colors vs price

[lavelly]

hi everyone !
soooo ive been looking into purchasing a baby beardie and have notice there are many difrrent colors/ morphs to choose from not only in my local pet stores but online breeders aswell. im just being cautious before i make my final decision. so here are a few questions i have hopefully someone can asnwer them . THANK YOU !

1. As far as purchasing a bearide on line from a breeder..... im kinda ify bout that hole situation honestly lol . any subjestions ?
2. my local pet shop ( PET KINGDOM ) has a bach of baby ORANGE bearides priced at about 150 . . . im really interested in them . but afraid that they arent worth they're prices . my reason for thinking this is that they dont have a specific nam ... . .. hypo etc.... im worried the store employes arent to sure them selfs and are just going to give me trash information just to make a sale. i basically dont wanna pay the price for a full breed orange dragon isnt wat its supposed to be . ( if that makes any scense ) lol
3. do dragons loose thier colors as they age ?

 

[ziggy23]

1. If you order from a reputable breeder, then there's usually no problems. But it's a bad time for ordering online right now. It's not a good idea to ship animals when it's so cold outside. So you might have to wait until spring or find one closer or through a show.

2. IMO $150 is way too much for a dragon with unknown genetics. There is no difference between an orange dragon and a tan dragon. It's just 2 variations of a normal phase dragons, just like with cats. They can be different colors and still the same breed. Breeders will sell colorful dragons at that price and those are worth it, good ones will know the heritage and they also spend a lot of money making sure they are in top health before selling them. There are true morphs that are worth more, but without the background on genetics then it's like taking someone's word about the pedigree of a dog. They could be a mixed, or come from a bad line with aggression or health problems.

3. Some might lose color, some might become brighter, or some might change to a different color all together. The best way to know what they will look like when they are older, is to look at the parents, and even then they might not be quite the same. But it's the closest approximation you can get.

and a word of caution about pet stores: many of them have very bad care of exotics. They might seem cheaper upfront, but there's a good chance it could end up costing you more in vet bills than buying from a reputable breeder.

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

Well Said Zig. I have nothing to add to that.
As to the pet store they are overcharging. Ni ifs, ands, or buts about it.
Look on the forsale section of this forum.
Good luck on your search.

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

oh and Merry Christmas.

 

[DragonsNDoodles]

I would recommend buying from a breeder if you want a color morph. That way, you will know the genetics and you will know what the baby will look like as an adult. I got my citrus leatherback girl from Carolina Classic Dragons and she is beautiful just like her mom and dad, and getting brighter with every shed. However, I did not get her shipped because I live in the same city as the breeder so I just went and picked her out and brought her home.

150 is waaaayy too much for a petstore dragon unless they can prove to you the genetics and bloodlines of the dragons. They may have actually gotten them from a breeder who had too many dragons, and if that's the case and they can prove it, then maybe 150 is a fair price. However, the beardies at petsmart are sometimes orange-ish and they are only 50 dollars apiece. I got two girls from petsmart in June, and while one of them looked orange when I got her, she has changed to a gray, standard color. I love her all the same, of course!!

Where are you located? You may have a Repticon coming soon or there may be a breeder very close to you and you could go pick out a dragon instead of having him or her shipped in the winter.

 

[lavelly]

Alright so earlier today i called the pet shop and asked a few questions . . . got the name of the breeder and did some research on them and thier dragons ... turns out it was pretty legit . shortly after that went down to the pet shop and got my beardie !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! looks too be a female not fully shure yet , most likely gotta give it a few more weeks or so . brung her home and she seems to be in great shape , loves her viv ... was quite hungry when i brang her home tho , fed her up pretty nice . shes currently asleep looking forward to tomarrow ganna take a few pics and post em .
THANKS for the advice btw .

 

[BeardieGrandma]

I would definitely be on the lookout for an upcoming reptile show where you can go see all the different beardies, talk to the breeders and get good prices! Pet shop charges way too much, too cold to ship right now...

 

[squirell]

I got mine from Rio Reptiles. Very good place to get a dragon. Comes with hatch certificate with a picture of both parents, bloodlines, length, and weight.

 

[DragonsNDoodles]

Congrats on your new baby beardie!! I'm glad you called and they turned out to be good quality from a breeder. You got lucky and you did your research. Good job!

I was very pleased that I was able to go to Carolina Classic Dragon's house and pick out my beardie from the whole clutch. He had several other clutches with some remaining babies too, but I knew which clutch I wanted to pick from. Spike and Sunny.