Bearded Dragons

Looking for a new unique pet to add to your home? Want something quiet, yet playful? If you don't mind the scales when they try to cuddle up to you, bearded dragons are a great addition to the family.

I came across the idea to get one when I went a year without any animal in the dorms. When I got into a dorm that allowed pets, I started looking. I didn't want a dog, since I would be gone most of the day for class and work, and cats seemed to stink up the small area no matter how many times you cleaned the litter box. Don't ask me how my next logical thought was a lizard, but that's how it went. After I started looking up more information about them, it was all downhill from there. My parents hated the idea of having a reptile in the house, but I was set on owning one.

Long story short, my parents fell in love with my little girl's personality. Many people have a misconception that bearded dragons are emotionless, scaly creatures that don't care about anything except for eating and sleeping. But let me tell you how wrong that is.

Kricket is my first beardie that I got as a baby, and she is the definition of a spoiled princess. She is a mama's girl, and will leap away from other people holding her to get to me. Some beardies, like her, love to cuddle and do a cute shimmy to get closer to you.

Recently I rescued a beardie, which I named Spyro, and his personality is completely different. Since he didn't have much human interaction in his life, it took a while to even get him out of his cage. Needless to say, he is not much of a cuddle bug, but now shows love in his own way. He has a feistier personality, and is much more active and playful than the lazy Kricket.

So what I'm saying is they are like any other pet, and it's a mystery on what you're getting. Not all beardies are the same lazy, uninteresting lizard.

Now that I've stated how great their personality can be, let me tell you how simple it is to take care of them. Beardies don't pee since they are desert animals. The urine comes out as a white solid in their poo, so it is an easy cleanup.

As babies, they need insects every day, but when they hit a year old they don't need them as often. They just need a bowl of veggies, which might make your eating habits just a bit better too! Now, I've heard that it is really difficult to get beardies to eat their veggies at first, but luckily I've never had this problem. They need a heat and UV bulb during the day, which is then switched off at night. Other than this, if you're too busy during the day once in a while, a beardie won't mind chilling in their cage.

The starting costs can get spendy, especially with the cage and heat lamps, but after that, it's pretty cheap. I feed them collard greens and zucchini every day, which are about $2 each and it lasts about two weeks. The insects can be bought on Amazon for cheap as well, as long as weather permits.

All in all, getting my bearded dragons were the best decision I've made. Every day they make me laugh, and I get cute dragon cuddles when I'm stressing out over homework.

To anyone reading this considering getting a bearded dragon, I highly recommend them. If you're reading this because you already have one, I would love to see pictures and hear your stories!