"bigger" Reptile?

[Hannibalcanibal]

So, i'm not sure if general lizard forum is the right place for this question, but since it involves lizards, i thought i might ask here.. mods feel free to move if you want too.

So, i was thinking about getting into a bit of a bigger "pet". Basically what i was wondering was, I'm fourteen years old, and i want to get something a bit bigger than what i have now (lizard 2+ feet, or snake 5+ feet), and i really like big lizards... so, my parents are separated, and one of them actually said they would get me a boa, or something else big.... I have no problem with myself being able to take care of it ( i already have a bunch of smaller pets, all alive and adequately cared for, so the amount of work for me would just be one more tank to set up and maintain), and i am fully capable of feeding it ( i breed my own feeder insects, now.. and i'm kind of over flowing, plus i have bred rodents in the past, but now i just buy bulk), so taking care of it probably would not be a problem, the only problem would be where i put a giant enclosure.. need to talk to my parent about that. But, if i was able to get the ok, what could i get?

i was thinking suriname boa, or chinese water dragon, or on the outskirts of what would be possible, a savannah monitor... But i know all of these require big enclosures, especially with the savanah monitor, who would need a big enclosure.. one last question, what is the actual lower limit of a savannah monitor's cage? some people say 6, others say 8, and one guy i talked to irl said 10.... yeah so probably not a sav with two feet of dirt, but still, i was thinking of getting something big.

[formica]

any lizard over 2ft needs a big enclosure, a Sav will need a massive enclosure 8x4x4 is what is recomended as a minimum around here, the bigger the better - but it applies to all reptiles, snakes dont need quite as much space, depending on the species, so unless you have the space and the money/time for a massive enclosure then id look into a snake over a big lizard of any kind - also bare in mind the amount it costs to feed, an adult snake will eat once every couple of weeks, a monitor needs feeding every day, and they eat a huge amount, same goes for all big lizards, they are far more active than snakes and require far more food which = $$$

[Hannibalcanibal]

Such why i said probably not a sav, i understand how much of a massive commitment they are.

[Mikoh4792]

Frilled dragon, water dragon, bearded dragon

Green Tree monitor, ackie monitor, roughneck monitor

green tree python, emerald tree boa, amazon tree boa, dominican mountain boa, dumerils boa, blood python, Bcc/Bci boas, carpet pythons, rat snakes(black,gray,king), tiger rat snake(not really a rat snake), black milksnake, indigo/cribo,

[Aaron_S]

Your 14. Your world is about to change drastically within the next 5 - 7 years. I'd stick with smaller animals or slightly "larger" animals in the 4 - 6 foot range of snakes and under two feet in lizards still.

Much easier to move with them or find other homes for them.

Consider for lizards, skinks and the like.

[franks]

Frilled dragon, water dragon, bearded dragon

Green Tree monitor, ackie monitor, roughneck monitor

green tree python, emerald tree boa, amazon tree boa, dominican mountain boa, dumerils boa, blood python, Bcc/Bci boas, carpet pythons, rat snakes(black,gray,king), tiger rat snake(not really a rat snake), black milksnake, indigo/cribo,


With the exception of the bearded all of these lizards need massive enclosures.

[Hannibalcanibal]

With the exception of the bearded all of these lizards need massive enclosures.

I know, and so does my parent. We acutally discussed getitng a water dragon once, and they were ok with a giant enclosure, the only thing that stopped us was the other parent, so... yeah, it's no big deal for a big cage, i'm just wondering what i could put in a big cage.

[franks]

I know, and so does my parent. We acutally discussed getitng a water dragon once, and they were ok with a giant enclosure, the only thing that stopped us was the other parent, so... yeah, it's no big deal for a big cage, i'm just wondering what i could put in a big cage.

Ok, cool. I am sorry, maybe I misunderstood, I thought you said the deterrent for acquiring a savannah monitor was cage size. So what kind of space do you have available? Do you have more height or length to play with? Also, what are you looking for in a lizard? How important is it to you to have something you can take out and handle? Do you have the permission and space to breed feeders?

[Hannibalcanibal]

Ok, cool. I am sorry, maybe I misunderstood, I thought you said the deterrent for acquiring a savannah monitor was cage size. So what kind of space do you have available? Do you have more height or length to play with? Also, what are you looking for in a lizard? How important is it to you to have something you can take out and handle? Do you have the permission and space to breed feeders?

Don't know how much space i have available, but a enclosure taking up almost an entire length of a wall is not out of the question, since that was what we were planning for the water dragon when we were thinking about that- but it would probably max out at around six feet, just because of availability of materials, which is why i was asking about the sav size- i've heard various things about that,but i know that savs need huge enclosures with two feet of dirt, and the two feet of dirt might be the problem with a sav. Hence why i was looking at boas and water dragons... i already know plenty about water dragons and savs, but with this knowledge comes more knowledge about how these animals are a VERY large commitment, even more so than a dog or cat in some respects.

As for the feeders, i already breed super worms, so all i would have to do for a large lizard would be seeding a few more colonies, and i'd be fine. I also used to breed asf rats in the past, but i stopped due to the large amount of rodents produced, but i'm sure with a full-grown sav it would be no issue to feed off an entire litter of tiny rats or mice, so there is a good chunk of the diet out of the way.

I'm more prepared than most teens would be, and this would not happen for about until a year or more from now, so i would take the time to actually learn about what i am doing before doing it. I know it is a big commitment, and i know it is a lot of work and not for most people, and my parent would be fully aware of this as well.

[smy_749]

Your 14. Your world is about to change drastically within the next 5 - 7 years. I'd stick with smaller animals or slightly "larger" animals in the 4 - 6 foot range of snakes and under two feet in lizards still.

Much easier to move with them or find other homes for them.

Consider for lizards, skinks and the like.


I'm going with Aarons comment, not to be a debby downer though. But starting high school, 4 years goes by quick and starting college, your world is definitely going to change as he said. May not be hard to rehome it, but it will be hard to find a suitable home to rehome it to. I'd also choose a snake before a lizard since as your plans and interests begin to change, a snake is a bit less demanding maintenance and feeding wise than a lizard would be.

Best of luck, and I'm not trying to discourage you from buying at all if thats how it seemed, just to choose wisely.

[Hannibalcanibal]

I'm going with Aarons comment, not to be a debby downer though. But starting high school, 4 years goes by quick and starting college, your world is definitely going to change as he said. May not be hard to rehome it, but it will be hard to find a suitable home to rehome it to. I'd also choose a snake before a lizard since as your plans and interests begin to change, a snake is a bit less demanding maintenance and feeding wise than a lizard would be.

Best of luck, and I'm not trying to discourage you from buying at all if thats how it seemed, just to choose wisely.

I am fully aware of this. This is also why i am considering boas, since it would be easy to get a morph, and morphs would re home easier than a normal, wild-type sav or water dragon should the need be, but i doubt that will happen, as i'm planning on working for a few years before i go to college/uni and build up enough savings to rent a half-decent apartment where i could keep my pets- but this would be very hard to do with a sav or a water dragon, hence the boa consideration... if i got a lizard, more likely than not they would be staying with my parent for the duration of my college, and maybe then some until i get my own house.

I'm certainly not going to impulse buy or rush into this, if i can wait and learn a bit more, i certainly will.

[StudentoReptile]

Maybe an ackie monitor?

[smy_749]

I'd say snake as large as some carpets / smaller boas, dwarf monitors, even dwarf retic. Anything you can house in a 4x2 is what I'd advise.

[Hannibalcanibal]

I'd say snake as large as some carpets / smaller boas, dwarf monitors, even dwarf retic. Anything you can house in a 4x2 is what I'd advise.

Well, i can go a bit bigger than a 4x2- probably around 6x?x?, or possibly even bigger... so i could get a larger boa locality... Lots to think about.. :)

Maybe an ackie monitor?

I've looked into these before... pretty expensive where i live, but still available. cool little buggers... I'll have to give them some more thought.

[StudentoReptile]

Dumerils boa. Perfect size. 5-8 ft, depending on gender. Fairly docile and a something not quite so mainstream.

Heres a question: think about what you would prfer to feed: veggies, insects or rodents? Might help you narrow down your decision.

[Hannibalcanibal]

Dumerils boa. Perfect size. 5-8 ft, depending on gender. Fairly docile and a something not quite so mainstream.

Heres a question: think about what you would prfer to feed: veggies, insects or rodents? Might help you narrow down your decision.

Well, i feed all three to my animals already, and if it was a high enough demand, i could breed rodents, and i already grow my own swiss chard and breed superworms for my critters.

So it's not so much a question about what can i feed it, it's how do i keep it and what do i keep it in, and can it come with me, will my parent be ok taking care of it for a few years, or will i be able to re home it if i have to when i go to uni/college.

I like the dumeril's boa idea.... i should look into that. Thanks!

[StudentoReptile]

Well, like others said, if you plan to take to college or be having your folks care for it while you're gone, I would stick to something small and simple. Unless your parents are as avid herpers as you are, anything you leave with them should be "dummy-proof."

By that, I'm not calling your parents dumb or anything, but their priorities will not be as yours are. You can count on them forgetting to feed the animal in question every day, as well as neglecting to clean/maintain the habitat. Even changing the water daily you can bet on them not doing.

If the food can be easily prepared and simply dropped into the enclosure, all the better. More resilient species that can "handle" only having their habitat cleaned every couple months when you come home to visit are ideal.

[formica]

agreed, get something simple to care for if you are not going to be able to care for it for long periods of time, or better still, wait till you can provide it with the full time care it needs, even if your family are prepared to look after it, its not really fair on the reptile to leave it in the hands of someone who doesnt have the same desire for the responsibility as you have

[Hannibalcanibal]

Very true... So i guess that limits it to stuff i could take with me or would not be too much hassle as far as feeding and cleaning goes... So i guess that takes out the option of any big lizards... maybe i should get a medium size snake.

Thanks for the help everyone, you guys are awesome :D

[SnakeyJay]

I second a dumerils... I don't have one yet but they look stunning, get a decent size and are less common if that's what your looking for :)