You are probably thinking about getting a bearded dragon. You might be thinking about getting it for yourself, for your kids, for your grandkids or for your partner and and you are wondering if this is really a good idea.
First of all, that´s awesome. It is definitely better to prepare yourself and to make sure that this pet is really what you want before actually getting it. So do bearded dragons make good pets? In this article I will not only tell you what is so great about bearded dragon as pets, I will also tell you what might be a little bit of a downside for some people.
I wrote this article for you to test yourself if a bearded dragon really is for you.
Great Things About Bearded Dragons
Hey, come on, this website is called beardeddragontank.com, of course I got to say good things about those little dragons first.
They Are Easy To Care For
I know it might be surprising for you that this is the first good thing I have to say about bearded dragons. Especially if you are a beginner. Getting started with bearded dragons can be quite complicated. However as soon as you know the basics about reptile keeping, you will realize that bearded dragons are quite easy to care for.
They don´t need high humidity, they eat pretty well and they are really hardy. So they are very forgiving when it comes to mistakes in husbandry. However that should not mean that you can keep them in a poorly equipped tank, of course.
You Can Choose Your Size
This is a pretty weird reason, especially because it probably doesn´t make sense to you at the moment. However you actually can choose your size when it comes to bearded dragons. A "normal" bearded dragon probably won´t get longer than your forearm, which is a good size for a pet reptile in my opinion.
Some people, especially beginners, want a reptile that stays smaller though. The great thing about bearded dragons is, that there is a mini-me version of them. The dwarf bearded dragon which stays pretty small. So if you don´t have enough space for a bigger bearded dragon tank, or if you are afraid of a full grown bearded dragon, just go with a dwarf bearded dragon! If you want to learn more about beardie sizes, check this article out!
Two dwarf bearded dragons!
Adults Eat Less Crawlies
Even though most bearded dragon keepers feed feeding insects almost every day to adult bearded dragons, you should feed them more salad than insects.
Baby bearded dragons should eat crickets, roaches, locusts almost every day, there is no way around it, but adults should only get meat 2- 3 times a week. This might make you happy if you are grossed out by the idea of having crickets in boxes in your house each and every day. More on feeding bearded dragons here!
There Is A Very High Chance That You Get A Laid Back Pet
This is probably nothing new for you. Bearded dragons are known for being very calm. This makes them an exceptional good reptile for beginners and for kids. If you are a parent, or a grandparent you might be concerned about your kid getting bitten. The chances are very low if you get a bearded dragon. The rarely bite, and if they do, it doesn´t hurt that much. A bite from a baby bearded dragon doesn´t hurt at all. If you want to know how bad a beardie bite is, check this article out!
You Can Do So Many Things With Them!
Since most bearded dragons are so relaxed, you can do a lot of stuff with them which you could not do with other reptiles. For example, it is very common now to take bearded dragons for a walk. Of course, you got to have the right temperature outside for that, but it is possible. If you have a garden, you can take your bearded dragon with you outside, let it dig holes in the ground or simply enjoy the sun. Actually there are tons of things you can do with your bearded dragon for fun inside as well. Simply have a look at my toys and activities article here!
Their Appearance Is Absolutely Fantastic
It is a common reptile, but it is not a very common pet. Bearded dragons literally look like little dragons without wings. Who can say that they own a little dragon? Especially for kids, this is simply awesome. Imagine your kid talking to friends in school and telling everybody the new family member is a bearded dragon.
I can tell you, when I was a kid, this was one of my biggest wishes. Unfortunately, my parents were not that impressed with reptiles as I was.
A majestic bearded dragon knowing that it looks majestic!
They Are Not That Expensive
Don´t get me wrong here, the initial costs for bearded dragons can be high. You need a tank, you need lighting, you need substrate and all that, but compared to the costs of getting a dog, this is actually cheap.
And by the way, you can avoid huge costs for the tank setup if you do everything right from the start. This way you don´t have to buy everything twice, since most beginners make a lot of mistakes when it comes to their first reptile tank.
If you need help with setting up your bearded dragon tank, you can get my help here.
The Downsides
As I said, this article is about the truth. This is not another "10 Reasons Why Bearded Dragons Are Great Pets"-article. I want you to be aware of the things you MIGHT experience if you get a bearded dragon which are not so much fun.
They Poop...
I know that you know that bearded dragons poop. However the problem is that it often smells very badly. Trust me you don´t want to get one of their loads on your jeans. Legend says some people had to throw their jeans, their couch, their carpet away because a bearded dragon defecated on it.
Furtuntaley, this can be avoided. Very bad, intense smell and huge poops are often the result of a bad diet. That means, too much food and not the right food. This article will help you to avoid that!
Reptile Vet Costs
From time to time a fecal test should be done to make sure that your bearded dragon has no parasites and all that. It is not really expensive, most of the time you get this for under $40. In my opinion this is acceptable once a year. However, as all living things, bearded dragons can get sick. Are you sure that you are able to pay the vet bill?
Vacations?
You can take a dog or a cat with you on vacation, but not a bearded dragon. You can leave an adult bearded dragon alone for 2-3 if you have the right tank setup for that, however if you go on vacation you need somebody to take care of your bearded dragon. Not many people like to feed a reptile they are scared of with insects they are scared of.
What You Should Know
As you see, there are not too many things that are really bad about bearded dragons. It is the same as it is with all pets: are you willing and are you able to take care properly of this pet? That´s the question you should ask yourself. If you read everything above, there will be no surprises.
If you think now, "but what about my electricity bill?", don´t worry about it. You won´t notice a huge difference. I you need more information about the costs of bearded dragons, check this article!
A lot of people are worried about salmonella when they think about bearded dragons as pets. I show you that you do not have to worry about that in this post.
Hope this article helped you... now go and get a bearded dragon, lol.
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