Making an informed decision

[milk man]

Well, thanks a lot guys! I'm now addicted! I have been thinking of adding something new to my collection of one :p but I need some advice. I have a ten gallon to fill. I am not sure what I want, but I am doing my research and looking around. I have come up with a few candidates and would like to get some pros and cons from you guys. I will try to wait for repticon in July, but I make no promises.

The first candidate would be Some sort of colubrid. I was thinking a trans-peco rat snake (baby) or maybe a corn snake. My only concern with this is I only have one VE-200 thermostat, and might not be able to afford another right away. So could I use one piece of heat cable to heat both tanks? They are 10 and 30 gal.

My second candidate is a pacman frog. I have loved these guys since I was a child. I wouldn't need any supplemental heat because the room I will have him in is always 75-80*F. My only concern with this is the local pet shops keep them in water only, and sometimes its to deep for them to stand. Will this effect the health of the frog?I was thinking of getting one online but I'm not sure how well they do in shipping.

My last candidate (for now) is a scorpion. I don't know which kind but I love the look of them and think they are fascinating creatures! Not many concerns I can think of here just need your opinion the good and bad of caring for them.

[Starbuck]

i've had good luck keeping emporer scorpions in the past, but i wasnt crazy about them/their behavior. They are more active than most tarantulas (or mine was) AT NIGHT, during the day mine just hid out. Also turned into a pain to buy crixs every week as no one else was eating crix at the time.
I've never kept a pacman frog, but after seeing some of the colors they come in now, i was definitely thinking about it at the last expo ;)

TBH my vote is for colubrid :) Get something really interesting, that you can enjoy for the next 20 years. For a rat/corn however you will eventually need a bigger tank. What about pacific garter snakes? very nice colors there...

[boosh96]

May I suggest a Budgett's frog? They're like a Pacman frog except they're aquatic. It's my humble opinion that these are more fun to keep, but that's just me. I posted a care sheet a while back-here ya go: The Budgett's Frog Care Sheet! (http://www.frogforum.net/budgetts-frogs/16121-budgetts-frog-care-sheet.html)

[milk man]

i've had good luck keeping emporer scorpions in the past, but i wasnt crazy about them/their behavior. They are more active than most tarantulas (or mine was) AT NIGHT, during the day mine just hid out. Also turned into a pain to buy crixs every week as no one else was eating crix at the time.
I've never kept a pacman frog, but after seeing some of the colors they come in now, i was definitely thinking about it at the last expo ;)

TBH my vote is for colubrid :) Get something really interesting, that you can enjoy for the next 20 years. For a rat/corn however you will eventually need a bigger tank. What about pacific garter snakes? very nice colors there...


I was worried they might hide all day. Did you they ever come out during the day?

I relize I would need a bigger tank for the rat/corn. I have all ranges of tank sizes but only the 10 gal has a locking lid right now. I'm thinking of putting wood tops on all my empty tanks but am not sure what the best construction would be.

[Starbuck]

there are some species of scorpions that are more diurnal, and the desert ones tend to be a bit more active i think (also they typically have less to hide under in their vids). However, you soon start to get into the more venomous ones when you go that route. Do your research and make sure you know what you are getting.
What about an axolotl? they *can* be housed permanently in a 10 gal, and are incredibly easy to keep, provided you can keep them cool enough (water temp UNDER 70 degrees)!

[milk man]

there are some species of scorpions that are more diurnal, and the desert ones tend to be a bit more active i think (also they typically have less to hide under in their vids). However, you soon start to get into the more venomous ones when you go that route. Do your research and make sure you know what you are getting.
What about an axolotl? they *can* be housed permanently in a 10 gal, and are incredibly easy to keep, provided you can keep them cool enough (water temp UNDER 70 degrees)!

I would love a desert scorpion, but as you said a lot of them are very venomous.

An axolotl would be cool, but I have kept aquariums for my whole life and I am tired of maintaining them. As for water temp, it is nearly impossible to keep it below 70*F without a chiller, which is around $600 for a good one. When you start adding pumps it raises the temp at least 5*F per pump.

May I suggest a Budgett's frog? They're like a Pacman frog except they're aquatic. It's my humble opinion that these are more fun to keep, but that's just me. I posted a care sheet a while back-here ya go: The Budgett's Frog Care Sheet! (http://www.frogforum.net/budgetts-frogs/16121-budgetts-frog-care-sheet.html)

I love aquatic frogs but I'm not up for taking on another aquatic creature right now.

I am open to anything that doesn't involve water changes. Except for water bowls of course. :laugh:

[Terranaut]

Do not heat 2 tanks with 1 thermostat. That's just asking for trouble. Might I recomend a bull,gopher or pine snake. Pits are a great colubrid to keep. Intrresting behavior, great eaters and easy to keep. Check them out.

[DragonsEye]

Scorpions, giant centipedes, or tarantulas if you wish something different and low maintenance. Though with scorps and centipedes you do start running into venom issues, climbing glass is not their forte`(though I'd advise having some sort of lid/screen just for piece of mind) so escapees are quite unlikely -- far less so than with a snake. As with any venomous animal, they obviously are look-but-don't-handle pets. While most scorps, centipedes, and Ts are primarily nocturnal, many will also come out around dusk. One plus to them is that most do not require supplemental heating. (During the heat of the day, most desert scorps & pretty much all the Ts seek shade or a cool burrow to hide out.) Some are more prone to hide than others but from the animal's standpoint it makes a great deal of sense -- hiding unless seeking food or a mate betters one's chance of survival.

Wolf spiders are often active by day, and depending on how you feel about rounding up small prey items, the jumping spiders are always active by day.

You might also consider mantids though some species do have high humidity requirements and some will require flies as a food source.

[milk man]

Do not heat 2 tanks with 1 thermostat. That's just asking for trouble. Might I recomend a bull,gopher or pine snake. Pits are a great colubrid to keep. Intrresting behavior, great eaters and easy to keep. Check them out.

Aren't whole racks heated with one thermostat and heat cable. If so why would it be a problem heating two tanks this way? I may be wrong but I don't see a difference.

Scorpions, giant centipedes, or tarantulas if you wish something different and low maintenance. Though with scorps and centipedes you do start running into venom issues, climbing glass is not their forte`(though I'd advise having some sort of lid/screen just for piece of mind) so escapees are quite unlikely -- far less so than with a snake. As with any venomous animal, they obviously are look-but-don't-handle pets. While most scorps, centipedes, and Ts are primarily nocturnal, many will also come out around dusk. One plus to them is that most do not require supplemental heating. (During the heat of the day, most desert scorps & pretty much all the Ts seek shade or a cool burrow to hide out.) Some are more prone to hide than others but from the animal's standpoint it makes a great deal of sense -- hiding unless seeking food or a mate betters one's chance of survival.

Wolf spiders are often active by day, and depending on how you feel about rounding up small prey items, the jumping spiders are always active by day.

You might also consider mantids though some species do have high humidity requirements and some will require flies as a food source.

I relise scorpions are a no touch pet, and I'm ok with that. I wouldn't want to cause stress on them anyway. I can't do spiders even if I wasn't a total wuss about them.

I do like mantids but they only live for one season. I dont know whether that is a pro or con in my book. On one hand I wouldn't be stuck with a demanding animal if it turns out I cant handle the requirements. On the other hand If the care is manageable I would have to replace them every year. I'm not sure about this one, but I'm gonna read up on them anyway.

Thanks for the help guys! If anyone can give me any advice on pacman frogs it would be appreciated. They are still #2 on my list.