What type for a Noob?

[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.