Don't confuse suspicion with prudence.
Caveat Emptor wasn't born yesterday; it's been a principle of common law since 1603
at least, and its roots go back
much further.
AHBD":sz27yr5h said:
The link for " How to tell if a dragon is sick " has some decent points but right off the bat the info warning that there's something wrong if a dragon has not poo'd for a couple of days is no sign of anything wrong at all.
That's not what the article said
at all. It
actually said,
If your bearded dragon hasn’t had a bowel movement in a couple days, you’ll definitely want to start considering what could possibly be causing them to be backed up.
Start considering...possibly...
Best not to
throw the baby out with the bath water. Subjectively declaring one or two faults doesn't invalidate the entirety of an article. Authors are bound to differ/disagree. That's why I posted multiple overlapping articles, and often post results of google searches--so a reader can get a variety of opinions/views, research further for themselves, and come to their own conclusions/decisions.
IMO, the best source for a first-time owner is a breeder, which the first link I posted acknowledges, and others have/will confirm. I asked a local herp vet for referrals (as the first article suggested); he didn't have any, but that's a whole 'nother ball-o-worms. I also went to a number of
reptile shows (which I highly recommend) so I could:
- Meet breeders firsthand
See how they cared for & treated their stock
See how professionally they conducted themselves and their businesses
Ask questions and gauge their responses and reactions (body language)
Develop relationships
I posted a thread about it
here. A good breeder will answer your calls and offer assistance, guidance, and suggestions
after the sale--they'll be there for you. Buying from a breeder may cost a few bucks extra initially, but very little when compared to the initial & ongoing expenses of owning & caring for a reptile, and potential extra expenses of rescuing an animal with a history of problems. Bringing an animal back from a bad history can be rewarding, but may also be an unpredictable contingency (prudence/reality--not pessimism), and as many experiences posted on this forum illustrate, regrettably, not all have happy endings.