Meet Puffin, Tyson's magic dragon | Auckland News | Local News in Auckland

Rebecca Blithe braves a close-up with a bearded dragon and its besotted owner.

He's not quite as tall or as gruff as Hagrid. Definitely not as grubby. But Tyson Genc, 22, does have something in common with the half-giant wizard from Harry Potter.

Like Hagrid, Tyson breeds dragons. A reptile fan from Te Atatu, he's the expert when it comes to the real-life version of these mythical beasts.

Native to Australia, bearded dragons are aptly named for their ability to puff out and darken the area below their jaw when threatened. With a survival age of up to 15 years in captivity, they never stop growing. Tyson says they begin growing tiny wings in their fifth year. He was kidding.

The obsession with reptiles began early for Tyson and it's led him to expand his interest from breeding dragons to keeping and rescuing them as well. "From about the age of 5, I was fascinated by crocodiles. I've dragged my mum to every reptile exhibition in the world."

A pet croc being out of the question, Tyson settled for turtles.

"When I was 18, I came across a blue-tongue skink in a pet store. I had no idea you could get that sort of thing."

The skink came with a price tag of $1000. But Tyson was not deterred. "I was like, right, I need a grand."

After the skink, Tyson found his first bearded dragon, Puffin, for $1500. Because dragons are asexual until 18 months old, it took a while to discover Puffin was a girl. Finding the right enclosure for his new lady proved tricky, so Tyson teamed up with a mate who'd set up a company called Exotic Pet Supplies.

While his friend took care of the breeding, Tyson - an electrician by trade - built the enclosures.

"My dream job is to some day be flown around the world to build enclosures for zoos."

When his friend moved overseas, Tyson also took on breeding the dragons. Although Exotic Pet Supplies has bred up to 100 dragons a year, Tyson says a lot of people still don't know about the cold-blooded creatures.

"People don't know they exist. They are great pets for kids but, of course, parents need to take responsibility. I've got two rescued dragons at home; one with a missing tail and one with missing fingers."

But he will have to find a new home for the crippled pair before he moves across the ditch to find work in Queensland's crocodile parks.

Puffin and three other dragons - one named "Alby the not-so-racist dragon" after a Flight Of The Conchords skit   have already moved  to  Dos Amigos Mexican Cantina restaurant, in Mission Bay. They are displayed there  in a desert-themed enclosure Tyson built. Dos Amigos' owner, Aaron "Lizard" Catman, says the reptiles have been a massive hit.

"Lots of restaurants have fish tanks, but that's a bit boring. People absolutely love these guys," he says.

Although Tyson will be sad to leave them behind, he has plans to acquire bigger beasts in Australia.

"I'll get some big, nasty, croc kind of thing. Maybe a water monitor lizard, or a black-headed python." For enclosure and equipment enquiries, email: tyson@exoticpetsupplies.co.nz

Here be dragons

Dragons cannot sweat or shiver. They regulate temperature from an external source so need correct heating in their enclosure.

The ultimate treat for a bearded dragon is a small mouse, but they happily survive on vegetables and the occasional cricket or worm.

Female dragons are fine to be kept together, but males tend to fight, so they should be the only one in an enclosure.

The price of bearded dragons has dropped and you can buy one now for  about $400, depending on colour and size, from pet stores like Animates.