Next big reptile? (in your opinion)

Hi all!

I am curious as to what you think the next popular reptile will be? Of course for the past while it has been ball pythons that everyone's been into, what do you all think is next?

A lot of people seem really into leopard geckos, and the number of morphs is increasing. I really don't know though.

blue tongue skinks are gaining in popularity

From what I've seen Monitors are gaining popularity at an alarming rate...which I think it pretty bad. Most poeple have no idea how to properly take care of them. Savs and Water monitors seem to be the most popular.

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Originally Posted by Rickys_Reptiles

From what I've seen Monitors are gaining popularity at an alarming rate...which I think it pretty bad. Most poeple have no idea how to properly take care of them. Savs and Water monitors seem to be the most popular.

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Agreed with how cheap you can pick up a monitor now as a hatchling sales seem to be ramping up, as Ricky stated since most people don't know how to properly care for them we will see 1 of 2 things in a year or so, a bunch of dead monitors or a bunch of large monitors on CL for sale. (Rant over for now haha)


That being said, Corns, BPs, Leos and Beardies have always been popular, some Boas and Blue Tongues seem to be gaining more popularity as well. It is hard to say what the next big thing will truly be. My guess its whatever a big name breeder starts producing massive quantities of.

Retics for a while, thanks to the Lacey Act and the preliminary injunction. If USARK loses then I don't know if the preliminary injunction stays in place while the appeals process plays out.

OTOH if USARK wins expect Burmese pythons to get more popular if they can eventually be shipped interstate again.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Retics for a while, thanks to the Lacey Act and the preliminary injunction. If USARK loses then I don't know if the preliminary injunction stays in place while the appeals process plays out.

OTOH if USARK wins expect Burmese pythons to get more popular if they can eventually be shipped interstate again.

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Very true, especially with dwarf and SDs becoming more available, and even the dwarf burms if the ban gets lifted.

I agree with the monitors and i hope that more people start caring for them correctly and get more cbb out there instead of wild caught.

I don't think any large reptile can really be the next big thing. The problem with big reptiles is that they demand an awful lot as far as husbandry goes. Even iguanas - who now come in some way cool colors and have probably the easiest details of any reptile - need way too much space and specialized care to be widely popular (custom cages and expensive lighting from top to bottom). Not to mention big poops are a major turn off for a lot of people.

Small reptiles like corns, balls, beardies, blueys, and leos dominate the pet trade because pet stores stock everything you need for them with few exceptions. Maybe frilles will but their heads into the "it" crowd, but then you have to factor in temperament. A rowdy reptile won't be popular in the trade either.

Yeah, it has to be retics and Burmese. Since the lacey act provisions took hold, it seems to be a new way to look at these two "giant" pythons. It's almost at a "gotta have one" pace. :salute:

I can see frillies being big (ive noticed them on the rise) and as far as monitors, i was talking about the smaller ones. Like ackies or smaller tree monitors. They've been gaining special interest as far as researching them in captivity but not so much the next big seller.

As far as being as popular as Ball Pythons probably nothing, there are things that are popular or have been popular in the past which meant a strong market Boas, Leopard geckos, Corn snakes all had great years because of the various mutations and then the market changed and the price dropped, does not mean they are no longer popular as pets just means that if people look into popular as far as investment project those are no longer it.

Ball Pythons are still popular but the market has changed as well.

Hognose are popular also not as much and even that market is starting to change.

I don't care much for people who buy something because it is popular, that's not a good reason to buy something, whether it's a pet or a breeder, you need to have a true passion for the animal you keep.

I could easily see the bluey market blowing up. I think people just haven't really got enough exposure to them yet. Once you've seen one in person, observed it a while, held it - they really are just about impossible to resist. I know when I was younger and looking at buying my first larger lizard my buddy Mike showed me one of these and I forgot about all the monitors I had been researching in the blink of an eye. Needless to say, my next reptile purchase was one of Mike's newborn northerns.

That said, I don't think people should make purchases based on what's popular. Work with whatever blows your hair back and enjoy your animals. You'll be happier and the animals will be happier because you will take better care of something you personally enjoy.

Speaking of buying what's popular, I remember a big to-do a few years ago over chameleons when Johnny Depp played an animated one in a movie (Rango maybe? I don't remember what it was called) where pet stores were offering like free movie tickets and a discount on chameleon gear/setups.

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Originally Posted by DVirginiana

Speaking of buying what's popular, I remember a big to-do a few years ago over chameleons when Johnny Depp played an animated one in a movie (Rango maybe? I don't remember what it was called) where pet stores were offering like free movie tickets and a discount on chameleon gear/setups.

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And unfortunately most of them probably ended up dying within a few months. I can't count the number of times I am getting supplies at our local reptile shop and someone comes in with a shoebox with a cham in it on its side looking like death saying I bought this for my kid thinking it would be an easy pet...I could never work at a reptile shop because I would probably end up dropping sales, it drives me insane, I know they need to make a profit, but at the same time it would drive me insane know thing animal I just sold will probably not be taken care of once it is gone.

I agree with retics because of the Lacey Act. I think Blue tongue skinks have a chance to become a huge part of the reptile hobby.

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Originally Posted by jclaiborne

And unfortunately most of them probably ended up dying within a few months. I can't count the number of times I am getting supplies at our local reptile shop and someone comes in with a shoebox with a cham in it on its side looking like death saying I bought this for my kid thinking it would be an easy pet...I could never work at a reptile shop because I would probably end up dropping sales, it drives me insane, I know they need to make a profit, but at the same time it would drive me insane know thing animal I just sold will probably not be taken care of once it is gone.

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I honestly think things like chams, monitors (I've actually seen savanna monitors in petstores before), and frogs should absolutely not be sold in pet stores. IMO they are in NO way beginner pets. Especially the frogs, since a day or two of untreated water can cause them to tox out. I mean... just a simple google search could solve most of the problems I see regarding frogs...

Unfortunately it looks like I may be working at a pet store as interim employment for awhile... It would either go very badly, and I talk people out of getting animals, or very well because I can personally recommend or un-recommend just about every product in the store :cool:

I still just can't imagine intermediate to advanced pets being that popular. I'm sure there will be a boom in the retic and burm trade if/when the lawsuit goes through, but those are certainly not pets for beginners. People interested in a first reptile that end up going the giant python route are in for a world of trouble more often than not. It's all fun and games until you have to keep a freezer full of bunnies.

I think blueys would be more popular already except that all the cool morphs/subspecies are forever trapped in Australia. I think the jet black skinks are way cool, but good luck finding one for sale in the states. Then again, I suppose their rarity could go that extra mile for their popularity... Same thing with the Australian fillies, which have a good bit of color compared to the gray-brown Indonesian ones. Darn those export laws...

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Originally Posted by Daigga

I think blueys would be more popular already except that all the cool morphs/subspecies are forever trapped in Australia. I think the jet black skinks are way cool, but good luck finding one for sale in the states. Then again, I suppose their rarity could go that extra mile for their popularity... Same thing with the Australian fillies, which have a good bit of color compared to the gray-brown Indonesian ones. Darn those export laws...

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Pretty sure most of those morphs are in the states already.. You just won't see them available for a good while. :P

Geckos and monitors and turtle morphs.

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Wow, thanks for all the replies! I've been thinking about getting a blue tongue skink for years now, maybe i'll do it at the all ohio expo in august.

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Originally Posted by John1982

Pretty sure most of those morphs are in the states already.. You just won't see them available for a good while. :P

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I have always wondered if any of the morphs made it to the US before they stopped exporting them. I know there are some Kimberly Northerns in the US, and some others like the caramels, but I was under they impression that those were more along the lines of selective line breeding vs an actual morph. Even though the jet black blueys and some of the morphs are cool looking, I still think it is hard to beat their natural coloring (especially in the Indo species), they have such a variance that it amazes me everytime I look at my male vs my female. Blueys will always be my favorite reptile. Don't get me wrong I love all of my animals, but they have a special place with me. I just wish I could get my hands on some shinglebacks and centralians, but that will never happen.