The price of a bearded dragon is dependent on both its morph and where you get it from.
Realistically speaking, a beardie can cost anywhere from $35 to $100.
That’s for the pet itself, assuming that you already have the habitat and all the accessories to bring it home.
Should you add those elements, your true cost of owning a bearded dragons may vary between $600-$900 easily.
As you can imagine many other factors may influence this initial cost. Let’s dive into them.
How much does a bearded dragon cost?
From the purchase to health -related costs, through food and the acquisition of essential accessories, adopting a bearded dragon involves some costs that is important to know and plan for.
Purchase cost
To put it simply, and as you can imagine, everything will depend on the morph in question.
For example, a common beardie (the dark brown one) will have an average price of $35 as a general rule.
Obviously, this price can double or even triple depending on the place of purchase, its overall condition or simply depending on the person who will sell it to you. Breeders are free to set their prices.
Thus, it is not uncommon to see hundreds of dollars requested by breeders or pet stores for beardies of rarer morph.
Thereafter, only the feeding and maintenance of its terrarium in optimal conditions will be additional expenditure (electricity), as will the regular change of its substrate and the cleaning of its living space.
Habitat and accessories
Before its arrival, you will have to find the ideal terrarium. Thus, your lizard will have to evolve in a suitable environment, particularly with regard to size, neither too big nor too small.
Some tanks are sold with all the necessary accessories. You need to budget $75-$300.
In addition, several heating systems are available on the market, such as heating mats ($8-10$) and ceramic lamps ($10-20$).
To this, you will add the costs of a fluorescent lamp (about $50).
You will also think about the substrate to be placed at the bottom of its terrarium. This can be artificial turf, or sand or even wood chips, which are absorbent and not very abrasive. Put aside $10-$20.
Your pet will need a bowl of water to dive into. Plan on average from $5 to $10, everything will depend on the material you choose.
Think of branches of all kinds to bring a little life and cheerfulness to its environment.
Food costs
When it comes to food, your adult bearded dragon will eat approximately every other day.
It will likely eat salad, fruits and vegetables. You will give it pellets. Because the beardie is an omnivorous lizard, it will not hesitate to eat mealworms or even crickets with a frequency of 2 meals per week.
In any case, the cost of food will depend on your pet’s diet. This will never exceed around $30 per month.
Veterinary expenses
The health of your lizard should be closely monitored.
You will limit worries and illnesses by ensuring good living conditions, in a stable, well-lit, heated environment with an adequate level of humidity.
Unfortunately, sometimes your bearded dragon may suffer from health conditions or gets injured. In such a, the consultation of a veterinarian is essential.
A classic consultation is around $30. But if you have to add interventions, such as surgeries, the bill can quickly increase considerably. It is therefore difficult to predict in advance what your reptile will cost you medically.
To sum up the setup and ongoing costs
If you have not been tallying up as you read along then here is a summary of the setup and ongoing costs:
- Purchase cost: $35 on average depending on morph
- Tank and accessories: $310
- Veterinary expenses: $30 for standard consultation. You need to time that up for number of yearly planned visit to the vet.
Where to purchase them and how it impact the costs
Your beardie can be adopted in different places. It all depends on what you are looking for. Please note that some are more trusted than others. In any event, ensure that you do your homework before purchasing a reptile. Ideally, you want to get it from a reputable source.
Pet stores
This is not the best place to buy a bearded dragon if you are on a budget.
Pet stores are often overwhelmed when it comes to animals, which is their business.
Thus, lizards often evolve in places that are too small or in unsatisfactory conditions (poor humidity, excessive heat source, etc.).
Their health is therefore more fragile, more precarious.
Worse, the purchase price is often higher, because pet stores have to cover higher operating costs.
At a professional breeder
A professional breeder logically guarantees the good behavior of his proteges.
He is passionate about lizards and they evolve in good conditions.
Thus, they have been properly tamed, or at least used to human presence.
Their health is good. You will have to beware of charlatans, as there are everywhere. However, this is the safest place to adopt a lizard.
A sale by a common beardie owner
Many individuals decide to sell their lizard when they move.
Or quite simply, because they can no longer take care of it.
So, it is not uncommon to find some to adopt on online platforms.
However, never buy on the net without having seen the pet in person.
A climate of trust must be established between you and your interlocutor, the seller.
In shelter
Beardies sometimes end up in sanctuaries. They were abandoned for multiple reasons.
They are above all well cared for and well treated.
You can go there with your eyes closed. You will also be doing a good deed by giving these animals another chance.
In summary
Acquiring a bearded dragon should be a considerate choice. The first thing to consider is where to adopt your reptile.
Some places are more popular than others. Then, you must anticipate all the expenses you will face to meet the needs of your animal.
They are numerous. From accessories through its terrarium, food, without forgetting the medical expenses which remains difficult to estimate.
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My name is Brad and I am the main editor of BeardieZilla.com.
The only goal of this site is quite simply to be able to help you. To help you by the means of my experiment, of the relation which I maintain with my bearded dragon as well as some of my knowledge about beardies.
I hope that you will find answers to some of your most pressing questions here.
Thank you for stopping by and enjoy the blog!
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