Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I'm Suzy and I'm new and wanted to introduce myself and ask a question. First of all, I have a corn snake named Smegal(plus calico cat (Rainbow) and Great Dane (Athena) at home that I am crazy about!
I am a teacher and have just been given a 30 gallon tank (24"highX24"longX12"deep)that has plastic molding inside it so that it divides in the middle from the bottom to about 10 inches up. It's already planted with philodendron and a couple other plants. It has water in it now, but I'm going to take it out or reduce it to puddle size. I want to completely redo for a climbing herp.
I want a herp that's kinda small that can climb and that can be left alone for a few days since it will be there over the weekends. It also needs to be hardy, since I am no expert! Also I guess I'll have to bring it home with me (probably to a 20 gallon) over Christmas and Spring Break.
Any suggestions? I was thinking about a tree frog, and I've been given the suggestion to try an Anole which I like, but I'm wondering if there is anything else to choose from.
...and sorry this was so long!
Suzy

Hi Suzy!
Unfortunately, I don't have a whole lot of experience with lizards and/or frogs so I won't be of much help to you. One thing I wanted to advise you on is to keep the setup simple. The more complex, the more work involved in maintaining it.

Keep into consideration the type of food/prey that your choice of reptile eats and make sure you'll be able to provide that food on a regular basis & the amount of trouble it involves within itself.

Just about anything along the lines of what you've already mentioned will be fine left alone over the weekend. Just feed it Friday afternoon before you leave & then first thing Monday morning. The other feedings can be spaced out throughout the week.

My wife teaches 2nd grade & this year she decided she wants to try a Red Eye Tree Frog. She has some reptile experience so I'm pretty sure she'll be OK with one in her class. They're usually recommended for intermediate keepers but I believe that the right novice can manage them. They aren't cheap like Anoles & might not be worth the gamble to you. You might want to consider some of the cheaper tree frogs, though.

Personally, I think you might be better off with something like a Tokay Gecko, or one of the other climbing geckos. Tokay's are fairly hardy, but most aren't handleable. Crested Geckos are quite appealing & fascinating. They're not cheap, though. There are several different climbing geckos you can choose from.

One last thing - Regardless of what type of reptile you choose, you'll want to provide some sense of security for it, like a plant or two in the cage. However, put too many plants in there & you'll never see the creature.

Best wishes!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
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I agree with HH

I was going to suggest Tree frogs or Tokay geckos.

We have some tokays and they are beautiful and generally easy to spot once they are adults.

You could do golden geckos as well- they are bright yellow and I've seen them available for about 5 bucks- though they are not as common as others.
We have one golden and its beautiful- but not handleable.

Good Luck and I'd love to see pictures- I LOVE live vivariums that incorporate live plants and animals.

~Beth
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Until there are none, Rescue One! Get ready to welcome the new and improved Oklahoma Animal Rescue Group -- Just a few weeks away from getting our 501c3 status!!!!!

If you are going to go with a naturally planted terrarium, I'd stick to amphibians. Pothos is about the only plant to survive the dim light situation amphibians prefer. You'll be buying crickets or other bugs to feed them. Dust the food with the appropriate supplement first.
I've never known Tokay Geckos to do well when confined. They do great if you give them the run of the house and have a bug problem. They'll be happy behind a refrigerator in the kitchen. The new captive born ones on the market these days probably don't have feeding issues while confined. I'd recommend artificial plants in any landscaped terrarium housing reptiles. Same feeding advise as before.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

Ok Tokay not good. Anole is good, you may also look into Rough Green Snakes as well. There is a lot of different factors also that go into this. Do you want to handle the reptile, what types of foods are you willing to feed? etc. If you could flesh out some more details I could give a more complete answer.

My advice would be a crested gecko. I've got a few I keep in naturalistic set-ups and they do great. They get fed a water/powder mix diet every other day, and leaving them with fresh food on a Friday would definitely get them through the weekend. Crickets can be given as a supplement, but aren't necessary. They don't need UV light and are happy at room temp. In my experience they are very hardy, easy to keep little geckos and you can usually find adult males for around $30 if you're not looking for something too visually stunning.

Hope this helps!
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-Jaime Palma
Mad-City Constrictors