Reply to Bearded dragon vs. Hamster: which is easier to take care of?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Hamster is WAY easier. Be super careful about the cat whichever you end up with.[/quote]

+1. I've had my first beardie for 14y+. They are much more difficult and expensive than a hamster. Please don't get one unless you're willing to commit to it. This includes the dubia roaches and crickets, etc, and the expensive bulbs for UVB and heat, specialized vet bills, supplements, etc. They need much larger than the 20 or 40gal a pet store will try to sell you-they need more like a 4x2x2 absolute bare minimum.

I love my dragon but my parents said they really regretted letting me get one while living with them because they are SO high maintenance, especially the feeder insects. Trying to find a pet sitter for them is difficult. You can automate a lot of the lights and heat with a Herpstat, etc, though. There are also plenty available through rescues. The adults eat about 80% greens like parsley, arugula, dill which are all inexpensive and easily available. It costs me $150 to walk in to a vet for a basic check-up. Be prepared to give medications including injection, clean teeth, trim nails, etc. If you get one, join the Advancing Herpetological Husbandry group on facebook. They have a specialized group for beardies, too. Or post here and I'll probably see it.

Also, realllllllly watch any cats. One of ours knocked a heating lamp onto the carpet while we went grocery shopping and almost started a fire a few months ago. We walked in to a smoking rug. One of SO's coworkers had their cat kill their hamster, too. The best thing to do is have a separate room that is cat-free. The animals can still be stressed by the sounds and smells of the cat, too, so between the fire hazard risk and the rest of it just make life easy for yourself.

A dresser is going to be much too small for a beardie tank and their poos can smell really terrible. I would not indulge your 8yo on this. However, there is probably a local herp society where she can see lizards and snakes and touch and hold them. Eight is when I became super interested in reptiles, too. Get her a subscription to NatGeo kids or Ranger Rick instead.

You MAY be able to pull off a leopard gecko (all same beardie issues but no teeth to clean and a lot smaller) but they may not tolerate as much handling. One leopard gecko would do okay in a 40gal. Just note they live about 20y so get one from a rescue. They stay super cute as adults and have a cute tail wiggle when they hunt. You also don't need to feed them every day so as long as they have water an adult can tolerate a weekend (assuming automatic UV lights and heat) by themselves. A beardie can't really do that.[/quote]

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