Considering buying a Bearded Dragon? These cute little pets are extremely loveable, but researching their cost requirements can be difficult. We look at how much Bearded Dragon’s cost and the cost of everything you would need for their setup.
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How much do Bearded Dragons cost? |Bearded Dragon set up costs | Bearded Dragon habitat costs | How much do heat lamps cost? | How much does Bearded Dragon lighting cost? | How much does Bearded Dragon substrate cost? | How much does it cost to keep a Bearded Dragon? | Bearded Dragon feeding costs | How much does a Bearded Dragon cost in electricity? | What is the price of Bearded Dragon insurance?
How much is a Bearded Dragon?
Bearded Dragons cost from £40 to £70.
You can also buy a Bearded Dragon including a second hand set up. Prices can be around £120 – purchasing from classified ads. Set up can include a vivarium, heat map, basking light and accessories.
Bearded Dragon prices will depend on a number of factors:
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- The age: Younger Bearded Dragons are generally cheaper than older beardies. You can buy a very young Bearded Dragon for around £20.
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- The breed of your Bearded Dragon: Bearded Dragons can be different sizes, colours, patterns and breeds. If you want a Bearded Dragon with unusual colours, or a specific size, then it may be expensive. Breeders can often have waiting lists for rare dragons.
- Where you buy your Dragon: You can choose to buy from a breeder, retailer or re-homing centre. Before purchasing your Bearded Dragon you should ask your seller whether the Beardie has had any health issues that may cause him problems further down the line. If possible check reviews, forums and social media.
Find out how much you can insure your bearded dragon for!
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Bearded Dragon setup costs
The average cost of setting up a vivarium is around £200 based on purchasing a brand new vivarium with a heat lamp, UV light, thermostat, lino substrate and hide.
The cost can vary depending on the vivarium design you choose. You can either opt for a naturalistic design or a clinical design.
A naturalistic vivarium is one where you may try to replicate the substrate that your beardie would live in, in the wild. It can include rocks, branches and other decor.
A clinical vivarium doesn’t replicate the natural environment, and is fairly sterile. Both designs have their pros and cons which you can read about in our article Reptile vivariums, heating and lighting.
The Bearded Dragon setup you will need includes:
- A vivarium, tank or enclosure
- Heat lamps
- UV lighting
- Flooring
- Furniture
- Food
Bearded Dragon habitat costs
On Gumtree a wooden vivarium will cost you around £40 – £50 second hand. You can buy second hand vivariums that include some accessories for around £80 – £100.
Prices start from around £55 for a brand new vivarium from Northampton Reptile Centre.
In his article What set up do I need for my bearded dragon? David Alderton editor of Practical Reptile Keeping recommends a 4ft x 2ft x 2ft sized vivarium. This will house your growing Bearded Dragon without the need for you needing to upgrade to a larger size once your beardie is fully grown.
How much do heat lamps cost?
- A ceramic heat lamp will cost you around £22 brand new from Northampton Reptile Centre.
- A 60w reptile basking spot bulb will cost around £3 brand new from Northampton Reptile Centre.
Remember that these are the bulbs only. You will need to buy the fittings separately.
Why is heating so important?
Heating is important because your bearded dragon is cold blooded and relies on an external heat source to keep its body above 85 degrees centigrade. As such one spot of the tank needs to reach 105 – 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
How much does Bearded Dragon lighting cost?
A light strip that can provide UVA and UVB costs around £25 from the Northampton Reptile Centre.
Remember, you’ll need to replace your UV bulb every six months, as the quality of the UV output declines over time.
How much does Bearded Dragon substrate cost?
- Ceramic Tiles: Ceramic tiles are handy because they are easy to keep clean. They also significantly reduce the risk of impaction, however impaction can often be a result of an underlying issue. You can buy ceramic tiles from a hardware shop for around £13 per square metre.
- Fact: Reptiles can sometimes eat their substrate, which be a natural reaction to dietary deficiencies, where the reptile is attempting to obtain missing nutrients. Add to this poor temperature regime and inadequate conditions, and metabolism and digestion issues can occur – leading to impaction of the ingested foreign objects. Impaction can prove fatal. You should always ensure your Bearded Dragons diet, lighting and heating meets his needs.
- Lino: This is easy to keep clean. A role of lino costs around £42 from B&Q.
- Bark and mulch: These can be used, but are not highly recommended as they can retain moisture causing humidity levels to rise inside your Bearded Dragon’s enclosure.
- Newspaper: You can use this inside your beardies vivarium, and it’ll cost you around £1
- Sand: Many pet owners are cautious about the use of sand as a substrate, due to the risk of impaction.
- Reptile Carpet: You can purchase this from Ebay for around £15.
- Hides: You can buy a hide from around £6 from the Northampton Reptile Centre.
- Rocks and branches: These are variable prices
Remember you also need to factor in costs such as electricity.
Other vivarium requirements
You’ll need a Microclimate Ministate to monitor the vivarium’s temperature. This is done using a probe. The Mninistats cost around £24.00 from Northampton Reptile Centre.
How much does it cost to keep a Bearded Dragon?
The set up costs can be initially high, however after this your main costs will be for food and electric.
According to Athravan who posted on the Reptile Forum UK it costs around £6 a week to keep a Bearded Dragon. This is based on one adult beardie requiring two boxes of live food plus £2 worth of salad.
Bearded Dragon feeding costs
So how much does it cost to feed a Bearded Dragon? Here we provide a selection of prices.
| Food Type | Quantity | Cost | |
|
100 | £1.88 | |
| Black crickets | 100 |
|
|
| Calcium dust | 200g | £3.19 | |
| Meal worms | 500g | £9.74 | |
| Locusts | 50 individual | £6.06 | |
| Small worms | 35 individual | £1.88 |
Live food prices were sourced from the Northampton Reptile Centre in October 2016.
According to Bearded Dragon Food – what they can eat, toxic food, how much it costs and more animals make up 75% of a Bearded Dragons diet, and can consist of crickets, cockroaches, worms and even small creatures such as mice.
It’s recommended that you buy your live food in bulk – Bearded Dragons can eat up to 100 crickets in a week. Bulk buys can work out cheaper.
You should not feed your Bearded Dragon insects caught in the wild, as these could contain parasites. Your best bet is to buy food from live food outlets.
How much does a Bearded Dragon cost in electricity?
The Reptile Forum UK provides some feedback on the cost of electricity to heat and light your vivarium. Switchback commented that Reptile Forums UK that electricity costs amount to around £4 a month. He commented in 2012, so you should allow for an increase in the cost of electricity when calculating costs.
Bearded Dragon insurance
If your pet gets ill, you could be faced with high vet bills. Bearded Dragon insurance can mean that you can provide your beardie with the vet treatment he needs.
How much does Bearded Dragon insurance cost?
| Basic | Essential | Premier |
| Death and theft | £1,000 of vet fees | £1,000 of vet fees, death & theft |
| Price: £42.87 a year or 10 x (0% APR) Direct Debit installments of around £4 a month | Price: £127.84 a year or 10 x (0% APR) Direct Debit installments of around £12 a month | Price: £145.76 a year or 10 x (0% APR) Direct Debit installments of around £14 a month |
Prices correct June 2017
Find out more about bearded dragon insurance, or…
Alternatively you can call us on 0345 982 5505
Setting up your beardie’s home is an exciting time. Ensuring your new little pet has everything he needs is rewarding. You don’t need to spend a lot on his equipment, but do make sure that you get everything he needs. Once you’ve invested in the right equipment, it should last you a while. (Don’t forget to change that UV bulb regularly though!).
With the right care love and attention, your beardie should live a long and happy life, just like his ancestors in Australia!
Prices quoted are based on those at October 2016, unless otherwise stated.