Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My 10year old, third grade son has decided he would like a lizard for a pet. This coming from my son is a huge shock because he's never asked for a pet of any kind, he's always been scared of caring for something right. He's a good kid, just has some confidence issues. We have read some books on several different types of lizards and we have done some great research on the net. He's very dedicated needless to say. He seems to have a thing for leopard geckos when we go into the pet store. So over the weekend we decided to try a new pet store in town to see what they had. They were very nice and offered to let him handle a couple different types. We held a leopard gecko, very neat little critters, these were quite calm and walked straight into his hand to pick up from the tank. He enjoyed his time w/them. Then they offered to let him hold a uromastyx (not my lizard of choice due to not knowing much about them) but this guy was so laid back I could not believe it. He let my son hold him w/out any problems and the lady that helped us with him even trimmed his little toe nails while being held and not a problem one. Even kinda acted as if he didn't want to be put back in the tank. They were out of bearded dragons but we are to go back and take a look at those to see what we think. We have not bought any equipment yet because we are unsure what species we'll be bringing home however we have researched and compared prices on everything. My son is extremely dedicated to his new friend. Now mom wants to know, WHICH ONE IS BEST? I'm about to pull my hair out helping him decide. This is our first scaly family member and we want one that will not be too difficult while we learn our way around the scaly species. But he also wants one he can occasionally pick up and touch (in our research we do know a lot of handling will stress them out so he understand the "occasional" part). So I turn to you all, the experts. Sorry for my long post but wanted everyone to understand where we stand with this. Thanks so much to you all for any help or advice you can offer.

Get a jeuvenile or adult (not baby)leopard gecko. Pick out a nice, healthy fat one with bright, alert eyes.

Uros are cool lizards, but not very good beginner lizards. They need a very large cage, and the majority of them are wild caught and will have to be tested for parasites. They need a lot of heat and have a more complex diet.

A leopard gecko can be obtained for a pretty small price, and they don't get too big nor require a huge cage. They tend to be very docile and can easily be handled. They also to not need ultraviolet (UVB) lighting. A 15-20 gallon tank is plenty large enough for an adult.

A bearded dragon is also a good choice, although they require a larger cage as well as UVB lighting and a varied diet of crickets, mealworms, waxworms, fruits and vegetables and the occasional pinky mouse.

Get all three.. lol just kidding. Either one would be a wonderful addition. Beardies are nice starters as a general rule. I use to breed beardies so if you have questions on care you can email me at n2snakes@aol.com, this board sometimes takes a while for responses. I am glad to see that you are doing your research, we lose many beautiful creatures due to poor care. I have also had my first experience with a uro recently, it was hard to put back due to the fact that it was so sweet. I have heard they can be hard on beginners, but maybe someone here can give more info. Whatever you choose, you are doing the right thing by doing your research first. Keep us posted!

Pic is of my frilled dragon

Thank you seductive. Yes all 3 have interested me. My son did end up choosing 2 lovely leopard geckos we are getting settled and acquainted with. However I have bought a couple books on beardies and uros both so I have a feeling before it is over with we will have all 3.
I appreciate your input and your offer of help, I will probably need it once I get there.
Oh and very lovely dragon you have there.

Hi, i am not here to ruffle anyones feathers but any lizard can be easy to care for if you do the research..so my point is if you like the uros go for it, to me they look like little dinosaurs and i will be purchasing a pair in the near future..i currently have 2 bearded dragons and they are cool too..the desert setup is fun/easy to keep up and cacti are cool too...
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1.0 Albino Ball Python
0.2 normal ball pythons
0.2 normal Redtail boa
1.1 100% Het Albino Redtail boa
1.1 Bearded Dragon
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