I'm going to the Hamburg reptile show in PA and I am deciding between a SD retic and a bearded dragon. The Bearded dragon appeals to me in its temperament and handable nature. The only part that bothers me is the care-(particularly the feeding) I would plan on getting an adult beardie so I understand they primarily should be eating vegetables with insects daily. How much of it though? Some people have said that they should be getting around 40-50 crickets a day!? Seems like a lot of work for a "beginner" pet. The SD retic can be fed frozen thawed rats every once in a while that are easy to store. Also they dont require UVB lighting .
Not to mention who would take care of the beardie on long trips away from home? The one advantage the beardie has over the retic is that I can take him out of his enclosure more often since my pare ts aren't afraid of them (I'm 17) so does anyone have an easy system of feeding they can share with me? Thank you!