Good Beginner Lizard

[agentcooper]

I'm thinking about getting some sort of lizard and was wondering if anyone had some suggestions. They are all really cool but I don't want to pick one based on looks alone. I really like the crested geckos, they are super cute. I'm not thinking about getting one for a while just looking into it for the future(once my Ball Python out grows her aquarium).

[siz]

Hey! I live in Peterborough too!!

Personally I love crested geckos, I have 5, and other species of Rhacodactylus are also AWESOME. I currently also have R.chahoua and am in the process of buying a R.leachianus..so I might be a bit biased LOL. Members of the Rhac family include crested geckos, gargoyle geckos, chahoua geckos, sarasinorum geckos, and leachianus geckos. There is also another member, the trachy, but they are super rare and expensive.

Rhacs are great because you can house one in a 15 or 20 g tall tank, they don't need extra lighting (UV or heat..thier temps are about 72-80), and you can feed them an insect free diet if you choose.
The most simple and efficient way of feeding your rhac is the MRP. They eat a meal replacement powder (MRP) called Crested Gecko Diet (CGD). CGD has everything any member of the Rhac family needs nutritionally. You can feed crickets however and I recommend doing so, if you do, you must lightly dust your crickets with calcium powder with D3. Only feed insects once or maybe twice a week. I find they aren't interested in worms.
You need to mist daily, well, nightly to keep humidity up and to allow your gecko to drink. I find they prefer drinking from droplets than bowls but a water bowl never hurts. Humidity should be at about 60%.
Cresteds are easy to handle and are not aggressive.
I recommend using paper towel as substrate it is a lot easier to clean and there is no risk of impaction.
Plus cresteds come in many different colours and patterns, there is plenty to choose from.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask :) I know some great gecko people in the area. If you decide to get a crestie or a rhac I can explain their care in a bit more detail if you want lol.

Alternatively, you could get a bearded dragon, or a leopard gecko. Dragons tend to be on the expensive side and are a bit more work but are great reptiles and really are worth it. I have 5 dragons so I can explain their care if you'd like. They need about a 40g or 50g tank fully grown.
Leos need a heat pad or light and eat live insects and are fairly cheap to maintain. They need a 10g tank.

[Will0W783]

Crested geckos are good, so are bearded lizards. If you get a beardie though, for a beginner I'd recommend a juvenile or adult- babies can be fragile and finicky. Leopard geckos are also good beginner lizards.

[Wolfus_305]

Hi there,
I have a crested gecko and so far haven't had any problems with him. He's pretty easy to take care of and super cute.
I also have an adult bearded dragon. I didn't get him when he was a baby though because i adopted him. The only thing is that i wish i could take him out and watch tv with him or sit with him but he's very sharp.. =[ so if you're looking for a lizard you can handle a lot you might not want a beardie.
Cheers
Kendra

[agentcooper]

Yeah I want a reptile I can handle. I think I handle my ball too much at this point and if I had another I could spread it out a little more. Lower maintenance is good too. Not that I'm not capable but it is just easier to start off with. I think the crested geckos are really really cute and would love to have one. Actually looking at Kendras is what motivated me to get one.

Hey Siz I'm moving up to Peterborough for September first. We should hang out and go for a coffee or St. Veronus(I love it and am secretly moving there for it).

[Will0W783]

Most beardies from what I understand are usually very docile and easy to handle. But there are exceptions to every rule. I had two and one was a sweetie and the other one was spazzy.

[siz]

Yay! I'm down for that :) You can come see my geckos too. It will seal the deal, they are tooo cute. ;)

Dragons are pretty docile and are usually content with sitting on your lap or running around your floor. Most of ours just chill with you, there is one who is a bit hyper and loves running around but for the most part they are quite relaxed. As I mentioned though, they are the most work out of the reptiles mentioned so far. They need UV, heat, salad and insects, large enclosures...but they are awesome and are worth it if you are willing to put the work in. I find they tolerate handling a bit better than cresteds, but not by alot.
I definatley prefer Rhac geckos, their care is simple are they are a joy to work with. (oh, did I mention their poop isn't HALF as bad!? heh heh) Go with what you think you would love, dragons are dinural so they are awake in the day, which is a plus. You can watch them and their antics - they are hilarious. Cresteds are nocturnal so you don't really see them during the day - I usually only hanlde my cresteds at night when they are awake already but that is my choice. It's fun watching them at night though, if you are up.

[Will0W783]

Oh, beardie poop is horrible! I think it is the smelliest of reptile poop. Every time Spike would go, it was enough to choke a donkey!!!

[Wolfus_305]

Ahah when i read "spike" i immediately thought you were talking about my beardie, Spike but then i realized that spike probably isn't an uncommon beardie name. :)

[Will0W783]

Ah yes, I imagine a lot of people have beardies named Spike. My ex named her actually. She was a great lizard.

[Wolfus_305]

Mine is pretty well behaved as long as you don't try to pick him up. The second you go to pick him up he starts thrashing about in a crazy manner and then even with gloves my arms still get all scratched.

[Smilts]

Honestly a Argentine Tegu isnt much harder to keep than most geckos and I find there more receptive to handling. Diet is a bit harder than a gecko, and I say Argentine, not Columbian :)...

[agentcooper]

They look like they get quite big. How big of an enclosure do you need for them?

[Smilts]

They are very large 4ft range... So a really big cage is in order 6-8ft...

[agentcooper]

I would really love to have a large lizard but really not practical. I have an apartment and I move fairly often. I'm just looking for a little guy.

[Will0W783]

Well in that case, I'd go with a gecko. I kept a crested, a leopard gecko and a white-lined gecko while I was in my dorm at college..lol. I loved them. I still have my leopard gecko and my white-lined gecko (he is going on 6 years old now). They are very easy to care for and quite portable. I also have a new crestie named Yoda who's a sweetie. But he won't eat any crested gecko diet, even though I've tried him on three brands. All he wants is crickets and he used to lap baby food (organic, no sugar added kind) off my finger but he will only take a few licks. Any ideas, Jess??
Geckos are more portable than a beardie or tegu or any of the agamids.

[siz]

Often cresteds get 'addicted' to baby food like snakes do to mice. Really the trick is to be consistent, feed him in the same spot every day and not change the food brand/flavour too much. IMO the best MRP brand is Repashy Superfoods Crested Gecko Diet (available in bags and T-Rex bottles). Keep in mind they won't starve themselves and often you don't even notice that they have ate, depending on the consistency of the food itself, and how many licks they take lol. I'd say just keeping trying, be persistant and don't change your routine. I know someone and it took almost 2 months for them to get their gecko to completely switch over! Eventually the geckos realize they aren't getting any more junk food and switch over. It's not that they don't like CGD - mine love it - it's just that they would RATHER eat that crap haha.
If you want to make sure he isn't just stretching himself between cricket feedings, cut the insects altogether until you know he is feeding well on CGD.
Repashy is also available in 2-part diet which is the base, with all the good stuff, and flavour, which sweetens and adds...flavour ;) There are about 10 different flavours so it gives you lots of room to experiment with what your geckos like. The 1-part mix however has rose, strawberry, banana and mango (or fig I forget) all mixed together and I find it to be a big hit. If you put the bag (unmixed) in the frisge it lasts like a year so it won't go bad on you.
Another thing you could do is mix it with baby food in decreasing amounts to get them used to thew taste. This works, but I'm not a fan. Baby food is junk to geckos and it messes with the nutritional balance of the CGD.
Alternativley, you could feed the smoothie mix with crickets but it is way easier to feed the CGD because it is hard to get the correct nutritional balance by yourself.
Remember to only feed crix about twice a week :)
Hope that made sence I've been a little out of whack today.

[Will0W783]

Thanks Siz. Where can I get this Repashy superfoods CGD? I haven't been giving him baby food since you mentioned it was bad for him months ago. So the only thing I can see he's been eating for the last three months is crickets. I keep mixing up the CGD and putting it in a little dish for him, but he lets it sit there and dry out. Maybe he's been eating a tiny bit of it, but I examine it closely and can't see any little licks or anything. I will try a different brand for him and hopefully that he'll eat.

[siz]

I'll PM you ;)

[siz]

You should be able to leave the diet in there for two nights. Sometimes it takes a bit of experimenting to get the right consistency. Like I said sometimes you don't even notice but it sounds like he is holding out for crickets. Just be solid with your feeding patterns and eventually he will eat it :) A cricket-only diet isn't all that healthy as these geckos actually eat mostly rotting fruit as opposed to insects(in the wild), it can/will eventually result in MBD even with supplementation of the insects.