What type for a Noob?

[marionsclan]

Hi there.

Some of you have seen me around the other forums because I own a BP, but now I am curious of maybe adding a Lizard to my collection, mainly because my kids were interested, and wanted to know which one is the best for a Noob like me? I say me, because I need to be comfortable with it first before I can teach my kids the proper handling techniques, etc.

My basic requirements would be for it to be tame or easily tamable, low maintenance, and stay small in size (2' or less).

[Freebody]

geckos and beardies are always easy to keep and tame.

[stephanbakir]

Beardies are larger then 2' but still fantastic. So are most skinks and geckos.

[NennaMeerkat]

Being the owner of two Leopard Geckos and a rather old Bearded Dragon, my suggestion would be split.

Beardies as babies need a good supply of crickets (or roaches if you can get them) but then you have to gradually change them over to a mostly veggie diet. And since they have a generally small window of veggies that are good for them it can get somewhat costly. They also need a larger tank (40 gallon breeder tank is good) and a special UV bulb that is also fairly expensive. However Beardies are very gentle lizards as adolescents and adults. My guy loves to just hang out on my shoulder and enjoys going out and about with me to places in which lizards are allowed. My 6 year old loves to pet him and enjoys feeding him.

Leopard Geckos don't need as much as a Bearded Dragon as far as room goes, don't need a special light, and never need anything more than crickets. I have my 2 girls in a 30 gallon tank. Because my environment is warm (I live in Texas) they don't need any extra heat day or night. Leopards are nocturnal and any direct sunlight or other light can hurt their eyes. So your best time to bring them out is at dusk when they start getting active. They stay fairly small and I have noticed with both my girls that petting them usually causes them to dash a bit and if you put them somewhere they are gonna move off and try to find someplace to hide. They can also lose their tails if they feel threatened and can take a long while to grow back. With one of my girls her eyesight isn't very good so she has to be fed crickets in a special separate container. They also have to have access to a moist hide AND a little dish of calcium at all times. Sometimes leopards can have shed stuck to their toes and if not removed can eventually end up in the loss of the end of a toe. Because of their lower need for humidity, no need for special lighting, and feeding off of crickets they can be considered good. They also are unlikely to bite but are energetic.

Both lizards have their negatives and positives. Since beardies get larger and are generally more docile as adults...OH! And they live about 6-7 years while leopards live about 20-25 years...I guess my thing would be a bearded dragon.

[TeaNinja]

leopard geckos are awesome, crickets as a food source can get annoying though.
i kind of wish i still had mine.

[NennaMeerkat]

leopard geckos are awesome, crickets as a food source can get annoying though.
i kind of wish i still had mine.

Go get you a couple then Tea ;)

[TeaNinja]

the reason i got rid of her is because the cricket supply in my town sucks. i have to buy in little boxes and they are always like 3/4 dead and the larges aren't even that big. if i drive 25 minutes to petco in the next town they have garbage cans full of crickets they breed so i can just bag up as many big healthy ones as i want, but it's not worth wasting all that gas. not to mention i'd need to get a timer to switch the light off when it's getting to be night time because i'm not always home.

although when i had the leo i didn't have my car back yet or a job. now i have both lol.

but byyyyy god did i enjoy observing her all the time. VERY awesome, super cute, entertaining animals.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/geckosleeping001.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/waterbowlpillow006.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/sleeping001.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/dogsandgecko024.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/dogsandgecko025.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/dogsandgecko029.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/dogsandgecko032.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/waterbowl006.jpg

i hope the people i rehomed her to took good care of her, i really liked her a lot. they seemed like they cared but they seemed kind of stupid also lol.

[NennaMeerkat]

Why not just use natural lighting of your home to keep the light cycle going? CA this time of year should be more than warm enough that you don't have to worry about extra heat from lamps and such...though the cricket situation would be a pain in the behind. But who knows maybe since you last searched someone in your area may have opened up that does crickets that aren't those crappy boxed ones.

[marionsclan]

You can order them in bulk online now.

Thanks for all the information. I think a bearded Dragon may be the way to go. My friend has a young one and he is hilarious the way he bounces around when I move my finger across the glass. So funny!

[marionsclan]

My guy loves to just hang out on my shoulder and enjoys going out and about with me to places in which lizards are allowed. My 6 year old loves to pet him and enjoys feeding him.

What about relieving himself, does he do that on your shoulder when he is out too long?

[NennaMeerkat]

He has never pooed on me once. And I have had him out for 6+ hours before. No he has a preference of where he likes to poo and it just isn't on me. Now I can't say if every dragon is like that or not. But my guy doesn't like to poo on me.

[TeaNinja]

my friend has a bearded named Johnson (from halo 1) that just lives free in his room under his chair and dresser and wherever else. theres a little patch of tile in the room that he seems to use as his bathroom. i always loved how the leopard geckos make 1 corner of their tank a bathroom. they aren't living in their own filth, and it makes cleanup easier.

[NennaMeerkat]

my friend has a bearded named Johnson (from halo 1) that just lives free in his room under his chair and dresser and wherever else. theres a little patch of tile in the room that he seems to use as his bathroom. i always loved how the leopard geckos make 1 corner of their tank a bathroom. they aren't living in their own filth, and it makes cleanup easier.

My girls have yet to start doing this. They use the b-room all over their tank! Though they seem to enjoy (the most) using the very top of a large piece of drift wood. But they will also use the tall bowl I keep meal worms in for them (no worries they get crickets too, but you never know when someone will want a snack).

[reptile65]

I am a huge fan of crested geckos. Here's a care sheet on them: Crested Gecko Care Sheet (http://www.pangeareptile.com/store/crested-gecko-care-sheet-en.html)

A leopard gecko would also be a good choice. I'm a huge fan of geckos in general. That's why I have 8 of them! Haha

[infernalis]

I feed my Leo baby roaches, he loves them.

a very small Dubia colony in another 10 gallon tank will feed a couple leopard geckos nicely.

[NennaMeerkat]

Only problem I got with roaches is:
1. No one around my area sells them
2. I am in no mood to raise food at this time

If I could find someone around that sells roaches I wouldn't have a problem with them I suppose. Other than roaches really creep me out sometimes.

[KD35WIN.AS.ONE]

how much would a whole set up cost for 1 leopard gecko cost?

[SpOoKy]

roaches really creep me out sometimes.

They REALLY creep me out after they molt and they are white! eeewwww!!!

[Jay]

how much would a whole set up cost for 1 leopard gecko cost?

Retail, $100 - $200
Used, $ 50 - $100 (Including gecko)

[Dehlida]

I would generally say go with either a crested gecko or a leopard gecko as your first lizard. Both are extremely easy to keep and require next to nothing outside of crickets/roaches. If you breed roaches- which is extremely easy you'll never even have to pay for food, and your upkeep will be next to nothing depending on where you live.
how much would a whole set up cost for 1 leopard gecko cost?
If you use stuff laying around the house- only as much as you pay for the gecko ($10-15 at an expo). Use a rubbermaid tub, with some little containers as a hide, water dish, moisthide etc. If you keep your house warm like me- no heating elements are even needed, extremely easy to keep.

[reptile65]

I would generally say go with either a crested gecko or a leopard gecko as your first lizard. Both are extremely easy to keep and require next to nothing outside of crickets/roaches. If you breed roaches- which is extremely easy you'll never even have to pay for food, and your upkeep will be next to nothing depending on where you live.

If you use stuff laying around the house- only as much as you pay for the gecko ($10-15 at an expo). Use a rubbermaid tub, with some little containers as a hide, water dish, moisthide etc. If you keep your house warm like me- no heating elements are even needed, extremely easy to keep.


I agree that both are easy to keep, but I'd also like to add a couple things. Crested geckos shouldn't be fed a diet of only insects. The best choice is to feed Repashy crested gecko diet with occasional insects if desired. The CGD is completely balanced nutritionally.

Dehlida, do you really keep your house at 90 degrees?? That's insane, haha.

[Dehlida]

I agree that both are easy to keep, but I'd also like to add a couple things. Crested geckos shouldn't be fed a diet of only insects. The best choice is to feed Repashy crested gecko diet with occasional insects if desired. The CGD is completely balanced nutritionally.

Dehlida, do you really keep your house at 90 degrees?? That's insane, haha.
I have 2 reptile rooms kept between 80-85, with a bit higher humidity than normal for around here. Yes, cresteds do do better on the diet, although I've had success with both over the years.