Well, I'm glad you came to this forum to ask for help, hopefully you've been doing some reading on here and you understand what's involved in first getting a set-up for a Bearded Dragon, and also what you'll need to spend monthly on one, because they need a ton of live feeder insects every single day during their first year of life, and you cannot just run to the pet store to buy them their live insects once a week during their first year of life, you're parents/you would go bankrupt.
You absolutely must have a way to order live feeder insects in bulk on the internet on a monthly basis, at least during their first year of life. If you're feeding a baby/juvenile Bearded Dragon properly, up to about a year and a half old, he is going to be eating somewhere between 40-60 live feeder insects every single day. So you cannot spend that kind of money at Petco or PetSmart, or any other pet store. You have to order them in bulk online, which is very affordable, but remember, you have to care for the feeder insects too. I feed my Beardie Phoenix Worms/BSFL, and from 1 month old when I got her to now (she just turned a year old), on average she has eaten 40-50 size large BSFL every single day. So figure you'll need a credit card or a debit card and have to spend around $30-$40 a month on his live insects, his fresh greens/veggies, and both his calcium powder and his multivitamin powder. So if this isn't possible for you, then it's not going to work. I though I would mention this to you right off the bat, because most first-time Beardie owners don't realize how many live insects they eat every day during their first year of life. Most people order their live insects monthly by the 1,000, whether they are feeding crickets, BSFL, or dubia roaches.
If you tell your mom that you'll need to be able to spend between $30-$40 a month on his live insects, which must be ordered in bulk online every month (you'd be spending between $100-$200 a month is you were buying this many crickets at a pet store instead of online), his fresh greens/veggies, and his supplement powders, and she's okay with that every month from now on (they can live up to 15+ years), then you need to figure out what the up front costs of his set-up are going to be. You cannot skimp on his set-up, because bearded dragons are Desert reptiles and they require extremely strong, appropriate UVB tube lights that must also be replaced either every 6 months or every year, depending on which you buy. YOU CANNOT GET AWAY WITH BUYING CHEAP, COMPACT/COIL UVB BULBS FOR A BEARDIE! He'll just end up dying. So calculate the amount of money you're going to need before even paying for the dragon itself. The take that to your mom....
1.) ENCLOSURE/TANK: The minimum size tank for a bearded dragon is a 40 Gallon Breeder Tank, and you also have to buy the lid separately (DO NOT EVER BUY A "STARTER KIT", AS THEY ALL CONTAIN CRAPPY LIGHTS, THERMOMETERS, ETC. AND YOU'LL ONLY NEED TO REPLACE EVERYTHING IN THE KIT EXCEPT FOR THE TANK AND THE LID!. At a year old he'll need an enclosure that is at least 4'x2'x2', because an adult bearded dragon that is properly cared for often reaches lengths of 24" long or longer!!! So figure to start out you'll need to buy a 40-Gallon Breeder Tank and a mesh lid for it, at a minimum, I'm estimating $100 for the 40-Gallon Breeder Tank and then another $20-30 for the mesh lid. So let's say $150 for both if you buy them new.....$150.
2.) LIGHTS: This is not negotiable at all. Lets just say you order your UVB tube and fixture on Amazon.com and you don't even attempt to buy them in a pet store, because you'll save 50% or more on the price this way. Dragons must have a long UVB tube and fixture, that is a minimum of 18" long, and you should get a T5-strength and not the much weaker T8-strength, not only is it best for the dragon, but the much stronger T5-strength UVB tube only needs replaced once a year, where the much weaker T8-strength UVB tubes must be replaced every 6 months. So assuming you are able to order this on Amazon.com, a 22" Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVB tube costs $25 and a matching 24" tube fixture that is rated for a T5 tube is another $28. So the UVB tube and fixture alone cost $53, and that's only if you order them on Amazon.com, if you buy them in a store then double that cost. Then you need a Deep-Dome Lamp ($30) and a 100 watt bright white Basking bulb ($10), so around $40 for the bright white Basking Bulb and Deep Dome Fixture, again this is ordering it on Amazon.com.
So both a T5 UVB tube and fixture and a bright white Basking Bulb and Deep Dome Fixture.......$93
3.) Digital Probe Thermometer and Digital Hygrometer....$20
4.) Food Bowl....$5
5.) Basking Platform...$20
6.) Other Tank Decor...$30 minimum, this is up to you really but it's expensive
7.) Calcium Powder and Multivitamin Powder...$12
8.) Plastic Tub for Live Insects....$15
I'm sure I'm missing stuff, and I went on the cheap side of "Tank Decor", that's subjective. Remember, this is only assuming you order both lights and both fixture from Amazon.com.
TOTAL START-UP ESTIMATE (BARE NECESSITIES): BETWEEN $300-$350 not including any Live Insects
ADD 1,000 Small Crickets or Large BSFL (ordered online from
www.dubiaroaches.com): $30 shipped
TOTAL START-UP COST INCLUDING 1,000 LIVE FEEDER INSECTS FOR THE FIRST MONTH: ~$350
So that's around $350 start-up costs, including 1,000 live feeder insects for his first month, assuming that you are able to order everything on Amazon.com. THIS IS WITHOUT BUYING THE BEARDED DRAGON!!!!!
So a very good estimate for a start-up cost including the Bearded Dragon and 1,000 Live Feeder Insects, assuming you can order your equipment on Amazon.com and your live insects from
www.dubiaroaches.com, and you're paying somewhere around $50 or so for the actual Bearded Dragons, is around $400. That's a really good estimate to tell your mom what you'll need up front, just to get the Beardie and everything he needs (you cannot skimp on the lights or the Digital Thermometer, you'll spend a fortune more in the future in Reptile Specialist Vet bills if you try to buy cheap lights and stick-on thermometers).
So you need about $400 up-front and be able to use either a credit card or a debit card on Amazon.com for the equipment, because if you try to purchase this stuff in a pet store (excluding the 40-Gallon Breeder Tank and the Mesh Lid for it, that's I calculated in-store pricing) you'll spend at least double the amount of everything. Then you need to tell her that his live feeder insect bulk order every month will be around $30 and then $10 for his fresh greens/veggies, so about $40 a month for his food forever. ***Remind your mom that once a year his T5 UVB tube will need replaced, and periodically you'll need to buy Calcium and Multivitamin powders.
There ya go. If you can swing his monthly food bill and your mom can front you $400 and the ability to order online from Amazon.com, and you're willing to spend the time every single day taking care of him, spending time with him, cleaning out his tank every single day, baths once a week at least, 2 daily feeding sessions lasting 10-15 minutes a piece every single day, etc. then you're set.