which is a good starter lizzard for a 10yr old..

[Yve]

my friend wants to buy her boy a chameleon because this is the one he likes...can anyone let me know if this is a good choice? if not what would you recommend? thanks..:)

[Linds]

I wouldn't recommend a chameleon for a child's first lizard. They have exacting requirements and little margin for error.

Good starters species include (but not limited to) leopard geckos, blue tongue skinks, and bearded dragons :)

[Grant vg]

BEARDIESSSSSS!
Much more exciting then geckos and everyone likes a diurnal lizzy....Plus they grow big enough to satisfy any lizard-lover for ever but stay manageable, tame, hardy, nice dessert set-ups, and do well with handling....
Also, they are very inquisitive....a perfect animal to give any 10 yr old the addiction....:)

Also, there setups are very straight-forward....i think young kids would get fairly bored of anything nocturnal....IMO...

[Linds]

Oh another good one IMO is a mali uromastyx! Those lizards are very hardy captive and absolutely hilarious!!! I'm not a lizard person at all but these guys are great!!!!!! And better yet, they are vegetarian!

[Yve]

thanks Linds:)
that seems to be the consensus....i'm trying to talk her out of getting the Chameleon but I don't know if it'll work...her son really likes the way Veiled Chams look...
i think i'm gonna get her a variety of caresheets so she can make a conscious decision....

[sara]

If he likes chameleons allot than you may be able to talk him into a crested gecko. They get fairly large, for a gecko, and they can have nice colouring. They are also really easy to look after, and an added bonus is they eat baby food most of the time... that means less crickets!

sara

[AzR@k]

if you are talking about colourful geckos then get a Tokay

[Laurier]

hey,

personally i would suggest a leopard gecko, probably the least demanding and extremely easy to take care of, accually its a joke how easy they are.

i wouldn't reccommend a tokay gecko because they are aggressive and you don't want someone young to get the wrong impression on reptiles.

As for chameleons, as long as they can provide the right size of an enclosure, and don't get lazy with dusting crickets and giving fresh water ever day a veiled chameleon isn't that hard. The only problem would be the cost of an adult enclosure. I make all my enclosures and they ussually are around 100 bucks with out lights, lighting is about an extra 50 bucks.

Laurier

[Joe]

i agree with linds as long as they can get temps to around 120f they are super easy and I'd say even more social than Beardies.
Joe & Melissa

[Yve]

wow! thanks everyone for the input....with all the information I have now gathered, including your help ofcoarse:), I think she'll be able to make a good decision..:)

[sungazer]

i dont agree on getting a beared dragons unless you get a more older one they youngs ones tend to get dehyrded very quick i would recomend a long tail grass lizard they are cheep and they dont need basking lights or heat lights and they are very good to handle once you handle it lots just make sure you have a very secure top or perhaps a house gecko

[Bartman]

a lot of people have told me that chameleons get really stressed when being handled...i wouldnt suggest that for a 10yr old because he would want to play with it all the time...as many of the other people here have suggested leopards and beardy's are good but if you buy a baby they are really small and fragile so just make sure he doesnt crush it :)
hope this helped

take it EZ

[LISA127]

no chameleons for a 10 year old! i would suggest a blue tongue skink. they are the best lizards for kids. don't mind being handled and they enjoy time out of the cage, walking around. mine even walks around with the dog and cats. easy to feed and care for also, and very hardy. they are a perfect size, not too small, not too big.

[stretch]

I would suggest an anole lizard. That was my first lizard when I was a little kid and I had no problems taking care of it.

[nouserpif]

Leopard gecko or fat tailed. The whole wanting a chameleon thing is just kind of a reputation for chameleons. My friend wanted a chameleon (mostly because of the colour changing and stuff) but when I showed him what he would need, he decided against it. Leo's are cheap and easy to set up, and are great pets from what I hear.
Dan Conner

[reverendsterlin]

I must support Leo's but havre always luved the Cuban Knight. Just my .02

[JD@reptiles]

Just tell him you cant handle a cham. it stresses them out and they are fragile. that might work.

Jordan :)

[snakemann87]

I would go for a leopard gecko, or a bearded dragon. Both are very forgiving and easy in husbandry. But, an anole was mentioned and I would have to disagree completely. They are harder to care than most think. They don't simply need a little plastic container. They eat ALOT of food since they digest so fast and they are totally unhandleable

[NewLineReptile]

what about a plated lizard they are very tame and easy to care for?

[MartinW]

I have one more vote for a leo! But the only lizards I've owned have been leos and green anoles so it's not a very informed vote :) If he chooses to get a leo I recommend getting a female because IMO they're much cuter than males. I don't know if there's a general difference in behaviour between males and females though.

Martin

[uog11]

leopard or pictus! why doesn't anyone ever suggest pictus