What should my mom get?

I am getting a snake so it got me thinking...my mom has been wanting a pet to take care of and stuff...we can't get another dog so that's out of the question. She wants something small, easy to take care of, and something that's not overly expensive. What kind of animal should she get. I was thinking a frog but the setup for them is crazy. Now I'm thinking a gecko of some sort. What to you all think?

She really wants guinea pigs but she feels if she gets them my sister will be upset because she can't get a dog. But I think she won't care about that. Idk. Just throw out some ideas for me please! Haha thanks!

I think if she gets a herp of some sort she won't have to maintain it too much depending on the animal.

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I vote bearded dragon, as long as heat and UV is there and she feeds it daily everything will be cool

I had a beardie once. I didn't pay for any of the stuff it was a gift but I know it was really expensive to start. I think all herps will have their initial start up expense but I am trying to find her something that isn't AS expensive. =P

Loved that beardie though. He was amazing.

Leopard Gecko, Tarantula, Sand Boa, Normal Ball Python ???? Those are the cheapest routes to go, if she doesn't fear them, and as far as set ups go... The best way would be thru a breeder or reptile shop, because everything is marked up at chain pet stores. ( I.E.: saw a NORMAL leopard gecko at pet supermarket for 60, went to reptile shop and got a Tremper Albino Leopard for 35 WTF!!!!) or ( 20 gal reg tank w/o lid at pet supermarket 49, same size at reptile shop 25 & lid was 10 ????) :snake:

corn snake, theyre so easy, and cheap
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...uttata-guttata)

I vote crested gecko. I have 2 and out of all my critters I think they are the easiest and cheapest to care for.

Crested Geckos are very cool. We have two females and a male, and just love the little guys. They do not require tons of special lighting, heating, as long as they are kept inside. Good luck on picking out something fun!
Dana

Anything from fish to snakes............. what do you already have around the house?? What happened to the dragon stuff?
If you use what you might still have then the start-up is cheaper.;)

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Originally Posted by Rylmad

Crested Geckos are very cool. We have two females and a male, and just love the little guys. They do not require tons of special lighting, heating, as long as they are kept inside. Good luck on picking out something fun!
Dana

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x3!! I have 24 animals at my house, and the crestie is by far the easiest to care for!

hedgehog! But they are about $100 :(

Pacman frogs are about one of the easiest things there is to care for. Just keep it moist...feed it enough... and it's good to go haha nothing crazy at all.

I would say bearded dragon or leopard gecko! I have 3 bearded dragons and as stated before the start up is a little bit expensive but once you have it started its not bad at all. Especially if you start a dubia colony. They are easy to care for as well!

If your home is well insulated enough to keep stable temperatures over the heat of summer, I definitely recommend going with the crested gecko. She'll probably appreciate not having to feed it insects.
(The geckos are heat-sensitive, so if house temps get over 80, you shouldn't have any rhacodactylus).

I vote crested gecko. Won't even have to get bugs! With a good enclosure humidity won't be a problem at all!

+1 on the cresties; the only thing about them that's even slightly hard is humidity - they need it to get moist at least some of the day, every day. Unless your house is super dry, they only need to be misted once a day in my experience. The powdered diet that's available for them makes feeding super easy (and cheap). A decent sized vertical terrarium and an automatic misting system and they're *almost* maintenance free. Just have to feed every couple of days and clean up after them reasonably regularly and they're happy, plus most of them are pretty darn tolerant of handling, if you're so inclined.

As WWPsion said, however, if your house's temps exceed 80 F by more than a degree or two, they don't fare well. Short (minutes, not hours) exposures of 82 or 83 can be tolerated, but they should NEVER be above that.

Crested or gargoyle geckos all the way. No additional heating is required, there are inexpensive colors/patterns all the up to costly high end specimens, no insects needed (unless you choose to do so), cheap and small housing, easy to feed and cheap to buy diet, docile, the list goes on.

I'd highly recommend this species over anything else. I've had tons of different reptiles and these are by far one of the least expensive, rewarding, and hardiest reptiles around. Here some pictures of my little ones.

http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/...8/IMG_8557.jpg
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_7910.jpg
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/...8/IMG_8413.jpg
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/...8/IMG_7770.jpg
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/...8/IMG_8429.jpg

Cheap hatchling setup for under $5 total
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_5375.jpg
Medium cost R-Zilla acrylic atrium $40-50 for the cage alone(my personal favorite)
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/...8/IMG_2782.jpg
or, a more costly exo-terra $90-125 new for the cage itself
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/...8/IMG_8360.jpg

Well, if that doesn't convince you...

Crested geckos. No heat required as long as they're indoors. As long as you mist them, its fine. And no bugs needed to feed. Just powder mixed food. They're also great display animals.

I would be against guinea pigs. They're so filthy. They have a high flight response, so they spook easily. Some lines of pigs even faint. Lol.

I would have suggested ferret, but owning them isn't cheap. However, they're like puppies who never grow up. All they want to do is play play play. It's a good alternative to a dog.




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Thank you for all the information! I will take to her about the cresties! She said she wanted hermit crabs but I think she would like a gecko much better lol.

Man I would have loved to get her a ferret but for one they are illegal here (but you can still get them at breeders lol) and for two I heard they smell terrible.

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Hermit crabs are really pretty difficult to keep healthy. Even people who know what they are doing often can't save them after the care they get at the usual petstores. And since you can't really breed them in captivity(try recreating the ocean) they are all wild caught/stressed and such. I want hermit crabs for sure, but I am waiting until I am really, REALLY ready!

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Originally Posted by AmysAnimals

Man I would have loved to get her a ferret but for one they are illegal here (but you can still get them at breeders lol) and for two I heard they smell terrible.

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Sorry for semi-hijacking the thread!
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I'm not trying to get you to do illegal things, however, I just wanted to point out that CA has the most ferrets out of any other state. ...just saying. LOL
And there are many in-state "rescues". You just need to know where to look. *cough*

They do have a different odor to them, but I wouldn't say it's terrible. Just different. It all depends on housing and diet. As long as you keep their litter box and bedding clean, it cuts down on the smell A LOT. The bedding they sleep in smells more than the actual animal itself since it absorbs oils off the skin. Also, feeding a premium diet will cut down on smell as well. Feeding crappy food will absorb into the body and will be released with those oils/poo. And intact ferrets, especially un-neutered males will smell significantly more than neutered/spayed ferrets. However the majority of the ferrets sold in the US are fixed and descented as babies before leaving the breeding facility anyway.

And ironically, giving baths make them smell more. Ferrets self groom like cats, so unless it has dirt or poo stuck on it's body, they don't need baths. Bath's (specifically shampoos) strip the body of it's natural oils, so the skin goes into overdrive to produce even more oils. And that produces more odor.

Maybe it's just me, but I think my ferrets smell like corn chips and bread. LOL
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Again, sorry for the hijack. I'll stop now. ;3
Good luck w/ the gecko(s) though!

Thanks! I always love information on different animals. =)

I have seen videos and pictures of ferrets and always found them ADORABLE. I have always wanted one. Maybe once I move out. We have 2 1/2 cats! lol I say a half because our 21 year old cat is hanging on by a thread...we never see her unless we go in to say hi to her. =/ And we also have a dog that would probably eat the ferret.

Do you think ferrets smell worse than bunnies? I had rabbits and they smelled pretty awful. The amount of ammonia that is in their urine is crazy! You pretty much have to clean their litter pans every time they pee. lol

I know ferrets are expensive so I will tell my mom of the cresties and see what she says. I don't think she wants a snake because I brought that up to her.

Oh and btw, we used to own a lot of guinea pigs when I was younger. they were awesome pets. Just noisy.

And about the hermit crabs, I will let my mom know about that! I never even thought they were w/c. I found a hermit crab forum that has lots of info but it seems really complicate just for hermit crabs. lol idk maybe it's just me. I also showed her halloween moon crabs (awesome looking crabs) but then I read they are mean and pinchy...so that kind of went down hill lol. If you have any info on halloween moon crabs please feel free to share!

In the mean time...I will be researching cresties for my mom. =)

I have a friend who had a potty-trained ferret. He put a litterbox in the corner of the cage and it always went in it....maybe he was lucky?

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Originally Posted by AmysAnimals

Thanks! I always love information on different animals. =)


Do you think ferrets smell worse than bunnies? I had rabbits and they smelled pretty awful. The amount of ammonia that is in their urine is crazy! You pretty much have to clean their litter pans every time they pee. lol
. =)

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It depends. They have a unique smell that may be offending to other people because its different than any other animal. But it doesn't bother me. It's just a ferrety smell. Like how dogs smell like dogs and cats smell like cats. *shrug*
And it takes about a week with my 3 ferrets before I can smell any ammonia. It's my indicator to dump litter.

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Originally Posted by pigfat

I have a friend who had a potty-trained ferret. He put a litterbox in the corner of the cage and it always went in it....maybe he was lucky?

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I think the majority of ferrets are litter trained. Most don't want to soil their bedding or the rest of their living space. No body wants to sleep in a toilet. Haha.

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Can't believe no one has suggested a rat yet?

Rats are highly intelligent and a really fun pet to have. I enjoy interacting with my rats every day and they are as friendly as can be. They stay small and smell a whole lot less than mice, especially if you use pine bedding or some type of bedding that keeps the odor down. They come in TONS of colors and patterns, and can be a very affectionate pet. My male rat loves to jump in my lap and get pet for as long as you'll pet him for. You can also feed them a number of things that are good for their overall health.

Almost forgot! Males are generally calmer than females, but they do get a little bigger. Some females can be total sweethearts though!

I had 5 rats one time. They were great. I loved them. My mom doesn't want rats though. =(

Rats make wonderful pets, but I don't think my mom wants to have to deal with changing their bedding and whatnot. idk. Plus you have to have more than one (same with guinea pigs too) and a really spacious cage for them. I have a huge cage for my rats. they loved it.

I was looking up crested geckos and they seem really neat. I always have feeder insects (for my tarantulas) so she could use the CGD and feeder insects too. They seem like they'd be the perfect pet for her.

I will discuss it with her after she's up from her nap. lol

Im gonna say crested gecko as well. They are super easy to take care of. You keep them at room temps 70-75 so you don't need a heater for them unless your house is super cold. They can live in fairly small enclosures. They don't need to eat crickets (they eat Crested gecko diet which is a powder/water mix). And they are all around fun to have. (Im new to cresteds so people with more experience correct me if I'm wrong.)

-Alex

Another vote for cresties. I have two, and they're super easy to care for. They're fun to watch at night if you get a red or blue light.

It's decided. I am getting her a crestie! Well, I am going to help get her a crestie anyways! Gunna pay for the enclosure and some other things.

I showed her a caresheet and she read it so she knows pretty much how to care for them. I joined a crestie forum so I can get any additional info I may need, also to see how to set up enclosure.

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Originally Posted by AmysAnimals

It's decided. I am getting her a crestie! Well, I am going to help get her a crestie anyways! Gunna pay for the enclosure and some other things.

I showed her a caresheet and she read it so she knows pretty much how to care for them. I joined a crestie forum so I can get any additional info I may need, also to see how to set up enclosure.

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Did you join Pangea like I suggested?

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Originally Posted by eel588

Did you join Pangea like I suggested?

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Indeed I did. ;)

It's a great site.

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Originally Posted by AmysAnimals

Indeed I did. ;)

It's a great site.

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Awesome, you will learn a lot from that site. Lots of amazing geckos to drool over.

Yeah I have seen some pretty amazing geckos on there. =)