I want to get a reptile,what would be the best kind for a beginner?

Question

I was thinking about a gecko.Maybe a frog or lizard would be better? I want something not too expensive to care for, easy to handle, and won't live more than 10 years.

Answer 1

get a man

Answer 2

The best beginner's reptiles are probably leopard geckos, due to their small size and the fact that they can be handled relatively easily without getting too stressed out once they get used to it. They do not require a large habitat, come in a bunch of different colors, are captive bred, and even use only one area of a terrarium as their bathroom, making clean-up much easier. Anoles are fine beginner's pets too, but they can get stressed if you don't provide them with enough humidity. Corn snakes and garter snakes are probably the best starter snake, but it's always been my opinion that you should start with lizards before you move on to snakes. I've always felt that turtles require far more space to be healthy and happy to be practical indoors pets.

As far as amphibians go, White's Tree Frogs are hardy tree frogs that require minimal upkeep as far as frogs go. They get fairly large and are docile, but they get rather lazy and fat in captivity. Fire-Bellied toads are also good starter frogs. They have fairly simple requirements and are readily available and inexpensive.

For beginners, I would stay away from most tropical, touch-and-go species like chameleons or day geckos. Also, any species that grow too large to be easily manageable, ie your iguanas and pythons. Sure they're cute now, but they might become quite a handful when your iguana is 6 ft long and can give you quite a tail whipping!

These are just my suggestions. Good luck in finding your new scaly companion!

Answer 3

Get a 5 gallon tank, a small filter and a male paradise fish and a few minnows - Paradise fish are great - they can live in cold water, easy to keep. They dont produce much waste like goldfish - they change colours all the time and have way more of a personality than betta's (or siamese fighting fish). They are also very hardy so there is less chance you will kill it being a beginner. check out the link. I used to have paradise fish in a coldwater aquarium. I have since had all sorts of fish but have always looked back fondly on this species. I now keep pufferfish, these are quite complicated to look after but again like the paradise fish they seem to have personality - I think that is what is essential in pet keeping. no point having something that just sits there and ignores you. Have fun choosing.

Answer 4

In my house I have 3 differents types of reptile/amphibians. I have lepord gecko's, turtle, and frogs. The nicest and easiest ones are Lepord Gecko's. That was our firt lizard 7 years ago. Frogs and turtle are nice too, but if you want to play with your pet as well, you have a better chance with a gecko. The turtle mostly stay in their tank, and we take ours out in the yard to stretch once in a while. The frogs are also easy to care for, but they are not as big on being touch all the time. Now a gecko you can do up a really nice enviornment, I would suggest using the calci-sand for the bottom of their tank. They basically eat crickets, and that's easy to feed them, because when you go to the pet store, they put them in a bag, and you just dump the bag in. Turtle do live a long time, I'm not sure on the frogs, but gecko's live an average of 20-30 years. The oldest one my son has is 7 years old now. And he takes his out of the tank and lets it crawl all over him and plays with him.

Answer 5

most reptiles are pretty long lived, pretty much anything you get has the potential for years. Size doesn't matter at all. something small like a leopard gecko can live for about 15 years. If you want to get a lizard, try starting with a crested gecko. they are fairly small (about 6-8") and they have very low heat and light requirements. As long as you keep your house at least 70 degrees you wont even need a heat lamp. they do require some moisture though (I keep a fogging fountain near their tank it's pretty). I haven't seen them in pet stores, but you can find breeders online which is cool, cuz you get to see the parents. Frogs are a pain in the ***. you have to keep their tanks SUPER clean all the time. they absorb any bacteria in their tank through their skin. Bearded dragons are really easy to care for and they have hella personality. They cock their heads and listen when you talk to them. they wave at you. you can get harnesses and take them for walks.they get pretty big,but they start out tiny enough for a 10 gallon tank, and when they grow you can buy mesh and steel tube enclosures for them that fit in a corner or on a table for pretty cheap.you only need one day lamp and one night lamp and gravelly substrate. Easy Happy Herping!

Answer 6

I would say a leopard gecko but they can span 28 to 30 years old when properly taken care of. In a gecko a Crested gecko would be another good bet they go about ten years. www.crestedgecko.com or www.kingsnake.com.
Turtles are a pain. How about Poison dart frogs, they are only poisones if they eat certain ants from their homelands,they are small,easy to care for,come in amazing colors. Most all you could ever want to learn or see is on www.kingsnake.com about any reptile.

Answer 7

Hmm...Beginner reptiles...

As far as snakes go, Ball Pythons are very docile and easy to care for. They are also not very big. Snakes in general are great because their eating and defecating habits are once a week or so. Allowing you the ability to not have to rush home every night for feeding/cleaning. Also look at Redtail Boas (Boa Constrictors) they are very docile as well, though larger. (They will live for longer than 10 years) Corn snakes are pretty and easy too.

As far as lizards go, Bearded Dragons are fun, friendly, beautiful and not terribly big. Look into Blue Tongue Skinks for the same reasons. Both will sit on your lap and enjoy your company. Just read up on them. Lizards all require different diets. Beardies and Skinks are fairly easy diets to deal with though. Also be very aware that specific types of proper lighting (UV) are required for many lizards and without it they will suffer and most likely die. So read up on whatever you choose carefully.

Also, just a thought: Often people think Iguanas are easy to care for. They are not. They require a lot of work and are not for beginners. Please do yourself and your pet a service choose your animal wisely.

If you are leaning toward Geckos, my opinion is to go for Leopard geckos. They are pretty and tolerate people very well. Not all geckos are nice. Again read up. Also look at Water Dragons.

Whatever you choose, have fun! Reptiles are great pets and it nice to know there are good people out there taking good care of them! Enjoy!

A great Reptile website to go to is: http://www.kingsnake.com

Lastly, stay away from the Nile Crocodiles until you're a little bit more experienced with Reptiles. I know, they're tempting. :)

Answer 8

geckos are good for beginners. Make sure you provide an adequate sized enclosure, heat pads do work for geckos, but little else- arboreal i mean. Terrestrial geckos are great because you can handle them, and heat should be low around 70 degrees, so a small heat pad will do - they are cave dwellers and should be provided a dark cage, no light is necessary. I like to use a plastic home with moist TP to keep the humidity up. Very humid and dark. They are native to china, i know way too much about exotic pets. Well if you want to e-mail me you can at [e-mail]

Answer 9

I'd say get an anole. They are pretty easy to take care of and they are cheap. Also they change color (not nearly as much as a chemeleon though) BTW if you don't want a reptile that lives for more than ten years steer clear of geckoes. My male is 7 and my female is 11!

Answer 10

When I was a kid, my favorite pet was a horny toad. Of course back then you could find them easy in the desert in
california, Arizona, and Nevada. I held it all the time. they are sweet.
This flat, toad-shaped lizard is a well-known resident of the dry sandlands of southern North America. Indeed, some mistakenly call them Texas Horney Toads. But its tough skin shows it's no amphibian.
The horny toad is actually a lizard. We used to play with them when I was a kid. They squirt blood out of their eyes to try and scare you. They can also press very flat against the ground or get skinny and run real fast. We won't say what the other part was; it had nothing to do with little kids teasing them.
http://pdphoto.org/PictureDetail.php?mat=pdef&pg=5769

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/reptiles/photoessay8.html

Answer 11

Personally, I like a type of reptile called a uromastyx. They are vegetarian, have cute personalities and can usually be purchased from a reputable breeder. Its best to start with a mali because they are less picky. We have a nigerian hatchling right now, but these seem to be a lot more aggressive. They require a large tanks with a cool end and a hot end.