best pick for small lizard?

[latshki]

IMO dragons are great but not that great of a first reptile, I think cresties and gargs are
cresties usually dont need any heat, no bugs, stay a good size and are friendly, not to mention how cool they are

 

[clemsonguy1125]

I want to correct myself on the bearded dragons, I was thinking of something else but they can reach 17 inches pretty quickly, definatly not what you want. Crested geckos a good but flighty and delicate so if want to be able to handle it, id say no. Also you may want to look in african fat tailed geckos, not sure about their temperment though.

 

[ScatMan]

leopards: they'll be the easiest and cheapest to care for, they breed easily (if you're into that) and they're one of the calmest lizards to handle.

don't keep them in the same setup, they need their own space.

african fat-tails and cresteds are good too imo.

 

[Vicious_Fish]

Crested geckos a good but flighty and delicate so if want to be able to handle it, id say no. Also you may want to look in african fat tailed geckos, not sure about their temperment though.

Sorry but have you ever even kept a crested before? They're great first time lizards that are hardy and very easy to handle. Not to mention they become just as tame as bearded dragons. Babies can be flighty at first but they calm down quickly with daily handling.

 

[clemsonguy1125]

No, I havent actually kept one but did a fair bit of research on them. Im not denying they wouldnt be a great first reptile, just that they are a bit more delicate than other reptiles. As for the tame factor, Im sure that varies from lizard to lizard, but the ones Ive observed have all been a bit flighty. I may have gone a bit to far by saying that if he wants to handle it, he shouldnt get one, but IMO their are better reptiles suited for constant handling. I have thought that reptiles should not be constantly handled. They are very easy to care for because they dont need heat, or constant live food. Full grown, they are not near as delicate but juveniles from what I have seen are. You have more experience than me, so Ill take your word that they most often calm down and become less flighty, but the ones Ive observed have often been eager to move or jump. But it does sound like they would fit his bill.

 

[latshki]

I have lots of leos and from my experience my cresties are way for calm, the out of a dozen adult leos I only have three that I would call calm
my cresties on the other hand are the opposite they always like coming out and climbing up my arm

but in my experience also is that fat tails are very calm and great pets

so I guess the top three for me would be cresties, fat tails and leos

 

[brutonsbrew]

im sorry if i gave impression of first time in with reptile but i have owned many just been a while focused on housing monster fish. whats the best place to order crested geckos

 

[snakeguy101]

Leopard geckos are nice to start with. If you want something more interesting/ less common, go with a uromastyx or something. Also Frilled dragons get about the size you want but then have a long thin tail in addition to their body so they need a bit more room but are also great lizards for starters.

 

[MechagGodzilla615]

Crested are the most common. If you want something rely cool go track down a collard lizard.

 

[Otolith]

I'm partial to cresties They really aren't flighty once they get a little size to them.

Uromastix is a good suggestion too. They are so chill and personable.

Blue tongue skinks are interesting but they bigger than 12"