Should I adopt this beardie???

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Douglaspriest56

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Hello, I am 13 years old and looking for a beardie. I have had rosy boas and I currently have a family of anoles. I've had it all from rats to horses. And yesterday I was schroling through offer up and I saw this ad for a 2 and a half year old beardie who's owner had no time for him anymore. My mom who is like an expert on reptiles says that rescuing is not good and I should wait for the reptile show to get a breeder sunburst instead, but I really feel bad for the little guy.
 

VenusAndSaturn

Sub-Adult Member
Depends on the situation the beardie is in and how much money you can spend... either way is going to be extremely expensive. Although a possibly unhealthy beardie that you have no idea what it's history is may be a bit more expensive than a beardie that your getting from a breeder who can tell you everything about it.

Personally I've never gotten a beardie off of any sites before such as craigslist, although I almost did because the poor thing was in terrible care, enclosure filled with sand and if im correct he was half blind and only a juvenile... however they stopped texting back after I asked about the enclosure size he was currently in..
I also almost got a really nice juvenile citrus hypo leatherback off of craigslist before I got my two adults back in 2016.. sadly she was already sold but she was definitely stunning.

Also as for your mom who said rescuing is not good, I have to disagree mostly with that as it really depends on the animal and the person rescuing it. If you can afford possibly thousands in vet bills (for both the animal and for your other animals if disease spreads), plus the tank it needs, the lighting and the food go ahead.

Do you think you can post a link, I may be able to spot any problems it may have.
 

Douglaspriest56

New member
Original Poster
VenusAndSaturn":3s040plf said:
Depends on the situation the beardie is in and how much money you can spend... either way is going to be extremely expensive. Although a possibly unhealthy beardie that you have no idea what it's history is may be a bit more expensive than a beardie that your getting from a breeder who can tell you everything about it.

Personally I've never gotten a beardie off of any sites before such as craigslist, although I almost did because the poor thing was in terrible care, enclosure filled with sand and if im correct he was half blind and only a juvenile... however they stopped texting back after I asked about the enclosure size he was currently in..
I also almost got a really nice juvenile citrus hypo leatherback off of craigslist before I got my two adults back in 2016.. sadly she was already sold but she was definitely stunning.

Also as for your mom who said rescuing is not good, I have to disagree mostly with that as it really depends on the animal and the person rescuing it. If you can afford possibly thousands in vet bills (for both the animal and for your other animals if disease spreads), plus the tank it needs, the lighting and the food go ahead.

Do you think you can post a link, I may be able to spot any problems it may have.
Ok thank you. My budget is around 500$ at the moment. And I live in southern California and was wondering if I should wait to go the reptile convention ( like the 3rd biggest show in the country) in september and gain another 1000 dollars or should I ask my snake breeder if she knows anyone who breeds beardies/ rescues and gets one now... My anoles will be soil jealous if I bring home another animal
 

VenusAndSaturn

Sub-Adult Member
You may want to save up more if your budget right now is only 500...
Usually beardies cost from $50-400+ depending on genetics and morphs. However its more common to find them at 100 at the very least in my experience.
I paid 175 each for two eldest from a very good local reptile store, the males a citrus hypo trans and the female is some sort of red color phase, I've been told either a fire tiger or a rainbow tiger... however we have no idea if she's het for anything.

Setup is a bit expensive but if you just get an adult setup from the get go you'll be fine on that part, however if you upgrade it you're looking at a very expensive process.
75 gallons is what I consider the minimum, it provides the space they need along with the height they need and it also provides more options of basking spots and UVB levels that a 40 or 50 gallon doesn't.
Usually 75 gallons are around the same amount as a 40 or 50 gallon that has front opening doors, however during the petco one dollar per gallon sale their only around 97 dollars instead of 200+.
Getting the fixture and UVB bulb at first will probably be around 100 or so.
Generally you want to cover half of the enclosure with a tube light UVB at the very least, however I prefer a 46" over my 75 gallons rather than a 36".
And then of course you have to replace that UVB bulb every 6-12 months.
Substrate is probably the least expensive part of a bearded dragon as you can use tile, paper towels, or non adhesive shelf liner (these are the main three good ones).
Oh and of course the lid for the 75 if it doesn't come with one will be 30+ unless you make your own.
And then the basking bulb, fixtures for the heat lamp, the decor ect really depends on what you buy or where you get it from.

Food is probably one of the most expensive parts of a beardie.
Your probably looking at 20-40 dollars every two weeks for a young one if you use crickets, you can save a bit of money by buying multiple feeders as that will last a tiny bit longer. I just spent about 65 dollars on crickets, and then two sizes of superworms (large for my beardies, and then small for my leopard gecko.. these are mostly treats for the beardies). If I'm buying all the feeders I give them at once I'm looking at food costs way over 100 but that will usually last me about a month. I do have 7 reptiles in total plus a worm loving hedgehog so that does factor in a bit...although the tegu and the snake don't eat insects. Well...the tegu does but she's a picky brat that only likes hornworms and dubias.

And then of course vet bills are about 100+ each time you take a beardie to a vet (depending on the vet). Very costly animals...

Just to give you a general Idea of basically a standard bearded dragon enclosure here is my youngest female in her 75 gallon. Its not the best picture but I'm in the process of getting rack systems setup and everything so things are a bit in the way.
image.jpg

Still need to fix the basking area with more logs so she can get higher if she wants.
 

Douglaspriest56

New member
Original Poster
VenusAndSaturn":1oun8imb said:
You may want to save up more if your budget right now is only 500...
Usually beardies cost from $50-400+ depending on genetics and morphs. However its more common to find them at 100 at the very least in my experience.
I paid 175 each for two eldest from a very good local reptile store, the males a citrus hypo trans and the female is some sort of red color phase, I've been told either a fire tiger or a rainbow tiger... however we have no idea if she's het for anything.

Setup is a bit expensive but if you just get an adult setup from the get go you'll be fine on that part, however if you upgrade it you're looking at a very expensive process.
75 gallons is what I consider the minimum, it provides the space they need along with the height they need and it also provides more options of basking spots and UVB levels that a 40 or 50 gallon doesn't.
Usually 75 gallons are around the same amount as a 40 or 50 gallon that has front opening doors, however during the petco one dollar per gallon sale their only around 97 dollars instead of 200+.
Getting the fixture and UVB bulb at first will probably be around 100 or so.
Generally you want to cover half of the enclosure with a tube light UVB at the very least, however I prefer a 46" over my 75 gallons rather than a 36".
And then of course you have to replace that UVB bulb every 6-12 months.
Substrate is probably the least expensive part of a bearded dragon as you can use tile, paper towels, or non adhesive shelf liner (these are the main three good ones).
Oh and of course the lid for the 75 if it doesn't come with one will be 30+ unless you make your own.
And then the basking bulb, fixtures for the heat lamp, the decor ect really depends on what you buy or where you get it from.

Food is probably one of the most expensive parts of a beardie.
Your probably looking at 20-40 dollars every two weeks for a young one if you use crickets, you can save a bit of money by buying multiple feeders as that will last a tiny bit longer. I just spent about 65 dollars on crickets, and then two sizes of superworms (large for my beardies, and then small for my leopard gecko.. these are mostly treats for the beardies). If I'm buying all the feeders I give them at once I'm looking at food costs way over 100 but that will usually last me about a month. I do have 7 reptiles in total plus a worm loving hedgehog so that does factor in a bit...although the tegu and the snake don't eat insects. Well...the tegu does but she's a picky brat that only likes hornworms and dubias.

And then of course vet bills are about 100+ each time you take a beardie to a vet (depending on the vet). Very costly animals...

Just to give you a general Idea of basically a standard bearded dragon enclosure here is my youngest female in her 75 gallon.
image.jpg

Still need to fix the basking area with more logs so she can get higher if she wants.
VenusAndSaturn":1oun8imb said:
You may want to save up more if your budget right now is only 500...
Usually beardies cost from $50-400+ depending on genetics and morphs. However its more common to find them at 100 at the very least in my experience.
I paid 175 each for two eldest from a very good local reptile store, the males a citrus hypo trans and the female is some sort of red color phase, I've been told either a fire tiger or a rainbow tiger... however we have no idea if she's het for anything.

Setup is a bit expensive but if you just get an adult setup from the get go you'll be fine on that part, however if you upgrade it you're looking at a very expensive process.
75 gallons is what I consider the minimum, it provides the space they need along with the height they need and it also provides more options of basking spots and UVB levels that a 40 or 50 gallon doesn't.
Usually 75 gallons are around the same amount as a 40 or 50 gallon that has front opening doors, however during the petco one dollar per gallon sale their only around 97 dollars instead of 200+.
Getting the fixture and UVB bulb at first will probably be around 100 or so.
Generally you want to cover half of the enclosure with a tube light UVB at the very least, however I prefer a 46" over my 75 gallons rather than a 36".
And then of course you have to replace that UVB bulb every 6-12 months.
Substrate is probably the least expensive part of a bearded dragon as you can use tile, paper towels, or non adhesive shelf liner (these are the main three good ones).
Oh and of course the lid for the 75 if it doesn't come with one will be 30+ unless you make your own.
And then the basking bulb, fixtures for the heat lamp, the decor ect really depends on what you buy or where you get it from.

Food is probably one of the most expensive parts of a beardie.
Your probably looking at 20-40 dollars every two weeks for a young one if you use crickets, you can save a bit of money by buying multiple feeders as that will last a tiny bit longer. I just spent about 65 dollars on crickets, and then two sizes of superworms (large for my beardies, and then small for my leopard gecko.. these are mostly treats for the beardies). If I'm buying all the feeders I give them at once I'm looking at food costs way over 100 but that will usually last me about a month. I do have 7 reptiles in total plus a worm loving hedgehog so that does factor in a bit...although the tegu and the snake don't eat insects. Well...the tegu does but she's a picky brat that only likes hornworms and dubias.

And then of course vet bills are about 100+ each time you take a beardie to a vet (depending on the vet). Very costly animals...

Just to give you a general Idea of basically a standard bearded dragon enclosure here is my youngest female in her 75 gallon.
image.jpg

Still need to fix the basking area with more logs so she can get higher if she wants.
thank you for the info?! I have contacted my breeder and she sent Me a link to 4forty4 dragons and I have done a little chatting with them already and am looking at a hypo orange for 165$https://www.4forty4dragons.com/uploads/1/2/3/7/12371389/221_orig.jpg he is a cute if you have anymore needed info please let me know and have a good night
 

VenusAndSaturn

Sub-Adult Member
Well you take them to the vet so they dont get sick and then die, or just to make sure your new beardie is all healthy.
So far I've taken my beardies and other reptiles to the vet mostly for fecal tests and then treating for pinworms which isn't too costly if its just a fecal test and some meds for only pinworms.
However the past few months I've had to take my eldest female in twice for some of her problems, not too severe or anything mostly just health concerns as she can't really keep a stable weight for too long unless she's fed daily from what I've noticed ever since she began laying eggs.
Each time being around 100 dollars. I assume this will last for a few more months until the breeding season and hormones calm down a bit.
So far she's laid two clutches of eggs, first one had about 27 eggs and the second clutch she laid 28 eggs. I expect probably a few more clutches of infertile eggs but im hoping there isn't anymore coming as it's a bit stressful for me and probably stressful and exhausting for her.

http://www.anapsid.org/vets/#vetlist
This is a pretty good site for finding a good reptile vet.

Also that bearded dragon seems to have really nice colors to him, I bet he'd look amazing once grown. Seems to be healthy from the look of it too.

And just a little tip, i'd get a note book when you get your beardie and do monthly weighing and measuring to keep track of everything. I usually weigh and measure all my animals on the 30th of each month. My note books generally have this lay out but you can do it whichever way you want.
image.jpg

This is my tegus notebook, just a little example of how I do mine.

And then as for other info I made this little care sheet going over the basics if you wanna take a look at that.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/18PfjxbgD95KLcfRCqGAVz-ViuMPuP4AvgGBSZzPKRgc/edit?usp=sharing
 
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