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/onyxandcake]

Depending on age, odds are really good the kid will lose interest after a few months. I wouldn't get that sort of pet for my 10 yo, but would consider it for a 14+.

Edit: A leopard gecko on the other hand, could be good for a younger child.

[u/madguins → u/onyxandcake]

Well yeah, that's the thing. OP is justifying not getting his kid a bearded dragon not because he'd lose interest but because "a pet will cost me 10k." Like buddy let me explain something to you..

[u/onyxandcake → u/madguins]

I get it though. That's a lot of money for something that will probably end up "free to good home" in a couple of years.

There are other pets that can teach a child responsibility that don't require as much of an investment. Bearded dragons are not a low-key pet.

[u/ShackledPhoenix → u/onyxandcake]

I still say Corn Snake. Best first pet ever. Super cheap, super easy to take care of and if the kid gets bored, the snake doesn't care and mom and dad don't have to do much to take care of it.

[u/Spider_pig448 → u/onyxandcake]

Depending on age, odds are really good the kid will lose interest after a few months.

What's the reasoning for this? I've never known anyone who just got bored of their pets. Most of those people had cats an dogs, but I've known people with lizards or snakes or birds as well that never got tried of them as kids.