How Much Should a Baby Bearded Dragon Cost
The price of a Bearded Dragon is influenced by its color, genetics, breeder and availability. Bearded dragons cost anywhere from $40 to $900.
The most important factors are color and morph.
You can find bearded dragons for sale at pet stores, private breeders or reptile expos.
A standard Beardie will cost $40 from a pet store. A rare morph like the Zero will cost $900 from a private breeder.
Buying a Bearded Dragon is not your only task. You will also need to buy equipment to build their habitat and food. Read on to learn how much you should expect to pay to own and keep a Beardie…
Table of Contents
- Bearded Dragon Cost
- How Much Do Bearded Dragons Cost?
- Common Bearded Dragon Price
- How Much Is A Red Bearded Dragon?
- Orange Morph Cost
- Yellow Bearded Dragon Price
- Zero Morph
- Hypomelanistic Morphs
- Translucent Morphs
- Scalation Morphs
- Dunners Morphs
- Giant Morphs
- Bearded Dragon Cost of Ownership
- One-Off Setup Costs: $200 – $1,100
- Monthly Costs: $50 – $100
- Yearly Costs: $100 – $200
- How To Save Money
- Bearded Dragons Buyer's Guide
- How To Find A Breeder
- What To Know Before Buying
- Summary
Bearded Dragon Cost
There are eight subspecies of bearded dragon and three are sold as pets:
- The most common pet species is the Pogona vitticeps and costs $40 – $75.
- The central species is also a popular pet and costs $50 – $80.
- The rarest pet species for sale is Rankin's Dragon and costs $100 – $400.
The Rankin's Dragon subspecies is hard to find because breeding them in captivity is very difficult. They are also highly prized because of their smaller size. These two factors make the Rankin's Dragon cost more.
The remaining subspecies such as the eastern Pogona barbata and dwarf Pogona minor minor should not be purchased as they have not been domesticated. This means they are most likely wild-caught.
Wild-caught lizards are typically unhealthy, have a wild nature and pose a risk to their wild population status.
All species of Bearded Dragon have been banned from export out of their native habitat in Australia since the 1960s. Pet-bought lizards in the United States are all captive bred.
Most of the bearded dragons in captivity are captive bred Pogona vitticeps. So this guide will focus just on their cost…
How Much Do Bearded Dragons Cost?
A common baby bearded dragon costs $40 – $75 when purchased from a pet store. Adults are more expensive because the cost-of-care accumulates and the hard part of feeding juveniles is complete.
Other factors that affect price are morph variations. There are over 20 morph variations (e.g. color, pattern, scalation or size) that increase a Bearded Dragon's price.
The most expensive Bearded Dragon is the zero morph that can cost $900:
| Color | Cost |
|---|---|
| Standard or Common (e.g. Tan or Dark Brown) | $40 – $75 |
| Red (e.g. Red, Dark Ruby, Sandfire Red) | $50 – $300 |
| Orange Morph (e.g. Citrus Tiger, Sandfire, Tangerine, Sunburst) | $100 – $200 |
| Silkback | $100 – $200 |
| Yellow Morph (e.g. Citrus, Lemon Fire, Olive, Sandfire Gold) | $100 – $300 |
| Leatherback | $100 – $500 |
| Hypomelanistic Morph (e.g. Pastel) | $100 – $900 |
| Translucent Morph (e.g. Blue, Green, Purple or Polar) | $200 – $450 |
| Dunner | $300 – $500 |
| Zero Morph (e.g. Snow or Pure white) | $300 – $900 |
Common Bearded Dragon Price
Common Bearded Dragon pets are brown or tan in color. They are most commonly sold in pet stores and are easily bred in captivity and so only cost $40 – $75 depending on their age.
This species has the classic Bearded Dragon pattern.
They have spikes alongside their torsos, arrow-shaped heads and a white belly.
If you want to buy a standard bearded dragon then consider adopting. Brown or tan Beardies are easily found in reptile rescue organizations.
How Much Is A Red Bearded Dragon?
Red is used to describe a large range of shades and colors. Any bearded dragon from pink to deep maroon is considered red. That is why their price is $50 – $300. The deeper the shade of red the more expensive (e.g. Dark Ruby).
You will not find red bearded dragons in a general pet store.
The red color only naturally occurs as small dots along the tan or brown body of a common Bearded Dragon. It takes generations of selective breeding to get a vibrant red color.
You will need to find a private breeder that specializes in red to adopt this species.
Red Bearded Dragons are a colorful addition to any beardie fanatic's collection.
Orange Morph Cost
Orange bearded dragons are bred by mating red and yellow morphs together. They can be purchased for $100 – $200.
They are highly prized for their large spectrum of color dulling and brightening that changes depending on their mood and environment:
- When excited or hot they are red with pops of orange on their legs, spine and head.
- When relaxed they will be a mellow yellow-orange.
- When stressed or cold they can become dark grayish-brown.
Occasionally this species is sold as a "fancy dragon" at pet stores but generally you can only buy them from private breeders.
Yellow Bearded Dragon Price
Yellow bearded dragons are very popular because of their golden skin. Vibrant yellow morphs can only be purchased from private breeders for $100 – $300.
Their shade of yellow can range from a light tan to a sun-like yellow or light orange.
If it is near patternless then it will be a bright yellow.
It is worth the extra time and money required to find a yellow because they retain their beautiful color for life.
Zero Morph
Zeros are the closest bearded dragon morph to albino. Pure albinos do not survive more than a few days because they are unable to process UVA/B rays for metabolic function.
Because of their closeness to Albinos, Zero morphs are the most expensive bearded dragon and cost $300 – $900.
Zeros are a silver-white color and do not have any patterns.
Witblits are similar to Zero morphs but they are tan-white – not silver-white. Witblits also do not have any pattern and cost $300 – $800.
Weros are a hybrid between a witblit and zero – they cost $300 to $700.
Hypomelanistic Morphs
Hypomelanistic bearded dragons are morphs that lack melanin.
Every color, pattern and scalation variety can still occur with hypomelanistic morphs but they appear pale. This means you can get pastel colors.
Their price is usually determined by other morph factors such as color or scalation.
Translucent Morphs
Translucent morphs are dragons with scales that are translucent. Their clear scales give their body a hue of a blue that is easily seen on their bellies.
This blue hue only lasts in the juvenile stage and can no longer be seen as an adult. They are very popular in the breeding community and can be purchased for $100 – $450.
Scalation Morphs
Standard bearded dragons have scales and spikes all over their body.
Scalation morphs lose their spikes and have smaller scales. The fewer scales a bearded dragon has the more vibrant their pigmentation will appear. There are three known types of scalation morphs:
- Leatherback ($100 – $500)
Leatherbacks have a mutation that results in very small scales on their backs and tails and shortened spikes.
- Microscale ($100 – $500)
Microscales are bred from leatherbacks. They have even smaller scales on their backs and no spikes.
- Silkback ($100 – $200)
Finally, Silkbacks do not have any spikes or scales. They have paper-thin skin and cost less than the other scalation morphs because of their controversial nature.
Their lack of scales means they cannot metabolize naturally.
They also need lots of environmental adaptations and dietary supplements to survive. They should not be purchased.
Dunners Morphs
This special morph was founded by Kevin Dunn and remains highly prized.
Dunners morphs are highly specialized, difficult to bred and rare. They cost $300 – $500.
They have unique scalation and pigmentation traits.
Their scales are disorganized and turn outwards instead of aligning on top of each other and facing down. They also have diagonal stripes.
A Dunner sometimes has a distinct "S" shaped line going down their spine.
Giant Morphs
German Giants are the largest bearded dragon species you can buy.
They are the only true size morph and cost $300 – $500.
Giant Morphs are bred by selectively breeding the largest natural Beardies.
Bearded Dragon Cost of Ownership
The initial cost of setting up a Bearded Dragon's home can be $200 – $1,100. This range depends on the size and type of tank you buy and the quality of the gear you get.
In addition to one-off setup costs you will have monthly costs of $50 – $100 for food and heating and annual costs of $100 – $200 for replacement bulbs and vet visits.
Instead of buying everything individually you can buy a bearded dragon vivarium kit.
Kits normally cost ~$300 and typically include 50-gallon glass tanks. Kits are normally suitable for baby Bearded Dragons. You will need to upgrade to a 120-gallon tank once your pet is fully grown.
They are great for beginners because it makes the shopping process much simpler and faster. Kits also include lots of permanent parts for your beardie's adult habitat, such as a basking lamp (with dome lamp fixture) and tank lid systems.
In addition to any kit you will also need to buy a T5 High Output UVB light. Never use a coil-UVB light – even if it is included in your kit.
There are several T5 fixtures available with a price range of $12 to $40:
- T5 canopies – a T5 tube incorporated in the hood.
- T5 light reflectors – fixtures with aluminum to amplify the light.
- Standard T5 fixtures – available from any hardware store.
To make lighting simpler you can buy a power strip or outlet timer and set it for being on 12 hours a day.
Regular lighting and heating will give your Bearded Dragon a nice environment to live in and helps them metabolize regularly. Automatic lighting and heating will also give you peace of mind because you will not need to manually turn anything on or off.
You will need to buy digital thermometers and humidity gauges. The ones included in kits are usually subpar.
Digital thermometers and humidity gauges are inexpensive and are available in double packs for $5 to $15. Place one in the basking area and the other on the "cool" side of the tank.
The last thing you need to buy is décor. Décor provides enrichment and completes the temperature gradient in their tank. Hides, hammocks, and plants vary greatly in price depending on what you purchase.
One-Off Setup Costs: $200 – $1,100
The list below is a complete guide to everything you will need to buy before bringing home your pet!
| Item | Price (USD) |
|---|---|
| 50 to 120-gallon Glass Tank | $100 – $600 |
| UVA Basking Lamp Fixture | $15 – $30 |
| T5 UVB Fixture | $15 – $80 |
| Reptile Mat | $5 – $30 |
| Ceramic Tiles (optional) | $5 |
| Ceramic Heating Element | $15 – $25 |
| Food Dish | $2 – $10 |
| Bath Dish | $10 – $30 |
| Hides | $5 – $40 |
| Branches | $5 – $25 |
| Hammocks | $5 – $35 |
| Plants (real or fake) | $5 – $15 |
| Digital Thermostats x 2 | $5 – $40 |
| Humidity Gauges | $5 – $15 |
| Outlet Timer | $10 – $25 |
| Total | $200 – $1,100 |
Monthly Costs: $50 – $100
Electricity and food are the two monthly costs to consider when keeping a bearded dragon.
Food is more expensive when feeding juveniles and gradually decreases in cost as they mature and start eating fewer insects and more veggies!
| Item | Price (USD) |
|---|---|
| Insects | $25 – $60 |
| Vegetables (some fruits too) | $15 – $30 |
| Electricity | $10 – $15 |
| Total | $50 – $105 |
Yearly Costs: $100 – $200
It is easy to forget the annual costs because they often seem not as important. It is important to have your reptile take a yearly check-up exam. Vets can sport health issues you may not have noticed such as scale rot, obesity, or anorexia.
| Item | Price (USD) |
|---|---|
| 50 – 75 Watt UVA Basking Bulb x2 | $8 – $15 |
| T5 (High Output) UVB tube light x2 | $15 – $30 |
| Calcium and Vitamin Supplements x2 | $10 – $15 |
| Annual Vet Checkup | $75 – $140 |
| Total | $100 – $200 |
How To Save Money
The one-off setup costs of $200 – $1,100 are based on if you purchase all your gear brand new from a pet store. If you are resourceful enough to find used tanks and wild branches/rocks then you can reduce the cost significantly.
Used tanks can easily be bought for ~$100. Just make sure to thoroughly disinfect it using diluted bleach.
If you choose to use wild décor, then bake it at 400 degrees before adding it to the tank.
Some owners look to save on the monthly food cost by breeding their own insects or bulk buying.
Bearded Dragons Buyer's Guide
The Pogona vitticeps subspecies of Bearded Dragon has been domesticated since the 1970s. They are legal to own in all 50 states.
For any other subspecies you should check local state laws to determine their status before buying. Many states deny the possession of non-domesticated exotic animals.
How To Find A Breeder
The best place to buy a Bearded Dragon is from a reputable private breeder.
Private breeders are also more likely to breed morph variations. This is important for anyone looking for specialized patterns, scalation or rare colors.
Breeders are typically found through:
- Local reptile businesses.
- Regional reptile expos.
- Enthusiast groups.
Start by finding a reptile expo near you – they are a great place for getting private breeders together. If you are unable to attend local expos then speak with local reptile stores to ask for their supplier.
Once at the expo speak with breeders. Use it as an opportunity to research different vendors and observe how well their reptiles are cared for.
Make sure you also speak with other buyers at the expo to hear their experiences and informal reviews.
What To Know Before Buying
When you find a Bearded Dragon you like you should check for signs of good health:
- Lots of activity in their enclosure.
- Smooth and well-shaped jaw.
- Bright clear eyes.
- Straight spine from back of head to tail
- Good tail condition – absent of any nips or kinks.
- All toes accounted for.
- Good muscle form on legs.
If you order online make sure the seller details their shipping process. There are safe ways to ship Bearded Dragons but it is normally stressful for them and unpredictable.
Summary
When buying a bearded dragon make sure to avoid wild-caught species, unethical morphs (e.g. Silkbacks) and undomesticated subspecies.
The best place to buy a bearded dragon is at a reptile expo.
A common baby bearded dragon costs $40 – $75 but adult morphs can cost over $900.
There are many options (e.g. expo, pet stores and private breeders) when buying a bearded dragon. There are even more places to buy gear and food from!
Take your time, have fun, and make sure to reference our shopping list for exactly what you need.
How Much Should a Baby Bearded Dragon Cost
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