Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Amongst breeders? I looked at allot of the classifieds and there is such a huge margin that I can't imagine why one is asking so much more than the other...I've seen anywhere between $75.00-$150.00 shipped via next day Fedex, Ups, Airborne Express!!!....That's a big difference especially since a newbie like myself doesn't totally understand the difference in different lines that are available!!!!

Also what procedures do you take say when your beardie first arrives? Feed him? Bathe him? leave him alone?

Thanks! Keith!

Well I'm not sure about the price differences....the only thing I can say is you pay for color. I wouldn't recommend bathing it right away as that would probably stress it out more but definitely feed it...beardies aren't fed before shipping (shouldn't be anyway) for obvious reasons.
~Nicky~

sometimes you pay for color, sometimes you pay for blood lines, and sometimes, they are just overpriced. If health is your main concern and you are looking for some color also take a look at

www.sundialreptile.com they have some beautiful healthy babies at great prices

www.exoticlizards.com has some nice dragons and for good prices

there are many others out there depending on what you want to pay

you can try www.satyrdayreptiles.com beautiful golds and oranges, nicest ones there are

www.dragonsdenherp.com awesome colors, healthy beautiful dragons but usually you dont get individual pics when you buy, you can call kevin and let him know what you want tho and he will do the best to pick one out.

www.jerseydragons.com chris has awesome dragons, nicest reds out there in my opinion

when you get your baby, i usually give them some pedialyte or gatorade via dropper and just let them alone and settle in,i put a salad in for them before i put them in their enclosure. later in the afternoon i usually offer them a few crickets but dont push the issue, then offer them another drink. leave them till the next day, offer them their salad, and morning crickets a spritz and go from there, i usually dont handle them the first few days and just let them get used to things, make sure you keep your dragon well hydrated.

Also the first day make sure your dragon is alert and healthy looking, contact your breeder as soon as they arrive to let them know that they did.

>>Well I'm not sure about the price differences....the only thing I can say is you pay for color. I wouldn't recommend bathing it right away as that would probably stress it out more but definitely feed it...beardies aren't fed before shipping (shouldn't be anyway) for obvious reasons.
>>~Nicky~
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reiko
photos

I think most new people shop for lesser price, color or known names, in that you may get a nice dragon, but from the past, personally we have had some serious problems. Experienced owners look for bloodlines, genetic, and breeders rep combined with the color.

I would and have paid much more to have a dragon from a line that I know the history of, than I ever paid for just one that I thought was beautiful, but know nothing of the history.

Chris Allen, Joel and several others on here, have grandchilden (dragons) from the Zilla/Goldfroggy line. A line IMO that produced some of the most lovely, calm and hearty dragons available. Things I look for in a dragon. Godzilla's history is interesting and every baby he produced was remarkable. There are no more of his offsping for sale, he is no longer breeding, but enjoying the retiree life and doing education programs for kids and only a few clutches were produced. Those have grown and had offsping themselves that are just as remarkable.

Yet I also bought one for only $60, a pretty little red male in a pet store, and spent over $1000 in vet bills and lost him @ 4 months to something that no one could have done anything about to save him. Had I known his history then, I would not have purchased him.

I am a firm beleiver in you get what you pay for. Not everyone feels that way, but my experience indicates that.

Elliott, the baby we lost in 2000 @ 4months

How do I know if the line I am buying from is more genetically advanced than the next! There is soo many breeders out there and soo many different lines....that its kinda confusing....

I think thats when asking around helps. There seems to be quite a few reputable breeders out there with decent prices. It seems like you have to take the breeders word regarding their lineage. It's hard to question it since reptiles aren't registered yet.

>>I think most new people shop for lesser price, color or known names, in that you may get a nice dragon, but from the past, personally we have had some serious problems. Experienced owners look for bloodlines, genetic, and breeders rep combined with the color.
>>
>>I would and have paid much more to have a dragon from a line that I know the history of, than I ever paid for just one that I thought was beautiful, but know nothing of the history.
>>
>>Chris Allen, Joel and several others on here, have grandchilden (dragons) from the Zilla/Goldfroggy line. A line IMO that produced some of the most lovely, calm and hearty dragons available. Things I look for in a dragon. Godzilla's history is interesting and every baby he produced was remarkable. There are no more of his offsping for sale, he is no longer breeding, but enjoying the retiree life and doing education programs for kids and only a few clutches were produced. Those have grown and had offsping themselves that are just as remarkable.
>>
>>Yet I also bought one for only $60, a pretty little red male in a pet store, and spent over $1000 in vet bills and lost him @ 4 months to something that no one could have done anything about to save him. Had I known his history then, I would not have purchased him.
>>
>>I am a firm beleiver in you get what you pay for. Not everyone feels that way, but my experience indicates that.
>>
>>Elliott, the baby we lost in 2000 @ 4months
>>
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reiko
photos

UGH!
Cheri... does that mean I have to triple my prices so people get what they pay for Instead of getting better than they paid for? lol

>>I think most new people shop for lesser price, color or known names, in that you may get a nice dragon, but from the past, personally we have had some serious problems. Experienced owners look for bloodlines, genetic, and breeders rep combined with the color.
>>
>>I would and have paid much more to have a dragon from a line that I know the history of, than I ever paid for just one that I thought was beautiful, but know nothing of the history.
>>
>>Chris Allen, Joel and several others on here, have grandchilden (dragons) from the Zilla/Goldfroggy line. A line IMO that produced some of the most lovely, calm and hearty dragons available. Things I look for in a dragon. Godzilla's history is interesting and every baby he produced was remarkable. There are no more of his offsping for sale, he is no longer breeding, but enjoying the retiree life and doing education programs for kids and only a few clutches were produced. Those have grown and had offsping themselves that are just as remarkable.
>>
>>Yet I also bought one for only $60, a pretty little red male in a pet store, and spent over $1000 in vet bills and lost him @ 4 months to something that no one could have done anything about to save him. Had I known his history then, I would not have purchased him.
>>
>>I am a firm beleiver in you get what you pay for. Not everyone feels that way, but my experience indicates that.
>>
>>Elliott, the baby we lost in 2000 @ 4months
>>
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Lisa
www.beginnersbasics.com

in others. Its also my personal feeling that if they are looking to pay little for the animal, they are not going to care for it properly either with what it needs. And I don't sell to people that look for a bargain for just that reason. If I am convinced that someone will truly care for the animal and they do not have the funds right then to buy it, I give it to them, but that person is rare.

I've seen beardies sell 2 for $40. I bet 99.9% of them were not alive 30 days later, sadly most people feel that spending more on a vet visit than they paid for the animal is not worth it, just buy another one and save the money. It takes money to buy and raise a good quality parent to breeding age and produce offsping and then care for them for the next 45-90 days. That has a value and its not cheap.

I don't want to see bearded dragons in the US go the way that iguana's did becoming disposable animals. Thats a sad situation. I don't think that they will as there are still dragons who you can trace their non related lines back several generations here now, all generation with no problems and it shows in the offspring.. but those dragons cost dearly. I've raised to adults or near adults over 50 dragons now...... we see there is a big difference in quality breeding lines and non quality breeding line we have or have had. Raising some have been nothing but a pleasure, no problems, no vet visits except for the occassional fecal to check them.

Again, this is my personal experience and feelings, not all agree with it.

Im not trying to be rude at all, its just you make it sound like if something is 60 dollars it must not be any good. I spent 55 on mine and its turned out great! I understand what your saying, but I'm just trying to clarify that just because an animal is 60 as opposed to the 150 one on the same page does NOT nessarily mean that it of "lesser" quality. It just means (usually that is) that it is not some fancy trait. I didnt buy for color, I bought for size and personality and cheap price (Im into many other expensive hobbies, but I do NOT take less care than my animals need just because they are expensive, they are my #1 priority in my budget).

Again, I'm not trying to rude. Before you buy just scope out the breeder. Have you heard of them? Do they look like someone you could talk to eaisly? Do they give you a caresheet or make SURE you know what your doing? The thing that convinced me that this breeder was ok was she was selling parazap on the same table along with the other vitamins.

Hope you dont take this the wrong way,
louis

which generally is true, but not always, you dont even wanna know what i bought carrick for, but i can tell ya it was less then 60 bucks...the most important thing is not price, you need to, like you said, get info on the breeder, the dragons, and as much info you can on the parents etc, get references when you can, talk to others that have bought from them, see their setup if possible, make an informed choice. I dont think Cheri meant that if a dragon is cheap its crap, but rather dont shop for a bargain and look at price only, take all factors into consideration.

>>Im not trying to be rude at all, its just you make it sound like if something is 60 dollars it must not be any good. I spent 55 on mine and its turned out great! I understand what your saying, but I'm just trying to clarify that just because an animal is 60 as opposed to the 150 one on the same page does NOT nessarily mean that it of "lesser" quality. It just means (usually that is) that it is not some fancy trait. I didnt buy for color, I bought for size and personality and cheap price (Im into many other expensive hobbies, but I do NOT take less care than my animals need just because they are expensive, they are my #1 priority in my budget).
>>
>>Again, I'm not trying to rude. Before you buy just scope out the breeder. Have you heard of them? Do they look like someone you could talk to eaisly? Do they give you a caresheet or make SURE you know what your doing? The thing that convinced me that this breeder was ok was she was selling parazap on the same table along with the other vitamins.
>>
>>Hope you dont take this the wrong way,
>>louis
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reiko
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saying $60 or under dragons are no good. I commend anyone that can raise them and sell for that and not lose money. I can't.

unfortunately there are people selling lots that are just a few weeks old so $20 is the going rate

I am holding mine until they are 8 weeks
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Bennett

www.beardiedragon.com

I'm not trying to be rude at all and I really respect christy and her ideas. I'm just trying to say to all the new comers to beardies that 60 dollars for a juvi. normal beardie isnt a bad price. In fact, thats a lil high... But like christy said, if you see some incredible looking dragon thats already grown for 30 dollars... dont buy it.

So Many things factor in too the price of the dragon. Color, Morphs/lines, Breeder reputation (you pay for this). Time of year (has that breeder sold two other clutches already for 120-275 and is looking just to get rid of, or free up room. Are you at a show or buying through the classifieds (shows you can get some great deals/and you can pay a lot more for a certain dragon. I got two of my best dragons from both sides of the scale. Foster my large male orange dragon Redflame X red Sandfire was just under 70. Candy my high color female Red/orange X Snow was close to 275 at a show. She was bright and was very different right from the start. I got both from the same breeder Chris Allen at two different times. Once in a mall parking lot and once at a show. So I figure both together cost me under 330. I think I did very, very well. He also is very reputable, and extremely helpful. So much so I went back this year for my red X red. All different lines and beautiful. Heres a pic of Candy the smaller brighter one and Foster the big block head

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Mystical Dragons

Be great to see some pictures of how he is turning out.

Peter

She's just about to shed again. I'll tell ya you get two days to take a pic at this age the rest of the days she's shedding,lol. She's really getting big fast. All the dragons I got from Chris were just top notch. Myah is the red X red she got measured and weighed today she is exactly 12 1/2 and 98 grams, yes another big female. Think she was a May baby. I got her in beginning of July at 6 inches and 24 grams. Yes, I keep track of everything,lol. She is a very rich orange color. Very different then my others. She's darker and has more of a pattern. We'll see how she turns out. I can see the color just starting to seep in. Really neat. And her head is starting to lose the baby colors and is coloring up. This pic is quite old now. I might have posted it before. She's getting color by the day. This pic was taken in the beginning of August. She's very dark in the pic. She shows better in pics in the light phase. I'll show the difference in a few days after the shed. Chris posted a great red holdback. Very red compared to Myah.

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Mystical Dragons

real orange, i think shes beautiful, cant wait to see how she turns out, she looks great as is!

>>She's just about to shed again. I'll tell ya you get two days to take a pic at this age the rest of the days she's shedding,lol. She's really getting big fast. All the dragons I got from Chris were just top notch. Myah is the red X red she got measured and weighed today she is exactly 12 1/2 and 98 grams, yes another big female. Think she was a May baby. I got her in beginning of July at 6 inches and 24 grams. Yes, I keep track of everything,lol. She is a very rich orange color. Very different then my others. She's darker and has more of a pattern. We'll see how she turns out. I can see the color just starting to seep in. Really neat. And her head is starting to lose the baby colors and is coloring up. This pic is quite old now. I might have posted it before. She's getting color by the day. This pic was taken in the beginning of August. She's very dark in the pic. She shows better in pics in the light phase. I'll show the difference in a few days after the shed. Chris posted a great red holdback. Very red compared to Myah.
>>
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>>Mystical Dragons
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reiko
photos

Seems like all your dragons are quite large! Looks great Matt, thanks for the update.

Peter

I know Chris Allen posts on this forum, does he have a website?

.

both are gorgeous dragons, Chris is awesome next year.. i keep telling myself.. next year.. i was very close this year, but couldnt cough up the extra cash.. although worth it, it just wasnt in the budget.. next year... its not that far away is it?

>>So Many things factor in too the price of the dragon. Color, Morphs/lines, Breeder reputation (you pay for this). Time of year (has that breeder sold two other clutches already for 120-275 and is looking just to get rid of, or free up room. Are you at a show or buying through the classifieds (shows you can get some great deals/and you can pay a lot more for a certain dragon. I got two of my best dragons from both sides of the scale. Foster my large male orange dragon Redflame X red Sandfire was just under 70. Candy my high color female Red/orange X Snow was close to 275 at a show. She was bright and was very different right from the start. I got both from the same breeder Chris Allen at two different times. Once in a mall parking lot and once at a show. So I figure both together cost me under 330. I think I did very, very well. He also is very reputable, and extremely helpful. So much so I went back this year for my red X red. All different lines and beautiful. Heres a pic of Candy the smaller brighter one and Foster the big block head
>>
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>>Mystical Dragons
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reiko
photos

it takes more than money to buy Jersey dragons, you gotta be fast! he sells out his clutches within a few hours of posting every time. I got the last one he had available just 2 hours after his post the last time and back in april I tried to buy some 4 hours after they were posted but they were all gone.
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Bennett

www.beardiedragon.com

Are you serious? What's the going rate for Jersey dragons? I gotta be on top of things if I want one. I think my collection's going to grow exponentially.

depends on the line, but all of his prices have been reasonable and his dragons are beautiful. even the pics of adults I have seen are stunning. the 3 I ended up with are from a line that he is no longer breeding so I count myself very lucky.
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Bennett

www.beardiedragon.com

Yeah, he sells out quick. I get lucky cause I live 30 min away. Chris is very fair with his prices. Everything I buy I would say was extremely healthy main thing, but color is definitely a plus, well worth the money Of course if you love dragons. He only had his red X red line and a few redflame X sunburst. You can still get one. He usually has a few killer crosses towards the end of the season too. Very nice too. He will help you out if you need advise, or care questions.
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Mystical Dragons

Chris has an ad up for his new cross. They should turn out nice. Parents are really nice looking. I already have one from this male dragon. The red X red. That female looks awesome.
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Mystical Dragons

i had contacted him and he had one that was just what i wanted but i just didnt have the money this season, he does sell them out quick but always seems to have ones unposted that he might just let go chris is a great guy, doesnt hurt to ask him if he has any hanging back that he might sell, that one i wanted is turning out mighty nice too, wonder if he kept him, he was a nice boy, ah well, i got the red dragon i wanted this year anyhow, isnt a jersey dragon but hes a beautiful fellow and we aer very happy with him, next year im in trouble, i have chris to buy from, brandon, matt, and Carricks breeder too what the heck am i gonna do? i had better get to moving, not enough room here for all those dragons..

>>it takes more than money to buy Jersey dragons, you gotta be fast! he sells out his clutches within a few hours of posting every time. I got the last one he had available just 2 hours after his post the last time and back in april I tried to buy some 4 hours after they were posted but they were all gone.
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>>Bennett
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>>
>>www.beardiedragon.com
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reiko
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