Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I thought about getting a gecko but I really dont want to have to deal with all the humidity needs..From what Ive read beardies dont need much humidity, right? Another question is how often do they need to be fed? I like my snakes because they arent a very demanding pet. When I was growing up I remember we had an Iguana that was so wild you couldnt touch it no matter what..I dont know what happened to it, my parents must have given it up..Anyway are beardies easy to tame? I read the care sheet for beardies here on Kingsnake but I wonder if it is right on everything it says? Could someone check it out and see. I have been given false info on those things more then once in my life..Another question is size of tank..I currently have a 30 gal unused or I could move my ball back over to the 30 gal(he seemed to be happier there anyway) and use the 55 gal enclosure for the beardies(possibly two). My biggest concern is the diet..In summer we have lots of fresh greens here but not in winter. Do I have to chop this up everyday? and about how many crickets/worms do they eat on a weekly basis? Do I need to raise them myself in order to have enough? the pet store here is 45min away one way and I dont want to have to rely on them too often..Sorry this is soo long..I am just trying to find out if this is going to be too much for me. Another question is how long do they live?...Thanx in advance...

If you are looking for something close to the maitenance level of your snake, BD's would probably not be for you. They do require daily feedings of both fresh greens and crickets. As babies and youngins they should be eating 2-3 times a day and can easily devour between 30-75 crix per feeding. As adults you can feed crix once every 2-3 days but still need fresh greens available at all times. As you can see food can get costly, but is cheaper if you order crix online in boxes of 1000 or more depending on how many you are feeding.

Another thing is a 55 gallon is not big enough for even a single adult BD let alone two becuase of the small amount of floor space available. Imagine a 18-24 inch long dragon trying to turn itself around in a 13 inch wide tank, doesn't work well. You would definately end up having to get a bigger tank/enclosure.

I know you said you were looking for something with low humidity requirements. Have you checked into leopard geckos? They are low humidity desert dwellers that have much smaller space, and i'm sure smaller food requirements than a BD. I'm not trying to discourage you from a BD necessarily becuase they are awesome, but it sounds like something smaller and less demanding would better suit your needs.

Remember to mention the Leporad Gekos are nocternal while BD.s are day light lovers. (take whatever way you want)

I wanted a honest answer..It sounds like this is not what I am looking for. They are such great looking lizards but this sounds like more work then I have time for so I will just stick with my snakes..Thanks it was worth the look. Maybe one day when I have more time I might get one but not right now....Thanx

I wish more people were as conscientious as you and asking these questions before getting an animal.
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Stacey