Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey there.
I've been thinking about getting some sort of reptile in the coming year and would like some suggestions on what would be a good starter.
I'm thinking probably a lizard, but there are just too many, and the options need to be whittled down some.
A 55 gallon tank will be available, so nothing that gets too big. My house is not big enough to keep lots of tanks for tons of live food, so maybe something more omniverous or even an herbavoir would be good. There are cats in the house, so no extreme escape artists. Also, I tend to keep busy, so one that doesn't need lots and lots of attention or could have a buddy for company. Something a bit friendly though. Since I'm just starting out, I would like something more hardy in case I don't get everything right immediatly.
Any ideas?

For lizards I would say either a bearded dragon or leopard gecko. Bearded dragons are known as the dog of the reptile world. They do eat a combo of insects and veggies, mostly veggies when full grown. Do some background research on them and see if they fit the bill. Leopard geckos are a good way to go also, although a 55 gal is a bit big. I personally havent had success keeping them but many do. Hope this helped some.

ep
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Occupants not paying rent:
1.1. balls
1.1 corns
1 everglades rat
1 w. hognose
1 bearded dragon
2.1 cats

You must get a snake. Lizards in general require more care and also exposure to ultraviolet light as well as supplementation of calcium and minerals to their food. For busy people, snakes are best. And the easiest snakes to take care of are those that eat mice, which are an easily procured food item, you can get them on the internet frozen or at your local Petshop or Petco or from people that breed them in your area.

Best snake for a beginner?

In my opinion that would have to be a rosy boa or a corn snake.

Look into it, they are much easier to take care of.

Sincerely,

Fred Albury

I agree rosy boas are nice and don't get to large.

Corn's are hard to beat. Good attitude, lots of morphs to pick from, easy to feed, no real work other then ocassional cage cleaning, water and mouse feedings.

In general any rat snake is pretty much the same though some get a bit bigger then corns.

A black pine will be large, beautiful and most of them are good tempered but still ok in your 55 gal.

Another snake that is underated in my opinion is the black milk snake. They reach about 5-6 feet, good tempered, beautiful and shiny black.

Just about any snake that is non venomous and not a python or boa that gets too big is pretty easy to care for. Stay away from most aborials as a first snake they are finiky and often bastards that bite any chance they get.

One more to consider would be a Childrens Python or a Ball Python. Niether will get very large and they let you get into the Python world with out adding a room to your house,

Jack