What is a good beginner's reptile? (besides a cornsake)

[*Don't Mind Me*]

I am looking foward to buying and keeping a reptile this summer, but I do not know where to start. I like snakes, but I think I'd rather start with something other than a snake. This won't be the first reptile I've ever had, but hopefully it will live longer (don't judge, I was inexperienced:sorry:).
I like to start in the summer because where I live, it is pretty warm, so I do not have to worry about it freezing the very first night.
This is my first post and I hope this community can help me think of a good beginner's herp to start with. Thank you!

[infernalis]

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[Kayla90]

Welcome to the forum :D

[theapexgerman]

Welcome to the forum get a dumeril boa there awesom I love mine

[BarelyBreathing]

What are you looking for in terms of a new pet? Are you looking for something that is handleable, or something that is "look, but don't touch"?

How about size? What size is good for you, and how big of an enclousre can you provide?

What is your budget for this animal? How much do you want to spend on the animal itself and the initial set up? How much do you want to spend on it a week in feeding and bedding supplies?

What type of food are you willing to feed it? What resources do you have available?

How much time are you willing to take out of your day to take care of your reptile?

Can you provide expensive UV-B lights and fixtures knowing that the bulbs will need to be replaced every six months, or would you prefer an animal that doesn't require UV-B?

[Swany]

Hi and welcome to the madhouse ;-)

[alessia55]

Welcome to the forum. Answering BarelyBreathing's questions will help us help you figure out what would be best :)

[GarterPython]

I vote Crested Gecko right of the bat. No questions asked! I love my little guy and you don't need a uvb light and you don't even need a light at all. They don't get very big so you don't need a big tank. Best of all is there are lots of cool morphs to choose from. Leopard geckos are also very cool.

[*Don't Mind Me*]

Well I guess I wouldn't feel to excited to start touching and handling the snake, but neither would I just stare at it (Curiousity would be unstoppable). As for the budget, I don't want an animal to exotic or costing over the 75 dollar range, because with the cost of the reptile supplies, food, and vivarium it might be hard to get it all at once (I'm guessing around $150 or $200 total)
As for taking care of it, I will give up at least 2 or 3 hours of my day. I see your point with the UV-B light, so probably something without the need for UV-B.
I would feel comfortable feeding it dead prey (If herp a carnivore). Live insects and mice would probably be okay, but I would prefer the prey not alive and squirming.
My house is a little crowded so space could be an issue if my pet grows to big. I don't know the exact dimmensions of space I have available, so something small would be good. Thanks for reading this and thanks for the comment. :)

[red ink]

G'day and welcome

[BarelyBreathing]

I'm going to agree with a crested gecko. You can feed them Repashy Crested Gecko Diet (it's a powder that you add water to), and that can substitute as a complete meal.

If you don't mind spending a bit more money, a blue tongue skink could also be a good choice.

[*Don't Mind Me*]

I will think about it, geckos have always been interesting to me, and I will look into the Crested gecko idea to see what exactly I need. Hopefully it will be within my price range and thanks!:bouncy:

[alessia55]

A crested gecko would be a good choice if you want something that's not a snake...
Otherwise, a sand boa, a rosy boa, a california kingsnake, or a corn snake are all good snake options too. :)

[theapexgerman]

And can't forget bout a dumeril boa lol there better than a ball xD

[alessia55]

And can't forget bout a dumeril boa lol there better than a ball xD

I think the OP is looking for something that will stay much smaller than a dumeril boa.

[reptile65]

If space is an issue, I wouldn't go with a Dumeril's boa. Although they are smaller than your average red tail boa, they still need a pretty decent sized cage.

I would agree with the crested gecko recommendation. Their care is very simple. One thing to keep in mind though is that they are nocturnal and hide most of the day, so they're not very interactive. I don't see my crested geckos most of the time unless I actually go in and try to find where they're hiding.

[theapexgerman]

A male dumeril won't get much bigger than a ball python and are less common than a ball

[alessia55]

A male dumeril won't get much bigger than a ball python and are less common than a ball

You're kidding, right? I don't know a single dumeril boa that as an adult is the same size of a male ball python. Male ball pythons top out around 3.5-4ft, and dumeril males are upwards of 4ft, usually between 4.5 and 6ft. Plus they get much larger girth wise, so you have to factor in that size too.

[theapexgerman]

But a female ball could get bigger than a male dumeril I don't called 1 foot to much more longer

Edit look at exwizard popeye is a little over 5 foot

[alessia55]

But a female ball could get bigger than a male dumeril I don't called 1 foot to much more longer

Yeah but thicker... Dumerils can go up to 15 lbs or more... Just sayin', the OP wants a small animal... I don't think dumerils fit that :p

[reptile65]

Yeah but thicker... Dumerils can go up to 15 lbs or more... Just sayin', the OP wants a small animal... I don't think dumerils fit that :p

Not to mention the OP said they don't really want to start with a snake...

[theapexgerman]

He didn't say he wanted something small tho

[reptile65]

He didn't say he wanted something small tho


Yes he did ;)

My house is a little crowded so space could be an issue if my pet grows to big. I don't know the exact dimmensions of space I have available, so something small would be good.

[*Don't Mind Me*]

I've seen rosy boas and kingsnakes before and they don't seem to big, so they could be good also. I'm not so sure about the dumeril's boa though, heard they can grow to 8 ft almost, but still a beautiful snake.:D

[theapexgerman]

Eh must of miss it but what I get for haveing a small screen on my phone my bad peopls

[lady_bug87]

If you can find lacertas near you I would get one of those they are super active and can fit in a 3 x2

[theapexgerman]

I've seen rosy boas and kingsnakes before and they don't seem to big, so they could be good also. I'm not so sure about the dumeril's boa though, heard they can grow to 8 ft almost, but still a beautiful snake.:D
Females can but males won't never get that big you be lucky at 6 foot but there so cool and lot better IMO than a ball

[*Don't Mind Me*]

It doesn't sound to big I guess, but still not the snake I'm ready for. Maybe in the future...

[theapexgerman]

Your best bet is go to a reptile show and check out all of the stuff there your bound to find something you like

[red ink]

Any of the antaresia pythons would be great for a beginer and only one of them even just nudges over 4 foot. All of then can be kept in a tank that's only 36 x 18 x 18.

[UwabamiReptiles]

If you don't want a snake, then I too would agree with a crested gecko. They sound like the best fit for you from all info you have given us. If you do want a snake, the only pythons that would what you said would be one of antaresia pythons red ink recommended.(you can never go wrong with an Australian animal) If you want some with some more color, I personally think a cal king wouldn't be a bad idea. They stay small, they're great eaters, and they are nice to look at.

At the end of day, we can recommend animals but it will be ultimately up to you what you want. Whatever you choose, be sure to research the crap out of it and don't be shy about asking questions on here. There are a lot of very knowledgeable people on this forum. Just remember that you will have to care for which animal you get everday for many years if you do everything right. Just get something that you won't get bored with a few months from now.

[*Don't Mind Me*]

At the end of day, we can recommend animals but it will be ultimately up to you what you want. Whatever you choose, be sure to research the crap out of it and don't be shy about asking questions on here. There are a lot of very knowledgeable people on this forum. Just remember that you will have to care for which animal you get everday for many years if you do everything right. Just get something that you won't get bored with a few months from now.
:yes:Thanks, getting a pet is pretty big deal that should be taken seriously. I will live on the above quote:)