is it really hard to take care of a bearded dragon??

Question

i really want one for my birthday and i need to know if i can take care of it! iknow yo need to feed it, how much and how often? how hot does the cage need to be? at night? also do they need to be misted? i also need to know how much it would most likely cost to get a $100 beardie with a cage, sand, heating rock, light, food ect... and also how often do they bite?? thank you soooooo much for you help, mandi!

Answer 1

if you are looking for an easy to care for lizard, beardie is not the one. first, you will need at least a 40 breeder tank, reptile carpet, or some other non particle substrate (flooring), not sand. so about $120.00 at least. you need a uvb light, which will need to be replaced every 6 months, and hood, maybe about $80.00 you need a heat light and fixture, you can use a standard lightbulb, and fixture is about $30.00. you need calcium and multivitiman to dust the crickets with, $20.00. you need thermometer with a probe on the end to measure basking surface temps, which should be about 110-115 on the surface, $10.00. or a temp gun, $20.00. some rocks, logs and hides..these things can be found outside as long as they are properly cleaned. ok, that is just the set up. upkeep, if you get a baby he will need to eat 100 plus crickets a day, at approx. .10 cents per cricket per day...oh and a cricket keeper and food for the crickets, $25.00. you need to provide fresh fruits and veggies everyday. that is the $$ part of it, now to the care part..he will need to be fed 2-3 times everyday, that does not mean just through some crickets in and go, he needs to be supervised to make sure he is eating, let him eat all he wants for about 10-15 minutes then remove any uneaten crickets because crickets will bite your beardie! plus cutting up his fruits and veggies, a soak in warm water for 10-15 minutes at least 2-3 times a week, daily cleaning of the aquarium and monthly, at least, taking everything out and cleaning/sanatizing. and yes, lizards do in fact need to be seen by a vet from time to time. be prepared, and find out if there is a herp vet in your area. a well cared for beardie will not bite, they are great lizards but alot of responsability, time and money! please make sure you can fullfill all of his needs before you get him or he will be the one to suffer!

Answer 2

i dont own a beardie buy i've read so many care sheets about them. i read that your suposed to feed it 3 times a day, each time feed it as many crickets as it will eat in 5-10 minutes.the cage should be about80-90 degrees farenhiet and a basking area should be 95-100 degrees farenhit. at night time you can turn the lights off. the night time tempature shouldn't get below 70 farenhiet. you should place a under the tank heating pad were it sleeps. but you dont have to use a pad. don't mist them. instead once a week fill the bath tub ( or sink up to their knees if their a baby or juvinile or up to there shoulders if their an adult. with luke warm water.(NEVER LEVE THEM UNATTENDED WHEN PLAYING IN THE WATER, NEVER ACCUATLY MAKE THEM SWIM EITHER) you should get a 40-55 gallon aquarium for it. it will probally cost about 400-500 dollars for all the stuff( not including any lights) NEVER EVER USE A HEAT ROCK, HOTROCK OR ANY KIND OF HEAT ROCK EVER!!! this will burn the under side of the beardie because they can't feel the heat from under neath them. the uvb light should run the lenght of the tank the uvb bulbs are about 50-75 dollars not sure how much the fixures are. the other light for the basking area should be like a spot light. i'm not sure how much these cost. some bite more thn others do. heres a tip about getting them not to bite always apporach your beardie slowly, never quickly garb them. if they stay calm the probalywon't bite save up some money because they do cost a lot of money to care for. they really do love to be handled. just make sure that there cage has plenty of hiding spots and thisng to climb. i hope this helped. 'cause i spent quite a bit of time typing this. lol good luck! (ps. sorry 'bout the spelling)

Answer 3

Good advice was given above, they are pretty easy to keep once all the equipment is bought and they are adults, as they eat less than the babies. You do have to make a fresh salad every day, and take care of the insects you buy for food as well. Also, keep the cage very clean, bathe him once a week, etc. If that doesn't sound like too much work, then they are great pets! My fave websites besides reptilerooms.com are:

http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/home.html

http://www.biology.lsa.umich.edu/research/labs/ktosney/file/BD.html

Answer 4

From personal experience, beardies are definately not the best "beginner" reptile. They are very costly, especially the first few months of having it. It cost me over $300 to set everything up.

Here's a great site that helped me through all my problems, and it has a great caresheet!
www.reptilerooms.com
http://www.reptilerooms.com/Sections+index-req-listarticles-secid-1.html

As for biting, they are usually very tame. I've had mine for over 2 years and never been bit once.

Good luck, and be sure to do the proper research before bringing your beardie home! They are great little guys :)

Answer 5

Just go out there and buy one,And make it look easy. I think it is. I have 2 Sub Adults that are breeding pairs laid 13 eggs 11 R left soon to hatch and I let the incubator do all the work.
I say if you want one why get a small one get a big one the chances r the bigger they r the healthier they r too, or at least a juvenile to get past all the impaction drama. you know:)

Answer 6

about biting-My bf had a female bearded dragon that was very tamed. never bit anyone and loved to sleep in the bed. His brother had a male that would attack anything. Tried biting throu the glass tank and would even jump at the top to try to bite. We tried putting him with the female and now he is the sweetest thing. He loves to be held and doesnt try to attack or bite anymore. maybe yours needs a companion to.

Answer 7

Well, can't help you with those specifics but I know that a bearded dragon is a good pet for beginners so I think it is quite easy to take care of it. It is one of the suggested pet reptile for amateurs... have one and enjoy its company!!!!