gloves and a handy pocket fire extinguisher, just in case.

4) Don't wear anything too flammable (steer clear of the hairspray on days like this).

Mason's first time outside

So, with all this in mind, I put him in my shirt pocket and we headed to the park with the dogs (I thought that having the dogs around would make him feel more relaxed). The material on my shirt is thin enough that he could just about see through it, or he could peak out of the top of the pocket when he felt confident.

We settled on the grass for a while and when the park emptied out after lunch time, I took him out and he wandered on the grass for a while. He seems to like nature, though when he saw another person enter the park (like, 100 meters away) he gave me a few scratches as he desperately tried to get back into my pocket.

Still, all's well that ends well.

Previous Mason blogs : Intro | Feeding | Other Breeds | Oh Dear! | Tricks and more |

Mason and Me - Life with a Teacup Dragon (5)

Tricks and more!

Mason's creation!

Well, Mason had mastered toast, cupcakes and Victoria sponge! Our next challenge is... Barbecue! Of course it's still a little early in the year for that.

He also makes a mean latte. In fact, Mason gets more use than my hob and my microwave now! Talk about energy efficient; we're saving the world, one teacup dragon at a time! Still, he seems to enjoy it and he gets a mini marshmallow when he does well.

He's now just mastering holding what he's cooking and though his hands are small, he can just about manage a slice of toast. I was quite surprised to get up earlier this week to find that he'd managed to open the bread, get a plate out and cook it to perfection, all in time for me to come through. He's such a sweetheart!

Mason lighting my friends cigarette

He's a two months old now and fully house trained. He has a teeny litter box that he uses. When it's raining, the poor old dogs look quite envious of him!

I've taught him to sit on command, to shake hands and wings and to wink. But the coolest thing I've taught him is to light a cigarette. Yes, I know it's bad for you, but I'm a writer, we live on our nerves (well some of us). You still won't find a cooler lighter, and he lights candles and other things too.

He still hasn't learned to fly but he's a little young for that.

Follow Mason's facebook page for regular updates.


Intro | Feeding | Other Breeds | Oh Dear! |

Mason and Me - Life with a Teacup Dragon (4)

Oh Dear!  

Well, it seems that Mason has found his spark! Casualties so far seem to be my favourite pair of shoes, my friends mobile (cell) phone and the morning post.

Of course, we fireproofed the house when we got him, everything is flame and fire retardant, but there's some things you just don't think of. We have a letter cage because Andy chews the post; we never considered that Mason would enjoy burning it!

He looks very contrite each time we catch him, of course, so it's hard to stay mad at him. I think the dogs have been giving him lessons on how to give the best puppy-dog-eyes because he's a master at looking pitiful. So much so, my friend made me a sketch called “Mason Sorry”. You'll have to trust me when I say that the real thing is even harder to stay mad at!

Look Ma, it's almost edible!

Instead, we are trying to focus his flame towards more productive avenues, with varying degrees of success. The cupcakes are probably best not mentioned, as are the sausages.

My friends "Mason, Sorry" sketch

Now we are focusing on toast and we're making real improvements. This is our latest attempt.

Follow Mason's facebook page for regular updates.

Intro | Feeding | Other Breeds |

Mason and Me - Life with a Teacup Dragon (3)

Miniature Flat Dragon

Other breeds of Dragon  
(click pictures to enlarge)


The Miniature Flat Dragon. Named for their slightly flat body shape, this dragon is known for it's sweet temperament and intelligence. They commonly grow to between 10 and 20cm in length. Their flame is especially hot so they arent good for cooking, but they are wonderful at lighting fires.

The Red Dragon

The Red Dragon generally grows up to 25cm in length. This dragon is not for first time owners as they are prone to be a but nasty in temperament and need careful handling. Having said that, when trained well, they are extremely loyal and intelligent, capable of handling complex tasks. However, poor training or any mis treatment could lose you a finger.

The Leaf-winged dragon

The Leaf-winged Dragon. One of the few dragons that can still be found in the wild, thanks to the camouflage offered by it's leaf-like wings. It is distinctive because of it's green coloured flame and smoke. Depending on the climate they can grow up to 30cm in length, though 15 to 20 is more normal. They are responsible for many brush and forest fires, which sadly also claim the lives of many leaf-winged dragons each year. Of all remaining dragons breeds, they are the most endangered. If you do manage to spot and catch one, they can me very loving pets, but they will retain their independent streak.

The Prickly Dragon

The Prickly Dragon is named more for it's temperament than it's looks. It's the smallest of all dragons, growing to a maximum of 15cm, but more usually 7-12cms. Despite it;s size, it packs the biggest fire power of any dragon. The only specimens are owned by hardened breeders and when not working, are kept in specialist dragon houses, made from the same material as a kiln. They do not like people and they will not form a bond with you, or any other living creature. However, if you are willing to put up with their temper, they can be very useful workmates. Many incinerator's and crematoriums employ Prickly's as they are able to create fires that burn at temperatures of up to 1000 degreed Celsius. Plus, they love making fires.


Intro | Feeding |

Mason and Me - Life with a Teacup Dragon (2)

I've been receiving a lot of questions about this on FB so I thought I'd post this a little early.

Feeding

He's a messy eater!

Hand feeding an orphaned Dragon actually isn't as difficult as one might assume. The basic feed is liquid puppy food but with a tablespoon of CaJohns Select Red Savina Habanero Puree added.

Puree

Yes, I know how awful it sounds to give an infant Habanero peppers, and I confess he coughed and spluttered a little, but their mothers milk is hot, see, because the lining of the throat and oesophagus must be toughened up. Otherwise, the first time he coughs in the middle of a flame, he'll get serious burns!

And it really is amazing how quickly Mason got used to it. He coughed a little the first time, sneezed the second but he's been fine ever since.

Liquid puppy food

And it keeps the dogs away from his food, just a sniff was enough for them to turn tail and run!

Mason is smoking regularly now, and while I have yet to see the spark that signifies that he's about to flame, I'm sure it will be any day now.

I really enjoy feeding him, though I confess, the nighttime feeds were getting to me. He goes through the night now, thankfully. 

Farley's Rusks

He gets through about three 10ml syringes at a time now and he gets this really content look in his eyes when he feeds; it's our bonding time! When he's done, he usually wants to sleep, so he settles down with the dogs for a nap!

When it's time to wean him, he'll have Farley's Rusks, soaked in the liquid food to soften them first, then baby food.

When fully grown, Whiptailed Green dragons are omnivores so should have a varied diet that includes meat, carbohydrates and fibre. I'm told that their favourite treat is waffles or pancakes with maple syrup.

Do you have a teacup dragon? Share your stories with me, I'm kind of feeling alone here.  

Follow Mason's facebook page for regular updates.

Intro

Mason and Me - Life with a Teacup Dragon

Mason, my teacup dragon

Well, Mason was born 4 weeks ago now and we're getting on swimmingly together. Even the dogs love him. Of course, he hasn't really learned how to breath fire just yet, so he may go out of favour once we have a few scorched whiskers.

Now, before I go any further, I want to pre-empt all the people who will no doubt be saying how awful it is to inbreed dragons until they're this tiny. Teacup dragons aren't inbreed, they are naturally that small (which is how they managed to survive the human/dragon war. More on that some other time)

The war is also why you won't see many, they are incredibly shy creatures, unless they know you well. Thankfully Mason imprinted on me at birth, so he trusts me.

A few facts.

Mason is a Whiptailed green (They are bright green just after birth but get browner as they age)

Whiptailed Greens grow to between 8cm and 20cm, though I suspect Mason will be on the smaller side.

Mason's mother, Vera, had an unfortunate accident with a freezer, so Mason and his brother were incubated in my fireplace.

Mason snuggling with Lucy when he was 4 days old. Usually you cant see him because he's hiding under her ears, he seems to like it there.

Contrary to popular belief, dragons are actually very tactile creatures and especially when they're young, they love to snuggle. The experts tell me it's because they need to keep warm, but I don't care why.

If you bond with a dragon when it's young, they will be your friend for life and make surprisingly loyal and obedient pets.