What to ask when purchasing a beardie ?

[Minion3511]

In about 2 weeks I'm going to go pick out my first bearded dragon . Probably a juvenile but maybe smaller .

It's a little local exotics pet shop that I'm going to and I've been there before and they seem to take good care of their animals .

I'm wondering what should I ask or look out for to make sure I get a good beardie instead of one that might be sick ?

 

[kingofnobbys]

Cut the middle man (pet shop) out, buy from a small time amateur parttime breeder/hobbyist rather than a pet shop or "professional" lizard farmer.

Things to ask:
age (when was it's hatch-date)
weight (in grams)
Feeding schedule (when , what insects , what size of insects , how many of these per feed (EACH hatchling).
If it's already eating some greens and veg/salad (what).

check for injuries (missing toes, missing tailtips, missing nails, bitemarks) ==> overcrowded

is it guaranteed desease free.

 

[Minion3511]

Cut the middle man (pet shop) out, buy from a small time amateur parttime breeder/hobbyist rather than a pet shop or "professional" lizard farmer.

Things to ask:
age (when was it's hatch-date)
weight (in grams)
Feeding schedule (when , what insects , what size of insects , how many of these per feed (EACH hatchling).
If it's already eating some greens and veg/salad (what).

check for injuries (missing toes, missing tailtips, missing nails, bitemarks) ==> overcrowded

is it guaranteed desease free.

Thank you for the info . I don't know how To go about finding an amateur breeder though . I've searched online for breeders here in Arizona but haven't found any besides the atomic guys .

 

[AHBD]

Just curious as to why you'd rather buy from a pet store rather than Atomic lizard ranch ?

But as for questions, the pet store can't tell you anything unless they bred the dragons themselves. They might tell you who they got them from wholesale, but that still won't tell you much. There are no real guarantees that the lizard [even from a breeder ] will remain perfectly healthy down the road. When picking one out, even if another one in the tank looks sick, then they may all eventually become sick, but not necessarily. Look for healthy babies over 6:, active, not sleeping or very lethargic, well fed with no spots under their bodies [ check for fungal infections ] Nipped toes + tails are a non issue as long as they are healed, but if in doubt , skip them.

 

[diamc]

This info was posted on your other thread. Did you see it?

Check out this Facebook group. Lot of good breeders as well as dragons for adoption all in AZ. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1647877658781269/ I also highly recommend John galvan / Extreme dragons AZ. His dragons are absolutely beautiful . I personally got my dragon at arizona reptile center in mesa. Hes a great eater super healthy , growing like crazy and also a beautiful orange ( hes hypo trans. They have awesome deals here and there so if you are going the pet store route thats a great place and not overly expensive like some others. Also the Facebook group I recommended is a great resource for any questions you might come up with along the way . They have helped me a ton on owing my first beardy.

 

[Minion3511]

Yes thank you