Reptile & Amphibian Forums

(i posted this in leo gecko forum as well)Just looking for educated opinions.

What i mean by that is, do they take to being held or in a room where you watch tv etc. I breed boas and a few balls, and have them in typical breeding cages etc in snake rooms. but i want something that can be viewed and enjoyed in a vivarium i suppose you call it, in the family room etc.
I Love the looks of the leopard geckos, and the fact the dont require UV lighting and that they dont get very big, all thats great. Im also considering a bearded dragon... for most of the same reasons.
I have been told by really just one person i met in a new reptile store near me, that beardies are more "user friendly" for a lack of a better term. They take more readily to being held and are more active in thier cages.
So i guesss im asking what you folks with experiance with either leos or beardies think.
Both are pretty cool!

Thanks alot
Mike & Luz Combs

Interesting question. I'm a 43 year old single man and live in a 4BR house alone. I never had my own pet before. I now have 3 bearded dragons. 2 females Taylor & Simone and 1 male Toby. I interact with them a lot. (except for Taylor who has been sleeping since Nov. 5th lol) I think interaction is the key to having a tame mammal type relationship with them. When they were babies I always removed everything from their cages before feeding. This meant that I picked them up at least twice a day. Most days I let them out of the cage for maybe an hour to roam the floor. I have a heat lamp over a log on the floor so they can warm up if they get cold. Later in the evening when I want to relax and watch TV for an hour or so I would take each one on a rotating basis and put them on the couch with me. At first they would stay for a few minutes and then want to roam the house. Well, I didn't feel like keeping and eye on them so I would then put them back. Amazingly over time they all learned that if the stayed on the couch they could stay out. One of mine Simone will wander around and then snuggle up under my chin as I lay on the couch. It's just too cute. If I try to put her back she climbs up my sleeve to to tell me no. If I fall asleep she finds a place usually between my arm and body under the couch blanket and falls asleep herself. Of my three she is the most loving.

Otherwise, the intereaction between the 3 is very interesting. All of mine are in separate quarters no (Toby and Taylor were cage mates at first until she got too big) with slide in visual barriers. Right now if I remove the barrier between Simone and Toby he slams into the glass after the whole head bob arm waving thing. Therefore, I only let them interact together on the floor. There is lots of courting that goes on there. It's very interesting to watch him tilt and flatten his body to show her how big he is (even though she's got 100 grams on him lol) I have pictures of the tight circle they make as the chase each other around.

I don't plan to breed mine this year so I keep a close eye on them and break up his attempts. I'm sure he does'nt love this but seems OK with it. None of mine have ever been aggressive toward me or anyone else or tried to bite and I trust them implicitly.

I guess to answer your question is they make great pets. As long as you are able to take care of their needs, understand that they are a little higher maintenance than some pets, and have the time to interact with them. If you decide to get them. I highly recomend you get 2 babies of the same size that can be housed together if you get 2 girls or housed together initially if you get one of each.

I'm planning on getting 1 or 2 more myself.

Have a Great Holiday Season Everyone!

Steve

I would do some research on dragons. Most people say housing 2 are not a good idea. Fighting and such. They also need different lighting. UV lighting. They are a good pet. I have 3. All of them are in different houses. I had 2 together and they were friendly in the beginning but the male would go after the female so I seperated them. Please just dont go out and buy them. Read up on them first. Take care.
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Cheryl

We love our beardie...but out of all of our animals (dogs, cat, birds, snake)...he takes the most work, care and money. I have posted several times on this site about diet, enclosure, heating, medical issues...always with very helpful responses. He is the hardest to figure out when something isn't right. All that said...he is a great companion for us (I have 2 kids - 11 and 7). I take him to school on occasion to visit classrooms...he loves the attention (for a period of time). He snuggles up on our chest and closes his eyes. It is fun to watch a 22 in. lizard run across the floor. He is awesome!!! Please take time to research and prepare...then enjoy!!!

Just a side note. 2 or 3 females of the same size are fine together. 2 males should not be together. 1 male and 1 female isn't good either. As babies of the same size (within 1 1/2 inches) are OK until the head bobbing starts.

Bearded dragons do make great pets. However, they do require some specialized care, with UVB producing light bulbs, basking temps and cage temps cares. If you decide to go for a bearded dragon, definitely research bearded dragons online to get a good grasp of their basic are needs. reading past posts here will also give you alot of insight and answers to many basic questions.

My first bearded dragon I kept in a large cage in my living room. She would watch TV when I did (when I watched while she was awake), make me up when I slept on teh couch in the morning when she wanted me to feed her or clean her cage etc. They do have alot of personality and are always curious about what is going on around them.

Housing dragons separately once they are over 6 months old is the best t hing to do. Though it is possible to house several females together or even a breeding group, I recommend new owners not to do this. There are more concerns to watch for when housing more than one bearded dragon in the same cage. Food competition, basking spot competition, spreading of disease, dominance etc can lead to one or more dragons in a multi-dragon cage becoming undernourished, picked upon and sick, or just failing to thrive as well as more dominant cage mates. (this can happen with multiple females or male/female (s) setups). Thus with more things to watch for to ensure a group does get along well, this is best to leave till after you have experience keeping dragons.

Also, you need very large cages to house more than one dragon, a 5'x2'x2' cage being minimum size for two dragons with more space needed for 3 or more dragons. (2' height is maximum needed, but the floor space is also important as some height).

For a single adult dragon of average size, a 4'x2'x2' cage is minimum. Dragons that stay small, under 16" could be housed in a slightly smaller cage comfortably but again, more room is better.

With the proper temperatures in the cage, good diet and room, dragons can move about quite a bit, will take notice of anything you are doing in the room and can make a great interactive pet. Also, for the most part, bearded dragons are docile and tolerate handling much better than many other lizards (blue tongue skinks are pretty good as well but many miss these fascinating lizards when thinking of good beginner level lizards).
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PHLdyPayne

Beardies are awesome, but yes expensive. I breed and have 7 adults and 4 juvi's. I figure I've spent over 1000 on each of them this year. Though i spoil them. They are sociable, but must have regular interaction to stay as such. The initial setup for your beardie usually costs more then the beardie did. I love their personalities though.

Your input has been very helpful. I am the type of person i like to know everything i can before i would make such a decision.If i cant provide the best care for any animal, i just dont get it. I have read quite a bit about both lizards, and came to the forums to get real life input.
Thanks again
Mike & Luz Combs