Throughout Elizabethtown College’s campus, there are many students with pets of various species. However, it isn’t often to meet someone with a pet as unique as Rumple the bearded dragon. Rumple belongs to Bec Green, a sophomore political science major and communications minor. 

Rumple was around five months old when Green adopted him from a breeder. Green and her family ensured the place where she got Rumple from was reputable. 

“We got him from this guy who works with a breeder to get [bearded dragons] from irreparable breeders. He’s a friend of my dad, so we knew we were getting him from a good place,” Green said. 

She’s had Rumple for around three and a half years, with an interesting story of how she got him. 

“It started with my brother. [My dad] and he made a bet, if you can keep your room clean for six months, you can get a hamster,” Green said. “So, I wanted them to do their bet with me. My room was perfectly clean for six months, and my dad then tried to back out, but we still got him.”

Unfortunately for Green, Rumple cannot be an Emotional Support Animal for her on campus since the heat lamp he needs is not allowed. However, Green assured that Rumple is perfectly taken care of while she’s gone.

“My dad likes to use a stuffed animal and chase Rumple with it,” Green said.

Rumple’s name may seemingly strike a chord with people, since it appears to come from the classic fairy tale “Rumpelstiltskin.” However, Green clarified that Rumple’s name actually came from a different source. 

“He’s named after a children’s book called Rumple Buttercup. I got the book to read to my niece and loved it,” Green said. 

When Green is home to spend time with Rumple, she often makes assorted salads for him. Green makes sure that Rumple has his favorite foods—blueberries and carrot baby food. 

Along with his favorite foods, Rumple also has toys that he likes to play with. His favorite toy is a big stuffed iguana that he likes to sleep on top of or lay beside. Rumple likes to take the toys from Green’s dog as well, who is terrified of him and is often chased by him. But Rumple has also been antagonized back by the dog, in a comedic way. 

“We have an entertainment center under the TV for stuff and [Rumple] will go into the cabinet and he’ll stay in. He loves the cabinet. The dog locked him in the cabinet,” Green said. 

Green has made many memories with Rumple, from him jumping off counters to running around the house. Rumple’s attitude makes him a riot for Green’s family, often being very sassy and petty, liking to be uncooperative. His personality has, on occasion, caused Green some grief.

“One day I let [Rumple] out, and after an hour I went to put him back and we couldn’t find him anywhere.” Green said. “It took us two hours, but eventually we found him inside one of our TV speakers. He had worked himself inside the speaker and was so mad we got him out. He looked at me like I was crazy.”

Bearded dragons normally live between eight to 15 years of age, so that means that Rumple and Green have many more years to spend together.