Total cost of owning a beardie.

[mckyle9423]

Okay, so I'm sorry to say that in June, I bought a beardie from PetSmart. However, after a few days, my mind started going wild with the cost of feeding the little guy from random things I saw on the internet, and I decided I just couldn't afford keeping a beardie. So I returned him to PetSmart.

Now, I'm quite mad at myself for this. I've always wanted a beardie, and the rela reason I decided I couldn't afford one was because I wanted to spend my money. it was summer, I was excited for vacations and all that. I also have a limit of about $200 a month, so I jsut coudln't afford going out and still keeping a beardie.

Nwo that school's starting back, though, I think I'll be able to keep my money and save it. Hopefully, enough to own a beardie. What I was wondering is, how mcuh would it cost to own a beardie for the first month, including buying the dragon (I'm thinking around $80 for the dragon?) I have a UVB light I bought when I had my first beardie (ReptiSUN or ReptiGLOW 3.0, whichever was the one that's good for them. I haven't opened the box it was shipped in, so I can't remember exactly.) I also have a tank, I think its like 30 gallons. I would need to buy most everything else, though.

 

[DragonsInKansas]

If you are worried about the cost then a beardie probably isn't for you (at least right now). Bearded dragons are the most expensive pet i've ever owned. I spend probably around $100 each month and that is after the huge cost of set up. A baby bearded dragon won't be able to live in a 30 gallon tank for more than an month or so, so you'll be needing a new tank too.

 

[mckyle9423]

Oh, yeah. I definitely know I'll be saving up and don't expect to buy a beardie anytime soon.

 

[Grixxly15]

Check Craigslist and adopt a adult bearded dragon if saving money is on your mind. You might be able to get a dragon and the enclosure for cheaper then you could buy it all. I know it's not as exciting as getting a baby but your saving a bearded dragon and you won't have to spend as much which is very good.

 

[mckyle9423]

The only problem with that is I live in a very small place where the most exotic pets would be birds, so I doubt there are any Craigslist postings for a berdie. I'll definitely look, though! (I also thought that adult beardies were more expensive?)

 

[spurlee01]

Well....
30 gallon tank will only be okay for a few months, so you'll need a 40 gallon breeder (at the least).... $110
I just have the basics in my tank
Tree... $21
Basking spot/ cave combo.... $30
Log for her to climb onto the tree (could have done w/o)... $10
Magnatic second basking spot.... $20
Paper towels... $5/ month
UVB fixture... $20
UVB bulb if you don't have the reptisun 10.0... $20
Basking bulb.... $5
Basking bulb fixture... $20
Total: $151 w/o the tank

That's just the initial. Then, every month
Crickets, 2000.... $42
Cricket food... $10 ish
Worms... $10 ish
total: $62/ month or $744 a year

 

[Neromom39]

The only problem with that is I live in a very small place where the most exotic pets would be birds, so I doubt there are any Craigslist postings for a berdie. I'll definitely look, though! (I also thought that adult beardies were more expensive?)

Adults (1 1/2 years +) tend to be a bit less expensive due to the fact that they don't need to consume live feeders every day. If you feed them 30-35 feeders a week then multiply that times 4 weeks and that will give you an idea on how many feeders you need to keep on hand for a month.

Of course, the veggies need to be replenished more often, but they are relatively inexpensive.

So if you decide to get an adult beardie, the majority of your expense will be setup. I would recommend purchasing an MVB. You only need to replace them once every year or so.. some last even longer. They are a bit more expensive than the tube lights, but your not having to replace them every 5-6 months.

 

[Atsumi]

Here's what I have for my guy. Remember, your prices may be different.

Bearded Dragon - $60 at Petco.
4' x 2' x 2' Enclosure - $439 at customcages.com
Phoenix Worms - $30 for 400 several times a month.
Greens - $ varies
Mopani Wood $35 at Petco
Heat Lights - About $10 at Petco (I have a 73W at one end and a 25W at the other)
UVB Light - $20 Reptisun 10.0 at petmountain.com

That's over $600 initially, and I'm sure I'm forgetting somethings.

 

[Sunshinessmile]

A LIST OF WHAT TO GET: by Kate, a college student...


enclosure= build your own, it under $50(need ideas or plans, pm me)

deco= rocks, dried wood/drift wood= free from mother nature(treated/cleaned VERY WELL)

Substrate= skip paper towles and ask around for peoples left over tiles(try posting a want add on cl)

Lighting= that bright white bulb sitting in your closet (meant for you house, but you can seem to find a use for it?... lol) grab that you'll need it or try "hey mom... the light in my room burned out, can you get me a 75w bright light please?" + reptisun from pet mountain $19+shipping

Supplements= Reptical W/ d3 petmountain.com = $5 herpvite= $9

FOOD= cheapest way is to start your own roach colony, if your not looking to get a beardy for a few months, get the roaches now, and let them BREED like crazy, Talk to Jason @ THEROACHGUY.com or TheRoachGuy is his user name here, he will help get you started. will cost you about upfront about $150 for a small group, buy this month and you get 25% more with each order!

If not... then 2000+ crickets for 20+ shipping per month... plus veggies, which will vary depending on how close you are with your local farmers... lol, dont for get worms for extra variety

upfront for above mentioned.... under $300 with a reoccuring price of $40 a month(if you go crickets....)

OR...

try craigslist....

for me it was 2 beardys, one 2years, one 6 months, with 55g/ 30g, 3 dome lamps, a UVB tube, dishes, wood ect... $150

+ theroachguy.com $125 for starter colony!




IS IT SUNDAY YET??!?!???





this poster is not liable for any missing information, nor is the poster responsible for having her mother bring her lightbulbs, no one reading this shall tell posters mother about said roach colony and or crickets, posters reptiles are herbivores(OK?) beardys not avaliable in all parts of the us, please contact your nearest cl representative for prices and locations. all prices given are estimates poster is not responsible if you choose to buy from a more expensive site, sunday is the day poster gets her two rescues and the poster is very excited... have a great day...

 

[mckyle9423]

Thanks a lot for your replies guys! Seems like I'll be busy for a while

A big thanks to you, Kate, for the budget plan I was excited when I read "college student" - knew it couldn't be too much I'll definitely have to PM you about the enclosure

 

[DragonsInKansas]

Love the fine print, haha, awesome! Oh and I'm a "Kate" too, woo hoo for Kates

 

[Sunshinessmile]

I like to do things cheaply and im good with money, im 20, I own my house, have more pets than i should, and still manage everything just fine. If you PLAN! and budget you will be just fine... STOP SPENDING $200 A MONTH JUST CAUSE ITS THERE!!!!!! SAVE SAVE SAVE!



I haven't actually build the enclosure, but im good with wood, I have ideas laying around for future vivs...

 

[Aznrainbowdime]

good for you for doing your research first ! Me,... is a different story. I thought bearded dragon would be the CHEAPEST pet !!! Going home frm the petstore.. i even told my gf "we dont have to buy dog food, toys, etc this is cheap"

Lets just say i've only had MJ for a month.. and I've spent almost let see.... $700.

Beardie - $40
10 gal viv - $50 at petsmart
Calci sand (bad idea, i got rid of it the first week) - $20

So that's what i started with the first week. Not bad huh ? WRONG !

Then i got on this site and realized EVERYTHING i was doing was wrong. Went back to petsmart, got a basking light, UVB light, thermometers, some logs, heating pad, food dish.. calcium dust...
Oh and before i started ordering crix online.. I was going to petsmart every other day to get $10 of crix worth. Then they kept dying so i had to figure out a way to keep them alive, which means ... crix home, crix food, crix water crystals...

The list will go on trust me. So do your research.. if you feel you cant afford it then you should wait. I can honestly say.. having a beardie is like literally having a baby !! Not only you will spend $$$, it will take Alot of your 'shopping' time lol.

And even now that I have all the right set up.. im constantly finding more and more to make my baby's life perfect !!

 

[lacy_black]

To be honest I think the first question you need to ask yourself is "next summer am I going to dump it back at the store cuz I want to go on trips?"
Having a pet is supposed to be a life time garantee not a winter thing.I rarely go anywhere more then a few hours because its my responsibilty to take care of my animals not someone elses. I do have more then 1 animal of course, last count 1 fish, 5 rats, 5 snakes and 24 hamsters. But for that reason i'm seperate from my bf til he gets home from his vacation to visit his son for 2 weeks.

 

[mckyle9423]

Lacy, I'm 100% positive it won't be like that I think the thing this summer was that I was "new" at having money, and just wanted to spend it all.