| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| nickyff |
Posted - 22/01/2012 : 01:28:06
I'm trying to break my habit of regularly scanning through various small-ad type websites to see what snakes/ cheap vivs people might have for sale within a reasonable distance. Mainly because it increasingly upsets me, on account of the number of "son has lost interest" excuses for the sales, and also the ridiculous prices people ask.(I saw an advert for corn+viv recently that gave the reason for sale as 'redecorating', I kid you not- it was basically "this animal was a lifestyle/fashion accessory that no longer co-ordinates with my curtains")
Something I have noticed, while I've been looking through these ads is that there is always a HUGE number of bearded dragons that people are trying to get rid of. Clearly a lot of people buy them on a whim, or for stupid reasons- and then want to palm them off on the next unsuspecting unresearched newbie. What I'm wondering though, is what is it about beardies in particular that turns these people against them? In the list of pros/cons of getting a bearded dragon, what's the main 'con' that doesn't transpire until after purchase, and results in so many of them on small-ad sites? Do they grow very big? do they smell? do they bite?
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| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Mamma |
Posted - 10/02/2012 : 18:32:56
I get annoyed to see people STILL trying to sell a clutch of hatched beardies... and they are like "last 3 for sale... 75 eggs cooking in the incubator.. due next month" or something ridiculous like that. The thing is the 3 still for sale have been still for sale for weeks and weeks and weeks.
Why are they incubating more and more eggs to hatch and sell if they cant shift what they already have??  |
| SteGore |
Posted - 10/02/2012 : 18:28:25
Strangly enuf i'm getting two 3 year olds nxt week.
Free to good home.Owners moving to london and cant take with. |
| CentricMalteser85 |
Posted - 01/02/2012 : 22:54:59
Funny you say that Martyn, because you can register a charity, and get government funding, and lottery funding is becoming easier than what it use to be.
Since its a charity, you can hold chairty reptile nights as suggested to bring in money to help upkeeping, and also open a rescue centre
Would take a lot of time and hours, but if anyone has determination, then its possible, especially since reptiles are becoming a firm favourtie type of pet
quote:
Originally posted by madmartyn
two beardies at my local pet shop looked so sad and rejected banging thier heads against glass just wanted to grab them and leg it from shop but would of had hard time explaining why i was bringing them home, need a spare room or house to start a reptile sanctury wonder if you can get lottery funding hmmmmmmmm
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| CentricMalteser85 |
Posted - 01/02/2012 : 22:51:54
Unfortunately it would be merely impossible to put things in place to prevent people buying their pets etc on a whim.
Simple reasons are business would start to fail if they said you need this, that and this, which exceeds budget, (common one is not being sold a thermostat with the heatmat and setups, even most snake setups that come at a discounted price excludes the thermostats!)
Another thing is when potential buyers are asked questions such as do you have a big enough home, the usual reply is "yeh I got this really big custom made home, or, long emtpy wooden box, etc"
Now some are telling the truth, as I did when I got my second corn, however most do not, as they want the pet, but dont want to spend all their money on the correct equipment
Before I got into corn snakes, I wasn't even advised by several pet stores that I need a thermostat, and this is when I saw faunriums starting to flex because the heatmat so hot - (dry run without snakey inside thank god!)
It would be so great if everyone did their research and good responsible parents too also do their own research as well as the children as this forum has seen which is great.
But other children and parents unfortunately are just as bad, and they just want the animal to look cool amongst their friends,
example is the most common breed dog for a druggie to have is some sort of staffordshire terrier or bull terrier
what I think should be done is more awareness on keeping reptiles, since now they are coming a popular type of pet, and close to becoming favourites over cats
we see adverts for the right dog food for puppies, or more than cat insurance etc
do we see anything for reptiles, I haven't
but the best thing is, any person that comes on here or any other forums we are on, is to advice them on our own experience, experties, facts and opinions, as hopefully that individually or family will get the answer they are looking for |
| madmartyn |
Posted - 01/02/2012 : 18:21:06
hardley notice the extra electricty with my uvb bulb and heat lamp is ordianry 100watt household bulb on dimmer thermostat, biggest cost for mine is 3 tubs of locusts a week but now i,ve found a cheaper supply its not so bad, but the enjoyment of watching her and caring for her far outweighs the cost |
| stotty01 |
Posted - 01/02/2012 : 18:03:06
they can be quite expensive to look after with all the uv lighting aswell as heat bulb which is almost constantly on also they do eat ALOT, they are mini waste disposals :P |
| madmartyn |
Posted - 01/02/2012 : 15:02:12
hold reptile set up evenings bring your stuff along and learn how to set up properly and care for your animals |
| andyandkate |
Posted - 01/02/2012 : 12:52:02
Now there is an idea Madmartyn the we could save a few more |
| madmartyn |
Posted - 01/02/2012 : 12:37:11
two beardies at my local pet shop looked so sad and rejected banging thier heads against glass just wanted to grab them and leg it from shop but would of had hard time explaining why i was bringing them home, need a spare room or house to start a reptile sanctury wonder if you can get lottery funding hmmmmmmmm |
| andyandkate |
Posted - 01/02/2012 : 10:39:08
It is a shame about any animal or reptile that is in a 'non loved' home. I rescued two beardies from a home only two weeks ago and all they want from me is attention. Tonight I am going to get two corn snakes from there in the same situation took a bit of persuading to the other half but got there in the end so at least they will be fed regular and loved. But I do agree with the other half i look at these ads and she says to me you cant save everyone just wish i had the space and money to take them all on |
| Emmy1 |
Posted - 24/01/2012 : 21:59:20
People buy two Beardies without fully checking which sex they are initially and think that they'll be okay housed together. They can mate quite young, so people suddenly find themselves with eggs. They think yay! Babies! The babies come and they just cannot sell them quick enough because there are so many in the trade and they're asking a ridiculous price.
Plus, they are the perfect starter lizard, so when people get used to owning lizards and get bitten by the reptile bug, they move up sizes until eventually they need to shift their first lizard for a big fat bosc. We see this a lot in our reptile society in snakes and lizards. It's very sad. |
| nickyff |
Posted - 24/01/2012 : 21:50:53
...better with another couple of snakes 
hmmm.................. |
| Hissyfit |
Posted - 23/01/2012 : 10:08:17
quote:
Originally posted by nickyff
(and the possibility of realising my son's lizardy desires is getting ever more distant!)
I know that feeling! My Son would love one, but even he knows he would get bored and it would be down to me to look after it. When you look at how easy the snakes are to care for, you can even go away for a few days with no worry, they seems such hard work in comparison...better with another couple of snakes |
| herriotfan |
Posted - 22/01/2012 : 22:12:34
Research is certainly the key! |
| madmartyn |
Posted - 22/01/2012 : 22:00:56
my eldest daughter is saving up for a rhino iguana she has done hours and hours of reaserch on them (as have i with her) so we both know how big its going to get and whats involved in keeping such a large lizard, but your right i think it shouldnt be so easy as it is to just walk into a pet shop and go ahhhhh how cute i,ll have one of them, |
| nickyff |
Posted - 22/01/2012 : 21:18:34
thx for the info, everyone- 
-so... they get quite big, the food can cost more than you expect, and it sounds like, to have a happy, contented and sociable animal, they like a lot of attention..
which does explain why buying on a whim, or perhaps being misled by unscrupulous petshops, can result in an unwanted animal.
am i alone in thinking that it's far too easy for people to get themselves into this situation, and that perhaps there should be some system in place that ensures people are properly aware of what their cute little baby is going to become, before they make that unwise purchase?
(and the possibility of realising my son's lizardy desires is getting ever more distant!) |
| herriotfan |
Posted - 22/01/2012 : 16:28:07
I do agree that a lot of people may not understand how big they can grow, and the size viv they need as an adult, when they see the tiny little ones in places like P@H.
Another thing that puts people off is dealing with the live food. Not everyone can cope with them.
Some beardies do bite and can be rather aggressive although I've only ever had very gentle friendly ones. I know from a beardie forum I'm on that there are some nasty ones out there.
Personally I love mine to bits. I think they're real characters and I wouldn't be without them. |
| Spreebok |
Posted - 22/01/2012 : 12:28:51
A lot of people breed them, and then can't shift them! |
| madmartyn |
Posted - 22/01/2012 : 07:44:18
beardies are great they dont smell mine has never bit me, they can grow up to 24" long, they need 4 foot by 2 foot by 2 foot viv so take up a bit of floor space when adults, babies normally kept in smaller vivs,
they seem to like a lot of attention and interaction with keeper and comming out of the viv to sit and climb on you.
in my opinion the only con and downside i can think of that i have heard a couple of people say against getting one or even one persons reasons for keeping snakes instead is the feeding, they have a fresh salad everyday. my fridge has a drawer reserved just for izzie with kale, grated butternut squash, diced sweet potato,blueberries,raspberries,mango,corriander,parsley, and locusts or crickets as well. so food bill wise for minimum of 10 years of its live is gonna be a fair bit. my dragon eats its way through 3 tubs worth of locusts a week (which are kept in a plastic fish tank and fed on a large amount of kale, christ they can eat but gotta keep them alive to feed her) and a tub of meal worms, then changing the uvb bulb every 6 months to ensure it is providing the right amount of uvb. i would not be without my dragon as she is great but she does need a lot of attention for a supposidly easy beginer lizard.
my little lady came from someone who had lost their job and couldnt keep her anymore and they also had two babie ones they were selling i suppose these days the a dogs for life not just christmas dosn,t include exotic pets.
hope this helps with your question maybe some other beardie owner on here may have a differnt answer |
| CentricMalteser85 |
Posted - 22/01/2012 : 02:18:19
Not owning a beardie myself I do not know but I think it may have something to do with it's size,
You will notice there are a lot of burmese pythons for sale from 6ft onwards for a cheap price of £100, I once saw an 7ft albino burmese python for sale with current 4ft viv for £150
In my opinion it's down to size, or boredom or perhaps both, but interesting to see peoples views
EDIT: spell checked and amended |
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