Bearded dragon where to buy

I am at a loss right now. I have seen a lot of different opinions on here and on other parts of the internet. Don't buy from chain pet stores, don't buy from places like backwater reptiles or underground reptiles, and now I'm seeing you shouldn't buy from reptile expos. Where I live I don't have a lot of options. There are no local breeders, the closest breeders are in Raleigh North Carolina and sell their beardies for hundreds of dollars. Not sure what the best choice is so could anyone let me know? Thanks.

You can get a healthy dragon OR an unhealthy one from any place you mentioned. You might check Fauna classifieds, many breeders advertise there. Just check the particular review of the breeders reputation.

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=484

I'd keep an eye out for LOCAL HOBBYIST / SMALL SCALE ENTHUSIASTS who have maybe 2 or 3 breeding pairs and will have 2 or 3 clutches or hatchlings for sale each summer, and maybe a few holdbacks who are juveniles for sale too.

I'd give petshops a wide berth unless they have their livestock held under very good conditions .

Large scale professional breeders are also likely risky unless you can visit their facility and see their stock ( look for hatching vivs that are relatively clean, have good setups and are NOT overcrowded, also ask to see the parents of any hatchlings you are interesting. If they wont allow this , walk away.

Reptile Expos can be hit or miss, for me it was a hit. The breeder had the dad on site, and had a multiple pictures of the female. She sold them for very reasonable prices (my 3m old was only $60!)
Some can be sketchy, but others are great. Petsmart/petco are junk, just saying. Their husbandry is horrible, and the employees know nothing.

I live in San Diego and I got my bearded dragon from LLL Reptile. It was a great experience. Every person I spoke to knew loads about every reptile they had for sale and did an amazing job setting me up. It is a chain reptile store but they take really good care of their reptiles and a lot of reptile owners swear by them. I got my beardie when he was 2 months old and now he is 4 months, super healthy, and is growing every day.

I was about to buy one from a breeder because he was selling babies for $20 but by the time I got around to purchasing my bearded dragon, he was all out. Mine cost $40 at the reptile store.

Also, just a side note, LLL Reptile did inform me that a lot of their babies actually come from breeders in the area, who had even bought the parents from their store. I thought that was pretty cool.

All in All, wherever you buy a dragon just be sure to know what signs to look for in a healthy or unhealthy dragon. If you do your research it really doesn't matter where you get it.