Reptiles

Farmlife

My 10/11 year old sons are looking for a lizard type reptile so i'm looking for a bit of advice on something appropriate, it needs to be

1. Safe for handling
2. Not too expensive (for reptile and living quarters)
3. Easy to maintain

In that order,
Thanks

Bobby Baccala

Green Anole, i picked one up for about 15 euro, a vivarium for one of them shouldn't cost more than 30 euro, it's the lights that cost a fair amount of money when it comes to keeping reptiles, you'll need a UV light and a heat lamp, the UV light isn't too cheap but the heat lamp isn't bad in price.

pokertalk

gekko would be your best bet you could get a viv second hand and a gekko for around 40/50 euro all you need is a heat mat a hide, fresh drinking water cork bark and try and get as big a viv as possible. no reptile is safe to handle when it comes to hygene so washing hands after you handle them is a must but do not wash them before. when buying a gekko you will need to get one with a nice fat tale and good size .imo reptiles are not great pets for little peeps as they will want to handle it alot which they are not mad about but if your heart is set then a gekko is prob the way to go.http://www.leopardgecko.com/leopard-gecko-care

Farmlife

as in safety i meant more that they will be left with hands to wash after

just looking into it a bit and it seems that they need daily attention, where as snakes can be left (in there adult days) for up to a week, think that might be more the road to go down

pokertalk

well a snake would be just as safe but in order to keep them from biting they would need to be handled quite alot if ya want a snake then a corn snake would be good. they need fresh basking water every day and also need to be misted too so there would be less care with a gekko the bite might be harmless but they dont brush their teeth:o gekko wont eat every day and do not like being handled much

Bobby Baccala

If it's a snake you're looking for a milk snake would probably be your best bet, fairly harmless creatures and look real nice, a friend of mine has had a few snakes over the years and the majority of them have managed to escape, that might be a problem you'd have to deal with if you don't get a top quality tank for him.

cos!!

Lizard wise, leopard geckos and bearded dragons would generally be the best starter lizards so to speak, bearded dragons being better in my opinion, but their setup will be a bit more expensive as they need UVB lighting, (the geckos dont as they're nocturnal) and more space. Check out both online and see which you prefer. Snake wise i would agree with corn snakes, generally mind mannered and easy to handle, good grubbers and dont grow too big. A corn was my first snake.

Demonique

P4DDY2K11 wrote: »

If it's a snake you're looking for a milk snake would probably be your best bet, fairly harmless creatures and look real nice, a friend of mine has had a few snakes over the years and the majority of them have managed to escape, that might be a problem you'd have to deal with if you don't get a top quality tank for him.

Whilst milksnakes are harmless they can be quite nervous and instead of biting they'll wee on you when you pick them up.

A cornsnake is a better pet, you can get them in rather nice colours, they tame down quite well and aren't nervous like milksnakes



As for lizards, a leopard gecko would be the easiest to take care of, anoles again can be nervous. Leopard geckos are tame and tolerate handling.

Bearded dragons are probably the best choice in regards to friendliness, they'll take notice of you whilst the little leopards only seem to be interested when you put food in front of them

Dutchology

rgugliel wrote: »

My 10/11 year old sons are looking for a lizard type reptile so i'm looking for a bit of advice on something appropriate, it needs to be

1. Safe for handling
2. Not too expensive (for reptile and living quarters)
3. Easy to maintain

In that order,
Thanks

Hi rgugliel,

Lizard wise, your cheapest to set up and easiest to maintain is a Leopard Gecko. They don't require additional UV (though it has been debated). Bearded Dragons can be quite expensive to set up and their UV tube needs to be changed every 6 months. They require daily feeding with veg and bugs. Leopard Geckos require daily feeding with crickets/worms. They are reasonably cheap to set up and purchase themselves.

If you'd rather buy from a breeder than a shop (can end up cheaper, and you can find cheap second hand set up) you can take a look at some of the Irish Reptile Forums. There are 3 of them and you should be able to find what you're looking for there.

Best of luck, reptiles are great pets and it's fantastic to see more getting into them. Do bear in mind though, there's a high chance as with any pet that if the novelty wears off, it'll become your reptile!

Milca

dbrock

have a look at desert iguanas , they tame down very well, are small and vegetarian , they do need uv lighting though

Cameron Poe

Desert Iguanas are almost all wild caught. They do make good pets though.

dbrock

Cameron Poe wrote: »

Desert Iguanas are almost all wild caught. They do make good pets though.

thats a pity its still like that, i have breed quiet a few of these in the past, great little lizard

antocann

i have a desert iguana ,

their he is


but id honestly say , get a good setup and go for a beardie , theirs so many of them needing homes ,

mutznutz

Definately agree with the post about leopard geckos and beardies being the best to go for ... their is always one or two of these on done deal for sale .. i have rehomed many and always enjoy them .. unfortunately unresponsible people buy these animals on a whim and then lose interest and try to sell them...so for this reason youll always find one or two for sale .. chinese water dragons are a cool pet too .. very colourful... my first reptile pet was a californian king snake .. lovely animal and a bit more intelligent then a corn snake and better or handling.. if your getting a snake cali king is the way to go .. they gow about the same size as a corn too ..:pac::cool::D