Bearded Dragon question

[Key]

I was at the local pet store today, they had a beautiful bearded dragon it was light brown with red stripes all over and two bold red stripes going down its back and merging at the base of its tail. Overall beautiful i have never seen one like that i've only seen regular all brown/grey ones.

When i saw the price for it, it was $29.99 which is odd since all the others were being sold for $59.00. It turns out that the reason its cheaper is because its missing a foot due to a bigger bearded dragon bitting it off or something.
But i cant help that wonder if its missing its foot how does it effect it, will it have problems getting its food or if it could cause any potential health issues in the near future.

 

[herpencounter]

I was at the local pet store today, they had a beautiful bearded dragon it was light brown with red stripes all over and two bold red stripes going down its back and merging at the base of its tail. Overall beautiful i have never seen one like that i've only seen regular all brown/grey ones.

When i saw the price for it, it was $29.99 which is odd since all the others were being sold for $59.00. It turns out that the reason its cheaper is because its missing a foot due to a bigger bearded dragon bitting it off or something.
But i cant help that wonder if its missing its foot how does it effect it, will it have problems getting its food or if it could cause any potential health issues in the near future.

It shouldn't be a problem, I recently sold a bearded dragon with half an arm missing. While she was in my care I had NO problems whatsoever.

Here are some pictures of her with her new owner. http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=52618

 

[Angel]

if its healed up then its probably ok she obviously survived , however for catching food it may disable her a bit, it really depends when it happened obviously the younger she was the more time she has come to adapt, you just may want to be careful how high a perch or log you put in her viv and watch when you put crickets in to see if she is having issues catching them if she is them maybe feeding her in a smaller bare enclosure would help. most likely she is fine animals have a great way to adapt you see amputee animals all across the board and the majority do more than ok. Id say that is a great deal at that price but do the normal things you would with any beardy or lizard for that matter get a vet check , fecal, ect.
were you thinking of getting her or just wondering how her foot effects her?

 

[Key]

i was thinking about getting her for the past couple of weeks but i wasnt sure if she would be a good investment or not. If i get her I'd probably keep her in a bare cage i just dont know what size of cage to get. Shes currently in a 15 gallon aquarium/terrarium with sand and one branch that she can climb on but i havent seen her on it. what would be an ideal terrarium size for her to be in her whole life. like something she can be in even as an adult?

 

[Angel]

at the very least a 40 gallon breeder but a bit bigger is best , just cause of her foot dont leave it bare add some low lying logs, plants, mine likes to hide under a box i built her , make it fun for her. =) hope you post pics if you get her , she sounds pretty

 

[Key]

would it be fine if i used the Zilla Deluxe Bearded dragon kit? They're selling it at the same petstore. This is a link of what im talking about or if you know something better can you show me? I've only had leopard geckos and this would be my first bearded dragon if i get her and i want everything perfect for her. I've already been doing some research and i know how big she will get. but if you have anymore info i should know about i'll be more than happy.

http://thereptileking.com/store/products/Zilla-Deluxe-Bearded-Dragon-Kit.html

 

[herpencounter]

I have kept bearded dragons in 20 gallon longs MANY times. I can tell you now that 90% of the people will disagree with me... 165$ looks like a lot for that. Tank, 1 heat source reptisun 10.0 (I think that's the name), sand/AstroTurf/news paper (not much you cant put a bearded dragon on) for bedding, lid, that's about all you need.

 

[Angel]

Wellllll im one who disagrees with a 20g being enough , but if its a baby then its ok for a bit, for substrate same as leos NO SAND, No walnut, paper towel works good i use tile , astro turf works ect. you need a heat lamp , uva/b light and fixture reptisun 10.0 is a good 1, thermometers, they dont need hides but they like basking so low lying stuff in your case or you could build a ramp with a platform up so she can bask under the heat lamp. then its just decorations , dishes stuff not neccessary just for looks. check out craigslit for larger tanks im sure you can find one cheaper.

 

[herpencounter]

Wellllll im one who disagrees with a 20g being enough , but if its a baby then its ok for a bit, for substrate same as leos NO SAND, No walnut, paper towel works good i use tile , astro turf works ect. you need a heat lamp , uva/b light and fixture reptisun 10.0 is a good 1, thermometers, they dont need hides but they like basking so low lying stuff in your case or you could build a ramp with a platform up so she can bask under the heat lamp. then its just decorations , dishes stuff not neccessary just for looks. check out craigslit for larger tanks im sure you can find one cheaper.

I am not going to get into the 20-30g long talk again (I have had that conversation more times then I can count). I would like to say that 40g breeders and 55g tanks are highly recommended by me and others.

I have kept well over 20+ adult and baby bearded dragons on SAND (have you seen where bearded dragon are naturally found). I would like to quote Gregg Madden "Natural sand DOES NOT cause impaction. Bad husbandry causes sand impaction.". This was from a leopard gecko care sheet, but I feel EXACTLY the same about beardeds...

I left a few things out when I told you what you needed for the bearded. Go by what Angel said. What I left out was just commonsense for me (exactly why I don't make care sheets ).




J.

 

[Angel]

here is a great site for bearded dragons just like here except its all beardys instead of leos, I hope im not stepping on toes doing this , when i got into leos the beardy members on that site sent me here for better info {if it is a nono just erase this message } but the beardy site is www.beardeddragonforums.com they can help you out with any concerns or dragon related care.

 

[Angel]

sorry its www.beardeddragonforum.com

 

[Key]

Thanks so much
I really like to research and know everything i should know before i buy a new pet, but i dont like reading some of the info off the internet i'd rather get information from actual owners. So this helps me out a lot. I just hope she/he is still there this weekend.