Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have 2 bearded dragons and a lot of people I talk to think it's bad, I have to take care of them. When they need food, my parents buy it and I tell them when I need it. What do you guys think of this issue???

I don't see a problem with it. My parents paid for my herp's food when I was younger. I just had to be responsible enough to tell them when I needed it and made sure the enclosures were clean. If you don't a have a source of income, and your parents are willing to help pay for the food, then I say go for it.
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Andy Maddox
AIM: thekingofproduct
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

"Some things will never change. They just stand there looking backwards. Half-unconsious from the pain. They may seem rearranged. In the backwater swirling. There is something that'll never change-The Meat Puppets"

Ditto, that's how I've managed it since I was a kid.. that's why I have 12 years of reptile experience at 15.. hehehe..

Ofcourse, the snakes are always my mothers.. I'm the one breeding my Saurians It's a great thing for a kid to have a herp.. but don't start too young.. thankfully my mother was patient.. but we did have a number of escaped tree frogs, which ofcourse.. weren't my fault
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2.4.1 Leos
1.1.13(eggs) Beardie
1.0 Burm
0.1 Common Boa
1.0 Bp (Turns out, it's a 2nd burmese)

I don't see a problem at all. I guess it all depends on the kid. I dont think a persons age should really play into if they can have a reptile or not. Of course its much more rewarding to support your animals on your own but I still get some parental health. A lot of people don't think I should have green tree pythons because they are an "advanced snake" and I'm "just a kid". If your responsible,mature, and knowledgable, age doesnt matter.

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1.0 Indonesian Blue Tongue Skink (Don)
0.1 Irian Jaya Blue Tongue Skink (Sausage Girl)
0.0.1 Tanimbar Island Blue Tongue Skink ( Spunky Sebastian)
0.0.1 Ornate Uro (Spike)
1.0.1 Green Tree Pythons ( Male=Floyd, Baby= Verdi)
0.1 Western Hognose (Piggy)
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortiose(Tank)
0.0.1 Sonoran Gopher snake ( Toro)
0.1 Albino Leo gecko (Sasha)

Oops, I wrote parental health instead of help.
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1.0 Indonesian Blue Tongue Skink (Don)
0.1 Irian Jaya Blue Tongue Skink (Sausage Girl)
0.0.1 Tanimbar Island Blue Tongue Skink ( Spunky Sebastian)
0.0.1 Ornate Uro (Spike)
1.0.1 Green Tree Pythons ( Male=Floyd, Baby= Verdi)
0.1 Western Hognose (Piggy)
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortiose(Tank)
0.0.1 Sonoran Gopher snake ( Toro)
0.1 Albino Leo gecko (Sasha)

lmao,
I am 14 and I have a herp business and am writing a book about bearded dragons. In my personal collection i have 2 bearded dragons, a sulcata, and a veiled chameleon. I dont care what people think about this, my reptiles are all very healthy and are takin care of extremly well. just because were kids doent mean we dont have the knowledge and ability to succesfully keep and breed reptiles.

Dont let it get too ya. If it wasnt for kids like me and you being interested in herps then this hobby would die very quickly.
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sincerely,
Jonathan D. de Kluyver
JDDK Reptiles
Quality Reptiles and Amphibianswww.jddkreptiles.com

No kidding. I hate seeing kids going to the pet store and seeing a lizard and getting it with sand, a hot rock, and a water dish. No uvb, no supplements, nothing. I am 14, though, and i have never purchased a pet without a month or so of research.I got my first herp in fourth grade. IT depends on the kid. I have 2 spadefoot toads, 3 pacific treefrogs, a leopard gecko, and a whiptail, all of which are healthy. Its a really tough issue because so many kids are not responsible for a pet, or they get the pet and the novelty wears off. Overall, kids should be able to get herps as pets if they research them, their parents monitor their care, and parents make sure the kid is taking care of it. Too many kids arent into that these days, though.
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Paullywog

If it has scales or smooth wet skin... snatch it!!!

I think kids having pets in general is a great idea. What's important is that the parents support the endevor and supervise until they are sure the kid is responsible. (As I'm sure you are). Taking care of pets, whether is herps or a dog, teaches young people how to be responsible and to respect other living things. I've met 12 year-olds maintaining salt-water reef tanks, so determined kids are definately capable of handling complex care regimes.
My pet peeve are parents who buy pets for kids who aren't ready for them, and then don't either care for the creature themselves, or make their kid do it. Same with parents that don't bother to make sure their kid is learning the right way to care for a pet.
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Porter

Reptiles
1.0 Crested Gecko (Tort)

Fish
2.0 Oscars
2.1 Polypterus
0.0.5 Angels
0.0.1 Dusky Jawfish (Golum)
and many more . . .

Mammals
1.1 Alley Cats
0.1 Rat
0.1 Chinchilla
1.0 Degu
1.0 Boyfriend (Mike)

Seriously, this weekend i went to the petstore and saw this totally spoiled kid come into the store with his dad. He started looking at snakes etc. and his dad just said he could get anything he wanted (ball.milksnake,bearded dragon, ETC.)
You could tell he hadnt done any research and knew nothing of herps and he looked like 9-10 yrs. of age.

Im 13 now and i have 3 pythons 2 jcps that will reach 6-8ft and a burm that will reach 16-20ft and i also have a bro that is 16 but he never helps because he is always with his friends and i have had my snakes for a year but i also did research on all my animals and when i was like 5 and my bro was 8 we had a iguana and it grew to about 5ft and died. IT MATTERS HOW DETERMINED THE KID IS TO HIS HERP AND THAT HE DOES EVERYTHING HE CAN TO KEEP IT ALIVE AND HEALTHY
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1.1 Morelia Spilota Cheyni - Jungle Carpet Pythons
1.0 Albino Burmese Python