Bearded dragons are native to Australia and mostly leave in the sandy parts and woodland areas. The most common beardie is from the desert type area. They do not grow very big and are very easy to handle by the youngest child of 10 years or older.
When you find a bearded dragon for sale, you should look out for some very important things before you buy him/her.
1. Make sure he/she is active and aware of their surroundings.
2. Their eyes, nose, and mouth should be free of any type of pus or oozing.
3. They should not have any type of sores or bite marks and all their toes and legs are there and they can walk and run around freely.
Once you have found your beardie, do not buy him/her just yet. You should always first set up their home and make sure you have everything he/she will need to be comfortable.
This includes, 2 lighting sources, one for heat and one for UVB exposure, reptile carpet for the flooring. Do not ever use sand or other material not intended for a bearded dragon, most materials are deadly to your beardie.
Have a small water and food dish and some kind of perch for him/her to climb on, they love to bask under their heating lamp.
Their home should be adequately made for them. You should not house a beardie that is more than 6 inches in length, from their nose to the base of their tail, in a 10 gallon tank. If you plan on having more than one beardie do not house together, especially males, they will fight. You can house 2 females per 1 male beardie together, but keep in mind you will need a very large tank for this.
The tank should have a screen top that can be easily removed, as this is how you will be feeding and getting access to him/her on a daily basis. Beardies love to interact with their owners so do plan on spending time with him/her regularly. It is not recommended that you let your beardie roam your house as they are very curious and will try to eat anything they can.
The best places to buy bearded dragons are reptile shows and local pet shops. I would go more towards the reptile shows as these are avid breeders and most know a great deal about them. Do be careful as to how many beardies are being housed together and do not be afraid to ask questions. The breeder should be able to answer all your questions without any problems, if not, then move on to the next one.
You should be able to also meet the parents of your beardie and learn it's background, this will help you know what type of beardie you are getting, and how it was raised.
Being knowledgeable about bearded dragons will help you make the right decision on buying a bearded dragon and providing a proper home for him/her. This will keep you and your beardie happy and healthy for years to come.