Thinkin of gettin one

[Ginevive]

My friend just got in several adult beardies at her store. She had the smaller ones for awhile, but they were always a bit risky to me; I always read that the baby beardies have a higher mortality rate than adults. But these ones she has now look really cool and are real friendly.
Any pros and cons from you beardie owners? Right now the biggest con will be talking my boyfriend into wanting one.
I love the fact that they seem very intelligent and "friendly." My only con thus far is the fact that they need to be fed daily (since I am used to snakes which only need feeding less often), but I can live with that.

[Sassafrass]

Beardies are a lot of work! Gotta feed them at least twice a day, mist them at least once a day, they have to have a variety of greens, veggies, and fruits, bathe them a couple times a week, they have to have calcium and vitamins 5 times a week, have to have UVB light and a hot basking spot....so they are a high maintenance pet for sure.

But they are worth it. They are full of personality! They get really attached to their humans, for example, Inkk (my dragon) will only go to sleep at night on me. If my bf tries to put her to sleep, she goes running away looking for mommy!

and they are so cute...



I wouldn't trade her for anything.

[Jase]

that pic is adorable
and thanks for posting the information that you did, i'll be sure to show it to my brother, since a beardy is on his list for furture additions to our "zoo", lol

[TekWarren]

My wife has a bearded dragon...definately has a personality. I don't have a whole lot to do with him he's definately "hers". Anyway, right on the money with starting out with a good juvenile. We had a pair of very young hatchlings that just didn't make it. My wife purchased the male she has now from a show we went to. He was already a young adult at the time. Keep in mind how large they can get, my father in law built us an enclosure that is large enough for two adults (although we have just the one) they need quite a bit of territorial room especially males. We feed him a mix of vegetables, certain fruits, crickets are a treat...not a staple, and even the occasional pinkie or hopper mouse...oh yes he goes nuts when he sees any of my mice that I raise for the snakes!

[Ginevive]

What a cute pic Sass! That just shows how handleable they are. I am looking for something that I could handle at night when we're sitting watching TV, and a beardie seems great for that.
I saw the dragons at my friend's store again last night, but sadly did not have time to hold either of them. But Thurs. we are going back. My friend assured me that they are really friendly, and they look very healthy, and are eating really good. But she also has a few smaller ones that are around 6 inches (not including tail) that look really cute too. We'll see.

[BallPythonBabe448]

If your gonna have problems feeding them alot everyday, you could start out with a Leopard Gecko. When they are babies they need like 7crickets a day, and when they are adults like 7 every other day. And I think beardies need like 20. But, thats just my opinion. I, am gonna start out with a Leo, (because they dont need any UV, eat less, and can live in smaller tanks)so I can get used to feeding them all the time and stuff. ANd then im geting a beardie, just my suggestions.

[TekWarren]

our dragon is snoozing by evening, usually crolls under his hide and crashes. I don't know as if you can necessarily specify a number of crickets they will eat, just use good judgement when feeding as you would with any other reptile. Our dragon will have 36 large crickets gone in less than a minute! But like I said crickets are not a staple...i'm pretty sure most here know that but its a common misconception of people who buy them and some places that sell them. Do your research on substrates also, we are trying sand presently and he seems to love it. Feeding of course outside of his enclosure to minimize sand ingestion. My wife uses a sifter type scoop to get rid of the poo poo's....I can't even begin to tell you how much stink an adult dragon can make with poo...Just yesterday I came home from work and could tell as I walked in the house.

[Sassafrass]

Thanks Gin, she is awful cute! She is very handleable...although she likes to think she can fly. I keep telling her that her wings havent grown in yet, but she won't listen. Babies are jumpy lil buggers. But she falls asleep on me every night after her lights go out. As soon as they go off, she's in her cage, pacing, looking for me. She loves to snuggle! So if you want someone to cuddle with while watching tv at night, you'll do good with a dragon.

And how could I forget crickets! Inkk is a cricket eating machine! Babies need lots and lots of crickets, but as they get older they slack off and want to eat more greens and veggies. I'll be glad when Inkk slows down...crickets STINK! I got an order in of 1000 last week, and man do they stink. Have to clean the container frequently.

So if you do decide to get one, be sure to post pics!!