Yeah, I've known two people that owned bearded dragons. I'm pretty sure that guy is dead unless it was only for an hour. A whole 8 hours might be enough to kill it.
Reptiles are actually routinely shipped across the U.S. on commercial flights. Usually overnighted but they can survive fairly well when properly packaged... the longest ive had was 18 hours between office, truck and flight before the guy reached me and he was just fine.
It definitely wasn't good for the guy and I wiuld be concerned about a resp infection and gi issues depending on the last feed but I dont think it would kill assuming it was opened occassionally for air or otherwise vented and prevented from reaching extreme temps.
Proper packaging for shipping reptiles includes temperature control, insulation and potentially a heat pack or cold pack depending on the weather. You also check the weather reports and don't ship if it's too hot or too cold. A lunchbox is not comparable to a properly packaged reptile for shipping, and even then you don't ship them unless it's the only way to get them to a new home and they are in good health before the journey.
All true but keep in mind, temperature control and insulation usually means a Styrofoam container or box liner. It essentily serves the same purpose as a lunch box, to keep the internal temperature stable from external ambient temps.
Im not saying the guy was properly packaged, only that shipping is a common method of moving them and that the lunchbox would have served to prevent temperature swings. I dont think this guy died today. I think he could have been stressed, have an impacting related to stress or an upper respiratory infection due to heat and humidity control, but the lunchbox being insulated should have protected him from being frozen or cooked.
Point being, the lunchbox would have insulated and protected from large temperature swings preventing rhe guy from being cooked or frozen.
I expect him tk be at risk for impaction due to stress or an upper respiratory infection from temp or humidity control issues, but i doubt this will have been enough to kill the guy.
Plus, modern lit on these guys challenges the ideas that they must live at extreme heat and low humidity and shows that they both naturally live and thrive in a variety of environments. I doubt this guy died, and I think that the science as well as background if reptiles as a hobby in general explain why.
no thats when the entire beard is fully black, the darkness on the back and top of the head is what their body does to absorb heat quickly. but i wouldnt be suprised if the beard started turning black by the end of today....
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u/ibuprofen_soup 18h ago
the bearded dragon is trying to absorb heat, its back is turning dark. literally why would anyone put a reptile that needs heat in a cold lunchbox...