Convincing my parents to let me get a bearded dragon

[Guitarsongs1221]

I'm trying to convince my parents to let me get a baby male bearded dragon. I have always wanted one, and I've done a ton of research and I wrote a couple fake essays and then asked my parents to "correct" it for me. I understand how expensive these lizards are. I'm planing on sitting my parents down and showing them that I can pay for the stuff and the monthly food, but I need to know what some of there arguments might be so that I'm prepared to answer anything. Do you have any arguments, in general, that a parent night pose about their teenager who wants a Bearded dragon? Also, one of the reasons that they won't let me get one is because we already have 2 dogs and 3 cat and they think that the pets will kill the lizard, little do they know that my cats are scared of everything and my dogs are really old and too lazy.

 

[SkeptiBee]

"How much is this going to cost?"
Note: Keep in mind it isn't just food that will need to be spent. Lighting needs to be factored in, bulbs burn out, UVB tubes need twice a year replacement, and utility bills will go up due to the high heat output required. Babies cost a lot in terms of high amounts of food due to their growing needs.

"How do you plan on paying for all this?"
"How large is the animal?"
"How big is the tank it needs?"
"Is this thing going to stink up the house?"
"What if that thing gets loose? I don't want a reptile escaping in our home!"

Also, this is a question from me to you but are you prepared for any future vet bills that might be incurred with pet ownership? Do you know of a local vet that specializes in reptiles?

 

[Guitarsongs1221]

Yea I already looked that up. one of the friends of the family is a reptile vet. All of the vet bills will be covered by me because I will have extra money aside. Thank you those are very good question.

 

[Taterbug]

Not sure they are questions your folks would ask, but they are questions I'd ask of family/friends as a current keeper.

You said you are a teenager - its likely you will be done with high-school and (presumably) to college within the lifespan of the dragon. Are you prepared to keep a relatively high maintenance pet for potentially the next 10-12 years?

How do you plan to keep the lizard safe from the cats? Even the sweetest cats can be mischievous and many love to sit up on the warm tank and peer in at the baby dragon. They can also knock over lights and that has potential to be pretty dangerous.

Are you and your parents willing to put up with crickets - dragons don't smell but crickets can be rank. Many people order them by the hundreds or thousand when their dragons are babies, quite a few switch feeders altogether. Are you/they willing to consider things like cockroaches?

Will you have someone to take care of the dragon if you go away on holiday? It can be more challenging to find a sitter for a reptile than dogs or cats.

 

[Guitarsongs1221]

The aquarium will go in my room, somewhere the cats are not allowed to go. When I let the bearded dragon cuddle with me the cats won't be in the room. My room is very large so I'm sure the lizard wouldn't mind only being able to run around it. Even if the cats are able to sneak in while I'm out at school, the tank will be pretty high up for them and there's no other room on the stand for them to sit on to get to the lizard, so they'd fall off. When he will need a bath I will always keep both eyes on the little guy. My familly never really goes anywhere for holidays or anything but if we do its just for the night and we're going to be home as soon as possible for the other pets. Some of my family comes over to watch the house while we're gone so they can keep on eye on him. My dad is totally anti-letmegetabeardeddragon. So he would ask anything, anything to make sure I know that I'm talking about and that I'm not just a joke. I'm not even sure I will be able to get him to sit down so I can talk to him about it. So once I take this chance, I pretty much know 100% that I won't be getting another.

I am in highschool, I'm prepared to take care of this lizard for as long as it takes. I know it's a lot of commitment but it's something I'd really like to do.

 

[Taterbug]

It sounds like you have done a lot of research and planning, good luck talking to your parents - I hope it goes well for you! Hopefully they surprise you and are more willing