What's a great small reptile to own as a pet?

Question

Hey there, I'm a student looking to buy a lizard or reptile of some sort. I'd like it colourful, I was thinking bearded dragon or something? something that looks cool. I'd like it to stay small throughout its life though...any suggestions? Thanks so much!

Answer 1

get a corn snake

Answer 2

leopard geckos are brown and yellow and there cool

Answer 3

i think that tortoises are great pets, they are cute, their diet is simple (home salad like lettuce, tomato, fruit) and not gross(like live insects) and they are interesting to watch. i have a spur thighed tortoise, she is lovely to handle and easy to look after once you have got all the general equipment at the start. with most reptiles you do need a heat source and a tank, vivarium or table top. i have a tortoise table, heat lamp, UV light and my tort. i love having her and when she is 5 years old she will live in the garden and the greenhouse where she will have a never ending supply of all the food she likes. by this time she will be about 8" in diameter.

i hope you get the right reptile for you.

good luck

Answer 4

Maybe get a leopard gecko? They come in various colors and morphs, and they only get to be 10 inches fully grown. Just search "leopard gecko" on yahoo images, and you can see some examples.

Hope I helped!

Answer 5

bearded dragons are awesome and i recomend them very highly but...they can grow quite big sometimes...

Answer 6

maybe a lizard there cool

Answer 7

Hello;

As far as Bearded Dragons go; they make excellent pets but they are medium-sized; with adults regularly attaining lengths of 15-24 inches. They also need a rather large cage as adults. If that is in the size range you are looking for; I would highly recommend them. They are very sweet natured, interesting, intelligent animals. :)

Here is a care sheet for Bearded Dragons, for further reading:

http://www.beardeddragoncare.net

As far as small species of reptiles; have you considered a Leopard Gecko, a Crested Gecko, a Viper Gecko, a Gargoyle Gecko, or an African Fat-tailed Gecko? All are nocturnal so they don't need UV lighting, low maintenance, docile, small, do quite well with handling, and the African Fat-tails, Vipers and the Leopards in particular make great starter lizards. :)

Here are care sheets for all of the Gecko species I just named:

Leopard Gecko:

http://www.thegeckospot.com/shortleocare...

Crested Gecko:

http://www.pangeareptile.com/id52.htm

Viper Gecko:

http://www.acmecritters.com/CARE_SHEETS....

Gargoyle Gecko:

http://www.pangeareptile.com/gargoylecar...

African Fat-tailed Gecko:

http://www.acmecritters.com/CARE_SHEETS....

If you are interested in snakes; here is a list of some great small species of snake. I am defining small as maturing at 3.5 feet or under. If you'd like something even smaller still; try for a male of any of these species, as male snakes in general get MUCH smaller than females.

I am not sure how many reptiles you have previously kept, so all of these species are great for beginner and experienced snake keepers alike. I also included a bit of information on why I chose them, and a care sheet on each species.

Rosy boa. They are small, very docile, calm, are great eaters, and are slow moving (and thus easier to handle than a lot of colubrids like King snakes and Corn snakes). They are also very hardy, low maintenance, come in lots of different colors and localities, and aren't prone to shedding problems.  

Care sheet: http://www.rosyboa.com/desertboas/caresh...

Kenyan sand boa. They have all of the good qualities of the Rosy like the gentle disposition, ease of care, small size, great feeders, etc, but the only problem that some keepers may have with them is that they spend most of their time under their substrate. For those who like to randomly walk by their snake's cage to check to see what the snake is up to and how it is doing, that could be frustrating for them.

Care sheet: http://www.wnyherp.org/care-sheets/snake...

Childrens pythons. They are very small (the second smallest python species in the world), are low maintenance, are great eaters, and usually have a great temperament. While I wouldn’t classify them as slow moving, they aren’t all that fast, either. However while I think that they are quite beautiful; some would consider them to be ‘bland’ looking, so if one was in search of a flashy looking snake, then these guys probably wouldn’t be for them.

Care sheet: http://www.tinypythons.com/caresheet_chi...

Rough-scaled sand boa. These guys are a very small, generally docile, low maintenance species of sand boa. They are hardy and easy to care for, are great feeders, and are excellent for beginners. The only problems with these guys is that they are a bit harder to find than most of the others on this list, and like the Kenyans, they spend most of their time buried under their substrate.

Care Sheet: http://www.reptilia.org/care_sheets/snak...

Western Hognose Snakes. They are a usually good-tempered, low maintenance, small, amusing species that could be mistaken for a Rattlesnake if someone wasn’t well versed in reptiles. They are generally very sweet, tame down quickly, are great feeders, and are great shedders. They are mildly venomous, though not enough so that it could pose of any danger to humans. Not only are they reluctant to bite; their fangs are also located in the back of their mouth thus making it very hard for them to bite you unless you literally stick your finger in there. Even if they did manage to bite you; you’d have to let them ‘chew’ on you to get any sort of reaction at all. Generally the reaction from their venom in humans is mild irritation and swelling.

Care sheet: http://www.reptileallsorts.com/westhogno...

I hope this helps, and if you have any further questions at all on the subject or on any of the species I named; please feel free to message me and I will be more than happy to assist you. :)

Good luck!