Whats a good reptile for beginners?

Question

I have little experience, but was wonder what kind of snake or lizard your be good to start with?

Answer 1

Well for a "beginner or starter" snake I would recommend a ball python for many reasons. Then after, I would recommend a corn snake.

Some info on ball pythons: They are "docile" but would never recommend to be near children w/out someone watching because ball pythons or get head shy. Any quick movements can scare them so if a child is holding it, please be careful. Ball pythons tend to stay quite small(4-5 feet) so that's why they are considered as beginner snakes. But I'm just going to tell you that they aren't the bestest eaters in the world. Actually they are quite picky(i know i know it sounds bad but snakes can live up to a year without eating) So if there is something in the cage that don't like they probably won't eat. Or if they don't like the way you're feeding them. But they don't tend to bite or strike as often though which is good =] So in summary, The pros- stay pretty small and they are more docile then some others so don't need to be handle daily. Cons- They are head-shy and for the most part horrible eaters.

Care- They usually range from $15-90 depending on where you buy them at. If you buy them at Petsmart or Petco(NOT recommended) then they are about $80-90 but please don't buy them there because most of their ball pythons(well most of their snakes) suffers from respiratory infection. So buying from a local pet store would be your best bet. Or you could buy them from craigslist and usually people on craigslist sells everything(tanks and accessories) for around $100. Lastly if there is a reptile expo near you...you could buy the pythons there too. The cages alone would be around $50-100 depending on where you buy them. Craigslist is your best bet on this one. Food usually cost about $2-3 dollars a week depending on the size of your snake. If it is a baby ball python then maybe just $1 a week. I would also recommend you buying the feeders at a local pet store(it is way cheaper) or at a expo(cheapest) CAGE/TANK- Your best bet would getting a 55 gallon for when they are bigger but if they are a baby then a 20 gallon would do just fine.

http://www.reptilerescueca.org/Ball.html

Cornsnake: They are one of the best eaters I've seen other then king snakes and all that. They don't get to big(around 5 feet) and they are..I guess docile. You do need to handle then daily though just in case. So they would be use to being handle by people. Corn snakes would make an OK beginner snake but I wouldn't recommend children around them because they could squeeze them and most likely kill him because corn snakes have very small bodies. Pros- Kind of docile, excellent eaters, stay small. Cons- Does need to be handle often, not the best snakes to have around kids because of their size.

Care- Corn snake costs around $15-60 depending on what type of corn snake you want. Just a normal one is probably around $10.00 at least my corn snake was. (I already mention about the stores on the ball python's care) A corn snake would probably only need a 40 gallon tank for most of it's life but a 55 gallon tank would be just fine too. And same goes for the food(just like the ball python) You should only feed the snakes once a week.

http://www.cornsnakes.net/care.php3

Another animal that would be great would be a leopard gecko or a bearded dragon. Though the leopard gecko would make a better beginner lizard then the bearded dragon because they don't need such a big tank(only a 10 gallon for the rest of their lives)

Leopard Gecko:

http://www.geckosetc.com/htm/care.htm

Bearded Dragon:

http://www.geckosetc.com/htm/care.htm

Hope this could help!

Answer 2

get a green tree python. lol =P jk

ball pythons r good to start with. good luck!

Answer 3

a leo gecko look up some gecko care sheets on google

Answer 4

anoles! you can buy an anole kit at petsmart its easy but not as fun i love setting up habitats but you have to feed it things like crickets it can get annoying but the funny there also native down south of north carolina. the males have red beards they flick out to attract mates its really cool. well good luck!

Answer 5

A good starter pet would have to be a bearded dragon, I admit there not the chepest pets but they dont do much there friendly and they are easy to take care of.

Answer 6

  Please do not get a red ear slider turtle. Yes they are easy to keep alive, but they dirty the water so quick you will resent it.

The best reptile for a beginner, Everyone that agrees say so, is a leopard gecko or bearded dragon. Both are very docile, easy to care for and love to be handled. The dragon grows to 2ft so will need room. Also a Raikens dragon is the same, less heard of, and only grows to 12 inch, while the leopard geck grows to 8 inch or ten. The leopard is a night walker while the dragons are day time. So do some home work, But PLEASE DO NOT BUY A RED EAR SLIDER, they are already over flowing at pet shelters cause people dont realize how dirty they are, so get them then get rid them.

Answer 7

A good beginner snake would be a corn snake, they reach around 6 feet MAX, but they generally reach about 3-4 ft.

caresheets for them can be found here;

http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/corn_snake...

http://www.reptilekeeper.co.uk/corncare....

http://www.exotic-pets.eu/corn-snake-car...

http://www.snakebreeder.co.uk/html/cornc...

Note: I think some of these caresheets say that sand is a suitable substrate (that stuff on the ground lol), but i STRONGLY recommend that you dont use it, use old dried out newspaper, or better still butcher paper, which doesn't have any ink on it.

A great lizard to start out with is a leopard gecko. They are quite small and don't need a huge set up. Plus they tolerate handling quite well.

caresheets for them can be found here;

http://www.reptilekeeper.co.uk/leopardca...

http://www.aquamania.co.uk/leopard-gecko...

http://www.thelizardwizard.co.uk/Leopard...

http://www.leopardgecko.com/emcare.html

more can be found at http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&rlz...

again please don't use sand with leopard geckos either, as they may eat it by accident and it can cause impaction of their stomach, which is the number one cause of death of geckos in captivity.

hope i helped :)

x

Answer 8

I would suggest a Red-Eared Slider turtle, they are cheap and easy to take care off and they learn to love you like a cat or dog unlike most lizards and snakes.