Adopting Adult Dragons

Hello everyone,
I am excited to be a part of this site! Everyone seems very friendly and helpful compared to others I have found.
A little about myself, I am 29 years old and have been an RVT (registered veterinary technician) for almost 8 years.
I have quite a few furry children in my home. At the moment I have 3 dogs (a chihuahua mix-Talulah, a corgi mix-Riddick, and greyhound mix who is a Tripawd-Gotham), as well as 5 kitties (Sinatra, Kawaii, Bruja, Eclipse and Dr. Mew), and 3 ratties (Godzilla, Sassenach, and Lallybroch). All of my pets get along extremely well, often times I find the cats snuggled with the dogs or the rats (if they are having floor time). I know it sounds crazy to have rats and cats together, but I have had rodent pets for almost all of my life so my cats are very used to them.
For a few years now I have been thinking (and researching) about adding a beardie to my crew. When I was living at home (back in the day lol) my younger brother had a Chinese Water Dragon that he loved dearly, but she was so little and I was always afraid of dropping her since she was pretty skittish, even though he held her all the time. But after doing some extensive research, it has come to my understanding that beardies seem to be more social and hardy than Water Dragons. Hence, my interest.
So after all this info, I'll finally get to the question. I have rescued almost all of my pets either from the emergency clinic where I work or as strays. I don't find the thought of purchasing from a breeder top on my priority list but would love to rescue an adult beardie for my first dragon. I see so many posted on places like craigslist that can no longer be cared for by their owners for different reasons (time, money, etc) and think that an adult would be a great starting point.
What do you guys think about adopting adult beardies? Do they seem to take the transition in homes well? I was thinking about keeping my dragon in my home office for a while, away from the chaos of the rest of my home until they are acclimated a bit better to me. Do they seem content to show affection to a new owner or once they are at a certain age, unhappy with new people?
I would appreciate any thoughts.
Thanks!
P.S. Sorry about the lengthy post.

I think that's a wonderful idea! Just beware - if they are a rescue, that could come with a lot of health issues (BUT being a RVT and having so many rescues, you no doubt know that already!). They make take a bit to acclimatize, but they will. Follow their lead when it comes to handling them. Some will want to be handled and snuggled, others will have attitude to the max and will take time - just like any rescue

I think, personally, that an adult is a great starting point as they tend to be easier to care for than a baby. My last two were rescues (my newest came from a petstore, but it was a 'love-at-first sight thing for me, my pets, like yours, are all rescues save for little Charlie). Another thing to watch for with an adult - find out if they were ever fed fruits and veggies or not. My last two weren't. So their diet was all insects no matter how hard I tried. If they have been neglected, they may not have been exposed to alternate foods. As adults they should have 20% live food, 80% fruits/veggies/greens.

There are lots of folks here who are great at helping. Let us know if you do get one!

I've adopted adult dragons and I love them. Babies require a different level of care.

You have to be prepared to address any previous health issues but you are ideally suited to that.

Adopting an adult is a great idea. Especially one who needs special care. Keep in mind that the costs of care may be increased and it's quite important to have everything ready to go ahead of time in terms of proper large enclosure with high quality lights and a food source colony ready if you're going to start one. You may have a leg up on vet costs working in a clinic, but as you probably know specialized testing can be costly depending on what is needed. If you're prepared for that, then providing a happy home for a neglected dragon is one of the most rewarding things you can do, in my opinion. I'm on my second rescue dragon now and it's amazing to watch him thrive and have a good life after being mistreated for the first year of his life. If you have any questions about their setup or their care just log on here and we'll be happy to help.

I would defiantly go for it! So many beardies are thrown away and neglected. Adults are also a little more relaxed (and MUCH cheaper than babies). With a little TLC, almost any beardie can become an amazing pet!

Hi there!
My wife and I just inherited a 10 month old beardie from a friend and I am in full new-mother freakout mode! Icarus came with a tank, heating lamp, uv lamp, furniture and food but I have still managed to drop about $150 on him in the 4 days he's been ours...

"No, he can't have sand substrate, he'll get impacted and DIE!" "He can't eat mealworms he'll DIE!" "He needs a ramp to his basking platform or he'll DIE!" "We need two thermometers and a humidity meter or he'll overheat and DIE!!" "He needs these stacking rocks or he'll hate his vivarium and DIE!" "This UV lamp only has two stars, we need a new one or he'll DIE!" "He must have vitamins or he'll DIE!!" "We must buy 200 crickets or he'll DIE!!"

I know I'm being ridiculous but I just want him to be happy. I think I'm overcompensating for the fact that he's still adjusting to the move and he hasn't warmed up to us yet. Last night I tried to take him out so he could run around the living room and he got scared and BIT ME! It didn't really hurt but I plopped down and about started crying because WHYDOESNTHELOVEMEIBOUGHTHIMALLTHETHINGS!

I should also mention, I didn't even WANT to adopt him, this was my wife's dream pet, so why am I so neurotic?

Because you are now his slave...

BTW - I LOVE the name!

Hey Everyone,
Great news! I am going to adopt my newest edition on Friday! He is 2 years old and comes with "all off his stuff" even though I am a spazz and will probably upgrade most of it. But, YAY, he'll be home soon and I'll post pics for you guys! Now I just have to decide on a name. I love unique names so this is always the hardest part of getting a pet for me. Here is my list of possibilities, what do you guys think?
Falkor
Smaug
Sherlock
Jabberwocky
Tolkein
Toothless
Beowulf
Xerxes
Ragnar

Sherlock. Absolutely Sherlock. Or Benedict Cumberdragon...just saying lol

We need pictures to see what name fits. ^_^ Liking Tolkien.

Happy to hear you found an adult in need. Also great that he comes with all his stuff. Would recommend not changing his decor straight away and make changes one at a time if you do.


Robert had a hissy fit and sulked when this hubba hut came out for cleaning.

How exciting for you!!!!

It sounds like you'll be more than prepared to handle any health issues that might come with a rescue, considering your background and other animal husbandry experience. I'm glad you'll be able to help a dragon out!

To answer a few of your other questions, remember that while we love our beardies they are reptiles after all. I would hesitate to say that they form bonds with any particular person, as that's not really how the reptile brain is wired. They'll definitely form positive associations with you, though, and come to associate you with good things, like bath time, food, pets, etc. As long as you take your time in getting to know your new dragon and pay attention to any stress queues he's giving you, it shouldn't take long to get them to have a nice relationship with you. My little one ate from my hand and falls asleep on my chest literally the day I got him; he's not super confident and will jump back onto me if I try to give him wandering time outside or around the house. The larger one is a very independent bugger though and only lets me pick him up because he knows I'll put him in his feeder tub or give him a bath. Other than that, he hates cuddling and prefers to be active and explore! He could care less about me. :lol:

I'm digging Jabberwocky, personally

No offense to those that have the name, but there are at least 3 in that group that I see often on this forum :lol: But it does not mean the name isn't perfect!

Please keep us posted! Pics would be great

Thank you for all of the input, quick side note: his current owner feeds him in a seperate "container" than his enclosure. Which is a habit I am more than happy to continue, but what do you guys use for your container? Is there a color preference that makes them seeing their prey any easier/harder?

That's something I never thought of...I just use whatever I have on hand if I feed Charlie in a container I happen to have a blue one.

MotherOfDragons1988":29lfbbrb said:

Thank you for all of the input, quick side note: his current owner feeds him in a seperate "container" than his enclosure. Which is a habit I am more than happy to continue, but what do you guys use for your container? Is there a color preference that makes them seeing their prey any easier/harder?

Click to expand...

Neither of mine will eat outside their "home", so I feed by hand