Bearded Dragon anyone?

[samshane]

Anyone own a bearded dragon? Pros? Cons?

My son really wants one as a pet - of course I know that this means I must decide if i am the one who wants one because I will be the one who takes care of it (along with his help). We have been researching them... and we have learned that they are good beginner reptiles for someone who has never owned a reptile.

I have owned many animals in my lifetime, other than dogs and cats - we have had various rodents, turtles, parakeets, fish, newts... but I have not owned a reptile.

I am concerned that they are just too difficult to care for with making sure their heat source is adequate and they get the proper diet.

Any first hand experience would be great - TIA!

 

[pixiewings71]

My DD had one when she lived at home, I think she has one now too but she's in Idaho so I'm not sure what reptiles she currently has. He was easy to take care of mostly, he just lived in his tank unless she was holding him. He ate crickets, which I hated because I hate crickets and they were loose in the house all the time....LOL He was also very territorial, he only let a few people hold him, when others tried he would get defensive and go into attack position......that freaked me out so I just let DD take care of him. LOL

 

[Nomi]

They are great pets! Not too difficult in regards to care as far as reptiles go. Certainly a whole lot easier than turtles!

You are right that getting the temperature and diet right are the most important things, but most of the work will be in setting up it's terrarium. If you are getting a young bearded dragon, you can house it for a while in a 20 gallon long tank, though it will outgrow that in a matter of months. It's usually better to start them out in a 40-50 gallon, then once they reach a year old or so move them to a 4*2*2. Or bigger if you wish. You don't need anything fancy here, used aquariums work great and big ones can be found cheaply on craigslist or kijiji. A screen lid is fine, since they don't need too much humidity.

Beardies, being active during the day, do need full spectrum (UVB) lighting. A good UVB that runs the length of the cage is best. As for heating, you can either use a ceramic heat lamp, and under tank heater, or both. You want to create a warm side (or basking spot) and a cool side. The warm spot should be about 100-110F, and the cool side around 85F. One very important thing to get is a couple of good quality digital thermometers, one for each side. Try for ones with probes, the ones that stick on glass don;t give good readings. Try for the best lighting and heating products you can find, in the long run quality over price will save you money on replacement bulbs and vet bills. Do NOT get a heat rock, these will cause burns on your lizard!

Beardies are usually great eaters, and will accept all sorts of veggies and insects! Appropreatly sized prey items (no bigger than their mouth) should be offered about once a day dusted with a calcium and vitamin D3 mix. The best are crickets, super worms, silk worms (IMO the best) and feeder cockroaches. Other than that, they can eat all sorts of veggies. Lettuce (though lettuce is mostly water, so it shouldn't be a staple), bok choy, dandelion greens, collard greens, mustard greens, kale, squash, peas, carrots ect. Fruits are great as treats too, though avoid citrus fruits and grapes.

Other than that, it's all pretty straight forward. Beardies are very loveable lizards, and are very friendly! They enjoy weekly baths, walks on the lawn and seem to love attention. Just make sure you can verify that the beardie you are buying is captive bred and born, which may not be the case at pet stores. If at all possible, I would recommend getting one from a breeder or a reptile show. These will almost always be much healthier and usually much cheaper.

Be careful with info you get from pet stores and the general internet. Here is one of the best caresheets I know of on the internet.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/Sections/index.php?op=viewarticle&id=55

I would be more than happy to help you out with any questions or concerns you have.

 

[laurie31]

DD11 got one for her birthday when she turned 8, so he'll be 4 years old this summer.

It's not as difficult as it sounds once you buy all the "stuff" and get used to it.

He has a heating pad and a heat lamp to maintain his environment with a "cool" side and a "warm" side, plus a UVB light to supply the radiation he would recieve in his native desert. He eats crickets, but ours have never gotten free. We keep them in a "cricket keeper" and I think I would just DIE if they ever got loose. He also eats fresh vegetables. He likes turnip grens, kale, carrots, grapes, and red onion.

He isn't aggressive towards any of us; he will sit happily on your shirt if you take him out. He likes to be up high where he can see. He's fun to take to school (no allergy issues, as with furry pets), and we sometimes take him to events like the Fall Festival at our church. He's a great Halloween costume accessory - lol. People sometimes think he isn't real at first.

He is the most difficult pet to make arrangements for when we go on vacation. His lights must be turned on each morning and off at night. (the heating pad stays on all the time). He must eat fresh food daily. You can't really "board" a reptile anyplace around here. However, since we have so many other pets, it's easier and cheaper just to hire a sitter.

He's also our most expensive pet to feed. Crickets cost 12 cents each here, and he eats 60 a week. That's about $30/month just on crickets. Plus the veggies are another $10/month. Even our St. Bernard mix isn't $40/month to feed.

If the power goes off for any length of time, you have to worry about keeping him warm. We usually put ours on one of us, with a towel over him.

Having said all that, he's really cool, and we like having him as a pet.