Petsmart dragons?

An alert, active dragon sounds good. You should ask if they will pay for an outside vet of exam (at a vet you choose) before purchasing if that's the route you take. Also, ask if they will pay vet bills at a vet of YOUR choice if he develops issues later due to their care.

If you go with petsmart you want to get the biggest, most alert dragon. Examine him closely before purchasing. You should also examine the others to make sure there is nothing yours could get from them.

I can vouch for what NewBeardieOwner421 said. I bought my little guy from Petco in November, and he has tested positive for ADV. His health has been a rollercoaster ride. at one point, we thought we were going to have to put him down because he was so sick. He's doing alright at the moment, (in fact he ate 30 bugs yesterday which is a LOT for him!) but it's only thanks to a good herp vet and the folks here.

I had never heard of ADV until this thread; I will have to do further research into this. From what little I have read it seems that a lot/most of commercially bred dragons carry this?

You are correct. Wherever you get your dragon from, you should have it tested. Even some from breeders have it. Knowing your dragons status is important in knowing if/what extra care you need. Drache13 on here helps run a foundation for testing. She, along with varalidaine, has a lot of info if you test positive.

Daichu dragons will refund/reimburse you if your dragon tests positive.

I wish so many things about my still developing knowledge on dragons. I wish I'd known to avoid pet stores. I wish I'd known what ADV even was, let alone that it's practically a guarantee with pet stores. I wish I'd found this place before buying my dragon. I adore my little guy, but it's been VERY difficult since Day 1.

i got my beardie from a pet store called j&k mega pets. he was an adult when we got him. i think someone sold them their bearded dragons and the store was pretty knowledgeable about the care of them but did get some things wrong. they said that crickets were the absolute best feeder you can give a bearded dragon that was just one thing out of several that were wrong. but that's okay they just know what they were told.

we got lucky in buying a bearded dragon adult instead of a baby. i don't trust pet store babies. there's too many things that can go wrong.

I feel like I got lucky with Betelgeuse. I got him as a 1 month old from petsmart because we don't really have any other choices where I live. When I walked by the cage he ran up to the glass and thats when I knew I needed to get him. He's now 7 months old and healthy with a beautiful citrus tiger pattern to him and is one of the friendliest pets I've ever had. I personally won't get another beardie from petsmart or petco due to the way they are taken care of but I do love my Betelgeuse. The advice I was given before I got my beardie was that if you get one from a big chain pet store then check for alertness, if they are housed with many other beardies in the same cage, and if they have any small wounds and after you get them take them to a vet.

Enzynom":i9feyd63 said:

I feel like I got lucky with Betelgeuse. I got him as a 1 month old from petsmart because we don't really have any other choices where I live. When I walked by the cage he ran up to the glass and thats when I knew I needed to get him. He's now 7 months old and healthy with a beautiful citrus tiger pattern to him and is one of the friendliest pets I've ever had. I personally won't get another beardie from petsmart or petco due to the way they are taken care of but I do love my Betelgeuse. The advice I was given before I got my beardie was that if you get one from a big chain pet store then check for alertness, if they are housed with many other beardies in the same cage, and if they have any small wounds and after you get them take them to a vet.

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Love the name!!!

I know a lot of people refrain from buying bearded dragons from chain petstores because a lot of them get the husbandry wrong but I see no problem rewarding stores within the chains that actually do care to take proper care of their animals. Just let corporate know which ones are worthy of business. The petsmart in both college station and the Arlington highlands in Texas looked like they took excellent care of their bearded dragons, they used reptile carpet, no sand, no large buildup of poop in the viv, provided freshly chopped vegetables daily, appropriate sized crickets, a proper basking spot with proper temperatures, and used a UVB florecent tube. While buying Norbert(a) at the one in the Highlands they were constantly giving me proper advice that I had heard on the forum such as basking temperatures between 100-110F, a cool side arround 80, a hot side arround 90, they need UVB, feed crickets or roaches no bigger than the width betwen their eyes, feed them 2 times a day as much as they can eat in 15 minutes, dust the feeders with calcium at least 2 times a week, don't use loose substrate, provide fresh vegies daily such as collard greens, zucchini, sweet peppers, peas, and carrots. They also gave me a free checkup at their in store vet school, but I went ahead and ordered a fecal test for parasites and ADV at a 3rd party testing place for about $24 for both tests and my bearded dragon was clear on both accounts. The only thing the sails associate said that was wrong or I had never heard of was telling the dragon's gender based on the shape of its head, they told me it was a boy because it had a triangular head whereas females have a more oval head. I've never heard that one anywhere else. Based on the number of bumbs near her vent I'm thinking I have a Norberta, but it can be hard to tell until they're mature right?
I sent a review to the store telling them they were doing an excelent job taking care of their bearded dragons, wish the petco in college station and Arlington treaited theirs the same. Petco had no basking spot, the whole vivarium was only 80F, provided frozen vegie mix like you get in a bag, dried poop everywhere, condensation on the inside of the glass, crickets were way too big for the beardies, and most of the poor babies were laying on the floor completely listless with their theyes closed most of the time. Ironically petco has a sign over the enclosure with the statement "we pride ourselves on providing the best care for our animals." Riiiiiight... not the stores in College Station Tx, or Arlington Tx apparently.

I am new to the bearded dragon scene but I bought my first beardie "Kiko" from Petco and haven't had any issues at all. He eats very well( 15-20) crickets each feeding and I feed him 3 times a day. His weight is good for his size he's about 7" and almost 20grams.

This is my guy, bought from petsmart - he was a "fancy"

Oh gracious.... our Scorch is a Petsmart beardie... and it's been a roller coaster. Not so much that he was unhealthy (and I use "he" loosely... lol) because I think we got him he was reasonably healthy. Bright, alert.... but OH the horrible advice I got on not one, but 2 occasions from petsmart employees.... when we got him, he was a BAAA-BY!! And the oh SO knowledgeable lady that was shoving every possible thing in my cart, telling me everythinI had gotten was wrong wrong wrong.... yeah, SHE sent us home with LARGE crickets. Unfortunately, I hadn't heard the no bigger than the space between their eyeball rule yet, or I would have looked at her like she had 2 heads. Needless to say, after 2 days of attempting to eat big ole crickets, I noticed a dropping that didn't look like poo. Sure he enough, he barfed the cricket wad up. Now, I'm quite thankful he was able to get it up, instead of becoming impacted!! However, he was traumatized. He barely ate the small crickets after that.... switched him to Dubia's and he is MUCH happier. Then, I had another employee tell me, eh they don't really need uvb light if there's enough natural light in the room! :shock: So, I went about 2-3 weeks with no uvb light...about then is when I stumbled on this site and started getting reliable info.... finally got his lighting setup with the good right kind of uvb and everything.... he perked way up after that. He's had a wonky eye, I've had to deal with. And now, he's either super grump a lump because of a shed or I'm seeing some MBD. Going to increase calcium, get vitamins, and make sure his heat is warm enough... maybe even try to raise temp a bit. Take the screen off for a bit so no uvb gets filtered. (Meaning, I'd just sit next to his tank with the screen off! Last thing he needs is to get lost in the house! Yikes!)
All that to say, I think if I had maybe found THIS site first, and NEVER listened to the worthless advice of petsmart employees, Scorch might be a little healthier. I'm doing all I can to make sure he's healthy now, just a little behind the 8 ball... Rescue dragons from petsmart? Yeah, I *might* do it again. Listen to their advice? Absolutely 100% NEVER again.

I purchased a bearded dragon from petsmart 4 years ago. For the most part he has been a very healthy beardie with no problems until recently. He was diagnosed with cancer. There's a possibility that it's genetic, or just random like how people can develop cancer without a history of cancer in their family. I love him dearly and I'm so thankful to have him in my life, i would go back in time and purchase him all over again in a heartbeat, but I don't think I'll be purchasing anymore bearded dragons from pet stores. I'm much too traumatized by this whole ordeal.

I've had Kozmo since October. She's from petsmart and is a "fancy" leatherback hypo. Our stores here in metro-Atlanta seemed to take care of their beardiea pretty well. They even took them out and walked around the store with them. But the advise was always different. They meant well, but we're just store employees. Either way, she's a happy girl and seems to be growing up just fine.

I'm sure the decision has long been made by this point, but I just made a comment on a similar topic regarding chain store dragons.

It varies by location.
Yes, Petsmart and Petco are large corporations looking to make a quick sale, yes many breeders they get their pets from are from the same mind-set, but each petsmart has different managers, employees, etc.

I will always recommend getting a dragon from a reputable dealer if you have the option, but I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss a chain store dragon as though they're all terrible and sickly.

Both my dragons are petsmart dragons, and since then I've seen a dead, skeletal dragon in an enclosure with 4 alive ones, clearly neglected for weeks to deteriorate to that point. It was disgusting, upsetting, and scarring. I will never buy a bearded dragon from that petsmart again. But that doesn't mean that the Petsmart an hour away isn't checking on them hourly, feeding them properly, and watching their enclosures. It depends on who they hire to tend to these animals which is the biggest factor, along with individual store policies.