Starter Lizard

[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.