Choosing the Right Bearded Dragon

You will need to decide what bearded dragon is right for you. Will you buy a baby or an adult? Male or female? What type of beardie will you choose? Will you buy from a pet shop or from a classified advert? How many will you buy now? And how many may you want to buy later?

Ages

  1. 0-3 months - baby
  2. 3-12 months - juvenile
  3. 12-18 months - sub adult
  4. 18 months + - adult

Sex

It is important to make the decision of what gender you wish your new pet to be. Dragons behave differently depending on their gender.

Males: Males are normally bigger than females and can only be kept either on his own or with a group of females. Do not keep them with fellow males as they will fight and can cause serious injury or even death to one if not both of the dragons. Males can be more territorial than females especially during his transition to adulthood.

Females: These are normally smaller than males and can be kept with either sex or be kept on her own. They tend to be less aggressive than males and are from my experience easier to handle. They are more expensive than males and are hard to come by.

Where to buy from?

Option Positives Negatives
Reptile Shop
  • Know the age
  • Know the sex (unless under 1 yr)
  • Can be more expensive than classified adverts
  • May not be as used to human contact due to not having previous owners
Classified Adverts
  • Can be cheaper than Shop
  • The animal will normally be used to human contact
  • The age of the reptile is uncertain
  • The sex may not be accurately described
  • Sold as seen basis
  • Reptile may have adopted 'bad habits' from previous owner

Our decision

When we decided to own a bearded dragon we reviewed all the possible options. We went to pet shops and had a look at the dragons there and also searched the internet at the classified adds.

We bought our first dragon from a classified advert. This was because he came with a set up also and was a good size for handling. Due to our lack of experience we felt this was best because his conditions were already set out and he was also tame. The problem we then faced was that we grew to realise that his set up he had been living in was incorrect, and he was not receiving the correct heating. We were also unsure of Eddie's exact age and how long the UV bulbs and heat bulbs had been in use. Over time we gradually changed his environment to suit him better and he is a lot healthier than he was when we bought him.

We decided to buy some females when we believed Eddie came of age. His aggression levels were quite high and we believed this to be due to frustration. As stated previously, females are hard to come by so once again we had to resort to classified adverts, as no local reptile shops had any females of the correct age for breeding. We bought 2 good sized females for a fairly reasonable price. Unfortunately, the person who sold us Amber and Missy, sold us a male and female, despite us stressing the importance of the two being female due to already having a male. We have had to find Missy a new home as she was in fact a Mister.

We have now learned through our experience with our own dragons how to sex them, but also went to our local reptile shop who confirmed our suspicions.

Looking for a bearded dragon? Please check the classifieds section of this website for bearded dragons for sale