Finding Morphs at Local Pet Shops

[typhonrx]

I had a beardie that recently died of leukemia about 10 days ago and I was planning on getting another one over spring break. I was wondering if it is possible to find nice morphs at local pet shops (not chains like Petco/PetSmart)?

 

[YuriTheDragon]

Yeah anythings possible, you just have to keep looking I found a silkie in one of my petstores but they wanted 80$ for him

 

[typhonrx]

Yeah i'm looking for something around that price or lower but I can't put aside time to stay home on a weekday to wait for the delivery nor can I afford the steep shipping fee

 

[YuriTheDragon]

Or what you could do.Search your local craigslist they usually have people on there getting rid of beardies for cheaper prices than a pet store.

 

[Taterbug]

I've seen high color dragons (petsmart calls them "fancy") and named morphs (citrus, leatherback etc) at pet shops so they do get them. They tend to mark up the "fancies" quite a bit but petsmart seems to have reasonable prices. Our closest pet store (jacks) sells tiny normals for $90.

If you have reptile shows in your area, sometimes you can find a pretty good selection and save on shipping. Don't expect a great deal (the prices are usually "market") but they can happen.

I'd be wary of craigslist dragons, as the ones I see on there are usually in really poor shape. If you are up to a rescue, it's full of them.

I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your little one. I wish you the best in finding a dragon and it's long healthy life!

 

[typhonrx]

my last one was a "fancy" dragon. His colors weakened to normal when he became an adult. I looked on craigslist but the dragons looked to be in pretty poor shape. I'm hoping to find a local pet shop (like jacks)that sells nice dragons for 50-80 bucks. I wasn't sure whether this was possible

 

[DixieLonestar20x]

You could have them hold for delivery for you and have them call you when it arrives at the holding terminal. That is what I done with my last panther chameleon I purchased.

 

[TheReptile838]

Since most Reptile Shops have many more Beardies than pet shops and know much more about them, they have some morphs. I'll be getting my Beardie from a reptile shop which I have visited. They had loads of orange/red ones. Trust me, reptile shops are the best I literally spent hours holding snakes, beardies, geckos. Thing is, there aren't many reptile shops around as much as pet shops. Being in England our pets shop is Pets at Home. I don't trust them. They have underweight animals, dead fish etc. So reptile shops are always better as they know what they're on about and are like £200 cheaper than any garden centres or pet shop to buy everything

 

[Tonja]

I got my Emily at petsmart and never had a problem with her health but her colors are gorgeous, so yes you can get beautifully colored dragons from big box stores. You just have to be diligent in looking. Emily was chocolate and coral pink as a baby and here you can see what shes grown into at just under 2 yrs old.

 

[Valerie]

She's very pretty!!

 

[DixieLonestar20x]

She is a FATTY!! haha! She is beautiful though. Great coloring.

I found a leatherback tiger at PetSmart, scooped him up on sell. With my petsmart card thing I paid $32 dollars for him after tax. Was quite proud of that steal

 

[DixieLonestar20x]

Also Tonja, does she have solid black eyes?? You know she could have translucent in her (as that is a comment trait when they carry the gene)

 

[Tonja]

No, Emily has reddish eyes. shes just a normal with gorgeous coloration. She is 589 grams and healthy as a horse according to her vet who she sees every 6 months for checkups

 

[DixieLonestar20x]

I wasn't meaning fatty as in unhealthy i meant it in a good way lol she obviously is quite healthy and eats great! she is beautiful though!

 

[Siren]

I bought a leatherback red from the Petsmart I work for. I work in grooming and for days I would pass by her over and over again and always comment on her beauty. Finally I broke down and got her. She is the most beautiful dragon I have ever owned. I got her on sale for $40 plus my 15% employee discount.

Since I got her, the beardies we got have been really young babies. She was a good size when I got her, still a baby but not the near hatchling size we get. We did recently get one baby with a defect to the eyes. One eye is larger than the other. Our Banfield has 3 vets, all with a lot of experience with herps, so they took him to one of them (the one with most experience) and he said other than the eye issue, he was healthy. They are adopting him out for free, when they find the right person. One of the managers might take him though. But that was the first dragon I have seen in my Petsmart with any issues. And I have been there 4 years. Even though I work in grooming, they often pull me out to help them with herps and other exotic animal questions, as I've owned a lot of different pets. They have me sex them or help identify morphs.

I wouldn't be too quick to knock Petsmart. Petsmart and other big box companies often get their animals from mass breeding facilities....but when I worked at a mom/pop shop, we bought our pets from the SAME place as the local Petsmart/Petco. No store will likely tell you exactly where they get their animals from. But there is always the chance that just because you skip Petsmart and go to a mom/pop place, doesn't mean you will get a better deal/dragon. No matter where you choose to purchase from, just be diligent on choosing a healthy dragon.