Good first lizard?

hi, im interested in getting a lizard as a first reptile, but i've heard about alot of good first-time lizards. which one do you think is best. in reptiles magazine they say a green water dragon is a good beginner lizard if you like iguanas but are a beginner.

1.leopard geckos 2. bearded dragon my choices and suggestions Aaron

I voted for a leopard gecko because I have bearded dragons and know from experience, they are not a beginner lizard contrary to what books and media say. They are very expensive to feed as babies, and often eat upwards of 50 crix in one feeding 3 times a day. The lighting they need is very expensive and must be replaced every 6 months at minimum to continue to have a sufficent UVB level, unless you go with mega ray bulbs, and thats pretty pricey to start. I also have had leopard geckos, they are very easy. It is best to go with a very beginner lizard so you can see if you really like keeping reptiles, esp. before investing the big bucks on something like a dragon. Another option for you thats easy, like a leopard gecko, are african fat tail geckos, I currently have a pair of those and they are just like leopard geckos in care.

I agree on Leos as a first choice. I bet Jeanne might tell you a good second choice would be a Mali Uro! Man I love mine..He is just awesome. He actually glares at you if you wake him up before 11AM.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jglass38

I agree on Leos as a first choice. I bet Jeanne might tell you a good second choice would be a Mali Uro! Man I love mine..He is just awesome. He actually glares at you if you wake him up before 11AM.

---

Hmm... I dont know that a uro is a good choice just because of initial cost in the beginning for someone so young. They too require lighting like beardies, only a hotter basking area. Although, they are not as expensive as beardies to raise, they dont need bugs cept for every now and again, and even then, occassionally. They eat the same greens my beardeds do. And I think the trick to keeping them is to provide a wide variety of greens like you would a bearded. The only other thing I can think of with them too, is the fact that they can hurt ya with the spines on thier tails when they get to whipping them around at ya.

But I got to agree with you Jamie, they are AWESOME! Mine also gets upset if he is woke up before noon. Grumpy dude he is if you wake him too early.

Though we havent kept leos we've had Iguanas and Water Dragons - both of which offer more initial challenges than you would think given how widespead and low-cost they are. I'd go leo.

Or an african fat tail gecko! I would say those are a great 2nd choice beginner lizard.

Jeanne, I agree that it isnt a good first choice and wasn't aware that she is young. they are awesome though. Not particularly colorful (Malis at least) but they are just so funny. Mine just destroys his greens and loves the occasional mealie or cricket. Then he will go full days without ever coming out and eating. Very odd sometimes but fat and happy.

By the way, I just recently got my first Leos and they are very cool. They are a bit thin and were just wormed so hopefully they fill out soon but they are a lot of fun.

I think Crested geckos are even better than leos. Their set-up is easier: they don't require any heat, nor do you have to feed them crix if you use the Crestie MRD. They get just as tame as leos, too, if you interact with them enough.

I'm not biased or anything :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

I'm not biased or anything :)

---

Awww, Lynn you know you are !!!! ;)

Well, all right, maybe just a little ;)

But how can you not love those little gargoyle faces????

Oh my, I know! They are darling things.

well thats great because i've always loved leo's! i've wanted one for like 6 months. and i know how to take care of them too. thanks for the replies everyone!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by reptile-girl

well thats great because i've always loved leo's! i've wanted one for like 6 months. and i know how to take care of them too. thanks for the replies everyone!

---

Thats cool Courtney! Please post pics when you get your leo! We love pics here.

i will definitely post pics, man im soo excited!

shoot i forgot to mention crested geckos but they like to jump alot and they are really great to watch.

Leopard Gecko, hands down.

Leos are very cool, my sister has 3 (2 normal girls, one with really cool black spotting EVERYWHERE and one blizzard boy). I am a crestie junkie myself. No heat needed (like leos need) and they are as cute as can be. I have 12....sheesh...


Another cool gecko is the gargoyle gecko (auriculatus, I believe). My sister picked one up in October and it's about the most adorable thing I've ever seen. I'm waiting to see how I do with the Crestie breeding before I go and start up additional breeding colonies of those little guys. Gargoyles tend to be less jumpy as well and calm down pretty well with handling. They also spend more time out where they can be seen, while my cresties love to hide in the leaves and bury in the substrate (someone should tell those guys they are ABOREAL!!).

Anyway, my 2 cents..

Whichever you choose you can't go wrong. Good luck and enjoy your new one when you get it!!

good info... i've been wanting to get a lizard or two, but many of them seem rather high maintenance compared to snakes. cresties sound nice though... and they're the coolest looking, except for maybe some monitors or chameleons - both of which i'd never own.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wendyhoo9

I am a crestie junkie myself. No heat needed[...]

---

No heat needed? Sure, if the room they're kept in is at a constant 75-degrees, this might be true. Otherwise, their enclosure needs to be supplemented with something to regulate the heat to that level. High-60's (at least!) during the night. And don't forget the humidity levels!

If you want something to hold every day or so, I'd recommend the Leopards. Otherwise, the Cresties tend to be a little "jumpy," to say the least, and are less likely to tame as easily as Leopards (per my experience and what I've read). Both are relatively easy to take care of, but each have different husbandry requirements to keep in mind. I'd say Cresties are slightly more "high-maintenence" than the Leopards.

which is more high maintenance, cresteds or leos? i think that may all depend on what you define as maintenace. leos require heat no matter what, cresteds don't need it as long as your room temps are at least 68 or so. cresteds need to be fed fresh cgd and/or crickets every few days, leos can be fed a staple diet of mealworms which can be supplied in a dish every few days. leos require insects, cresteds don't, but mealworms are more easily kept and maintained than crickets. cresteds are jumpy but can be tamed pretty easily, leos tame easily but if not tamed when young can be aggressive. it's kind of a toss up really between which is higher maintenance, but if you don't factor in heat, i would say that cresteds are a bit higher than leos, but not by enough that it should sway you not to keep them if you want to get one.

A few days ago, I brought home my first blue tongued skink. I named him Joe, but truth is I have no idea what his gender is, but I figure Joe can be androgenous. I think they are a great first time lizard, however, the initial cost is high like a bearded and the lizard itself will be more expensive than a bearded as well. My little guy still hasn't figured out that I don't want to eat him, but in time, with proper handling and husbandry, he should become a lazy, tame, lap lizard who loves to be held and interacted with. I think it will happen. Also, they have these very expressive eyes. Almost human. Very unlike a snake's eyes. And that blue tongue is cute as can be.

Rachel

I honestly don't know much about lizards and tend to be more of a snake person... but I have to say.. blue tongues are *awfully* cute lap lizards. *prods Rachel for pics* ;)

in all honesty, i've seen better success with kids and crested geckos. they are easier to house, and most parents are glad the "claws" aren't so sharp, don't need heat and will lick baby food from a finger. kids like their easy care and fun looks. hand down, crested are the best first herp to own.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kzooherpetoculturist

good info... i've been wanting to get a lizard or two, but many of them seem rather high maintenance compared to snakes. cresties sound nice though... and they're the coolest looking, except for maybe some monitors or chameleons - both of which i'd never own.

---

that was me a couple months ago... now my cresties are becoming my favorite herps.
since my room is so warm because of all the other heated herp enclosures in there, they really do NOT need extra heat, even during the michigan winter. i don't even bother to keep crickets, i just pick them up on my way to class once or twice a week.

in short, crested geckos are becoming one of my favorite captive herps.

I am in love with my little bluey Jo-Jo. I decided Jo-Jo is female because I felt like it. They are awesome creatures. She is growing like a weed. They have personalities like I have never seen in a herp. Admittedly, I don't have a lot of practice, but I swear, this little girl can learn things. She sleeps in socks and has learned how to climb inside them. She recognizes my voice and makes sincere eye contact with me. On top of all that, she is just as curious as can be. Amazing little girl. I would be willing to breed her, but I don't know her sex and wouldn't know how to determine it anyway short of a blood test. She is pretty fun to feed because she is a true omnivore and thrives on a variety of foods, so I actually cook all her food myself. She even will curl up next to me and sleep when I am watching TV. Absolutely precious creature. I couldn't recommend blueys enough.

I will post pics the second I purchase a new card for my camera.

Rachel

My first lizard was.... well my first lizards were a pair of baby leos that I got 1 day after the other. I just lucked out to get a 1.1 group of babies!!!! Leos are low maintnance compared to most other lizards like my sav. They are calm, and a bite doesn't hurt. They don't require specifics like asian water dragons do such as 70%+ humidity and uv lighting live beardies and water dragons. Relatively easy to keep and a good lizard to "practice" incubation skills on because the eggs are forgiving to a little change in temp.

I can't believe no one said Nile monitor? ;)

LOL, actually that was my first lizard, back in 1990, talk about a mistake! He sure was cool to look at but when they bite, and they will bite, he would clamp down and wouldn't let go! Thankfully he was a baby and by the time he hit 1 foot he hardly ever bit anymore, he preferred to lash me with his tail at that point, which usually was worse than being bitten! I'm not even going to mention the little buggers claws! By 2 foot long he had tamed down, "tame" being a relative term, he was after all still a Nile monitor. By three foot long he had found a nice new home with a friend that worked at the San Diego Zoo. Needless to say that was the end of my monitor keeping, they are beautiful lizards, just not for everyone!

Back to the topic at hand, I personally think the leopard gecko is a better first lizard, followed closely by the crested and the bearded dragons. And yes, I am slightly biased in my opinion. :)

Quote:

---

I think Crested geckos are even better than leos. Their set-up is easier: they don't require any heat, nor do you have to feed them crix if you use the Crestie MRD. They get just as tame as leos, too, if you interact with them enough.

---

I second that. Cresties are the best.

Having never kept Cresties I can't compare the two. However I do keep a Leo (Spot). I can tell you that any Gecko in nocturnal varity. Are good starters. The demand for D3 and UVB is not there. I said demand on D3 it is suggested that you suplement a Leo's diet buy dusting the crickets with a Cal. dust. Leo's require a smaller setup than some. So just my :2cent: Cresties or Leo's want steer you wrong.

My first was leos and I have 3 now

My first lizard was a Bearded Dragon. I got him that full spectrum basking light and didn't have any problems. When I sold him he was large, healthy, and yellow. I fed him Romaine lettuce, carrots, dusted crickets, mealworms, canned grasshoppers, and sometimes pinky,fuzzy, or crawler mice. I thought he was a pretty easy lizard to take care of.

I have Leopard geckos now and they are extremely easy to take care of, easier than the Beardie.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mlededee

which is more high maintenance, cresteds or leos? i think that may all depend on what you define as maintenace. leos require heat no matter what, cresteds don't need it as long as your room temps are at least 68 or so. cresteds need to be fed fresh cgd and/or crickets every few days, leos can be fed a staple diet of mealworms which can be supplied in a dish every few days. leos require insects, cresteds don't, but mealworms are more easily kept and maintained than crickets.

---

I agree. I raise several different feeder bugs to feed my invertebrates, and I personally find it much easier to feed a lizard "bugs" all the time than mixing diet all the time.

I was raising crested geckos at one time, decided they were too much work, sold off the entire colony, and I raise leopard geckos now.

Another thing...leo's tend to poop in the same spot. Cresties poop everywhere. With leo's I'm not dismantling the cage setup and scrubbing hanging vines like crazy :)