What would be a good snake or reptile to get as a pet for a child?

Question

Something that would be relatively easy to care for that doesn't bite. (For a 10 year old)

Answer 1

me and my family have own pretty much every thing out there and i have a 9 month old and a 7 year old. now when your looking to get a child a reptile you have to look at a few thing food, housing, and how well it does for handling.

well look at food first
with many lizard not all they need crickets which can be a pain sometime going to the pet shop every few days to buy more. now with turtles and torts all aqatic turtles are messing feeders and need live moveing prey live fish or worms.

now your torts are nice but becare some get big like you spur thigh which can get to be 100lbs but there are smaller one and they like there vegs which is easy to get and store and you can also eat them.

now snakes eat mice or rats some eat birds but if i was you i would try and stay away fro those tree snakes that eat birds as they are for the more experiance owners.

now for housing most lizards will do well in a tank as long as you rember thet they will need a full spectrum light a basking area and a heated encloser.
now for turtle and torts. turtles need clean water and a basking area as well as a full spectrum light and keeping the water clean can be a challange when you turtle only eats half a fish at a time. now with torts the need only drinking water as they don't swim and a full spectrum light and basking area and an open are encloser which depending on where you live could be easy or hard
now snakes do well in heated tanks or rubbermaid tubs with a good locking lid straped down and a feww holes drilled in it for vents. there homes should have a warm side and a cool side.
now as far as handling most lizards can be tricking as they do have clawsand can scrath until they are use to it.
turtles and torts don't really like being picked up and can be a bit nippy
snake arepretty docile for the most part some breed are more aggresive then others

no we have own bearded dragons nice but with the amont of crikets they each it can be a proplem some times. camilain which are nice but are delicate, moitors which are fun but they are more advance as they get big and are meat eaters and iggys but again they get big and a few bunch of other lizards which were more speichlized
we have own aqutic turtles and like i said they are messing and we own a red foot tort which is a nice tort as they only get about 12-18 inchs long on average but they are price around 150 each
and lastly snakes we have own corns, kings, milks, rats, boas and pythons and i would say the best reptile for a child that want something it can hold and not be afaid of would be the ball python.

i have at this time 27 ball pythons some were rescure so i bought. the rescures that i have taken in have all had proplem when i first got them not eating bad bites and mites and ticks you name it i dealt with it but a happy healthy ball will eat all year as all mine does unless graivd. i have one that my vet called me about as she nows i'm always looking that was bite in several area along her back by a rat the old owner left in there over night and i mean big bites and when i got her she would not eat at all it took me almost 10 months to get her to eat but now she eat every week with out any trouble. but if you decide to get a snake before you buy try and make sure it will eat. ask the pet shop or where ever you go what day and time is there feeding as you want to see them eat to decide which one you want to buy and buy the one that eats.

Answer 2

I would recommend a cornsnake as a good reptile pet. They do not require any UVA or B, no vitamins or calcium. Most will willingly feed on frozen/thawed mice and most have docile temperaments. However, there is no such thing as an animal that doesn't bite. Any snake, lizard or other creature can bite if the circumstances invite it. Most are very tolerant though. I rarely get bitten by my snakes, and that's usually during feeding. Never during routine handling. Cornsnakes are also quite tolerant of husbandry errors and are able to be housed comfortably in a 20-30gl tank for their entire life.

Answer 3

A corn snake or maybe a Ball Python if you help him with it . Here is a great web site with care sheets , habitat pictures and forum where you can research all kinds of reptiles till you find the right one for him . A frog maybe something you might consider but they are kinda boring .

I had 3 children that grew up with a Red Tailed Boa , a Burmese Python and King snakes but they were always supervised .

http://www.reticzone.com

Answer 4

They all could bite, if not handeled carefully. I have three young children 6,4,2 and 12 snakes. My favs for kids are corn snakes or kenyan sand boas. the latter are smaller espec. the male, they will stay under 18inch and can live their entire life in a 10G tank. they dont need extra lights just a UTH heater with a heat regulator. they also readily accept f/t mice.

Answer 5

Ok, these anti-snake people are just ignorant. A good snake for a child would be something like a corn snake or milk snake. They are docile and don't get huge. My personal recommendation would be an okatee corn snake, I've had great personal experiences with them.

Answer 6

Definatly a bearded dragon. They are the best pets for children who are new to lizards. I myself have 6 and they are absolutly fantastic.

Answer 7

u should get a child a RES turtle there cool, only 15 dollars or less, calm, cute, and all u have to do for care is feeding it feeder fish a heat lamp basking area and take it to a vet once
a month Good luck

Answer 8

Turtles are fairly easy to care for. As with any pet, the child must be of age to complete the tasks needed to care for the animal. Goldfish are a good choice as they take less care.

Answer 9

I would suggest a king snake

Answer 10

my brother is 12 and he has a leopeard gecko and it is very friendly doesnt bite or anything it costs are for lighting cage crickets or meal worms and thata about it my brother has had it for almost 2 years now