Hopeful Dragon Mama

[Amanda2013]

Hey everyone!
Recently I have been interacting with a bearded dragon that one of my students brought into school with him as a support animal and I absolutely fell in love with him. Fell so much in love that I'm thinking about getting one for myself. Before I do I want to know all the ins and outs and how much I'm looking at spending out front. I have a 20 gallon tank that I can put him in now until I can save up to get him a better one(they are super expensive so if you guys have any ideas where to get cheaper tanks please let me know). I have been looking online and am wondering if they can do a dried food base instead of going the live cricket route.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Kathryn Kinney]

Petco has the $1 dollar a gallon sale and 40 gal breeders too untill tomorrow i think. They do it quarterly only thing is no lid but easy to make with some metal mesh from hardware store.

 

[Elders]

Hey everyone!
Recently I have been interacting with a bearded dragon that one of my students brought into school with him as a support animal and I absolutely fell in love with him. Fell so much in love that I'm thinking about getting one for myself. Before I do I want to know all the ins and outs and how much I'm looking at spending out front. I have a 20 gallon tank that I can put him in now until I can save up to get him a better one(they are super expensive so if you guys have any ideas where to get cheaper tanks please let me know). I have been looking online and am wondering if they can do a dried food base instead of going the live cricket route.
Thanks in advance!

Stores do offer dried foods and what not but it is never as good as live bugs, if you don't want to deal with noisy, dirty, stinky jumping crickets the best alternative is dubia roaches. They are quiet, don't stink, don't jump, don't fly, don't bite and are much more nutritional. Either way live bugs stimulate the animals natural instincts.

 

[Canicke]

welcome! there is a lot to learn - but there's some really good folk and good info here. have a look at the links under my signature - these were put together by a couple of folks on the forum and are great sources of info. dubias are the way to go !! I personally would recommend an older beardie for your first - babies take lots of care. I have gotten all mine as adults and love them every bit as much as if I had had them since birth. check on craigslist for some deals

 

[Hdrydr31]

Welcome to the forum! And yes please have a look at our links we have put alot of time into them for new comers.. They are great creatures and I am in love with their personalities and funny quirks! lol I agree with the above advise you can also look on craigslist as people often sell off tanks pretty cheap. Yes older beardies tend to be easier for first timers, as babies can be pretty fragile at first and being that they grow pretty quickly having things set up and the kinks worked out is important. Lighting is very important, basking temps, warm temps and cool temps very important for digestion for vit absorption...
Live food is really important for a number of reasons: they get the needed moisture from them, it stimulates them to hunt which keeps them active and well you just can't beat live food afterall they didn't eat dried food in the wild..
Greens are the next important item, babies mostly eat bugs 80% then greens 20% then as they get older that switches.. But offering greens at all stages of life is important. In the links you will find great resources for food items.

I got Izzy who is a year old now best guess she was about 3-4 months old weighing 29 grams and now she is 325 grams and 16 1/2" long it was amazing watching her grow and see her personality come out...she is really laid back always has been she really likes to be with us in the living room where her tank is and each evening she wants out and cuddles on my lap and falls asleep. Once we go to bed she goes back into her tank for the night.
Hope that helps.

 

[Valiant]

I got out 55 gallon tank from pet co and when I added in the items for it it was around $400 then I had to buy a desk to put it on which was another $150. I spend about $25-$35 a month on food for her. And I bought her as a baby at pet co for $60. If u want an adult u may be able to find one for $50-$150 on cragslist that includes tank and other items.

 

[Hdrydr31]

you can also wait for petco's $1 gal sale I got a 40g breeder yesterday for $40 just made it on the last day of the sale.. they do it like 3 times a year.

 

[caseyseitz]

I got out 55 gallon tank from pet co and when I added in the items for it it was around $400 then I had to buy a desk to put it on which was another $150. I spend about $25-$35 a month on food for her. And I bought her as a baby at pet co for $60. If u want an adult u may be able to find one for $50-$150 on cragslist that includes tank and other items.

I found my xander on craigslist. I got everything for him ( crickets too) for 80 dollars. he is a year old.

 

[Bobbi]

Actually dubias do bite? I've been bitten a couple of times but it doesn't really hurt. Seems more of a pinch but I'm not sure which it is. Regardless, I'd never go back to crickets. Couldn't stand them and Bayne has gotten so much healthier on dubias.