Good choice for first reptile?
- Thread starter rallysb1tch
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If you want a beginners reptile that you can handle, then a Beardie is the best choice. Leopard Geckos are good first reptiles also, they are more handleable than other geckos. Tokays are pretty, but can be MEAN (lol, they have that little dog syndrome, and it WORKS for them!).
Sheryl
Sheryl
If you are interested in snakes, Cornsnakes are good, as are Rosy Boas. Rosy Boas don't get very big at all.
I agree with one of the other posts, definitely research heavily before choosing and getting your herptiles (reptiles & amphibians). Beardies do require lots of UVA and UVB lighting.
Hope this was some help!
Sheryl
I agree with one of the other posts, definitely research heavily before choosing and getting your herptiles (reptiles & amphibians). Beardies do require lots of UVA and UVB lighting.
Hope this was some help!
Sheryl
Hiya Roseroar, welcome to MFK.
Research is important, My first couple exotic lizard choices would not have survived long if I got them, one was a caiman lizard, not a beginner's choice. I have kept lots of locals but not exotics, well some would be exotic here but where I was at the time they were locals.
I finally got Tokays because of their attitudes, none of the cats will go near them, heheh, they are easy to handle and you don't bleed much when they handle back, not as fragile as many geckos and I like the noises they make on warm nights.
Research is important, My first couple exotic lizard choices would not have survived long if I got them, one was a caiman lizard, not a beginner's choice. I have kept lots of locals but not exotics, well some would be exotic here but where I was at the time they were locals.
I finally got Tokays because of their attitudes, none of the cats will go near them, heheh, they are easy to handle and you don't bleed much when they handle back, not as fragile as many geckos and I like the noises they make on warm nights.
Which do you find to be your favorite? Their care is very similar, and I would say their temperment is, too. I've seen aggressive beardies as well as uros, but most are great!
I personally prefer uros to beardies. Look at them. Malis can be BRIGHT yellow, while nigers can get BRIGHT orange. Ornates get yellow/blue/green NEON! Egyptians get as large as a german giant bearded dragon does! The diet is pretty close (crickets and greens when young, mostly greens when older). Plus, they have really cute bodies! I would say that with enough research, both are great beginners. See if you can find a breeder and get a young one. They grow really slowly and are really cute to see change
In truth, I prefer chuckwallas to uros, but they are not beginner lizards and i have yet to feel myself is ready for one. they get huge but are the coolest!
I personally prefer uros to beardies. Look at them. Malis can be BRIGHT yellow, while nigers can get BRIGHT orange. Ornates get yellow/blue/green NEON! Egyptians get as large as a german giant bearded dragon does! The diet is pretty close (crickets and greens when young, mostly greens when older). Plus, they have really cute bodies! I would say that with enough research, both are great beginners. See if you can find a breeder and get a young one. They grow really slowly and are really cute to see change
In truth, I prefer chuckwallas to uros, but they are not beginner lizards and i have yet to feel myself is ready for one. they get huge but are the coolest!
bearded dragons are great pets. easy to keep. and look realy good. they dont get to big either. however, adult males can become extremely agressive. or sometimes remain perfectly tame. they are messy lizzards, and my dragon always smells realy bad when he "poops". thats the main problem with the bearded dragons in my opinion. they eat crickets or greens, such as collard greens, dandelion leaves, berries, or anything thats healthy for you.
another good choice is the leopard geckos. smaller size unless you buy one of those new giant morphs. they use the bathroom in a corner and keep their cages very clean. they are very tame and can come in a huge variety of colors. the young geckos dont like to be held however when they grow up, they will tolerate handeling very well. they eat crickets
another option is crested geckos, they eat fruit or crickets. there is a comercial food available, you can buy a large quantity of this product and have food for your little friend for a long time, its a complete diet that includes everything they need. but its always nice to include insects in their diet and give them babyfoods that are made from fruits. their cage should be heavily planted so they can hide otherwise they will become stressed. you may need to research more information with crested geckos as i have yet to have personal experience with them. im geting a pair this spring.
chameleons are fun. i bought a small veiled chameleon 4 years ago and he is doing great. they dont usualy get too big, are low priced and depending on the kind you get, can be very tame. the problems that come with these guys is they need plenty of water, large screen enclosure with lots of large plants, and plenty of uv light. i love watching my chameleon eat with his long tonge.
these are only a few of the options you have. and of course please research any reptile you are concidering from more than 4 dependable sites. each site says something different and may include useless information or information that may lead to problems. my discriptions are to give you the basic idea of each sugested reptile and i probly forgot to mention more details. i would recomend all of these reptiles, but since its your first, you should start with only one.
i own:
2 red eared sliders
1 mossy leaf-tail gecko
1 leopard gecko
1 bearded dragon
small colony of house geckos
1 tiger salamander
1 veild chameleon
fish:
1 10" clown knife fish
1 percula clownfish (saltwater)
1 flame goby (saltwater)
another good choice is the leopard geckos. smaller size unless you buy one of those new giant morphs. they use the bathroom in a corner and keep their cages very clean. they are very tame and can come in a huge variety of colors. the young geckos dont like to be held however when they grow up, they will tolerate handeling very well. they eat crickets
another option is crested geckos, they eat fruit or crickets. there is a comercial food available, you can buy a large quantity of this product and have food for your little friend for a long time, its a complete diet that includes everything they need. but its always nice to include insects in their diet and give them babyfoods that are made from fruits. their cage should be heavily planted so they can hide otherwise they will become stressed. you may need to research more information with crested geckos as i have yet to have personal experience with them. im geting a pair this spring.
chameleons are fun. i bought a small veiled chameleon 4 years ago and he is doing great. they dont usualy get too big, are low priced and depending on the kind you get, can be very tame. the problems that come with these guys is they need plenty of water, large screen enclosure with lots of large plants, and plenty of uv light. i love watching my chameleon eat with his long tonge.
these are only a few of the options you have. and of course please research any reptile you are concidering from more than 4 dependable sites. each site says something different and may include useless information or information that may lead to problems. my discriptions are to give you the basic idea of each sugested reptile and i probly forgot to mention more details. i would recomend all of these reptiles, but since its your first, you should start with only one.
i own:
2 red eared sliders
1 mossy leaf-tail gecko
1 leopard gecko
1 bearded dragon
small colony of house geckos
1 tiger salamander
1 veild chameleon
fish:
1 10" clown knife fish
1 percula clownfish (saltwater)
1 flame goby (saltwater)
forgot to mention the uromastyx, at the petstore i work at, we have had 3. 2 died. 1 developed a mental issue and it kept flipping over. the other died, unknown cause. the remaining uro is doing alright i think. i realy recomend alot of research for these guys. they look great, i have not had a good experience with holding them yet. out of the 5 times i held one of our uros, they either poo on me, swing their spiky tail around, or try and get away...
i wouldnt mind having one of these however in my experience they are hard to keep alive!
i wouldnt mind having one of these however in my experience they are hard to keep alive!
dragons are a easy first virgin popper reptileGet a caiman. Don't worry about it gettin too large, mine died after less than a year.lil_punisher said:
