The Best B-day Present I Could Ever Buy MYSELF!

[Lunamatron]

I have been looking to adopt a beardie for close to a year now and never quite taking the leap towards ownership. I am a veterinary technician and although I do not work with reptiles or any exotics at the emergency clinic that I work at, I am confident that once I do decide on a beardie that I'll make a good new mom.

As it stands, I am married and have two young children. For this reason, I have decided that I want to adopt an adult that has already been socialized. I found this ad on Craigslist and am just wondering what you all think. The lady has agree to come down on the price since it is my b-day Sat.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/pet/717699424.html

I obviously won't be able to keep him in the 20 gallon she is providing for much longer, but I figure that it would at least provide me with the time necessary to buy or build the ideal viv. My husband is telling me that I should wait until I have set-up one on my own before commiting to a beardie, but is this deal too good to pass up?

I have some tile left from our remodel that I could use for the bottom of a 55 gallon I have in storage, but my husband thinks we should save for a custom, quality cage instead of a glass tank.

Any advice?

 

[maxattack]

:wink: Do both. Sounds like you already have enought lying around the house to piece together a nice temp viv. Now all you need are good lights and a hide. You should be able to transfer all your tile and "furniture" over to your new enclosure once you get it. Check out Caliente Dragons and Custom Cages. They both have vivs that are reasonable priced. In the $300 range vs thousands for a truly custom viv. 4X2X2 is the size that my breeder suggested to me. He does seem really sweet. Maybe you should tell her that you'll buy the beardie without all the stuff and spend the extra money on lights etc for your 55 gall. That is the most expensive part of the viv and your tank should be big enough for you to have a lot of time to save for the "perfect" home.

Hooray for adopting!

Good luck. Let us know what you decide!

 

[1sttimebeardiemom]

I agree...I would outfit the 55 gal first...he would do great in that for however long you needed to get together the perfect custom viv...you wouldn't feel the need to rush...he needs to be out of that 20 gal asap. Make sure you read the enclosure forum so you can make sure you are getting the proper bulbs and temp gauges and all that jazz. It's not fun buying something and then coming back here and realizing it's junk and may actually hurt your beardie....keep us posted!

 

[Lunamatron]

Thanks guys for responding. I am hesitant about using the 55 gallon because its an old fish tank and os much deeper than a traditional reptile cage. I am seeing ads all over for adult beardies, but really think this guy will best suit our family. The lady told me that he really likes to go for car rides and stare out the window... I didn't believe her until she sent me a picture to my cell phone.

Some other ads that I have found are for the same price, but with larger set-ups and stands, but I want a quality beardie that will truly match our family. She said she would hold him until Sat., but that another woman was interested and would be picking him up if I don't act soon.