Is buying a pre-owned beardie a good idea?

[jaywil2]

I've been wanting a beardie for ages, and now I'm finally getting one! My plan was to get a 50 gallon tank, hopefully pre-onwed just to make it more affordable, then the beardie (adult, around 2 years old) and accessories from a local pet store that I really trust. I realized I can actually fit an aquarium about 4 ft long in my room so now I'm looking for something around 75 gallons or even larger, which is very hard to find used, and are way too expensive new.

I found someone selling his 3 year old beardie WITH a 75 gallon tank and some accessories for $200 (which seems so cheap to me!), but I'm weary of buying a beardie that doesn't come from a reputable source. Obviously I would want to check out the beardie (and the tank) to make sure he wasn't sick or something and that he had been hand trained well, but it still seems kinda sketchy to me....any advice?

Also, I've been thinking of maybe just building my own tank. My dad built a 40 gallon feeder tank when he was younger and said it was pretty easy and he would give me a hand with it, any advice or thoughts on this?

Thanks!

 

[Taterbug]

The bigger the better with tanks. 36x18x18 is a standard minimum, but if you can get bigger I'd go for it. We built 48x24x24 and I wish we'd made it bigger, but it's a really good size. 50gal tanks tend to only be 12" wide, so be mindful when looking at aquariums. Also, front opening enclosures are really the way to go if you can.

If you buy used sanitize it very well, steam is great but a wash with bleach solution, and a separate wash with ammonia solution (rinse super well between the two) would be a good idea too. Many reptile parasites and diseases can contaminate enclosures and equipment.

Rehoming is fine and countless beardies need new loving homes, but just be prepared. I haven't seen more than one or two healthy looking dragons on my local craigslist. If you are new to dragons and can't adequately judge if the animal is sick, or if you have a kind heart and can't walk away you may want to consider adopting from a reputable breeder/store or rescue.

Rescuing is great but it can be stressful and expensive. I feel it is really better if done by an experienced keeper or working closely with a good vet. Unfortunately most dragons that are being resold are ones where people (usually their kids actually) have gotten bored of them. In those cases they are also generally poorly cared for. My advice would be not to look at getting an animal from a classified ad that isn't already kept the way you would have kept it.

Your area may have a reptile rescue as well, where you could adopt a needy dragon that has already gotten back on the road to recovery.

 

[DeeDee1990]

I have 2 bearded dragons and they are both "Pre-Owned". I got Peponi of craigslist when he was a year old from somebody who was remodeling his home and did not want him around all the fumes. He was perfectly healthy, no parasites, and hand tamed, he actually went to sleep in my hands when I went to pick him up.

Frodo is my rescue beardie, I adopted him from a shelter a month ago after somebody couldn't take care of him anymore. He is the complete opposite of Peponi, he has no parasites, but he's underweight, is covered in uneven shed, he was dehydrated and hes just getting used to handling.

I think you should go check out the three year old one, if he's healthy you should get him, if not you could always redirect the guy to a shelter who will take him and get your beardie elsewhere.

As far as tank size, bigger is always better, and so is cheaper, if its cheaper for your dad to build the tank then go for it. If you can't find a 75 gallon for cheap you could get a 40 gallon breeder.

 

[PMPerformance]

Personally I would only get a "preowned" one if you were able to see its environment first and talked to the prev owner to see how they took care of it.
Make sure the animal looks alert and can't hold it's body up and no deformities unless you are ok with taking the chance.
Older ones are likely harder to get used to being moved. We got an older one for a shop the other night. I only got her because she was a great size and weight and super alert. The owner/herpetologist spent like 2 hours with me discussing her and bearded dragons in whole. Made me feel a lot better about getting an older one.

Most of the ones I see on Craigslist look to be in poor shape and poorly cared for in bad habitats

 

[Sadona]

I actually got two "pre-owned" beardies via this forum!
I recommend a rescue, or from a person on this forum who can no longer take care of their beardie. Chances are, if you find someone needing to rehome their scalekid here, the more likely you will adopt a healthy beardie.

For the record, my experiences via this forum were very pleasant - the people were nice, beardies were healthy and loved, and got two great custom built vivs!

I second what PMP said, just discuss care, regimen and any other history with the owner regarding the prospective beardie...seeing its living quarters would give away a lot about the health and care of the animal.