I have a bearded dragon that I am exploring using in an act. I don't have any specific ideas at this point, but I figured that I might solicit some ideas from all of you.

He's about 20 inches long nose to tail and is pretty docile. He will tolerate being held etc most of the time. They are naturally comfotable in dark places, so concelment shouldn't be an issue. They cannot be placed on their backs however the way a bird can as it causes them to suffocate. I couldn't safely take him past 180 degree vertical for any extended periods of time. Any ideas?

Here's a couple pics to give you an idea of what he looks like:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/mik......s004.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/mikesdad/9e07945d.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/mikesdad/126162b5.jpg

You could use a Doves To Bunny, Circus Wagon, or box type productions with him. Even a Take apart box effect. Anything a Rabbit would fit in, he may be able to use. Never dealt with a reptile before, and just a word of caution - If you do kids shows, you may want to be careful not to scare children with him. Being an adult, I cringe just looking at the photo only because I am not too particular on those. I like snakes, but the scaly creatures send a chill down my spine....*smile*

Well, I had the idea of changing an Egyptian rat (you know, those with no hair...kinda ugly people say,LOL) into a pretty cute hairy mice, so, maybe you could do that with your lizard (for the scary for kids thing) like produce him from a bunny box, and then transform him into a rabbit

I bet kids are use to the bearded dragons in New Mexico. I do not think the kids will be scared.

Well, beardies are native to Australia. A lot of folks here seem to think Mike is a gigantic horned toad We take him and his step brother Tatsu (an even larger dragon) out in public on a regualr basis this time of year and for the most part, he is well received and folks have lots of questions.

My venue of choice for shows is going to be clubs and theatres. I really don't like doing kids parties anymore, although since it can potentially fund some of the purchases I need to make as I;m building the show, I can't say that I would turn them down if asked

I have a nite club dove vanish and a tear apart vanish, but I will be using one of those already with a bird routine we're working on. Besides, Mike is too big to fit the ones I have, so I would need to build or buy a new one for him.

I'm thinking maybe of some kind of vanish. This way I can walk on stage with him on my shoulder and take him off and put him to the side until I'm ready for him. I know he could be vanished in a paper grocery sack, I'm just looking for something that might look a little flashier.

To be honest, I thought you were talking about me at first.

Well, if the top hat fits.....

j/k

I guess I failed to mention my dragon's name is Mike

I suppose I could build a take apart large enouhg to accomodate you, but for the size I think there are much better useses for time and number of assistants that would require :wink:

No disrespect to Antonio, as I'm sure he meant well, but I wouldn't suggest this. I have used both snakes and iguanas in my act for years. My goal here is to present these animals as really cool and interesting, and not even bring up the "fright" factor. If this is your goal with your dragon, I suggest that you produce him and from the get-go, show that he's friendly and just a really cool animal.

Audiences are very interesting in that they will believe what you tell them to believe in this area. For example, I use the big snakes in both magic and reptile presentations. For the reptile shows, I make my first entrance already holding a snake. In this way, I'm subconsciously telling the audience that we are, in fact, going to see live snakes, and that there's nothing to be afraid of. BUT- when I used to just enter all alone and introduce myself, and then mention the snakes, I'd have a few scared folks by the time I brought out the first snake. As for magic, when I produce a big snake on stage, it happens unexpectedly. If I were to mention the word "snake" before doing anything, they'd form all kinds of creepy opinions. But by just producing the snake from nowhere, there's the "whoa!" factor, followed by amazement. Instantly, 99% of the audience is at ease with there being a snake in the same room. They see that I am treating the animal just like the friendly creature that it is and that the snake is not trying to kill me. At this moment, it's neat to look out there and see that no one is putting on the scared-to-death act (yes, there are those individuals who will involuntarily run when they see a snake but they truly are very few and far between- most of the time, it's primarily an act). So, my advice would be to just bring the lizard out unexpectedly and immediately set the mood that this is like any other animal. This will instantly put the vast majority of the audience at ease. As for that other 1 percent, they will either be very curious, or they're just one of those folks like the woman I once met who had a horrible fear of shrimp (that was a new one). Good luck!

Phil

I'm not worried at all about any kind of fear factor.

My main concerns are finding something safe for Mike and somehting that's cool.

Rabbit wringer?
Mini Blammo Box...

The mini blammo may work. I am not a big fan of the rabbit wringer. It's a decent effect, but it's just not something that fits my stage persona.

I am looking into modifying a dove levitation to see if that would work, but I don't yet.

Anyone have any thoughts on that?

I've been using my beardie (Cosmo) in my kid's show for the past year. I use an Abbott's Elusive Bunny Box for his appearance. He's the last item in the show. I dress the birthday child up in a magician's outfit (wand, wizard's hat, and cape), and show the box to be empty. Actually, not quite empty, as there's a picture of a lizard in there. I take it out, ask what the picture is, and then talk about the lizard for a moment (where there from, etc.). I explain that even though I don't have any lizards here today, "Wouldn't it be really cool, I mean really, really cool, if Johnny here could place this picture back in the box, wave his wand over the box, and turn this picture into a real live lizard?! Would you guys like to see if Johnny can do that?"

And that's exactly what we do (sometimes using a prop called Bigger Wands from Creative Magic).

It works great, the lizard is never traumatized (he stays in position for the whole 45-minute show), and the kids are always amazed. I then talk a little more about the dragon (ears, nails, spikes on body, food, etc.). The birthday child gets to pet the lizard, and mom gets a great photo for her scrapbook.

You can see a couple of photos at http://www.brianlehr.ca/photos4.html

Brian

Drew, that is one well-fed dragon. He is simply round and ever so cute! I wanted one of those years ago, but was told by every pet shop that they were bad about biting. Is this true? They look so calm and cuddly.

Isn't your little spiky buddy a cold-blooded creature? Then, his body should not heat up a prop. It is the ambient air temp you would need to be concerned with. (Or a prop in sunlight, which would be a no-no.) I use snakes, but never perform with them outside if the temp is high.

Autumn, thanks for the compliments. Mike has a big enough ego as it is. My wife's dragon is even larger. :O

They are actually quite gentle. I've had Mike for 2 1/2 years and have only been bitten twice. Both times were during feedings when he was over excited and the worm he was trying to take from my hand decided to curl around my finger tips. If you'd like more info on these guys, you can PM me and I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have.

As for being cold blooded, yes, he is. All reptiles are. As for ambient air temps, he can be exposed to temps as low as 60 degrees for several hours and not suffer any ill effects. In fact, last summer we drove for three days from Wisconsin to New Mexico with my wife's dragon, Tatsu, and he was fine.

I do think there is a need to be cautious about outdoors, though, as the compartments on a prop could potentially get too hot if left in direct sunlight for an extended period.

I am beginning to let go of the idea of using him for now, simply because I wanted to use him because it was cool and I have yet to find a legitimate reason to have him in any of the stuff I've been working on. Although, I can tell you he does look quite dashing in his tuxedo. (Yes, he actually has one, and I don't. )

Don't give up, Drew. Plus, Mike has a tux! Get that spikey little critter to work for his food!

Did you read the post and check the link from Brian Lehr? He has a dragon similar to yours and uses it in his show.

I did see that. I am just trying to figure out what suits me on stage. Drew is a strange fellow who has strange tastes, and I find that I can get material to use, but a lot of it has to be modified to fit the '80s rock persona.

If I took Mike on stage in his tux, he'd be better dressed than me. It might be more appropriate to have him wear his Hooters shirt.

Your lizard has a Hooters shirt? Drew, Drew, Drew...Man, you gotta get a life! (Just kidding. All my pets have clothing, but *shhh* don't tell anyone.)

The mental image of round-but-spiky Mike in a Hooters shirt is so funny. Please don't buy Mike a little push-up bra to fill out his tee shirt, unless you are going to change his name to Michelle.

Autumn, we have a TON of costumes for our lizards. We used to have a website and sold them, so we had to keep a few, or at least photograph them along the way.

Mike actually had a photo shoot at Hooters and ended up on a Budweiser poster there last year. I am the only man in America to be able to say his pet has his picture on the wall there.

I didn't want to bombard you folks with pics, but if you'd like to see some, PM me and I'll get you some. My favorites are the Tux and the Merlin the Wizard, or at least they are the most fitting for discussion here. My all time favorite has to be the Harley Davidson jacket we did for a friend.

So, I can dress Mikey. However, I need to fit the theme of the show. I just need to decide what effect he's best suited for

And, yes, Autumn, I do need to get a life.

Yes! Send me the lizard photos! I will PM you.

Am I the only one picturing a beardie walking up to a mic in a spotlight and a tux, singing like Bing Crosby? I thought so...

OK, '80s rocker...'80s rocker...

I don't know if you have a rabbit, but if you do you could say, "Oooh, isn't it cuuute? Too bad he'll be dinner later... Oh, I'm kidding. But he's not really my style, is he? Let's see what we can do..." Then, you change the rabbit into Mikey.

Or you could show a dusty top hat empty while saying, "You know, a lot of magicians like to produce cute, little, fluffy bunnies from these things. But I think you'd all agree, I'm not your average magician." Then, you produce Mikey from the hat.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll find something.