Empty tank what ever shall I do???

[Rebecca]

Ok people I have an empty 5.5 tank what kind of lizard can I put in it?? I don't want pictus though I had 2 and they BOTH got out?? Anything else? Something that can stay in there it's whole life, or until I upgrade it's tank ;)

[lynsey_togofire]

in a 5.5 gal? wow...that's small...umm...maybe an anole (a small one) until you upgrade...but that's about it. you will have to upgrade soon though. any lizard is gonna feel cramped in there. you could also look into small frogs. firebellies would be fine, or newts even. just a couple suggestions. hope this helps!

lynsey

[nouserpif]

MOURNING GECKOS! Contact dave and andrea smith (dnareptiles.com) for a $30 murning gecko... They are like house geckos, kinda... Only you shouldn't need any heating for them :D
They need a 70F minimum, which is about room temp, so if they are next to a warm terrarium, or if the heat is on in your house, they would be fine...
Whatever. Just check out gekkota.com's care sheet for them... they are small, and you can keep 6 in a 10G tank... should be able to keep one in a five gal!
Dan Conner

[Katatonic]

Leopard geckos and Fat-tails would be fine in a five, keep in mind that is the BARE minimum of floor space for those animals.
You could try Banded Geckos (central american, Texas, Tucson) or sand geckos of the genus Stenodactylus. All of those are small, easily accomodated animals. I'm sure there are a ton more, but nothing really comes to mind right now.

An anole if you like that kind of stuff, would work.

How did your pictus get out of that cage, I'm still wondering!! They don't have lamellae... So... ??

[nouserpif]

Actually Katatonic, hatchling picti (if thats the plurel...) have adhesive lamellae...

But I think something that can climb glass, so it has more space to climb and use as "ground" would do better in a 5.5G...
Dan Conner

[Zoe]

I wouldn't keep anything bigger than a juveline leo or fat-tail in a 5gal... 10gall is minimum for an adult, and even that is pretty small.
You can only keep a small gecko or two in there... REALLY small, as in longtailed lizards, little day geckos, little anoles.

Zoe

[Katatonic]

The thread starter never mentioned the size and age of their pictus, there is no such word as "picti", I would have guessed that they could have possibly escaped useing those weak toe pads> I was wrong to say they lacked them entirely.
If you can keep a longtailed grass lizard in a tank this size, then why not an adult anole. And most day geckos are incredibly active animals and would suffer more than anything in a cage that size. No difference. I never said it was ethical to keep an animal in an enclosure of that size, though people continue to write those dimensions in publications like reptiles magazines and those beautiful "leopard gecko manuals".
Out of curiousity where are you getting all of your "minimums" from. If you've ever owned an african fat-tail, you would realize how inactive these lizards truly are, and in reality one may only use a 6x6" space. Yell, curse and stomp all you like, 10 gallons tends to be the "standard" terrarium size for leopards and fat-tails for "display purposes".

[Rebecca]

Wow alot more replies then I thought!! Ok for the pictus, I got NO idea as to how they got out?? I had lids on both the cages I kept them in. I have NO idea?? I was actually things of mourning geckos. My room is pretty much at 70f all the time cuz of a space heater, so I think one would be good. I'm not too fond of anoles cuz you can't hold them at all. Well mine you coludn't. So I think mourning geckos are the way to go, or maybe a house gecko might work too?? Not sure. If you have any other ideas let me know!!

[nouserpif]

Mournings would be better than house geckos if you want to handle them, both are fast, but mournings arn't shy at all ;)

House geckos generally need a little warmer, with a temp of 78F-86F or so... Which you'll probably need a heat pad, or lamp...

Both are "cheap", neat, and make good pets, but I think mournings better suit what you're after. Have fun! lol
Also, a day gecko might be neat in there if it is TINY species, but you can't keep more than one in a cage like that...
Whatever :D

Dan Conner

[eyespy]

Katatonic, it's not just activity level that determines minimum caging space, it's also base metabolism. You don't have to be active at all to sit in a closet and make the air all stuffy because the space is too small. Same goes with herps, they need a certain amount of room around them to keep them from breathing in too much of their own exhalations.

I'd never keep a fat-tail in anything smaller than a 10 because they have a fairly fast metabolism for an ectotherm.

[norman]

id say if your going to buy a lizard just spend the extra few bucks and get another tank. or just build a small one yourself. you could even use the glass from the 5.5 gallon as the sliding glass door for a small wood enclosure.

[norman]

another thing i do is check out the local thrift stores and classifieds and stuff, and they usually have "furniture" that is almost ready to use as a cage. i have a entertainment unit that i turned into a beardie cage in like 10 minutes, and another that used to be a set of drawers that i just hinged some plexi onto. display cases are perfect but usually on the expensive side.
but thats just what i do, cheap easy way of getting new cages.

[lynsey_togofire]

that's a good idea Norman! i never thought of that! LOL! i may just steal your idea and do that when i'm ready to get my burmese python! way far into the future, mind you, but that is an awesome idea!

[HeatherRose]

*whispers* crested.....LOL j/k, that's too small a tank but I'll bet Katatonic knew that was coming...lol I'll quit hassling you soon I PROMISE!!!

:D

Heather :D

[Katatonic]

Hey, Heather, please take your curse off now!! lol
Cheers to Norman for what all of us should have said.
And a thank you to eyespy for enlightening me on base metabolism, as this is something I have never heard of or read about. It's good, not being in the dark on something like that. Thank you.
LATER.

[eyespy]

Katatonic, a general rule of thumb for judging base metabolism in herps is that if it lives in the tropics, it has a higher base, if it lives in areas with 3 or 4 seasons it goes slower. Geckos in general breathe quickly and need a decent amount of room for air exchange.

[Samba]

I know a species of gecko that is PERFECT for that tank you described... However they are exotic, hard to find, and exitable. I'm talking about Sphaerodactylus geckos. Man if only you guys kept them you'd understand why I'm obsessed with 'em. They're incredibly cute, active, observant and TINY as adults (about 2 inches including the tail)! I want to get some again so badly I can hardly stand it! If you can find them, or would like more information on them, e-mail me... I can give you tons of advice!
(SambasReptileRescue@Hotmail.Com)

[nouserpif]

Awww... will you SHUT UP about those Sphaerodactylus geckos! Hhaha, jsut kidding... They sound really neat, adn would probably be the best choice for a 5G, although house geckos and mournings would go over great too...
Dan conner