Lizard ~ Bearded Dragon

Why would you consider owning a lizard?

• Good introduction to reptiles if you have never owned one

• They are considered exotic, so you can have the pleasure of owning an exotic pet

• You can touch it, watch it run and even leave it in your house (make sure you keep an eye on it though)

• It is a beginner level pet and is pretty easy to take care of

 

How much does it cost at a minimum?

• Pet $70-100

• Terrarium Tank Set- $200-$300 (includes sand, basking lamp & night lamp)

• Tank to store crickets - $20-$25

 

Minimum space requirements 

You need to get a 20-40 gallon tank, but it is better to get a 40-gallon tank when you start out, as an adult dragon needs a 40-gallon tank.

 

What does it like to eat?  

• Mainly crickets while growing up

• Good doses of vegetables & fruits like cucumber, strawberry, zucchini, carrots (shredded), Romaine lettuce all cut into small pieces

 

How much does it cost on a regular basis?

Crickets - $20-40 a week (60 crickets a day for baby, 20 crickets as they grow big)

Sand - $20-$40 a month

 

Is it lot of work to maintain this pet?

• Pick up the poop every day as bearded dragon’s poop can be very stinky

• Pick up dead crickets or cricket remains every day

• Have to replace the sand every 4-6 months

• Have to maintain crickets in a separate tank & clean out the dead crickets from that tank almost daily

• Might have to take bearded dragon to a vet which costs from around $50-$60 if the bearded dragon is sick or has an infection

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Does it get stinky?

If you don’t pick up poop and dead crickets/cricket remains everyday, it can get very stinky

 

Needs in the cage

Is it lot of work to maintain this pet?

• Pick up the poop every day as bearded dragon’s poop can be very stinky

• Pick up dead crickets or cricket remains every day

• Have to replace the sand every 4-6 months

• Have to maintain crickets in a separate tank & clean out the dead crickets from that tank almost daily

• Might have to take bearded dragon to a vet which costs from around $50-$60 if the bearded dragon is sick or has an infection

​

Does it get stinky?

If you don’t pick up poop and dead crickets/cricket remains everyday, it can get very stinky

 

Needs in the cage

• Sand

• Toys

• Shelter

• Food and water                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Fun Fun things to know

• Bearded dragons don’t regrow tails or any other body parts like some other lizards do

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Useful tips

• Get sand that has calcium in it

• When its skin starts turning black, know that it is not happy for some reason

• If you are sick, it is best to not touch your dragon as it can get sick as well

• Know that bearded dragons don’t have teeth in the front of the mouth to chew. They gulp food and use teeth towards the back of their mouth to chew. So ensure you cut those veggies & fruits in small pieces.

• Put potatoes in the cricket tank for the crickets to feed on & squishy jelly cubes that provide a good source of water for them

• If you have a female, it is going to lay eggs whether it has mated or not- you can tell if they are fertile if they have a little bit of pinkish color to them

• Whenever it lays eggs, make sure to give it a nice, warm bath

• It needs some elevation to climb on if it is not getting enough basking light

• Finding a good cricket-wholesaler can bring down cost of crickets down to quite an extent