I want to get a BD. Do know how much it will cost?

[risi]

I am only 12 but I :love10: Bearded Dragons. How much do thay cost for the Tank, Lamp, Bedding, stuf like that? I have the food and shelter.

 

[herpfreak]

A lot. A painful lot. The original expenses are ok, but babies can cost $100s per month for food, electricity, etc. Plus, you have to count in vet bills, heat bulb replacements, and continually larger cages for growing beardies.

-The enclosure itself is one of the most expensive things to buy. Babies can be housed in 20-ish gallon tanks, juvies in 40-ish gallon tanks, but adults need a minimum of a 4x2x2' enclosure, which can get really expensive. Instead of a glass tank, I reccommend investing in a wood, melamine, acryllic, or other type of custom cage. These too can be expensive. I built my own for under $50, but it took 4 full days of me and a friend working hard to get it done.

-Dragons are fairly cheap. Babies at pet stores (which overprice them to an extreme) are around $60. Babies at expos can go for $10. A good price for an adult is $100.

-Lighting/Heating: ReptiSun 10.0 (or MVB) is required for UV. Other than that, you just need heat and light, which can be provided in a combination of halogen bulbs, household bulbs, red bulbs, or ceramic heat emitters. Plus fixtures for all of the above.

-Most cage decor you can get for free; cardboard boxes, rocks, logs, etc. You will need a digital thermometer with a probe ($12) and a substrate. My favorite substrate is tile.

-Food, food, food, food, and food. Did I mention food? This is by far the most expensive part of owning a dragon. Especially a baby. They eat like there is no tomorrow. I'm spending about $40 per month on crickets for my adult beardie, plus all his greens and veggies, plus mealworms. And he's an adult. Babies eat so much more. So, you need to make sure you have a continous flow of cash. If your parents won't pay for the food, you will need to get a job babysitting or something like that. Make sure you will be able to afford food for years to come.




Good luck! Beardies are the most amazing things you could ever imagine. Believe it or not, every single penny of the hundreds of dollars you will spend on yours is all worth it a hundred times over.

Things to remember:
-DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!! And ask us any questions you have. This is an awesome site with very friendly people that are also very helpful.
-Never buy a beardie from a chain pet store (PetCo, PetSmart, etc). The storekeepers rarely know how to care for reptiles. And don't think you'll be doing a rescue. If you "save" a beardie from them, they will just buy another. I boycott those stores altogether because of how they treat their reptiles.
-Keep us posted. If you do get a beardie, we want pictures!!

Again, I wish you the best of luck!!

 

[MarianaL87]

Most definately...The inicial set up i find were the most expensive in my case...
But you can cut corners here and there like :

Try to find tanks second hand (i bought my 40 gallon for $30-$35), breeding some of your own feeders....The one thing you absolutely cannnottt skimp on is their lighting. No ifs ands or buts. Now depending on where you live, (mainly sunny and warm enough) you wont need them as much but still.

Its definately a lot of responsibility, no question. Well worth it but still a lot to consider. Make sure your parents are right behind you on this one.

 

[andras]

Well, you could spend a few hundred. However, there are sites like craigslist where you may find great deals, especially on tanks. A 40-gallon tank in portland oregon runs $100-$125, however i found someone on this site who parted with hers for a mere $35. Food is expensive for juveniles, and lights do need replacing from time to time. Calcium and UVB are essential to their growth and aren't cheap either. Now, most of what i mentioned and some things that were mentioned above don't need to be purchased often at all. In my case, I don't have much money to work with and had to buy a set-up a few pieces at a time. When I finally had everything i needed, I scraped up enough to buy my beardie. the wait was worth it even the minute i had gotten him home. I don't know your situation, but I hope you are able to come up with ideas to make your future beardie happen. Best of luck, matt.

 

[Elora]

make sure you do a lot of research on them before you buy one. The caresheets on here are the best that i have found. Here is a link to that http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/

" Before deciding on buying a Bearded dragon you should consider a few things. One, do you have a qualified Herp Vet in your area that will be able to care for your new pet if it get's sick? Newly aquired Bearded Dragons should always have a fecal sample tested for parasites and a general health checkup. It is also a good idea to have them retested for parasites once a year.

Two, are you going to be able to afford to feed, house and care for this pet during it's life? Bearded Dragons will eat like ravenous beasts when young and will cost you alot of money. The UV light they require also need to be replaced around every six months wich is also going to cost a bit of money. Let's not forget trips to the Vet, these may also add up over the years of your Beardies life. "
Bearded Dragons - Care Sheet
Written by Jeremiah "Podunk" Jaeger

 

[ScooterBlenny]

I would recommend that you get an adult beardie. As others have pointed out, it can cost over $100 per month to feed a baby properly.

 

[herpfreak]

I agree. Also, babies are very fragile and adults are pretty hardy.