Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm the mother of a 9 year old Reptile Fan. He already owns an African Albino Clawed Frog and takes good care of him. Now he wants something bigger. First he wanted an Iguana. After some Research and a book I decided against it. They are just getting to big for me and I don't want to be one of those people who don't think and in the end they give the poor animal away. So now he wants a Bearded Dragon. I heard that they are very good beginner Reptiles, but that is about all I know. Are they pretty simple to take care of, are they easy to handle, will he be able to pet and handle it. I got two big Boxers. Will that be a problem? Any help and answer would be appriciatet. Thanks

The best book for advice on bearded dragons is "The bearded dragon manual" by Phillip DeVosjoli. Awesome book, a must have for any owner. Dragons are wonderful creatures can be maintained singly in a 40 breeder (36X18) but more space is always enjoyed. They are very handleable. They do not seem to mind dogs. Well that is most of them. I think they are the best beginer reptiles.
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Derek Affonce
DeKeAff Exotics
dekeaffexotics.com

Thanks for the info. I will get that book and do some more research, before I will plunge into this. Thanks

Bearded dragons make wonderful pets. However, they require a lot of care. I disagree with grimdog about them being the best first reptile though. Although they are friendly and outstanding in every way, like I said, they DO require a lot of responsibility. For a 9yr. old, I'd recommend something easier to maintain. Leopard geckos make great first reptiles for children. They are lots easier to take care of & do not have all the special needs & lighting that beardies require. If your child takes responsibilty for the leopard gecko & really does well for it, then it's time to move him up to something a little more demanding. If you purchase a beardie first, then YOU may very well be the one to do the veggies, feed him the crickets, clean up the poo, check the temps, turn on his cage lights, and the various other tasks that are associated with proper care.
Cricket

Hey,

thank you so much for the info. I really appriciatet it. I will put into consideration what you said, even, with all the animals we have, I'm the main Caretaker anyway and I don't mind. His heart is just set on a Bearded Dragon, but I will get a book first and do some more research. Thank you again.

Just thought i'd throw my 2 cents in,,, i have a 10 yr old who wanted a reptile and we also decided against an iguana. Someone (online) recommended a Bearded Dragon and after doing the research we decided to get one. I LOVE HIM!!! (oh, and my son does too) and I haven't found it to be that much work to take care of. "Eddie" is approx. 12 wks old and we've had him for appprox. 6wks. I chop his veggies up twice a week and keep them in a baggie in the fridge. I also have pellets to put on his veggies and he gets crickets twice a day. After all the initial set-up is done, (we have the lights on timers) I have found its not that much work for us. I did print out a 'check-list' for my son to follow too. There are boxes for morning veggies, morning and evening crickets, temperature (which we don't do everyday--just a couple of times a week), and his length-which we do once a week. This seems to keep everything on track. Sorry this is soo long but I'm really enjoying this little guy and as a mom you have to realize that its quite probable that you'll be doing most of the work and you son will just get to keep him in his room and say "this is MY lizard"

Make sure you check out some of the care sheets online. This will give you a good idea what kind of requirements these guys need. Here are a couple of good ones that I could think of off the top of my head, but there are many other good ones. Just make sure you check out several becuase some of the info can tend to vary some.

http://www.beautifuldragons.com
http://www.bearded-dragons.com