The dragon can be a pet. Although lizards in general do not like being handled, they can tolerate human contact as a pet. If a dragon is being handled, it is recommended to handle them sparingly and for short amounts of time. Over handling can stress the dragon and can cause sickness. It is also important to be aware of lizard parasites. Every time a dragon is handled parasites are transferred from human to lizard and vice versa (Langerwerf, 2006, pp. 51–57).