Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm 15 and want to get a BD. I have researched and have a good working knowledge of them. The problem is my step dad says they get too big. I don't know why he cares, I am going to build a cage. He thinks I should get a chameleon (my sis has one)because he says they are smaller. They need a large cage too. So, I read BD's get 14"-20". Could someone post some pics of a fullgrown BD next to stuff for comparison? Thanks!

well...my beardie George is 20" and is about a year old.... theres a pic of him below with me holding him.
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Bearded Dragon x1 (George)
Boxers x4 (Katie, Mac, Zeek, Zena)
Cats x3 (JJ, Ricky, Smokey)

Brittany and George

Ok, thanks. How big should I make the cage for a BD? I was thinking 5 foot long, 2 feet deep and 2 feet high. I'll just tell him they stay small. lol

well depends, if you get a younger one, you shouldnt start out with a big cage. its harder for them to catch their food. when George was younger|(he was at 9" when i bought him) , i had a 10 gal. tank....now he's at a 55gal tank(now is 20" , but its way to small....i personally am building George a cage that is 50"X 20" , you dont HAVE to have it that big(keep in mind, thats for an adult)....for an adult they should have a min. of 6sq ft. any other questions feel free to ask!
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Bearded Dragon x1 (George)
Boxers x4 (Katie, Mac, Zeek, Zena)
Cats x3 (JJ, Ricky, Smokey)

Brittany and George

Adult dragons should have at least 6 sq. ft. of floor space. 2’ X 3’ is good, 2’ X 4’ is great.

common Q&A

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Bennett

Home of the Florida Orange
www.beardiedragon.com

Even though beardies get bigger, I have to say they are FAR more easy and rewarding to care for than chameleons.

Chams are remarkable creatures, don't get me wrong I've had them myself, but they simply don't thrive well in captivity without precise conditions. They stress so easily. It just takes so much more work to keep them happy and healthy, and IMO isn't nearly as rewarding because they don't even want you to come near them except to feed them. I love chameleons as an animal, but I will probably never own one again.

Beardies on the other hand live longer, can do quite well in captivity when given the basic proper conditions, and allow you to handle them and actually sometimes seem to enjoy it.

So you can tell your step dad that even though chameleons are smaller, they aren't necessarily a better reptile to have for a pet. Tell him you want a pet you can hold and enjoy, not simply watch from a distance like an animal in a zoo. You can have an amazing, beautiful, friendly reptile with a unique personality that you can hold and show off, or you can have an amazing, beautiful, cranky reptile that would just assume you never look at it or come near it unless it's feeding time.

They really don't take up that much more space than a chameleon anyways. We're talking maybe a couple square feet of enclosure space, at most.

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Amanda
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2.0 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)