tempted

yesterday i was at my pet shop and they had a bunch of baby beardies and i was really tempted to get onebecuase they were so CUTE but i didnt know to much about them so i didnt, but i am thinking about getting one so how big does one get ?? i know they eat veggies and crickets and stuff like that but im not sure how big they get.

Bearded dragons make WONDERFUL pets, IMHO. Though one thing with beardies that a lot of potential owners don't think about is how much they EAT. It is incredible the amount that they need to take in each day in order to stay healthy. As babies, they eat about 1.5-2 dozen crickets every day. You could offer them greens, but they probably won't be too interested until they hit about 6 months (although every one is different). You could also offer them appropriately sized mealworms, lobster roaches, etc.. I'm pretty sure they get to be about 15-20 inches long with the tail as adults. Go to www.google.com and type in bearded dragon care or something along those lines and you should get tons of hits.

Good luck,
Jennifer

Female beardies average about 20" long fully grown, and males can get as much as 24". They make awesome pets, but keep in mind that they are very different from caring for snakes. They require daily attention and cleaning. (They poop a lot!) And of course, as Jennifer mentioned, they eat a lot. Anyhow...be ready for a big commitment to care for one!

And good for you, for resisting the impulse buy so you can learn more first!

im pretty sure ill be able to handle it, now its just finding rrom for the right size tank (i was thinking like a 50 gallon tank, is that good) i wanted to get a leopard gecko but i wanted something i could handle without stressing it out too much and a bigger lizard.......... and about feeding, i guess i would just buy a big container and fill it with crickets and gut load for them right ??

Cricket-care is a serious pain in the behind in some ways...very simple in others. For the most part, you find yourself a suitable container to keep them in...put them in it with the right kind of gut-load product, and you don't have to worry about them on a daily basis, except to take them out and feed them to your beardie. BUT...they stink like crazy. Sometimes they come with tiny flies attached to them from the store. (very gross!) And, for my routine, I can only get about a week's worth of crix at a time because they start to die off and stink even worse. So you have to completely clean out their container (which gets pretty gross by the end of the week) every week, and get to the pet-store every week to stock up on more.

Shaggy will continue getting crix because that's what he knows and he loves them. But I'll never have another cricket-hooked critter again! (There are some breeders who raise their baby beardies up to be "cricket-free")

ohh ok so u only buy what u need for a week ? how many crickets is that, becuase i know they eat ALOT

Young beardies should eat a lot of crickets, and won't eat too many greens. I have an adult beardie that eats as much salad as I offer him, but always has room for a few crickets in the evening. I go through 40-50 a week, feeding 10-15 every other day, and maybe a few here and there just for stimulus, and my own entertainment.

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maybe a few here and there just for stimulus, and my own entertainment

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Hehe...it IS quite entertaining watching them go after those crix, huh? It makes the stinky mess worth it, just to see them so happy! :)