Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm debating whether or not I should purchase a baby beardie from one of the petstores in my neighborhood. Are there any specific qualities a petstore should have, in order to be acceptable? this would be my first beardie.

thank you!

sarah clark
CA
age.15

I typically don't buy reptiles from pet stores because I feel that you can get a higher quality/more healthy animal buying directly from the breeder. That being said, the things I would look for from a pet store are:

1) Is there someone there who can give you good information on how to take care of them? I would cross-reference this info with websites etc. If the pet store can't tell you how to take care of your animal, chances are pretty good that it hasn't been well taken care of while in the pet store and could be in rough shape.

2) Does the animal have all the needed things inside its cage? For a bearded dragon, does it have a good basking spot? Are there thermometers in the cage? If so, are they showing temps that are adequate for bearded dragons. You'd be surprised the number of times I've visited pet stores and seen temp/humidity meters inside cages and the cages were at the wrong temps/humidity for the species.

3) You can also compare how other animals in the pet store are cared for.

I'm sure there are other things to look for, but they are escaping me. Hopefully someone can help fill in the holes.

Good luck if you decide to get one.
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1.1 Red Bloods (Cartman and Bebe)
0.1 Boa Constrictor (Victoria)
0.1 Albino Burm (Butters)
0.0.1 Desert King (Miles)

Yeah, all of their animals seem to be in good shape. I will definetly ask about caring for the beardies, as well as check the temps. Thank you!

Things to look for in petstore dragons that would indicate they are not the one to buy.

The dragon should be alert and responsive. The cage should have little to no evidence of poop (baby dragons do poop alot so if you go later in the day, there may be more than say, in the morning when employees are probable more likely to clean up after their animals). The eyes of the dragon should be clear and wide open.

Look for exposed hipbones and skinny tail bases. There are two fat pads just behind the eyes on teh dragon's head, these should be level or bulging outwards (ie small lumps) which indicate the dragon is being fed (or hasn't been there long enough to loose all it's fat reserves). Nostrals should be free of any dried crusts or mucus and the mouth tightly closed. If any of these are present on any of the dragons in the same cage, then there is a good sign some or all have a respiratory infection.

As to hold the dragon. If should either sit very quietly in your hand but still look alert (the body may darken or flatten out but this is normal). Check the vent area (under the base of the tail) for any dried feces...a dirty or swollen vent could mean parasites or infections.

The skin should not hang loose or fail to return to it's original position if pulled from the body and released. IF it takes a long time to return to it's natural position or seems to be hanging loose, this shows signs of dehydration.

Check the toes and tail tips, make sure all toes are there and the tail tip is there. Though normally not a concern to have missing toes or tail tips, as long as the remaining tail/toes are not black, swollen or otherwise looking unhealthy. If there are swollen limbs, black rotting tail and toes, this is a sure sign of infection.

If a tail tip or toe is the only thing wrong with the dragon, but there are no fully intact healthy dragons available, ask for a discount and go ahead and buy it (as long as none of the above or below signs of unhealth are present).

It is also a good ideal to buy a dragon that is at least 6" long from head to tail, if not closer to 8". At this size, bearded dragon babies are more established and less likely to stress out so bad they fail to thrive. Too young or runty dragons may fail to thrive even in ideal conditions.

Check the other dragons kept in the same cage for signs of ill health. Check the feces that may be present in the cage. If they look really runny, chances are all the dragons in the cage have internal parasites.

Avoid buying dragons that are kept on calcium based or crushed walnut based substrate. If any of this has been injested by the dragons housed on them in enough quantities, it can cause impaction and problems not yet noticeable but can show up in a few weeks while in your care.

Deffinitely ask questions of the employees on the care of bearded dragons. How big they get, what they should eat, what size and how often/many should be fed etc. It is also good to do your homework online or in dragon books before hand, making note of the important details and compare them with what the petstore employee tells you.

Also, avoid buying a bunch of useless stuff at the petstore. Calcium based sands, heat rocks, domed lights, petstore basking bulbs, etc. Most of this stuff is unnecessary, potentially harmful or bought for much less at places like Depot. IN fact, it is best to buy all the caging needs before buying the dragon, just getting your dragon, a multivitamin powder and calcium with d3 powder and a couple hundred 1/8th to 1/4" crickets and a UVB producing bulb like repti-sun or repti-glo, is really all you need to get at the petstore (crickets though, can be ordered for much cheaper online)

You can buy dome light fixtures at home depot, or other home hardware type stores for much less than the petstore, as well as feed dishes (small ceramic bowls) etc at dollar stores, even small plastic flower pots or bases to use as hides. Branches, slate tiles or large rocks could be found outside or at home depot as well (ask for broken slate tiles, often they will be happy to give you one or two broken tiles for a fraction of the cost of the full intact tile. Most slate tiles are about a quarter inch thick and 12"x12" square. These can be easily broken into smaller peices with a chisel and glused together into naturalist hides or basking areas with 5-min epoxy). Branches and rocks collected from outside should be baked at 250F for a few hours to kill any resident bugs or bacteria. Or soaked in a bleach solution for 20 minutes and rinsed throughoutly and allowed to air dry in a well ventilated area.

Basic are info for bearded dragons:

Adult size: 18-24", average around 20"
Adult cage size: min 4'x2'x2' (height can be as low as 16" with 18"-24" being best)

Baby care: insect feedings 2-3 times daily, dust one feeding a day. Mist a few times a day. A shadow dish of water can be provided though misting the dragon is better.

juvenile care: feed 1-2 times a day, dust once every other day. offer greens all day.

adult care: 1-3 insect feedings a week, dust 1-2 times a week, greens daily

Basking temps: 95-115F with babies at the higher range (100-115F)
Cage heat: 85-90F warm end, cool end 75-80F. Night time temps can fall to room temps (no lower than 65F)

UVB producing bulb a MUST! (must say on box UVB is produced. Full spectrum lights dont' produce enough UVB to make them worth while. good brands repti-glo, repit-sun 5.0 and up)

Substrate: papertowel, newsprint, non stick shelf liner is best for babies. Adults can be kept on washed childrens play sand.

Crickets must not be bigger than the space between teh dragons eyes in length.

Other good insects: silkworms, butterworms, roaches, hornworms, pheonix worms as frequently fed insects. Juvenile (at least 10" long) to adults can have superworms and large silkworms/hornworms.

Babies can have waxworms and a few newly molted superworms as treats. Do not feed these regularly, as they are fatty (waxworms) and hard to digest (superworms). Mealworms should be avoided or offered in small amounts for babies. (a couple mealworms mixed with crickets is fine for a treat once in awhile but not regularly).

Greens: collard greens, endive, dandelion greens, mustard greens, escaroli, plus other wholesome calcium rich greens and vegetables. Romaine should never be a staple but is fine mixed with several other greens and vegetables. Avoid spinach. Kale is fine when used sparingly, see comments about spinach.

Well that covers all the important basics for bearded dragons.
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PHLdyPayne

Wow! I cannot thank you enough. That is honestly the most information I've seen on one page anywhere on the internet. It's so nice to hear from someone so knowledgeable! Thank you so much! If I get it soon, it will probably be within the next week. I'll definetly get all the supplies before-hand. Pictures will definetly follow.

Thanks again!

Sarah