What to look for when purchasing a Bearded Dragon

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Macca_75

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Hi guys,

I recently had a post removed whereby I was trying to source the best place to purchase a Bearded Dragon as it doesn't comply with the rules of this forum (fair enough).

Could you please tell me, in your expereince, what I should look for (in either a healthy or sick) Dragon when purchasing or what questions I should be asking?

Thanks in Advance.
 
I would be looking for if its got a full tail, all it's limbs, what substrate it's on, enclosure set up, proper heating and light requirements.

What's it eating, how active it is, (is it alert?) eyes are bright and it knows your there.
 
Thanks for the reply. Is asking to see a dragon eat while still in the shop common practice (as it is with Marine fish?) Will a healthy speciman "eat on demand"? If so, what should I see it eat? Greens, crickets, etc?

What substrate should it be on? What is bad?

Thanks again
 
If it's hungry then yes It will eat, depends on how old it is, baby's will eat mostly crickets and a little bit of greens, adult will mostly eat greens. I've seen a few pet shops use bark, sand or just newspaper all these substrates are good with bearded dragons.

Another thing to look for in a healthy bearded dragon is it's head will perk up and it will be very alert when you approach it's tank.

In a sick dragon look for any puss coming from its eyes, ears and it's mouth, make sure it's joints aren't swollen and that it doesn't have suncken eyes as this is a sigh of dehydration.
 
Look for how active the beardie is in your presence. He should be alert and just as interested in you as you are in him. They should take a worm of some sort no problem to show you he does have an appetite. Look for all intake limbs and his weight.

I started off with newspaper lining my tank (easy to clean up and replace) but when he started to burrow and tear it up the particles were sticking and clogging his nose. I used sand as substrate and it works wonders and hold warmth.
 
Isn't sand bad for smaller one's?

My Uncle works in a quarry so access to all typs of sand is easy enough.
 
Yes and no, baby's are a bit clumsy when it comes to feeding but if u have a feeding dish there should be no promlem with starting the young ones on sand, play sand from Bunnings is cheap and works great.
 
My Uncle works in a quarry so access to all types of sand is easy enough.

Make sure you wash ^this sand if you are going to use it. Who knows what kind of bacteria, bugs or problems are in there.

Good luck in finding your new scaly friend :)
 
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You want an animal that looks plump (feel it's stomach to see if there is food in it, a healthy animal will be eating well), the eyes should be round (not droopy or recessed), all of its limbs and tail and something that responds when it is picked up (the normal response is to run or squirm but it is highly unusual for there to be no response at all - this is something to avoid).

Good luck :)
 
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