Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wonder what kind of lizard i should get my sister. She really dosent like snakes but she wants a lizard.
I was looking for a lizard thats good for beginners, does not really need UVB bulb, can go in a small tank (like 10g), and really isnt that expensive to maintain. Im am pretty experenced in snakes but dont know much about lizards. Any help would be apprecaited.

thanx in advance
RV

here are a few suggestions but I reccomend that all animals have a light source and if not they should be given a calcium and vitamin supplement on their food.once you decide wich lizard you want just ask me and I can tell you all their care details

1 to a pair of bibrons geckos
a crested gecko
a armadillo lizard
a leopard gecko
1 or a pair of house geckos

If you can get a twenty gallon I can give you alot more ideas
nick

she should get a leopard gecko and here is why.

aside from being able to live in small area's leopard gecko's come in one of the most color morphs around,they have some of the most prettiest colors on a reptile,they dont get to big and they become really tame once they begin to trust.

they can be purchased almost everywhere so thier fairly easy to find and inexpensive(15-30$).

they dont require any sort of special lights(house hold bulb works great)
and can eat only mealworms.

good luck which ever road you take........

kali
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1.3 Leopard Gecko's
1.0 mali uromastyx
0.0.3 tokay's(adults unsexed)

i agree that the leopard gecko is the best one for her, but i believe it should have a minimum 20 long... as would all the species listed in the previous post. unless you are talking about trully miniscule animals that don't get much over maybe 3 inches, nothin is gonna go in a ten gallon, (at least that i can think of). also i would recomend against the mealworms as they have been known to occasionally eat their way out of lizards. so unless you chop of their heads prior to feeding a would abstain from feeding those, additionally crickets provide a much better nutritional value. i think she would be more than pleased with a leopard, and once you get it and put it in the ten gallon, you will agree that an adult needs a larger tank.
-jake

The mealworm adn teh stomach thing are a huge myth.what really happens is that the mealworms get out of the feeding dish or someone never puts them in a feeding dish and they burrow.Then when the worms become hungry they find the lizard and start chewing on them.this is what really happens.I also believe that alot of animals over three inches can live in a ten gallon hapily as long as they have a heat source and food.I have a tropical armadillo lizards that was my first pet.he was full grown when I got him when I was 6 and has lived in the same cage since I got him and Im now 14.I believe instead of leos the greatest starter lizards are curly tails and tropical forest armaidllo lizards(cordylus tropidosternum)they are very for giving in care and can live in conditions that would normally kill other lizards.this is just my 2 cents
nick

Mealies won't eat through a leo's stomach. If their teeth don't kill them, the stomach acid will do it quite quickly. Many breeders in the leo forum will attest to the healthiness of mealworms as a staple diet. There have been several debates (almost as many as 'is sand safe as a substrate') and the results have been 50:50 for crickets vs. mealworms as a staple food. Of course variety is always a good idea.

Feel free to drop by that forum and ask some questions. The people there are very knowledgeable.

A single leo can be housed comfortably in a 10 gallon. Leo's only grow to 8-10" long, and a 10 gallon is 12x20. Unless it's a large male, a 10 gal should be fine. 20 would be nice and of course extra room is always nice, but 10 is fine.

>>i agree that the leopard gecko is the best one for her, but i believe it should have a minimum 20 long... as would all the species listed in the previous post. unless you are talking about trully miniscule animals that don't get much over maybe 3 inches, nothin is gonna go in a ten gallon, (at least that i can think of). also i would recomend against the mealworms as they have been known to occasionally eat their way out of lizards. so unless you chop of their heads prior to feeding a would abstain from feeding those, additionally crickets provide a much better nutritional value. i think she would be more than pleased with a leopard, and once you get it and put it in the ten gallon, you will agree that an adult needs a larger tank.
>>-jake

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Blaine

0.0.1 High Yellow Juvenile Leo (Echo)