Should I Buy This Girl?

[crazyjoezx]

So I been a long time reader and finally built up to buy my 1st dragon..

I found this cute girl on craigslist ...

I have a very friendly bearded dragon (female)
She is probably around 8 months-year old. I got her from a friend so im not sure of her age
But she was handled regularly since a hachling and will sit on your shoulders for hours and has never attempted to bite. Shes an amazing eater and sheds great. She will make an amazing pet for anyone who is looking for one. Im asking a rehoming fee of $60 for her. I would like to see her go to a good home with someone who has some experience

I have been talking to the seller and was told she's not missing any fingers to tail nip...and she looks good in the pics,but here's the catch ...she is recovering from a calcium deficiency and there is something wrong with her arms, but she can run and loves to climb..I was told there was no shaking and she's gotten much better then when she got her....

So should I take a chance with her? I know they can fully recover from CD and the owner really seems like they cared for her..but I really don't want to buy "a problem " and don't know how well they really can recover.

Thanks for your help!

 

[brittani299]

She looks kinda sick. You might have to put money into her to make her better. If you are willing to do that I would say yes. But personally I would rather buy one from a good breeder. But that is just my option.

 

[beardielove10]

Yeah, she does look mal-nutritioned. Very skinny. What exactly is "wrong" with her arms? Going and seeing a Beardie in person makes a world of a difference. You will be able to tell if she is healthy or not when you handle her and see her in person. Things to look for:
Clear eyes, holds head up most of the time, curious about surroundings, fat tail base, good appetite, formed feces.

You should be able to get her and give her calcium powder and the proper 10.0 reptisun uvb light, but I'm not sure how you would treat that. If she has MBD that's a different story.

I think that you should get her and take her into a vet just to be sure there aren't any other problems. She needs the proper nutrition and lighting. You should get her though, and save her life It looks like her life may depend on it. Feeding her correctly should make her gain weight pretty easily. And you may just be everything she needs to bring her back into the perfect health again

Soooooooo.....I say GET HER she will probably take all the love she can get and be a very sweet girl to have She will most likely become your baby between taking care of her and growing closer to her.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....like was mentioned, the little cutie pie has a calcium deficiency, so that will have to be continually monitored. She is underfed as well, so if you want to go see her in person, ask them to feed her in front of you. If you get a skinny dragon, you want to be sure it's just because they aren't feeding it enough, and so if she eats then it will just be a matter of getting her more food than she had been offered. She will put weight on easily if she has a good appetite. If you want to get her because you want a dragon that really needs someone to take care of her, then you might get a great deal of satisfaction from helping her. If she is laid back and sweet, she will probably become very special to you. Once you are there with money in hand you can offer a little less seeing that she is not in top shape.

 

[crazyjoezx]

I did ask her about health, eating habits, size and activity in our emails...Heres exactly what the seller said :

> From what I can tell though she does have something wrong with her arms, insignificant calcium and incorrect lighting for a while in her life nut it doesn't stop her at all, she can run and climb without a problem and the vet said she is healthy just needs to maintain the correct calcium to make sure it doesn't get any worse. She loves crickets! By far her favorite. She eats her salad every day too. And will eat meal worms right out of your hand. I'm not sure how long but I'd say about as long as from your finger tips to halfway up your forearm.


One part of me does want to take her to help her and I almost feel shallow bc another part is thinking its stupid to buy a sick one when I can get a healthy(er) one from somewhere else...Like I said this will be my 1st one, and I still have to buy the lamps,tank,food, and the 100 other things I need to properly take care of one lol Just didnt want to "bite off more then I can chew" and gauge from you guys how serious and treatable CD is and other things to look out for...If they "usually" recover well/fast then I might go for it..but if its something that takes many many months and LOTS of extra work..it might be a deal breaker :-/

But thanks for all the tips so far!!

 

[brittani299]

For your first one I would wait to get a healthily one. Sick ones can rake up bills pretty fast.

 

[AHBD]

Her problem with her arms will cause them to curl in a bit, but if she's mobile and it doesn't get worse then she can lead a pretty healthy life....depending on if the seller has described her condition correctly. The best thing for a calcium deficiency [ along with calcium of course ] is to get the dragon out in the sun a few times a week. It always works better than any bulb to halt the MBD. By the way, regardless of whether you get this beardie or not , you can save money by collecting your tank decor from outside if you can. You can clean off any small logs/ branches and put them in the oven at 250 degrees for about an hour, that will kill any pests that the wood may be harboring [ be sure the wood doesn't actually touch any of the heat elements ] You can also collect nice rocks, just scrub them with hot soapy water with a little vinegar to kill anything, then rinse well. Then be sure to order your feeder insects online in bulk, you'll save lots compared to pet store prices. You don't need to buy any cage " furniture " at all, so that will save you some money.

 

[crazyjoezx]

Some good $$ saving tips right there!!

Anyone know the going rates for sub adults?...I know I can get the babies from petsmart for $60...but would like one that's around a year old..(female pref so I can watch her wave )
I see some of these breeding sites sell them for $100's... :shock:

 

[kcarello]

This is just my opinion,,but as stated..go see her,,,have them feed her while you are there...if she eats fine...I would get her...she will probably give you more love than you could imagine,,just for giving her a wonderful home. You will need to get a fecal done on her,,which you would need to do if you bought one from anywhere else anyway.

 

[beardielove10]

Agree!!! ^^^

Let us know if you decide to get her for sure or not Can't wait to hear!

 

[crazyjoezx]

I am going to email her to see if we can meet up sat

Ill keep everyone updated! Thanks again for all the support!

Semi related question, my friend is giving me a 40 gal tank with stand.. it is 36"wide x 12"deep x 20"high....I know 18" deep is preferred,but could we get by with this one till we upgrade?

 

[crazyjoezx]

So I asked the seller what exactly "wrong " with her arms and the seller said this....
they are kind of curved. Like i said, it doesnt effect her in the slightest.
She eats amazingly, she sheds perfect, she climbs and runs no problem at all. Shes extremely tame and very friendly

Looking back on the pics I guess I can see it....but could this be a sign of something else?

 

[Esther19]

Her arms are that way from the MBD.

 

[kelii]

For a first dragon I would get a healthy one, and then later down the road, rescue one.

 

[beardielove10]

Well if you don't get her, I might. Where is she located?