Starter Lizard

[ckuhn003]

Hey There...

My son and I visited the local Repticon this morning and he wanted to a lizard. Me being the 'must do research' person I am, I told him we needed to go home, sleep on it and do some research. I'm not going to buy an animal and not do right by it by not having the proper setup, etc...

So I'm wondering, which lizards might be a good starter animal for a young boy. He was looking at Leopard Geckos while I was thinking more of a Bearded Dragon. I would think a Dragon would be something we could enjoy outside of the enclosure than something more temperamental that would be jumpy or need to be more hands off.

As for enclosures, we have an empty 2 x 1 x 1 PVC enclosure w/ a heat mat, herpstat and a fluorescent light. I believe some of the lizards we looked at (Bearded Dragon, Leopard and Crested) need a special light so maybe this enclosure might not work.

Thanks

[AzJohn]

I’m not sure what you have now would be good for any of those lizards. Lizards would need top down heat like a heat lamp and maybe UVB lighting. Your tank might be okay for a bearded dragon as a baby if you can figure our how to safely heat it. They need it hot.

I’ve bred crested geckos and they make awesome pets. You’d really only need a 20 gallon tank, with a screen lid, turned on it’s side. Throw in some things to climb on and hide in and your good. Temps only need to be around 80, so a low wattage bulb is all you’d need. Being nocturnal, they really don’t need a UVB light. They eat a powdered diet with insects added once week or so. I’ve had some that wouldn’t eat insects. When they are adults they are pretty easy to handle.

[Alien]

I have no personal experience! But clints reptiles and snake discovery on you tube have some very good beginning lizard videos.

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...t%27s+reptiles

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...nake+discovery

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Neither crested geckos or Leopard geckos need special light however a leopard gecko will need heat UTH being the prefered way to go.

If the cage is 12 deep x 12 wide x 24 high it will be perfect for a crestie or gargoyle however not adequate for a leopard gecko.

If the cage is 12 deep x 24 high x 12 high it will work for a leopard gecko but not a crestie as they are an arboreal species.

Bearded Dragon, and BTS are out of the question with a cage that size a 2x2x4 will be needed for an adult.

[Aerries]

I have all three, Dragons are by far the most complex of care because of the UVB, vitamins and calcium and consistent husbandry maintenance. I have three crested geckos in all bioactive enclosures and are by far the absolute easiest to care for. Room temps, high humidity and don't take up much space. My dragons are in a 4x2x2 (feet) each....my Geckos are in 12x12x18 (inches) and they are a hoot....BUT they ARE nocturnal. As is the Leo....Dragons are not....it is up to you but if you need any assistance I would help with anything you may need for info.

[Bogertophis]

Sure glad you're doing research...bearded dragons have a LOT of personality, but they're also a LOT of responsibility, & need DAILY feeding & care...they also need
lots more room, special lights, high heat...I'd call them high maintenance, + more expensive to keep. I took one in as a near-dead rescue many years ago from an
owner who fed only crickets, causing the dragon to be totally constipated while simultaneously starving, & was about to dump him outside; I pulled him thru, which
was very rewarding, & I ended up with a good-sized lizard that loved to snuggle on my shoulder. He never tried to bite, if you don't count the time he caught his
reflected image in my mirrored closet door & when he couldn't catch his "mortal enemy" in the mirror, he turned & went after my dragon-sized foot! -Male
beardies are fierce toward other males, & don't have a clue that mirrors aren't real...& anyway, he missed my foot! Spike was a hoot, but you have to feed them
fresh food daily that's balanced...they don't eat just one thing, & you'll need to be very involved.

Leopard geckos are very cute, but more of a pet to watch...they don't care much for being handled, from my experience with them. Much simpler to care for though.
I've never had cresteds, but I enjoyed Tokays...however, that's not a kid's pet, they bite hard & may hang on.

[dakski]

I have two Rhacodactylus now, a Chewie (Ferry) and a Leachie (Ezzy). Both have 24" wide X 18" Deep X 24" tall enclosures. Crested's don't need quite as much, as far as I know, but I would refer to people who keep them and know more than me. I love my Rhaco's, but they are messy and only the Leachie eats powder/gel only. The Chewie needs insects as well. Again, I defer to those who keep cresties as to if they can go without insects and just eat food with insects in it for protein, like Ezzy, my leachie. Also, Rhaco's need high humidity - 70-85% average and consistently. Also, they do fine at room temp. I keep the hottest parts of my tanks about 74F and the coolest spots are room temp - so down to 67F in the winter and about 72F in the summer. Keep in mind, temps above 80F and you get in trouble with these guys. They do not like it. Over 85F and no more Rhaco.

I had a Bearded Dragon, George, for 11 years, and I miss him. He ultimately got old and got pancreatitis and I put him down to take him out of his misery (it hurt every time he ate, mainly protein). Great personality, docile, but yes, a lot of work. Greens daily, and protein daily when young, and although less when older, a varied protein/insect diet is necessary.

However, out of the question with the size enclosure you have. I recommend 4X2X1.5' as a minimum for an adult. They use the space and need big temp gradients and a hot, hot spot.

I also have 3 leopard geckos, who I've kept for years now (6 I think). They are great pets. Docile, low maintenance, and easy peasy to keep (no lights, crazy temps, low humidity requirements, etc. Having said that, high humidity is not good for them, so just be aware of that.

As far as a young boy handling, I would say supervised only. LG's can drop their tails and can take time to acclimate and get used to handling. Some do great, others, just okay, and can be wiggly. They are also more fragile than a beardie, and especially a boa or python. They are fun to interact with and feed, etc. in their tanks. They also do better being out at night and hide in light. Two of my girls are pretty calm at night, but pretty skittish during the day and in bright light. One is a social butterfly 24/7.

An LG would do fine in a 2' wide X 1' Deep and 1' high enclosure. Mine are all in 3X2X1' enclosures, but it's overkill. As long as you can have a nice temp gradient, an LG adult would be ok in that enclosure.

Temps for LG's should be about 87-90F hot spot with a 78F cool spot. That cool spot can drop to 74-75F at night, or even a little lower. It does not have to.

LG's are insectivores. That means bugs in your house. Mealworms are a fine staple as are Dubia roaches. Insects have to be gut loaded and dusted in calcium 3X a week and multivitamin 1X a week. Keep this in mind. I have lizards and that means bugs. However, I could easily do without them in my house! I stay away from crickets - live anyway - which is all most LG's will eat. Smelly, not too nutritious, and they make a lot of noise.

If the enclosure is 2' wide X 1' deep and 1' high, an LG is probably a great option, if you can swallow the bugs. Figure of speech.

[ckuhn003]

Thanks everyone for the input. I decided to hold off picking up a lizard from Repticon. The 3 lizards mentioned (crested, leopard and bearded dragon) seemed to be a little more involved then I was willing to invest. Especially since this will be for my young son which we all know falls back on the parents

Originally I thought a Bearded Dragon would be ideal since it seemed like it was the most 'hand able' and docile type of lizard but I think the space needed, strict environment and feeding requirements are more then I really want to commit too now. The Leopard seems like it stills has some requirements like a UTH and they aren't as hand-able plus I'm not a big fan of those fat tails

I'm becoming more and more intrigued by the Cresties and have a couple of questions.

Can anyone recommend a good breeder? I assume a Critter Keeper (for smaller Cresties) or a Zilla type upright enclosure would be the best housing option? Do they need anything else like a light??

Do they need constant attention; meaning is ok to leave them a couple days as I'm able to do w/ my snakes?

[MarkL1561]

Check out Clint’s Reptiles on YouTube, they have beginner lizard videos. Although you’re going to have to start from scratch as far as materials it sounds like. Don’t rule out snakes either as they’re much lower maintenance than lizards generally. Definitely do research before any purchase and make sure your kid can handle the care requirements.


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[MarkL1561]

Also, check out blue tongue skinks. Definitely stick to northerns though.


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