Reptile owners?

[terribm]

I think we are giving in to DD desire for a pet lizard. We have let it ride for about a year now and she hasn't let up. Her birthday is in a couple of weeks and we are going to get her the lizard. She has been talking about a bearded dragon but I talked with the lady at the pet store and we are thinking that a leopard gecko woud be a better "starter lizard". Does anyone have one? We don't want to bite off more than we can chew.

 

[Nickimouse]

We got our son an Anole ( he named him Whiplash) when was about 8 or 9. That little $7 (or so) lizard cost about $120 for the set up. We got a tank, heat lamp,watering dish,little log or him to hide,fake plants or him to climb in etc.
He ate crickets so that was a once a week or so trip to the pet store and added expense.
Lizards can get sick and skin conditions very easily so we had to clean his tank quite often which was a pain because he wasn't easy to catch.

I don't make it sound very pleasant do I? It wasn't all bad, he was interesting to watch,especially when he shed.

We live in Texas now and enjoy the lizards running aroung our yard and porches.

 

[StitchFanZ]

My DD has both a bearded dragon and a crested gecko. She is a budding zoologist. I asked her and a leopard or crested gecko is what she would pick. She finds them very easy to car for and really fun to have in her room. Crickets chirping don't bother her. The crested can walk up glass so beware that it can escape. It is really cute though and one of my favorites. Compared to her other animals, the gecko cage is pretty easy to clean and care for. She has two pieces of this green fabric for the cage bottom that we got at the pet store. To clean it she takes the dirty one out, rinses it off, hangs it to dry and puts in the other one.

The baby bearded dragons are much tougher to start with. They are very sensitive to heat and humidity and need a lot more care. We have lost one. It was very traumatic and its environment was perfect. Most dragons are fun and gentle but I have seen a few with an attitude. Plus an adult dragon needs a fairly large tank - they get pretty big. Make sure you have room for a big tank which is also a bit more epensive then a gecko sized tank.

As a note, she always buys the book on the given animal, reads it completely, sets up the tank, and then gets the animal. For her last birthday, we gave her a bearded dragon book and the tank. She had a blast setting it up, buying the bedding, getting the heat lamps and temperature and humidity level just right, and then picking out he animal. Doing it right can take a few weeks.

Enjoy. Reptiles are a lot of fun.

 

[zakatak]

We have two Leopard Geckos and I would highly recommend them. They seem to be very hardy and fun (they have cool ears). They do eat crickets so that is a pest but awesome to watch them hunt them down!

Ours are named Ali (albino) and Mara (yeah, after the restaurant). We also have a cat named Jiko. Yep.

 

[Nomi]

I think we are giving in to DD desire for a pet lizard. We have let it ride for about a year now and she hasn't let up. Her birthday is in a couple of weeks and we are going to get her the lizard. She has been talking about a bearded dragon but I talked with the lady at the pet store and we are thinking that a leopard gecko woud be a better "starter lizard". Does anyone have one? We don't want to bite off more than we can chew.

Both are great starter lizards, and both have different advantages. Leopard geckos are smaller and thus need smaller tanks (a 12-20 gallon is fine for a leopard gecko, where an adult bearded dragon would need a 50+ gallon). Also, speaking as an ex-pet store worker, you do have to take the info you get a pet stores with a grain of salt. Every once in a while you'll get a great person who knows a lot about whatever species you are asking about, but the opposite is also true. Whatever you get, make sure you spend a while researching the care and needs of the reptile. Local reptile clubs or reptile forums are a great place to look!

I think I'll make a quick list of the pros-cpns of each, and you can see which would work for you and your daughter best.

Bearded Dragons:
Size - 16 - 20 inches, some varieties significantly larger (like german giants)
Lifespan - 10 to 20 years, same commitment as a dog.
Diet - Omnivorous, meaning both veggies and insects. Worms or crickets with a calcium/D3 supplement and a variety of dark leafy greens and vegetables.
Temperament - Very friendly and laid back, comfortable with frequent handling and some quite enjoy it! Pretty much complete puppy dogs!
Caging Needs - Babies under 10 inches can be housed in a 20 gallon, but they grow quickly and will need a minimum 50 -75 gallon (wide or long, not tall) cage or tank when full grown. As desert lizards, they need both a proper heat gradient (85F to 95/100F) as well as full spectrum UVB lighting.

Some awesome caresheets for beardies!

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/Sections/index.php?op=viewarticle&id=55
http://www.kakadudragons.com/caresheet/caresheet.php
http://www.dachiu.com/care/care.html
http://www.sunshinedragons.com/caresheet.htm
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/GeneralCare.html

Leopard Geckos:
Size - 8 - 10 inches
Lifespan - 8-10 years
Diet - Insects, mostly if not only crickets, dusted with a vitamin/calcium supplement.
Temperament - Usually friendly and ok with short amounts of handling, 5 - 20 mins every once in a while is fine. Avoid handling hatchlings or new arrivals. Give a leo about 1-2 weeks before handling after you get it, as they can become stressed.
Caging Needs - 15-20 gallons is suitable for an adult. 10 is fine if it is a short 'breeder' (aka more floor space). They need a temp gradient as well, (78-88, no lower than 70 at night) but no UVB, as they are nocturnal. As such, they may hid a lot during the day.

Leo Caresheets!

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/Sections/index.php?op=viewarticle&id=8
http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/
http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=54046
http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=54100
http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=54138
http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=55647

All in all, both really are great pets. Both are desert lizards, so while they need good heating (and good thermometers and thermostats, very important!) they don't need you to watch the humidity as much. For both, avoid keeping them on sand or with heat rocks at all costs.

Another great beginner lizard is the crested gecko. Very tame, very cute and very easy to care for. The like room temperature, so heating is not as much an issue, but on the flip side need more humidity. So daily misting is a must. Another plus, though, is that these guys don't need to be fed live insects.

http://www.pangeareptile.com/id52.htm
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/Sections/index.php?op=viewarticle&id=6

All these reptiles come in a variety of 'morphs' or colour types, but even the normal types are gorgeous. If at all possible, see if you can find a breeder close to you. Often times if you buy directly from a breeder you can get a healthier animal at a much cheaper price, and they would probably be more than happy to give you any advice you need.

Best of luck in choosing the reptile for you, but you really can;t go wrong with any of these guys!

 

[pixiewings71]

DD22 had a bearded dragon when she lived here with us still. She was the only person who could take care of it, it got aggressive with anyone else. In fact, her DBF (now DFi) worked at the pet store and DD was in there so much the owner knew her (DD gave rides to her DBF to and from work) and the dragon hissed at the owner too. DD was literally the only person that Ramsies would let touch him. The pet store owner ended up giving him to DD because she knew no one would ever buy him. We lost him in our house fire unfortunately but he was pretty easy to take care of. Of course he was not a baby so maybe he was just easier due to that.

DD10 wants a newt, a Chinese Fire Newt, we keep resisting but she keeps asking. She is my budding vet.

 

[kacaju]

My dd16 has two leopard geckos. I have friend who is an exotic animal Veterinarian and these were his choice for a starter reptile. Really research and find a breeder. I know it sounds silly because it is a reptile, but our breeder gecko is much nicer then our pet store gecko!!
Be warned, it is hard to keep just one reptile. as I said, we have the two geckos (dd has a friend in school who keeps trying to give her his crested geckos) and we also have a mexican black kingsnake

 

[Nomi]

My dd16 has two leopard geckos. I have friend who is an exotic animal Veterinarian and these were his choice for a starter reptile. Really research and find a breeder. I know it sounds silly because it is a reptile, but our breeder gecko is much nicer then our pet store gecko!!
Be warned, it is hard to keep just one reptile. as I said, we have the two geckos (dd has a friend in school who keeps trying to give her his crested geckos) and we also have a mexican black kingsnake

It is so hard to just keep one, isn't it? They're like chips. Or chocolate!