The Most Important Thing To Remember When Adopting A Domestic Dragon Is To Get One That Fits Your Personality

The most important thing to remember when adopting a domestic dragon is to get one that fits your personality and lifestyle, since hoarding is only a common practice in some species. If your Cerulean Light-Wing Wyvern begins hoarding bottle caps, it is because your house doesn’t have enough room for it to fly around and comfortably spread out over a number of roosts. It is however, perfectly normal for the Ivory Guard Drake to keep a pile of bones and trinkets that the people it chases off drop near its primary resting spot.

If you have a hoarding dragon, you first need to stop thinking of their gathering as dealing with a problem, and see it as another need that your companion has to be met.

There are a few ways that people will recommend “dealing with” a dragon’s hoarding instincts, the first of which being to ignore it and hope they satisfy themselves, which NEVER WORKS. When young dragons find something that they like, their mind will tell them to claim it as theirs, which can be extremely dangerous if they get things that aren’t designed to be gnawed on like knives or batteries.

The second way is borderline animal abuse, but is the most common method that I’ve heard people trying. Asserting dominance and forcefully dispersing your dragon’s hoard is only going to distress them, especially if you shout or make big, erratic movements as you do so. This will make your companion fearful of you, and more snappy with strangers that come into your home, especially if they are forced to share couch space or stand back while things they want to be theirs are touched and potentially taken by the stranger. This should go without saying, but never get physical with a dragon when you are upset with it. They are faster, sharper, and more specially aware than you are, and even then, they have feelings and do not deserve to be a punching bag for any reason.

The third method, and the best one by far, is to calmly redirect your dragons hoarding to an unobtrusive location in your apartment, house, or property. Most common pet breeds are perfectly happy to pile their selected items in a little closet, especially if you give them a cozy dog bed. This method can take a minute to get through to a dragon, but once they understand that you aren’t stopping their hoarding, they’ll be much calmer about the situation. If you use this method and your dragon takes something dangerous or that you need back, just talk to them. Dragons are intelligent creatures, and if you talk them through why they shouldn’t eat your balls of yarn, they’ll likely understand.

Of course, every dragon is different in their personality and what they even want to hoard, so this whole deal is extremely flexible. If your dragon likes shiny things, trade coins and fun rocks for your TV Remote. If your dragon collects bones from squirrels that get a little too cozy in your backyard, then take the bones and clean them when your dragon is taking a nap. If your dragon doesn’t show any interest in hoarding, then don’t try and get them into the habit for likes on your videos of your “sweet baby pet” trying to claim a statue that’s three times its weight and nearly killing itself by dropping the statue off of a table.

If anyone has any trouble figuring out what all of those boxes and lines mean on the Dragon Breeds website, then I’m more than happy to make a follow up to this guide telling you how to properly pick your draconic life companion, with some information on the bigger breeds as well.

Small domestic house dragons have become the norm. Here is a guide on how to deal with the hoarding instinct of your little one.