Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone,
I've always been a big reptile fan and have had turtles. I'm thinking about getting a lizard, but not sure what kind. I'm hoping that I can give you some parameters and you could give me some suggestions.

1. Non-aggressive. While I will be doing most of the handling, especially early on, I have 2 small children who under my supervision will want to hold the animal...I'd hate for them to have a bad experience.

2. Medium to small size. Don't want a tiny anole, but can't keep a 5 foot iguana. Something that's about 1 foot long fully grown.

3. It would be cool if it liked water... (silly, I know) but I guess setting up a desert environment would be cool, too.

4. Herbivore or carnivore...no difference to me.

If I think of anything else, I'll let you know.

Thanks in advance for your help,
-I

They dont get big at all, about a foot, and are very easy to handle and non-aggressive and they live in tree tops in asia. They only drink moving water so a waterfall or drip system is needed.

Thanks for the info.

Just read a post below about the Shinisaurus. Are there any lizards that are actually legal to keep like this one? This is what I was picturing...likes to climb, likes to swim, eats fish and stuff.

-I

you should look into getting a water dragon then. i do believe these can get close to 3 feet long though so you will need a big enclosure. half land half water set up. not sure about them eating fish but they will eat insects and small rodents.

here are some suggestions:

Bearded dragon- 15-20 inches, as babies will eat mostly insect but as they get a few months old they start to eat a lot of greens too. i know you wanted water, but this is more of a desert setup. beardies dont really drink a lot from the water bowl, so a little spray is needed to get them to drink. very handable pet lizard.

mali uromastyx- i think they get about 10-15 inches. eat mostly greens, but will eat insects too. greens make up more of their diet though. another good handable lizard. desert set up too.

as always, go with cb specimens of both. also, each one as an adult needs a minimum tank requirements as a 40 breeder. thats 18 tall by 18 wide by 36 long.

I've done lots of reading in the last few days, and I think I've narrowed it down to a Leopard Gecko and Bearded Dragon. I can set up a nice deserty tank and the kids would enjoy both.

Which of the two is more accepting to being handled?
Based on my criteria, which do you guys recommend?

Thanks,
-I

Hey everyone,
I've always been a big reptile fan and have had turtles. I'm thinking about getting a lizard, but not sure what kind. I'm hoping that I can give you some parameters and you could give me some suggestions.

1. Non-aggressive. While I will be doing most of the handling, especially early on, I have 2 small children who under my supervision will want to hold the animal...I'd hate for them to have a bad experience.

2. Medium to small size. Don't want a tiny anole, but can't keep a 5 foot iguana. Something that's about 1 foot long fully grown.

3. It would be cool if it liked water... (silly, I know) but I guess setting up a desert environment would be cool, too.

4. Herbivore or carnivore...no difference to me.

If I think of anything else, I'll let you know.

Thanks in advance for your help,
-I

n/p

well, both are quite hardy and make nice pets. Me, i keep a leopard. They stay small (like 10 inches or so) but eat insects. Some are said to lick fruit juices, but mine seems to stick to his cricks. Both are desert species. Both can be handled fairly well, but i'd say you'd need to be a little gentle with leopards, them being small, thin skinned and all (especialy NEVER EVER pull the tail, its their fat reserves). Beardies are nice, but are kinda bigger and of course need bigger enclosures. How many do you plan to keep? A rule is one male to several females (both species are agressive towards other males, "in general". Both are good breeders. Both are often bred and both prolific breeders, meaning both CB's can be found regularly in pet shops

Leopard:
Pro : small, handable, very pretty (with albinos and other colour mutations within reasonable prices)
Con : no rough handling!!! (actualy this applies for both, but beardies are larger built, and can survive sloppy handlings), mostly insectivourous (some people have problems with this, the smell of crickets, gut loading, etc)

Beardies :
Pro : not very picky, some canned food even available (certain occasions/when fresh food is absent), hardier when handled, some colour mutations available, like sandfire dragons, but these are still kinda pricey
Con : need bigger enclosures, if they bite, they bite quite HARD (considering either being bitten by a leo/a beardie, i'd choose a small harmless leo anyday, also since my leo never ever bit me)

This is in general, coz every animal has his/her own individual needs. Another species that i like are Blueys (Blue tongued lizards), but they are still pricey, especialy CB's, which are usualy the Aussie species (Aussie bans ALL of its native fauna 4 exportation). Omnivorous, nice disposition, and gives birth instead of laying eggs like the other 2 candidates above. Likes burrowing, bout 20 inches, depending on species (and individuals).

Good Luck with your choice
-----
My "babies" :
1.0.1 Indo BTS (Tiliqua gigas gigas)
1.0.2 RES (Trachemys scripta elegans)
0.0.1 Amboina box turtles (Cuora amboinensis)
1.0.0 Chinese softshell (Trionyx sinensis)
1.0.0 Asian leaf turtle (Cyclemys dentata)
1.0.0 Leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
1.0.1 Indonesian Whites Tree Frogs (Litoria caerulea)
And hopefuly still growing...

...do yourself and them a favor and go with the beardies. I have kept leopard geckos for a LONG time now, and while I enjoy the concept of keeping them, the reality is that they spend little time doing much of anything, even with a very well maintained setup, and even then, it is only at night that I get to see them out of their humid hides. The thought of having children handling a leopard gecko is also a bit scary as I've known quite a few (none have been mine; lucky for the kids!) to have lost their tails to the slightly clumsy grasps of children.