Total cost of owning a beardie.

[jargonchipmunk]

here's the scary post for ya lol. Granted, my girlfriend has been known to say that I tend to overdo things or not do them at all...

Double-stacked custom vivs made by a carpenter - $800
Stains, tape, thinners, brushes, etc to finish viv - $70
Custom illustration for said viv by local artist - $60
Timers, dimmers, custom wire box, fans, etc -- $200
Bulbs, CHE's - $70
Heat tape and rheostat for in-cabinet feeder bins - $50
In-cabinet feeder bins - $12
Dubia Colony(including first ten lbs of chow) - $150
Smaller tank for while the above was being built - $50 including lights, etc.
Red het hypo, het trans dragon - $85 from local pet store/breeder
Yellow full hypo, - $165 shipped
Styro, grout, paint, etc for inner deco - $40

Total start-up cost? - $1752.00

General Tso falling asleep on my hand while I relax in the evening? - Priceless

:shock: holy crap I just shocked even MYSELF typing that all out lol :shock:

*edit* I didn't even include any food costs, or suppliments, or any of the other random small purchases we made from having these guys around... toothbrush for baths, towels for baths, small tub to feed them in when they were 6", etc etc etc.

 

[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

2000 crickets a month? Ours only eats about 6 dozen a week with a worm(s) supplement. Maybe ours is finicky.

She eats anywhere from 30-80 crickets a day right now, which can add up to well over 2000 in a month. Plus, as mentioned, those darn crickets are so difficult to keep alive. I lose probably 50-100 out of 1000 no matter how hard I try to keep them alive.

 

[mckyle9423]

They are super easy to hide, they don't stink, don't require an light and don't make any noise.

So you can have them after you have a dragon, just not before??

Nah, I meant it'd be hard hiding them in the house when I'd feed them

Although, with that info, /I might be able to pull it off.

Does anyone know of a breeder who sells adult/juvenile dragons?

 

[DragonsInKansas]

Tom tends to be the most popular choice around here, his dragons are healthy, he's helpful and the price is really really good. http://www.tnddragons.com

 

[mybabymojo]

If you arent particular about breed/color there are places (reptile specialty stores) that you might get a baby for cheap, i spend 20 buck for mojo at the reptile super show. but i wasnt picky about color. and if you plan right, you'll find things that save you money here and tthere.
For example:
newspaper substrate, cheap (and you are recycling!)
for a uvb tube light, you can use an aquarium hood with the right wattage. (sometimes cheaper than "reptile" fixtures)
instead of buying fancy "basking lights" use a 75 watt bright white house bulb in a ceramic clamp lamp.
buying crickets in bulk is cheaper.
carrots make good cricket food, or use a sponge to provide them with water
make your own basking rock, sometimes cheaper, you'd have to price around

Hope that helps!