New here with questions that could help me

I am new here and wanted some input on rescuing a bearded dragon. I have 3 pugs and have been interested in a bearded dragon. I have done research over last couple months but figured a discussion board would be helpful. I also have 4 children. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated
Thanks again!
Shannon

Hi Shannon, you'll get lots of good help + guidance here so you've come to the right place. Do you already have a dragon in mind, if so can you post any pics and info about this dragon ?
If you don't, then you might want to have in mind what age /size you want to get. Some beardies that are " re-homed " aren't sickly, but a " rescue " might be so you will want to determine ahead of time what kind of condition you are willing to take a dragon in. Some that are missing toes, part of a tail or even a foot can still be quite healthy, but you'd want current pics to show the condition. Those are just a few suggestions.

Thank you so much! I did inquire about a male 3-4 years old who was surrendered to a pet store and went into rescue due to an eye issue. They send he's a sweet boy and just needs his eye wiped daily but other than that sweet boy. I will send pic. I asked more about him just waiting back.
Are these guys good with kids?

Their temperaments are generally pretty good, but they do vary and some can be quite feisty. You will definitely want to visit + handle him before you get him. If he has a health issue it may limit the amount of time that he wants to be handled, but if it's something easily treated that is not casing too much irritation he should be fine. But be aware that he should not be andled a whole lot for the first couple of weeks until he's settled in and you can see how much his eye bothers him.

Ask the store if he's been seen by a vet and what his living conditions are like....find out as much as you can. If the dragon is sickly you may either want to pass on it or take it with the knowledge that you will now be nursing a pet that possibly needs vet care and more rest and less handling than a healthy dragon.

Also, if you do decide to bring this beardie home, it's important to make sure that you can keep him separated from your dogs at all times. Their interactions with cats and dogs and other pets, even if you're watching them, can be unpredictable, and things can happen very fast and often do not end well. The same goes for children, depending on their ages, but it can be a wonderful experience for the children as long as you teach them how to properly handle and care for the critters (bearded dragon or otherwise), and supervise them until they're old enough and responsible enough to handle them safely.

(And forgive me if I'm overstating the obvious )

thank you! yes my pugs have always been supervised. I am a stay at home mom too so always aware and here :lol:
My pugs did amazing with our bunny so wish she was still with us. We lost her in October after 7 years my kids as well as myself were devastated. I am a huge animal lover so I thought next animal lets branch out to a reptile. I DO NOT do snakes but can do lizards and dragons :wink:

I think you'll find that Beardies can honestly act like dogs :lol: . They have distinct personalities, and depending on the dragon, often love cuddling and human interaction. I never though I would be a reptile person, but Skipper changed my mind!

Like others said, it's important to know what you are getting into. A sick dragon that needs lots of medicine and vet visits can be VERY expensive. Most vets don't do beardies and the specialists can be expensive.

Whatever you choose, I wish you luck! Don't rush into it. Take your time and find the dragon that is right for you. I love that you are thinking about rescuing!

We have a snake too but I understand that they creep some people out. Lizards are a little easier because they have arms and legs and fingers and toes and eyes that open and close -- things you can relate to.

There is admittedly something profoundly alien about a snake. You can "connect" with them, but the distance that you have to cross is a little wider.

Our beardie was a rescue too, but had already been nursed back to reasonably good health by the time we got him, although he acts more like a cat than a dog -- definitely has a mind of his own :roll:

In my area not a lot of rescue which I guess is a good thing but that's the route I want to lean towards as long as healthy

Actually cat probably is a better comparison... just with more snuggling.

My fear I will get the dragon that bites and is aggressive ?

That's why it's good to meet them and handle them first if you possibly can, so you can get an idea how it might go. Most are pretty tame, and some that aren't at first will tame down after they have a chance to settle in and get used to you, but there are the odd ones that just seem to have aggressive personalities no matter what you do. Fortunately, those are fairly rare -- bearded dragons are known for being pretty mellow as a species in general.

I once read a book where the author speculated that in the wild, when they encounter an animal that's bigger than they are, their first reaction is to freeze and hope they won't be seen, and then if that doesn't get the larger animal to go away and leave them alone, the next thing they'll try is to puff up and flare their beard and make themselves look as big and scary as possible, and if that doesn't work, as a very last resort they'll physically fight -- bite and scratch, etc.

That sometimes translates to holding very still when a human picks them up, and that gives them time to realize: "Hmm... this big animal that just picked me up is not hurting me, and besides that, it feeds me treats once in a while (hand feeding is a good way to bribe them into trusting you), and not only that, it's WARM, so I might as well just snuggle up, relax, and enjoy it." Possible explanation for their tendency to be naturally tame in the presence of a large mammal.

So you've got a pretty good chance of finding a new family member that will at least tolerate your company and maybe even enjoy it

My plan is to wait on the adoption process and ask more questions on him. He seems to be the only rescue dragon in my area at the time. I will keep everyone posted! Thanks again for all the advice

Oh another question I forgot to ask. Male vs female? Much difference?

Some young hormonal males may be a bit more feisty, but not always. And females may develop infertile eggs even if they're never with a male so they will need to a bit of special care and a laybox at some point. But not EVERY female develops eggs, although a good many do.