My son wanted a snake. I wanted something we didn't have to feed mice to. I will admit that I went into the pet store looking for a *low maintenance* reptile, mainly because it was meant to be a 7 year old boys pet and we wanted him to take on the responsibility and care of his new pet. Cost was a factor, but not the main factor. We did get our beardie from Petsmart (didn't know better at the time) and I was sure to tell the *reptile* expert that we needed a beginner pet. I think it was the Chinese Crested Dragon we were looking at, and he suggested a beardie. We also looked at Gecko's. I took the brochures that Petsmart had, did a little research online, and finally made the decision that a beardie would be the best fit. Knowing what I know now, we should have bought his viv and set it up prior to purchasing him, but we purchased him and all of his supplies at the same time. I know we weren't supposed to handle him much in the first few days to allow him to get used to his new home, but try to tell a 7 year old that and see how it works out. We're insanely blessed in that our beardie is extremely social. I think in part that comes from us handling him right from the beginning. We kept it to just a few minutes a day for the first few days, but I'll admit I would get him out after the kids went to bed and he would fall asleep on my hands. He still loves to sleep on me and even if it's the middle of the day he'll curl up under my hair, dig himself in and take a nap. We still get him out every day for exercise and snuggles. The only exception was when we all recently had the flu.
Now, I am a researcher. I purchased a book on beardies at Petsmart when we got our beardie and quickly realized that I needed more help than that as the book led me to ask questions that I couldn't find the answer to in the book and the book often directly contradicted what we told when we got him. Which is how I found this site. Which is where I realized that pretty much everything we were told at Petsmart was incomplete or incorrect. :shock: After we had our beardie I did tons of research and I think he's set up the way he should be and has a pretty good beardie life.
I don't think that everyone goes into Petsmart or Petco looking for a disposable pet, but I do think people go in and don't really know what their getting or getting in to. Part of why we chose the beardie was their life span. We figured that our beardie will be nearing the end of his life about the same time our son is going off to college. When I have an animal, any animal, I am committed to that animal for life. We know that our son most likely won't be able to take his pet to college and since we'll be empty nesters at that point, we didn't necessarily want the added responsibility of another pet. Now, that being said, if our beardie is still alive when our son goes to school, and if he can't take or doesn't want to take him with him, he'll continue to live with us. I would never dispose of a pet that way, ever. And all of that being said, he's really grown on me. I do more with our beardie than anyone else in the house and he's sleeping on my shoulder as I type this out. He's really become a part of our family, in a way that I don't think a snake would have, and even Santa brings him special treats on Christmas. So yes, some people go into the pet store completely oblivious (I certainly feel like one of them), but if they are a responsible pet owner they'll come out and search for the knowledge they need to properly care for their new pet.
Ask my about our Hermit Crabs that we bought on the boardwalk and ended up having for four years. :wink:
