What would be a good species for a first time lizard owner? I am looking for something cheap and low maintenance. Also, if possible, something that is a herbivore so I dont have to buy crickets all the time. Thanks for your help!
2007-07-18 12:34:43 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Reptiles
I'm with Stacy, Beardies are great!!! Most of them have sweet personalities, like being handled, and are very hardy. They only reach a size of about 12, 13 inches.They are omnivores, mine get crickets about once a week, and fruit and vegetables daily. Anything high in beta carotene will enhance their color. That includes red, yellow and orange fruit and veggies, and dark green leafy vegetables.
2007-07-18 12:58:21 · answer #1 · answered by Darla G 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Bearded dragons grow to be around 20" long on average. They arent' "cheap" because they need large (75 gallon) homes, UVB bulbs changed every 6 months, and UVB and heat left on 12 hours a day (electric bill does go up!). A baby will eat nearly 100 little crickets a day, but that will slow down as he gets older. The crickets must be cared for and fed a good gutload as well, or they offer no nutrition to the lizard. Fresh varied salads need to be fed daily. Soooo, even though they are considered "beginner" reptiles, they aren't exactly easy or cheap. And mealworms and mice are not recommended for beardies, as they are difficult to digest and too high in fat.
For more reptile info, check out the forums at http://www.reptilerooms.com/
2007-07-18 16:21:06 · answer #2 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The 2 lizards I am always recommending for beginners is the Bearded Dragon and the Leopard Gecko. Beardies can get big though and need quite a bit of space and are omnivorous (eat plants and meats) They are some-what low maitenance. They can be hard to care for but are really hardy. The Leopard Gecko is probably the BEST for beginners. They are much smaller then a Beardie and can live their lives happily in a ten gallon aquarium sized tank as the Bearded Dragon needs about 75 gallons. They are nocturanal and dont eat veg
2007-07-18 13:11:09 · answer #3 · answered by Nick 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I would actually recommend a bearded dragon. Although it is not herbivore you can feed them meal worms and mice. I never liked crickets they always got loose in the house and chirped all night, but herbivore lizards in my experience have been high maintenance than the others, and bearded dragons have been the easiest. Iguanas are pretty hardy but they tend to get mean as they get older plus they can get really big. If low maintenance is what you want a snake might even be better. feeding them only twice a month is not hard and no crickets.
Geckos are probably the meanest pet you can get if you only want to look at it get one but expect it to try and bite you if you try and touch it.
2007-07-18 12:48:22 · answer #4 · answered by stacey b 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Well, there's not a lot. But there is one! Unfortunately, water snakes are really hard to take care of. (Trust me...) and almost no snake will take anything but mice. But at petco, you can buy pre-killed mice. It's frozen. Just thaw it out, and serve it. There are a couple out there, but they are VERY expensive and are not beginner snakes. There a snake called the Kenyan Sand Boa. It's one of the only snakes that are about 1 ft (15 inches max!). But they eat mice. You can feed it pre-killed mice though, so the poor mouse doesn't have to suffer. There is one more. It's called the Gray-Banded Kingsnake. Unfortunately, it gets to be 4 1/2 feet long. It eats lizards though....which means you have to buy (live) feeder lizards from a special website. I'm really sorry, maybe a snake isn't for you. Hope I could help.
2016-05-17 04:41:25 · answer #5 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
bearded dragon and blu tounged skink are the same there big both bout 2 feet long pretty high maitnece but there omnivores
green anoles are also carnivorus
the only hervibores are iggys so
get a chuckawalla
repticzone.com
2007-07-19 04:58:52 · answer #6 · answered by Pearce (roro) 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
anoles are nice and cheap but they are fast, hard to catch, be gentle with the tail or it WILL break, and they can bite (not hard enough to break the skin but still bite) and they eat crickets. armadillo lizard is nice, but eats crickets. ask at your local pet store that sells lizards.....
2007-07-19 04:15:51 · answer #7 · answered by EMTPrincess 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a baby iguana is cheap. Usually about $25 plus the cage. It is a herbivore.
2007-07-18 20:05:12 · answer #8 · answered by yo 1 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Green anoles. Adorable little creatures.
2007-07-18 12:40:35 · answer #9 · answered by Viola G. 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
green alole or long tailed lizard
2007-07-18 13:45:35 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋