Lesson 1: Dragon healthcare

Dragon Age: 0 days – 1 month

Topics covered in lessons:

• How much your dragonet needs to eat
  Pounds of Meat Consumed by Age
  

  Color	0-1 mo. (8 feedings/day)	1-2 mo. (4 feedings/day)	2-4 mo. (3 feedings/day)	4-6 mo. (2 feedings/day)	6-9 mo. (1 feeding/day)	9-12 mo. (Feed every 2 days)	12-16 mo. (Feed every 3 days)	16-20 mo. (Feed every 5 days)	Over 20 mo. (Feed every 5 days)
  Greens	3.9-9.4lbs/feeding 31.2-75.2lbs/day	7.9-18.7lbs/feeding 31.6-74.8lbs/day	10.5-25lbs/feeding 31.5-75lbs/day	15.5-36.8lbs/feeding 31-73.6lbs/day	21.2-50.2 lbs/feeding	42.4-100.4 lbs/feeding	42.3-100.3 lbs/feeding	70.5-167.1 lbs/feeding	56.4-133.7 lbs/feeding
  Blues	6.3-13.3lbs/feeding 50.4-106.4lbs/day	12.5-26.7lbs/feeding 50-106.8lbs/day	16.7-35.5lbs/feeding 50.1-106.5lbs/day	24.7-52.4lbs/feeding 49.4-104.8lbs/day	33.6-71.5 lbs/feeding	67.3-142.9 lbs/feeding	67.2-142.7 lbs/feeding	111.9-237.9 lbs/feeding	89.6-190.3 lbs/feeding
  Browns	9.4-18.3lbs/feeding 75.2-146.4lbs/day	18.7-36.6lbs/feeding 74.8-146.4lbs/day	25-48.8lbs/feeding 75-146.4lbs/day	36.8-71.9lbs/feeding 73.6-143.8lbs/day	50.2-98 lbs/feeding	100.4-196.1 lbs/feeding	100.3-195.8 lbs/feeding	167.1-326.4 lbs/feeding	133.7-261.1 lbs/feeding
  Bronzes	13.3-24.3lbs/feeding 106.4-194.4lbs/day	26.7-48.7lbs/feeding 106.8-194.8lbs/day	35.5-64.9lbs/feeding 106.5-194.7lbs/day	52.4-95.7lbs/feeding 104.8-191.4lbs/day	71.5-130.5 lbs/feeding	142.9-261 lbs/feeding	142.7-260.6 lbs/feeding	237.9-434.4 lbs/feeding	190.3-347.5 lbs/feeding
  Golds	18.3-31.6lbs/feeding 146.4-252.8lbs/day	36.6-63.2lbs/feeding 146.4-252.8lbs/day	48.8-84.2lbs/feeding 146.4-252.6lbs/day	71.9-124.3lbs/feeding 143.8-248.6lbs/day	98-169.4 lbs/feeding	196.1-338.8 lbs/feeding	195.8-338.4 lbs/feeding	326.4-563.9 lbs/feeding	261.1-451.2 lbs/feeding
  To find out how much meat per day your dragon ate, use their body length to estimate the amount of meat per feeding your dragon ate, then multiply that number times the number of feedings per day. Example: A 4-month-old brown weyrling, length 15.50m Subtract the minimum length for that color and age (14.00m): 1.50m Divide that by the difference between the maximum and minimum lengths for that color/age (2m): 0.75 Subtract the minimum food per feeding for that color/age from the maximum (71.9lbs-36.8lbs): 35.1lbs Multiply those two numbers together (0.75 * 35.1lbs): 26.3lbs Add that to the minimum food per feeding for that color/age (36.8lbs): 63.1lbs Multiply that by the number of feedings per day (3): 189.3lb/day A domestic herdbeast will average 450-500lbs of meat.  A domestic wherry will average 18-20lbs. I calculated this based on 3lbs of meat consumed per pound of weight gained (this is slightly higher than the average chicken).  It's well-known that an adult dragon will consume a single herdbeast every 5-7 days, and more when they're hungry/after exertions (such as Threadfight); since an average herdbeast will produce 450-500lbs of usable meat, and 16-20mo. old weyrlings are still growing, they should consume slightly more than that per feeding, and drop back to a slightly lower level once they stop growing.

• How to butcher a wherry and a herdbeast carcass
• Communicating with your dragonet
• How to wash and oil your dragonet
• How fast your dragon will grow
  Weyrling Dragon Body Lengths by Age
  

  Color	0 mo.	1 mo.	2 mo.	4 mo.	6 mo.	12 mo.	20 mo.
  Greens	1.5-2 m	5.5-6 m	9-10 m	12-14 m	15-17 m	18-21 m	26-30 m
  Blues	1.75-2.25 m	6-6.75 m	9.5-11 m	13-15 m	16-18 m	19.5-22.5 m	28-32 m
  Browns	2-2.5 m	6-7 m	10-11.5 m	14-16 m	17-19 m	21-24 m	30-34 m
  Bronzes	2.25-2.75 m	6.75-7.5 m	11-12 m	15-17 m	18-20.5 m	22.5-25 m	32-36 m
  Golds	2.5-3 m	7-8 m	12-13 m	16-18 m	19-21.5 m	24-26.5 m	34-38 m

  Dragon Relative Anatomical Sizes
  

  	Body Length	Wingspan	Arm Length	Leg Length	Forearm Diameter	Torso Width (Shoulders)	Torso Width (Hips)	Wing Flare (How far wings extend from body when at rest)
  Body Length	--	0.6	6.5	3.25	32.5	4.47	1.44	9.09
  Wingspan	1.67	--	10.86	5.43	54.28	7.46	2.41	15.18
  Arm Length	0.15	0.09	--	0.5	5	0.69	0.22	1.4
  Leg Length	0.31	0.18	2	--	10	1.37	0.44	2.8
  Forearm Diameter	0.03	0.02	0.2	0.1	--	0.14	0.04	0.28
  Torso Width (Shoulders)	0.22	0.13	1.46	0.73	7.28	--	0.32	2.03
  Torso Width (Hips)	0.69	0.41	4.5	2.25	22.5	3.09	--	6.29
  Wing Flare (How far wings extend from body when at rest)	0.11	0.07	0.72	0.36	3.58	0.49	0.16	--
  When a dragon is on all fours and walking, their head is held up.  The height of their head can be determined by dividing their body length by eight and adding that to the forearm length.
  How to use this chart:  From this chart, you can determine all of the dimensions of your dragon if you know any one dimension.  To determine all of the dimensions, find the column that represents your known dimension, then multiply your known dimension times the numbers in that column to find the dimensions matching the row labels. Example:A 6-month-old green weyrling Body Length Wingspan Arm Length Leg Length Forearm Diameter Torso Width (Shoulders) Torso Width (Hips) Wing Flare Known dimension: Body Length Use numbers from column labeled "Body Length" -- 1.67 0.15 0.31 0.03 0.22 0.69 0.11 15-17m 49'3" - 55'9" 25-28.4m 82' - 93'2" 2.25-2.55m 7'5" - 8'5" 4.65-5.27m 15'3" - 17'4" 0.45-0.51m 1'6" - 1'8" 3.3-3.74m 10'10" - 12'3" 10.35-11.73m 34' - 38'6" 1.65-1.87m 5'5" - 6'2" Forearm diameter is important with regards to step height when mounting.  It should be noted that the dragons can lift their foreleg to three times that distance below the shoulder joint and the back of the neck is the same distance above the shoulder joint (e.g, diameter of 6" means 18" below the shoulder joints, and another 18" between the top of the shoulder joint and the rider's seat on the dragon's neck, making for three feet between the top of the dragon's forearm and the rider's seat). The distance each wing extends from the body is important when determining how narrow a space a dragon can fit through.  Dragons' wings can't fold completely flat against the body like a bird's, the musculature and bone size prevents it.  When at rest or walking, a dragon's wings sag away from the body. Numbers taken from measuring anatomical diagrams and similar drawings in The Dragonlover's Guide to Pern, second edition.

  Weyrling Dragon Weight by Age
  

  Color	0 mo.	1 mo.	2 mo.	4 mo.	6 mo.	12 mo.	20 mo.
  Greens	10.6-25.2kg 23.4-55.5lb	153.9-364.8kg 339.3-804.3lb	297.2-704.5kg 655.2-1,553.1lb	583.8-1,383.8kg 1,287-3,050.7lb	870.4-2,063.1kg 1,918.8-4,548.3lb	1,446.7-3,429.2kg 3,189.4-7,560.1lb	1,958.3-4,641.9kg 4,317.3-10,233.6lb
  Blues	16.9-35.8kg 37.2-79lb	244.4-519.4kg 538.8-1,145.1lb	471.9-1,003kg 1,040.4-2,211.3lb	927-1,970.2kg 2,043.7-4,343.6lb	1,382.1-2,937.4kg 3,047-6,476lb	2,297.3-4,882.6kg 5,064.7-10,764.3lb	3,109.7-6,609.2kg 6,855.7-14,570.9lb
  Browns	25.2-49.1kg 55.5-108.3lb	364.8-712.5kg 804.3-1,570.8lb	704.5-1,375.9kg 1,553.1-3,033.3lb	1,383.8-2,702.7kg 3,050.7-5,958.3lb	2,063.1-4,029.4kg 4,548.3-8,883.3lb	3,429.2-6,697.7kg 7,560.1-14,765.8lb	4,641.9-9,066.2kg 10,233.6-19,987.5lb
  Bronzes	35.8-65.4kg 79-144.2lb	519.4-948.4kg 1,145.1-2,090.8lb	1,003-1,831.3kg 2,211.3-4,037.4lb	1,970.2-3,597.2kg 4,343.6-7,930.5lb	2,937.4-5,363.1kg 6,476-11,823.7lb	4,882.6-8,914.6kg 10,764.3-19,653.3lb	6,609.2-12,067.1kg 14,570.9-26,603.4lb
  Golds	49.1-84.9kg 108.3-187.2lb	712.5-1,231.2kg 1,570.8-2,714.4lb	1,375.9-2,377.5kg 3,033.3-5,241.6lb	2,702.7-4,670.2kg 5,958.3-10,296lb	4,029.4-6,962.8kg 8,883.3-15,350.4lb	6,697.7-11,573.6kg 14,765.8-25,515.4lb	9,066.2-15,666.3kg 19,987.5-34,538.4lb
  If we take Anne's sizes at face value from the DLG, a large gold dragon would be the size of a blue whale, or somewhere in the vicinity of 400,000lbs.  This is possible for an aquatic animal because of the bouyancy afforded by the water; it's not possible for a terrestrial animal, their own weight would crush their organs.  I estimated growth rate based on that of a blue whale baby (compressed from 10 years to sexual maturity down to 1 year - blue whales grow at an average of 3% of their birth weight per day, baby dragons average 30%) and based the original hatchling weight (right after coming out of the egg) on a horse's dimensions and weight.  (I.e., a horse is generally accepted to be 1,000lbs and 8ft long x 2ft wide x 6ft tall, and a small gold hatchling is about 8ft long x 1ft wide x 2ft tall, or about 1/6th the size of a horse; compensating for the lighter bone structure - boron is 1/4th as heavy as calcium, 70% of bone mass is calcium, and 35% of total body mass is bone - starting weight for a small gold dragon is 108lbs, then adjusting up/down based on body mass to get the rest of the weyrlings' hatching weights.)

Mini-Lesson:

RP Ideas:

• Bonding/learning to communicate with your dragonet
  • Telling the difference between your feelings/needs and your dragonet's
  • Sharing images of places and people mentally with your dragonet
  • Learning to separate your thoughts and your dragonet's so you're not constantly "talking" to each other
• Butchering carcasses - sharing duty with other weyrlings
• Bathing and oiling your dragonet
• Get-to-know-you activities with other weyrlings
• Example first-time experiences with your dragon: bathing, oiling, feeding, trying new foods, watching the weather or the stars, conversations with each other and other dragons, etc.
• Young dragon ‘accidents’, be it minor injuries, excretory control, overeating, etc.
• Practice bandaging each other and/or your dragonets during First Aid class
• Weyrlings are between the size of a large dog and a pony and extremely clumsy at first; by the end of their first month, they are the size of large draft horses

Daily Schedule

• 3:00 AM * Morning feeding of dragonets
• 6:00 AM * Wake up, dawn feeding of dragonets
• 7:00 AM Cleanup/Breakfast
• 8:00 AM * Calisthenics (lunges, sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, squats) and laps
• 9:00 AM * Brunch feeding of dragonets, bathing and oiling, bonding time
• 11:00 AM * Stretching exercises, sandbag tossing
• 12:00 PM Lunch feeding of dragons
• 1:00 PM Lunch/free time/rest period
• 3:00 PM Afternoon feeding of dragonets
• 4:00 PM * Anatomy & Physiology class
• 5:00 PM First aid class
• 6:00 PM * Dinner, evening feeding of dragonets, bonding time
• 8:00 PM Remedial Harper classes or free period
• 9:00 PM * Nighttime feeding and oiling of dragonets
• 10:00 PM * Bedtime, lights out
• 12:00 AM * Midnight feeding of dragonets

Dragon age: 1 to 2 months

Topics covered in lessons:

• Strengthening the mental bond between weyrling and dragonet
• Making hide oils
• Dragon healthcare
• Weyr structure and etiquette

Mini Lessons:

1. Making hide oils
2. Blind Man's Bluff game

RP Ideas:

• Practice throwing and catching sandbags or firestone bags
• Play “Blind Man’s Bluff” and “Simon Says” or similar games in the bowl that require the dragon or rider to provide information to his or her counterpart, strengthening the mental bond
• First ‘whole beast’ feedings – pre-killed carcasses provided by older dragons instead of chopped meat from a bucket
• Classes with fellow weyrlings (etiquette, history, remedial Harper classes, Teaching Ballads, fitness, etc.)
• Practice bandaging each other and/or your dragonets during First Aid class
• Dragonets are the size of an orca

Daily Schedule:

• 6:00 AM Wake up, dawn feeding of dragons
• 6:45 AM Cleanup/Breakfast
• 7:45 AM Calisthenics and laps
• 9:00 AM Stretching exercises and sandbag tossing
• 10:00 AM Bathing and oiling, bonding time
• 12:00 PM Lunch for weyrlings and dragonets
• 1:00 PM Nap time/free period
• 2:00 PM Weyr structure and etiquette lessons
• 3:00 PM Anatomy & physiology class
• 4:00 PM Dragonhealing and first aid class
• 5:00 PM Chore duties/assignments
• 6:00 PM Dinner for both weyrlings and dragonets, oiling
• 8:00 PM Remedial Harper classes, free period
• 10:00 PM Bedtime, lights out
• 12:00 AM Midnight feeding of dragonets

Dragon age: 2 months – 3 months

Topics covered in lessons:

• Formation drills
• Mentor assignment
• Hold structure and etiquette

Mini Lessons:

1. Mentor assignment and initial meet & greet
2. Chore duties/assignments

RP Ideas

• Meet with your mentor, get to know each other a little
• Your dragonet’s first hunt on foot
• Play "Simon Says" with your dragon to strengthen your bond with your dragonet
• Sandbag weight in the sandbag tossing has increased; dropping/bursting sandbags, knocking each other over with the weight, etc.
• Discuss lessons and mentors with another weyrling
• Laps have increased to covering half the Grounds
• Discussing wing formations with other weyrlings

Daily Schedule

• 6:00 AM Wake up, dawn feeding of dragonets
• 6:45 AM Cleanup/Breakfast
• 7:45 AM Calisthenics and laps
• 9:00 AM Stretching exercises and sandbag tossing
• 10:00 AM Bathing and oiling, bonding time
• 11:00 AM Chore duties/assignments
• 12:00 PM Lunch for weyrlings
• 1:00 PM Mentor assignments
• 2:00 PM Afternoon feeding of dragonets, time with mentors
• 4:00 PM Hold structure and etiquette lessons
• 5:00 PM Chore duties/assignments
• 6:00 PM Dinner for weyrlings
• 7:00 PM Remedial Harper classes, free period
• 8:00 PM Craft lessons
• 9:00 PM Oiling and bonding time
• 10:00 PM Nighttime feeding of dragonets, lights-out