Good beginner lizard?

[prairiepanda]

You're looking at waaay less cost than a cat or dog! My cat is by far the most expensive pet I own, and I don't spoil her too much. For the geckos a $17 bag of food powder lasted me around 8 months when I just had one gecko. Mine eat Pangea, but Repashy is similarly priced and individuals have different taste preferences. Both brands produce multiple flavors. Mine like watermelon or papaya best. I use newspaper as substrate, so that doesn't cost me anything...really the only ongoing cost I have is the food. Monthly costs are a bigger concern for other lizards. Start-up cost can vary depending on how you go about it though.

40 gal is actually pretty huge, although excess space would not cause any stress so if you want a nice big display tank then that would be perfectly fine. You could house two or three female cresteds together in an enclosure that size. Female cresteds usually do well communally, but male cresteds or gargoyles of either gender tend to be rather aggressive towards others. For one gecko, something the size of a 12"x12"x18" exo terra is a great size. You can get real nice acrylic ones that size for around $50, or save money by modifying a plastic bin to use. Height is important because they are arboreal, and you should provide plenty of plastic plants to hide in and things to climb. You shouldn't need to get an actual hide if there's enough plants in there. Fake plants from craft stores can be cheaper than pet store ones, but you need to make sure the dyes don't rub off when wet. You can get bendable branches from pet shops which are pretty cool, but sticks from outside are free you just need to sterilize them. A lot of people even just use those cardboard egg crates and toilet paper tubes, which provide hiding and climbing surfaces and are either free or really cheap(they dry pretty quickly so it's okay to be misting them every day). Those need to be changed often though because you can't clean the poop off. All in all, you're looking at $50 to $200 for setup costs depending on how fancy you make it. The gecko itself will probably be at least $40 for a crested or $60 for a garg. The price can be much higher if you're after a fancy morph, though. Usually unsexed babies are cheapest.

By the way, these guys are nocturnal and will only be active at night, but you can handle them during the day no problem.