Want to get another reptile

[darryl99]

For kids it's hard to beat leopard geckos and bearded dragons. Leopard geckos are beautiful and slightly easier to take care of then beardies as they don't need as high temperatures, UVB or salad.

 

[BoopDoop]

I don't know of anyone mentioned this before but what about a tortoise, leopard tortoises are very beautiful, in my opinion!!

 

[AllFallDown]

Both animals are great in my opinion. I do have to say, Bearded Dragon has my vote. Just for the mere fact that you have a 2 year old. I recommend that reptile to every single person with young children. They are handable, hardy, and not crazy high maintenance. Kids absolutely adore them and they can handle a child that's still learning to be easy with their pets. I haven't read any of the other comments, so I'm not sure which way your leaning towards now. I know your kid is two, but maybe take your kid to the store and see which one he/she gravitates toward.

I am definitely leaning toward the BD. In fact I am more or less decided that I am going to go home and get a terrarium set up for it. I am thinking about also getting a leopard gecko specifically for her (that we would care for of course- at least for now), my thought is we would let her pick that one out.

 

[AllFallDown]

I don't know of anyone mentioned this before but what about a tortoise, leopard tortoises are very beautiful, in my opinion!!

We actually have 2 turtles and a tortoise. She loves them. Thats one reason why I am not super super worried if I get a reptile that is not completely friendly to her. The two turtles are basically puppies that live in the water. The tortoise has a little more attitude. He lives outside and gets left alone most of the day. Not as socialized. I might try socializing him a little more when I am done with my M.S.

[Edit]
Just looked at pictures- those are nice looking!

Do their shells always look like this? (All spikey like?)
http://www.petsgallery.info/pictures/leopard-male.jpg
That looks like tortoise MBD to me... If not, those are cool shells! In desert tortoises- that is bad!

 

[AllFallDown]

For kids it's hard to beat leopard geckos and bearded dragons. Leopard geckos are beautiful and slightly easier to take care of then beardies as they don't need as high temperatures, UVB or salad.

No kidding, talk about selling points! Im about sold on the UVB bulb alone! Those things are expensive!

 

[justjumpit621]

Beardies (which should be fairly active) can be very tolerant of interaction. Perhaps also worth considering is that they are not going to get as large/long as a python, and may be less expensive to feed (the snake wouldnt be satisfied forever on just little mice). Is your child likely to interact by watching more than by touching? I suspect your kid will be more able to interact with the beardie - snakes dont do much, and it may grow too big for her to safely be around without supervision (if you keep the snake well fed, it is really unlikely to go for a child, but it could happen - moreover they get to weight more and are about 4 feet long - possibly hard for a kid to carry - then again she'll grow too and really this is for you not her).

Many type of dart Frogs are bold daytime animals that are enjoyable to watch.....the lep geck is a good suggestion too

Beardies actually cost WAY more to feed than a ball python My ball python costs me $6 a month to feed, where as a beardie needs not only insects everyday but fresh fruits and veggies as well, which can get pricey. As for going for the child, a ball python would never do that. One they are way too small to do any harm and two they are just too nice Ball pythons can be interacted with too, and Jahzyra goes out and about with me to stores and places that will tolerate her. In the fall if it isn't too cold I put her under my jacket around my neck and zip it up and she will stay there.

 

[justjumpit621]

I am getting my son who is 5 a corn snake, I have talked to a lot of people and have been told by everyone they are great snakes to have around kids, they don't get big 5 ft approx, and they live in a small tupperwear bin for the first year, they don't need space til they older.

I highly disagree! Corn snakes can be quite aggressive and are super fast, your son probably will not be able to hold it being 5 years old and it is likely it could bite him. I do not recommend cornsnakes for children at all, ball pythons all the way! They are slow moving and extremely friendly and tolerant. Males do not get as big as females and are generally lighter weight, my female is a beast They can also live a very long time and your son could grow up with it. With the right care they can live anywhere from 20-40 years!

 

[absolutbill]

After reading all these posts it really makes me want to fill up my empty cages/tanks around the house! One other point in favor of the leopard geckos (btw, I just think that their heads and eyes look really neat and the fact that they can lick their own eyeballs is something that any kid would love), is that they love mealworms. This leads to you being able to teach your daughter (in a few years) the lifecycle and how to raise mealworms for her pet. Of course there's nothing wrong with going to the store and coming home with 2 pets instead of 1 Best of luck with whatever you decide to bring home!

Michelle

 

[pssh]

If you ever come down to Sacramento and still want a leopard gecko, send me a PM. A kid I know decided he didn't want the gecko anymore and stopped feeding it for a while. She's chubbing up well in my care now and I don't want to keep her forever. I would be happy to let her go to a good home.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

The tortoise has a little more attitude. He lives outside and gets left alone most of the day. Not as socialized. I might try socializing him a little more when I am done with my M.S.

[Edit]
Just looked at pictures- those are nice looking!

Do their shells always look like this? (All spikey like?)
http://www.petsgallery.info/pictures/leopard-male.jpg
That looks like tortoise MBD to me... If not, those are cool shells! In desert tortoises- that is bad!

In most other species it is pyramiding, but in leopards that is how they are supposed to look to a degree. Of course they can still get abnormal pyramiding too. Best way to socialize a tortoise is hand feeding btw! If you give it papaya, mango, etc. by hand on a regular basis they will be quite friendly when they see you coming after a while. All of mine are very social.

 

[lilbug]

Don't think I am not tempted!! I almost came home with a beautiful baby Iguana yesterday! Really nice looking lizard! Seemed very active and healthy. I had to talk myself out of it. (Partially because this was at a different pet store so my gift certificate would not apply...).
I definitely want an Iguana at some point! Certainly would be cheaper than the bearded dragon (in the short run at least, although this pet store only wants $60 for their BDs which I get the impression is a pretty good price). I dont mind lizards with a little attitude personally, I kind of like it. I am just worried about my daughter's safety. I would have to do a little more research. I am really leaning toward a BD, they seem gentle enough to where she could interact with it under appropriate supervision. Iguana could be for down the road when life is less busy and I will have time to properly work with it and tame it. As it stands I have a hard time penciling in the time to try to work on "taming" the chameleon (part of the reason I wanted a chameleon in the first place was because they need/desire less human interaction- that and they are just cool). Its funny, you can tell when I have not taken him out in a while- he gets a little more aggressive. Like he forgets who I am.

So, iguana is not completely outside of my consideration- I am just filing them under extreme caution... I have Melissa Kaplan's book from the last time I tried to have an Iguana- I will check what it says about this when I get home...

we were little when we had an iguana, the good thing with iguanas is they are sturdier when it comes to kids. less likely to get hurt if a kid gets to rough, they also are like dogs in the way that they become protective of their family. like someone else said, they aren't mean maybe if they were abused but otherwise they are sweet. they also get a lot bigger so thats good for kids to.
why not try finding a iguana forum similar to this and talk to more people that have owned them.
my votes obviously for the iguana.

 

[Whatcamo]

I have beardies 1.1 and ambilobe 1.1 and I've had an iguana in the past I had him for 10 years i agree both ways mine went through a toddler teen ager phase that only when surprised would would he whip his tail at his startler but other wise I always hand fed him he'd follow me around just like a dog if I sat down on the couch he'd crawl up and rest his head on my lap or shoulder one thing if you decide on iguana they don't like to be forced to do anything kinda like a Cham but with special care and loving care they'll give it back but if you want ease of care go beardies and very little temperament

 

[lilbug]

I highly disagree! Corn snakes can be quite aggressive and are super fast, your son probably will not be able to hold it being 5 years old and it is likely it could bite him. I do not recommend cornsnakes for children at all, ball pythons all the way! They are slow moving and extremely friendly and tolerant. Males do not get as big as females and are generally lighter weight, my female is a beast They can also live a very long time and your son could grow up with it. With the right care they can live anywhere from 20-40 years!

Have you owned corn snakes? I don't talk to pet stores, here the one hires based on how hot a girl is and the new one in town doesn't carry snakes. I have talked to a reptile show in alberta that rescues reptiles, people that have owned corn snakes and friends I have that own a zoo in ontario that have snakes and they all say corn snake.
I have no experience with corn snakes but do with pythons and boas, the zoo I mentioned i spent my summers in and they had a python and a boa both over 20ft long and I used to sit in their cages with them.
Problem with a large snake is that a barely have my husband sold on a the corn snake which is smaller. He doesn't like snakes at all.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

we were little when we had an iguana, the good thing with iguanas is they are sturdier when it comes to kids. less likely to get hurt if a kid gets to rough, they also are like dogs in the way that they become protective of their family. like someone else said, they aren't mean maybe if they were abused but otherwise they are sweet. they also get a lot bigger so thats good for kids to.
why not try finding a iguana forum similar to this and talk to more people that have owned them.
my votes obviously for the iguana.

You must not have had the iguana for long...I think they're way more likely to turn agessive when a kid is rough with them, and can do way more damage than any other reptile suggested. When they get big at least 80% of them go through a dramatic attitude change at a few years of age and become terrors. Mine was not abused in the slightest. I handled her everyday and handfed her and she had a large outdoor cage. There was nothing to trigger it, just one summer she decided she did not want to be handled anymore, period. She became vicious, lunging at people and whipping with her 3 foot long tail at every chance. And this is a very common occurrence. Very occasionally you'll find a sweet adult, but honestly those are usually the cases of abuse (poor husbandry, living in the house with inadequate conditions). The predictable shift in attitude is the number one reason reptile rescues are overwhelmed with iguanas at all times. My iguana is 18 years old and I'm usually the only one who can handle her because she knows I'm not afraid of her. She's calmed down a lot since her first rebellion, but I would still not have her around children without worrying. I would not have her if there was a small child around. I've seen the bite wound from an iguana in a grown man - chunk of flesh down to the bone just gone! And just holding her, even when she was sweet, made my teachers worry I was a secret cutter because her claws were always sharp enough to scratch, even when regularly trimmed. Just the way they hold onto you when you're holding them gives you lots of scratches. That would be awful for a child. Claws, teeth and tail whip are all a force to be reckoned with, even when not being aggressive. I cannot discourage an iguana for a house with young children enough.

 

[lilbug]

You must not have had the iguana for long...I think they're way more likely to turn agessive when a kid is rough with them, and can do way more damage than any other reptile suggested. When they get big at least 80% of them go through a dramatic attitude change at a few years of age and become terrors. Mine was not abused in the slightest. I handled her everyday and handfed her and she had a large outdoor cage. There was nothing to trigger it, just one summer she decided she did not want to be handled anymore, period. She became vicious, lunging at people and whipping with her 3 foot long tail at every chance. And this is a very common occurrence. Very occasionally you'll find a sweet adult, but honestly those are usually the cases of abuse (poor husbandry, living in the house with inadequate conditions). The predictable shift in attitude is the number one reason reptile rescues are overwhelmed with iguanas at all times. My iguana is 18 years old and I'm usually the only one who can handle her because she knows I'm not afraid of her. She's calmed down a lot since her first rebellion, but I would still not have her around children without worrying. I would not have her if there was a small child around. I've seen the bite wound from an iguana in a grown man - chunk of flesh down to the bone just gone! Claws, teeth and tail whip are all a force to be reckoned with, even when not being aggressive. I cannot discourage an iguana for a house with young children enough.

we had 2 of them for probably 10 yrs til we moved back to alberta. neither was mean, neither were abused. only people they ever tried attacking are strangers that came to the door. never us, i also owned iguanas a few years back 3 of them and they were never mean either, still know the people that i gave them to and they have never said they are mean. the zoo i spent my childhood at (parents worked there so we had free range) had iguanas and they were never mean either. I have been around them pretty much my whole life and never seen one attack unless as i said before ours didn't like strangers near us.
Im not saying all iguanas are nice, I'm sure there are lots with bad attitudes but thats with any animals, reptiles, birds...... so have good temperaments some don't.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Well I've been around plenty as well, and talked to plenty of other vets and reptile rescues, and I've seen the overwhelming majority turn aggressive. They're known for it and I would not have one around a small child.

 

[justjumpit621]

Have you owned corn snakes? I don't talk to pet stores, here the one hires based on how hot a girl is and the new one in town doesn't carry snakes. I have talked to a reptile show in alberta that rescues reptiles, people that have owned corn snakes and friends I have that own a zoo in ontario that have snakes and they all say corn snake.
I have no experience with corn snakes but do with pythons and boas, the zoo I mentioned i spent my summers in and they had a python and a boa both over 20ft long and I used to sit in their cages with them.
Problem with a large snake is that a barely have my husband sold on a the corn snake which is smaller. He doesn't like snakes at all.

I have owned 3. I was able to handle them with little problem but I have been bitten and they are very squirmy. If you started with a baby ball python your husband could get used to it. They only get 5 ft max like a corn, and are much more sluggish and less likely to bite or run away. They will roll in a ball rather than try to run away.

 

[AllFallDown]

Sounds like both of you have had very differing experiences with them. Both of you, however, have observed some form of aggression. The only question being who the aggression is directed toward. I like Iquanas, I do want one but given that this theme of aggression seems to always pop up in some form or other, its probably best to hold off for now. Its not like iquanas are going anywhere anytime soon. The opportunity will be there later when my kid is old enough to give it the proper respect it deserves.

How fast do they grow by the way?

 

[lilbug]

I have owned 3. I was able to handle them with little problem but I have been bitten and they are very squirmy. If you started with a baby ball python your husband could get used to it. They only get 5 ft max like a corn, and are much more sluggish and less likely to bite or run away. They will roll in a ball rather than try to run away.

my husband is convinced a snake will spend all its time trying to get out then crawl in to bed wrap itself around him and constrict.

 

[BubbaCham]

chinese water dragon maybe?

I GO WITH THIS ALL THE WAY. THEY SWIM CLIMB AND ARE FUN TO WATCH AND HANDLE. Or an anole. They are friendly and you can have multiple individuals in one terrarium.