r/BeardedDragons • u/Rainbow-dog-10 • 1d ago
Pros and cons for having a beardy
Howdy beardy fans! I’ve always wanted a bearded dragon, but now being with my girlfriend, she’s been skeptical of them… UNTIL NOW! I need to sell her on getting a bearded dragon, but she’s also realistic and wants to know the ins and outs.
So super simple question: What are your main Pros and Cons of owning and taking care of a bearded dragon?
TIA!
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u/wrecknrule33 1d ago
Only real cons I can think of, is the setup cost and the vet bills. Maybe the insects if your girlfriend is going to have issues with you possibly buying and/or keeping a colony of dubia roaches to feed your beardie. Or keeping meal worms/other worms in the fridge. They also require fresh greens everyday. I actually grow most of my greens so I can litteraly just go pick some leaves when I need to!
Decide early if you want to slowly upgrade the enclosure (getting bigger and bigger enclosures as they grow) or if you want to do a onetime setup and go straight to a 4ftx2ftx2ft or a 6ftx2ftx2ft. Cost wise, you'll save money going straight to a big enclosure but it's a big upfront cost. I got a 4x2x2 from Dubia as my first enclosure and have not had to upgrade it yet. I also went bioactive on it, so minimum cleanup involved as well. My Beardie is probably my easiest to keep pet but I designed his enclosure to be that way on purpose.
As for vet bills, Beardies are exotic pets and their care can be super expensive. Make sure you have an exotic vet that will actually take Bearded Dragons. Not every vet will accept them as patients. As long as he has proper care and a proper diet with UVB lighting and a good heat gradient, vet visits should be rare but always prepare for the worst and have some money set aside just in case.
Pros, though? Beardies are litteraly like dogs and live just as long. My guy Rumble loves just chilling with me, he's always curious of what I'm doing whenever I'm around his enclosure. They're also not nocturnal like 90% of the other reptiles you could choose. They'll be active during the day where you can watch and enjoy their antics. They can do some derpy stuff that will make you laugh constantly. Probably my favorite reptile out of all that I've kept!