We decided NOT to buy a bearded dragon.

[u/[deleted]]

My wife and I were looking at getting a bearded dragon for our son for his birthday. A young beardie is only about $60. So we set aside $200 in our budget counting on buying a reptile aquarium and some incidentals.

Then we learned it needs expensive UV bulbs that last about 6 months and are about $40 each. Also the electricity cost the run this heat 24 hours can be a drain on the electric bill.

Also the beardie needs to go to the vet every 6 months for a checkup. And finally, food. They have a very diverse diet and can eat up to $15 per week in foods. So I did a total cost analysis for a beardie that lives 12 years and it turned out to be a whopping $10,000

Life pro tip, do a total cost analysis on pets before deciding to purchase. Even free pets are absurdly expensive. In 12 years both of my kids are going to be in college and I will desperately need $10,000 then. I will not need an aging lizard.

Edit: For everyone giving me shit about my poor son, don't pity him. First he didn't know about the beardie. Second we are taking that $200 and taking him to an amusement park. He's fine.

Edit 2: This post is not about "don't buy pets, they're expensive." The post is about "make sure you're aware of the full cost of something before making a decision." Yes we have kids and dogs. Yes they're more expensive than lizards, but for us well worth the cost. A reptile, not so much.

Edit 3: Thank you all for the "you're way overestimating" and the "you're way underestimating" posts. The accuracy of the cost really isn't the issue. The issue is we were expecting something minimal and almost made a big mistake. The point is, we did the research and it was way more than we were expecting and wanting to pay. To us, it wasn't worth it. We have other pets. We aren't frugal, but we are smart with our money. I am simply encouraging others to do cost analysis. And at the end of the day if a bearded dragon is worth 10k to you, awesome! Do it.

[u/[deleted]]

You really over estimated that whole thing.

Have had a Savanah monitor for 10 yrs now (they get into their 20s)

I can tell you the monthly budget is about $20. Lights rarely go out, no vet visits unless he starts acting strange or stops eating.

Chill. Get him a gecko or something if you can't handle a bearded

[u/DiamondJinx → u/[deleted]]

I miss mine taking it for walks and shit. White throated agama. After years of having it, my dad made me drown both it and my iguana. I still don't understand why. I was very young at the time. -10ish. The iguana was especially dear to me because he escaped into the woods, and he came back a month later.

20 years later I still don't know or understand why he made me do it, instead of relocating them to someone or a store/zoo.

[u/Amnial556 → u/DiamondJinx]

Wait he made you fucking drown it!? Are you fucking serious? Seriously?!

My dad tried to kill my dog with a pistol and I nailed him on the groin when I was 7 because he ain't touching my damn dog. But your made you fucking DROWN your lizards?!

Sorry that really just pisses me off.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Never owned a reptile, can only make decisions on what reptile/pet/vet sites say.