blueberriesryummy wrote:is it easier to take care of bearded dragons than it is to take care of leopard geckos?
I've had two leopard geckos in the past-- but they were both very expensive to care for--so I ended up having to give both of them away...
I'm really interested in bearded dragons and I've been doing a bit of research... but I just would like to hear someone's opinion on how time costly and expensive bearded dragons are compared to leopard geckos.
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Not at all, no. Beardies are often recomended as beginner lizards and I personally think this is wrong. They need very specific and expensive UVB lighting, large space requirements, and eat more bugs than a leopard gecko does. Set up cost is large, but if you breed your own dubia roaches, which are very easy, you can cut down food costs to a few dollars a month spend on other bugs for variety. UVB bulbs need to be replaced every 6 months to a year, and heat bulbs burn out every 2-3 months it seems.
Crum wrote:Yeah aside from costing way more to begin with (at least a few hundred for beardie, less than 100 for leo) it’s far more expensive to pay for a beardies food (if you are not breeding your own crickets/roaches/whatever)
I’ve only had my beardie for a couple weeks but he needs about $1 worth of lettuce a week and $5 worth of large crickets a week. My leopard gecko I buy small crickets in bulk for every few months for about $10.
Also, heat lamps burn out way faster than a heat mat will. I’ve only replaced a heat mat 2 times in 6 years. Haven’t even had heat lamps for a year yet and already needed a few. And they’re about $10 each.
Beardies also need a ton of attention and care and they can be noisy and messy and ugh
Starting to appreciate my leo even more now after having the beardie XD
But yeah basically you’re looking at around $10 a month on a leo and $30+ a month on a beardie. Leopard gecko or probably created gecko is the cheapest lizard. Although I find my tortoise is the cheapest to care for since he only needs $1 of veggies a week. Its mostly just the food that costs a lot. Herbivores will be much cheaper to feed than anything that eats live insects.
Please look into feeding your beardie something other than lettuce. Lettuce should be mixed into a varied diet to provide hydration, as it has little to no nutrients. Collard greens or turnip greens are a much bether option as a staple