What should my mom get?

[zach_24_90]

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.

[Peppe]

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!

[WingedWolfPsion]

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).

[purplemuffin]

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

[olstyn]

+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.

[EverEvolvingExotics]

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.







Cheap hatchling setup for under $5 total

Medium cost R-Zilla acrylic atrium $40-50 for the cage alone(my personal favorite)

or, a more costly exo-terra $90-125 new for the cage itself


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

[satomi325]

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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[AmysAnimals]

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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[purplemuffin]

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!

[satomi325]

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!