Petsmart dragons?

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MCHRKiller

Hatchling Member
I finally got all of my "stuff" in to keep a beardie. I have a 100w basking light, deep dome mini, 2x16" ceramic tiles over a reptile carpet(easier to spot clean), some nice grapewood, natural rocks, 24" t8 reptisun 10.0 mounted inside the tank, infrared temp gun from Lowes, and a hygrometer.

I was browsing the reptiles at Petsmart and noticed they had in some "fancy" dragons...these look very much like the pet quality Citrus I had planned to order from a breeder. My question is who has had luck purchasing a lizard from Petsmart? Do these dragons grow up to be nice looking adults? Anyone have pics of their grown up Petsmart beardie?
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
The fancy label is just Petsmart's house brand name as far as I know. They are bred in large quantities which can cause some problems compared to a reputable breeder who will pay close attention to blood lines and healthy genetics. That said, lots of people get their dragons from Petsmart and Petco and don't run into any issues. Just look for one who is alert/active and you make a connection with. Having your setup ready to go ahead of time with proper UVB and temperature gradients will make a huge (positive) difference for your new buddy right from the start.
 

MCHRKiller

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
I plan to get my setup going this weekend and order feeders next week so I will have everything going prior to getting the beardie. I will be feeding BSFL and Superworms for feeders along with daily salad topped with some RepCal and/or dried crickets.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
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The BSFL are a great option as would be small silk worms. The supers are a bit large and tough to eat/digest for young dragons so I'd avoid them until adulthood and even then just as a treat. Live small crickets or roaches are a better bet as a staple bug for a young dragon. They are the ones you want to dust with calcium as well rather than the salads. A well balanced salad will be quite nutritious on it's own. Don't be discouraged if a young dragon ignores salad in favor of bugs for a while though. They need a LOT of protein to support growth. Keep offering salads so it's familiar as a food source though. They transition to primarily salad between about 12-18 months old when their growth slows down. This site shows some good options for salads http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
 

Jsw

Hatchling Member
I have a Petsmart dragon, but I didn't buy him, I was given him by his previous owners. He's 2 years old and seems to be fine.

I wouldn't buy from Petsmart, though, just because I would never buy any live animal from Petsmart and can barely tolerate buying supplies from them when I have had to. Petsmart and Petco as corporations have no real concern for animals, as evidenced by the wealth of misinformation they allow their employees to give out for every type of animal they sell products for or actually sell as living creatures and the existence of Banfield as a veterinary option.

Much better in every case to get your animal of any species from a reliable, responsible, education-focused breeder or reliable, responsible, education-focused rescue.
 

Gormagon

Extreme Poster
If you do get one at Petsmart or Petco, be sure to disregard the bad advice they offer. They have most likely killed more dragons (than impaction or adv combined) with uneducated, bad advice.
If you get one from them it will be a rescued dragon.
 

MCHRKiller

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Oh yes I don't listen to really anything pet smart says care wise for anything. Thanks to this forum I feel I have a good understanding of proper care.

BSFL will be fed the majority of the time I will just be doing supers a couple times per week since they keep so well so if I run out of BSFL I'll have something on hand all the time. I'll order the small or micro size so they aren't too big.

I may do random cricket feedings of crickets and hirnworms too. I like the idea of variety and feel it will be the healthiest option. I got the pellets just to add something to the salad I know they're largely junk but the extra protein and calcium is helpful. I'll check out that link for salad recipes, thanks!

Do you that own pet smart critters have any pics? Were they the "fancy" or regular?
 

Skipper7

Juvie Member
Skipper was a "fancy" from a store called Petland. She is eight years old and has had no major health problems. She was VERY well taken care of in she shop. I wouldn't reccomend going with a petsmart dragon.
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im not sure if this is relevant to you anymore but i want to say my piece before you go any farther with petsmart reptiles. i recently purchased a beadie from petsmart and it was my first ever. i was so excited. my story is on this page and Pepper (my beardie from petsmart) is now in the memorials section. yes thats right she died only a week after i purchased her. yesterday i took her poor lifeless body back to the pet store and got my refund and i went to a different pet store with a great reputation and picked up a 6 month old beardie whos name is buzz. but i learned that petsmart gets their animals from commerical breeders. this living conditions are horrendous and the reptiles are in bred and get whats called ADV virus which is fatal to young beardies. i will never again buy a beardie from petsmart. i would go with a petstore that breeds their reptiles in store or gets them from local breeders your chances of getting a sick beardie from them are lower that from say if you get a beardie from a place like petsmart. you can do what you like but that is my story. it was tragic to see such a little animal just up and die. buzz is doing very well and acting as though a young beardie should. so my opinion on petsmart is dont buy from them. its bad news bears. but i know some people have probably gotten lucky from buying their reptiles. that is just my piece. its an opinion but its one i formed the hard way.
 

MCHRKiller

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
I am totally new to the reptile scene...so I honestly am learning as I go really. I know that really any commercially bred fish is junk as Ive kept fish for 20 of my 31 years and only buy my fish from reputable resources. My issue with reptiles is that I do not have a small petshop in driving distance that I am aware of anyway. The only thing we have are Petsmarts; and one Petco about an hour away. Outside of shipping one to me...that is my only option. I do not want to end up with a sick animal especially on my first experience keeping a reptile. I am a bit apprehensive to have one shipped as it is new to me....although I ship fish all the time; it just seems "different" if that makes any sense :lol:

I feel like I have prepared myself to keep a beard healthy; thus I wanted others opinions on how a Petsmart beard was health wise. I greatly appreciate both sides of the story; that is why I asked for opinions and photos on what the animals grew up to be. Certainly something to consider.

Does anyone have any resources for some healthy and colorful beardies which aren't too expensive? I am comfortable spending around $100-125 but I obviously do not need a breeder or show quality specimen and really don't want to spend several hundred dollars for one.
 
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this was pepper my beardie from petsmart i may have just got a sick beardie but she passed yesterday. i mean if you can find a local breeder in your area then that would be fantasic because usually a small breeder will only raise a certain number of reptiles due to space constraints. but here is a pic of buzz the beardie i got from a different petstore that bred him in store

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im sure you can see the difference. but i understand your hesitation. and being new to the beardie scene myself my ordeal with the first beardie was a memorable one. one i dont want any new beardie owner to have to go through. have you checked places like kijiji or craigslist for bearded dragons? im not sure of your geographical location. i am lucky i live in a massive city that has so many pet stores. but i hope that you find the perfect beardie. honestly shipping a reptile i have never done it but there are alot of resources online that might be able to gve you peace of mind i mean if you get someone that specializes in shipping reptiles and its in your price range then thats awesome.
 

Zombiepanda

Juvie Member
If you have no other choice whatsoever between petsmart and petco, atleast go to petco. From what I've seen(in my area atleast) petco atleast fed them salads and "more appropriate" cricket amount. The petsmarts I've seen didn't even come close to the bare minimum required to keep a dragon alive, let alone thrive. So I'd say petco is the lesser of the two evils. I got Maggie from a chain pet store and she's pretty healthy, but, like you, I was here getting all of my info and researching beforehand. Also, I hope this isn't the case with yours, but Maggie REFUSED to eat BSFL. They didn't move enough to interest her and I wasted money both times I've tried. So keep in mind that he may not like BSFL. Maggie eats dubia roaches and I get crickets on occasion and she's growing like a weed. Also, superworms are discouraged in a dragon under 16"
 

Mordecai

Juvie Member
I have a petco dragon. I feel that we got lucky with him after being on this site and reading all the poor sick and dying dragons. But that being said he is happy and healthy.
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MCHRKiller

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
The animals at my petsmart "look" healthy. One in particular was alert, plump, clear eyes, etc. The other in its cage was also alert and healthy looking it was just thinner although not skinny. I took note of their UV which was spread over 3 small enclosures and was a T8 on the screen...so that isn't great. For heat I saw a red heat bulb but no true basking spot. The dragons also had a bowl of water but no food/greens in the cage. I have seen petsmart provide greens to turtles and such so I dont know why they wouldnt offer it to the dragons.

The dragons on that site are extremely well priced and very pretty! I will get into contact with them and see what their shipping is like. Certainly may be an option
 
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Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

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