Reptiles as pets?

[Alice]

My 9 year old would really really like a pet reptile. Ideally he’d like a snake which I am not thrilled about. Partially, for the silly reason that snakes just give me the heebie-jeebies. And partially because they seem difficult as pets and I know they live a long time. I do not want a pet snake in 10 years when he goes to college. He would also be ok with a lizard. He’s wanted this for a long time and he’s always liked reptiles (even as a toddler his favorite house at the zoo was the reptile house) so I’m confident it isn’t just a passing whim.

 

I’ve told him to research what he wants and to think about things like lifespan, what they eat, cost, special equipment, etc. I’m still somewhat reluctant but I also think in some ways it would be good for him.

 

Any advice on what could be a good reptile for a beginner?

[swellmomma]

Leopard geckos I think are the absolute best beginner reptile. Easy to care for, they prefer not to be handled a lot. The one we have eats about a dozen crickets every 7-10 days. Needs a heat lamp, we use a night one because they are not reptiles that like to bask in a bright light, in fact a bright light can harm their eyes, but she will bask under the night lamp at about twilight.

 

As for snakes again very easy to care for. We have a corn snake, it is supposed to be my ds14's pet but I do all care and handling of it. It eats a pinkie every 7-10 days. Eventually we will have to move up to fuzzies and hoppers but pinkies are just fine. The one we have is still young but doesn't like to be handled much. The one we had that died, loved to be held, so they each have their own personality for sure. When he goes off to post secondary I am sure I will still be taking care of it.

 

We also have a salamander which is even easier to care for than the snake and leopard gecko. no heat lamps etc needed, just keep his home moist, he has a "pool" to swim in when he wants. He eats earth worms in the summer that we dig out of the garden, in the winter he gets a dozen crickets at the same time as we feed the leopard gecko.

 

I think of my reptiles and amphibians my tortoises require the most care and will live the longest.

[swellmomma]

As for costs, initial set up was about $150 per pet, plus cost of pet. After that, I spend about $4 per month per pet on food, plus the occasional package of snake aspen shavings, or a block of plantation soil for changing the salamander tank. All of the tanks get spot cleaned weekly, and a deep clean every 1-3 months depending on the critter.

[Alice]

Thanks for the info!

[Wheres Toto]

Can the salamander be handled or is he more a pet to be looked at? My son is pushing for a pet and dh is actually considering it. We are thinking of a snake - possibly a ball python, but are open to other suggestions. I'm leaning toward something scaly rather than furry or feathery (allergies). I'm sure the kids will want to handle whatever we get so I'd rather it be something that won't scurry off and get lost in the house, although it will be a while before they handle anything without lots of supervision.

 

I volunteered at a zoo for over 10 years so handled lots of things there (we had two amazing ball pythons there), and in a previous life had tree frogs, ferrets, turtles, rabbits, dogs, cats, cockatiel, hermit crabs, fish...

[swellmomma]

The salamander is a funny character. He is wild caught and like most amphibians should not be handled much because it can damage their skin which is not good for it's health, BUT our salamander comes out of his cave to see me when I call him and liked when I pet his head. I never knew salamanders, especially wild caught, could be so social and intelligent.

 

As far as snakes, ball pythons get huge and their habitat needs are more involved than for something like a corn snake. A snake needs a long enclosure big enough that when laying down it can stretch out at least 2/3 of it's body length. A corn will grow to be about 5 feet in length so a 20-50 gallon long is enough. As well they are primarily ground dwellers. Ball pythons not only need the length but they need an enclosure with height as well with various levels to climb up. Huge difference. Given your experience at the zoo that may not be an issue for you, but if size of enclosure matters I would stick with a corn or king snake rather than a BP. I also was worried about little kids in the house and the type of snake, that may not be something you need to worry about. See I do childcare out of my home. I wanted a snake that although it is a constrictor really couldn't do any harm if the latch was released on the tank or something, I had heard too many stories about small children or pets being killed by a python or boa that excaped it's enclosure. Generally a rare occurance but given that murphy loves to live here, I figured there was no point in pushing my luck lol

 

The Salamander and Leopard gecko both are happy in a 20Gal, though eventually we will move the leopard to a 50long. The hermits are good in a 10gal. The tortoises need a bigger enclosure so hoping to be building that sooner rather than later for them. For us size of enclosure is a big deal because we have a tiny house. Right now the snake is kept along our "reptile" wall in the livingroom but I will be moving it to the boys room to make more room for the tortoise enclosure to expand.

[kiwik]

A cousin has a blue tongued skink. It likes to be handled and seems as affectionate as a reptile can be.

[skirch]

As far as snakes, ball pythons get huge and their habitat needs are more involved than for something like a corn snake. A snake needs a long enclosure big enough that when laying down it can stretch out at least 2/3 of it's body length. A corn will grow to be about 5 feet in length so a 20-50 gallon long is enough. As well they are primarily ground dwellers. Ball pythons not only need the length but they need an enclosure with height as well with various levels to climb up. Huge difference. Given your experience at the zoo that may not be an issue for you, but if size of enclosure matters I would stick with a corn or king snake rather than a BP. I also was worried about little kids in the house and the type of snake, that may not be something you need to worry about. See I do childcare out of my home. I wanted a snake that although it is a constrictor really couldn't do any harm if the latch was released on the tank or something, I had heard too many stories about small children or pets being killed by a python or boa that excaped it's enclosure. Generally a rare occurance but given that murphy loves to live here, I figured there was no point in pushing my luck lol

I think you're thinking of a Burmese python. Ball pythons usually only grow between 3 & 5 feet and aren't arboreal so you don't need too much height in an enclosure. They do tend to have feeding issues (they like to fast) but I think they make great starter snakes.

 

We like bearded dragons as starter lizards. They're very gentle and like to be handled and get to a good handleable, sturdy size for kids to hold. Once they are fully grown they can go to a vegetarian diet and you don't have to worry about live food - although it makes a nice treat from time to time.

 

Good luck - reptiles are fun to keep and there are so many to choose from!

[Aubrey]

The cool thing about turtles is...it's hard to tell if they're dead or alive...

[swellmomma]

I think you're thinking of a Burmese python. Ball pythons usually only grow between 3 & 5 feet and aren't arboreal so you don't need too much height in an enclosure. They do tend to have feeding issues (they like to fast) but I think they make great starter snakes.

 

We like bearded dragons as starter lizards. They're very gentle and like to be handled and get to a good handleable, sturdy size for kids to hold. Once they are fully grown they can go to a vegetarian diet and you don't have to worry about live food - although it makes a nice treat from time to time.

 

Good luck - reptiles are fun to keep and there are so many to choose from!

 

 

Oh good grief you are right. Now I feel like an idiot lol. :leaving:

[houseofkids&pets]

We have a leopard gecko in a 20 gallon tank. My dc's friends have bearded dragons. In hindsight, I wish we had gone with the dragon since they are easier to handle (bigger than gecko) and they seem to have great personalities. They will hang out with the kids on laps or shoulders as they do school work. Plus, they eat fruits/veggies in addition to crickets. Our gecko only eats live crickets or mealworms, so we have to make weekly trips to the pet store.

 

I didn't want to go with a bearded dragon because you need a larger set up and it would be more expensive. However, I have found great deals on equipment on craigslist. Also, our local PetCo store frequently has the $1/gallon tank sale.

 

 

[skirch]

Oh good grief you are right. Now I feel like an idiot lol. :leaving:

No, you should't! LOTS of people get them confused!

[Wheres Toto]

Ditto about the ball pythons. They only reach 5 or 6 feet total. No need to feel bad, it can get confusing with all the different kinds and I've found even the pet store workers often don't have a clue (or they are deliberately lying, I won't say which I think is the case). We did have a Burmese python at the zoo that was about 16 feet long (I believe she was the largest burmese python in captivity at that time) and it was someones pet that couldn't handle it anymore. I wonder why. :001_rolleyes:

 

We also had an iguana that someone didn't feed properly as a baby and it had a malformed lower jaw. Then they "didn't realize how big it would get" so gave it up. You see a lot of iguanas for sale around here because people don't understand how big they can really get.

 

We can't buy turtles here but you can buy them out of state and have them as a pet.

[jen3kids]

I would definitely go with a bearded dragon before a leopard gecko. Geckos need proper humidity in order to shed their skin properly. If they do not she their skin properly, they can get infections and die. :(

 

When I took my older ds' gecko to the vet, he explained this and said that way too many reptile sellers praise the gecko as an ideal first pet, but it's simply not true - they are pickier eaters, it's harder to get them the proper amount to vitamins, the humidity issue can be tricky. Ds' gecko lived 3 years, I think, but and refused to eat anything other than meal worms and she ended up with an infection due to improperly shedding due to lack of humidity (which the seller insisted she didn't need).

[Dmmetler]

We adopted an adult corn-she's 6 years old and about 4.5 feet long, and eats an adult mouse about once a week (purchased frozen at pet stores or reptile shows). She's a very calm corn snake, and seems to be good at hanging out with DD want watching Brainpop videos or documentaries (almost more like a ball python). Corns are really nice because they're US natives, and, most of the time if you're comfortable, the snake is OK, too. They do need a warm spot to digest well, but that's not hard to maintain, and with a thermostat, really doesn't draw a lot of power unless you keep your house freezing cold.

 

For DD, I'm glad we adopted an adult-a baby corn is a tiny, fragile-looking little thing, and tends to be easily spooked and scared-by getting an adult, we got a snake that was already calm and a lot easier to handle, especially for a kid who was 7 at the time she got the snake. And as it turns out, we got a perfect demonstration snake-she seems to really do well when we have kids over in being willing to be shown off-and she's more than willing to eat for a group :)

 

One herp I kind of wish I'd seen before adopting the corn is a Kenyan Sand Boa. They're small snakes, only a couple of feet long (and males are a lot smaller than females).Most males never get past fuzzies, and only the largest females ever need adult mice. They're usually very calm, like most boas. They do require higher heat (desert dwellers) than many pet snakes, and they like to dig and tunnel. I'm half tempted to buy one for me ;)

[Dmmetler]

We adopted an adult corn-she's 6 years old and about 4.5 feet long, and eats an adult mouse about once a week (purchased frozen at pet stores or reptile shows). She's a very calm corn snake, and seems to be good at hanging out with DD want watching Brainpop videos or documentaries (almost more like a ball python). Corns are really nice because they're US natives, and, most of the time if you're comfortable, the snake is OK, too. They do need a warm spot to digest well, but that's not hard to maintain, and with a thermostat, really doesn't draw a lot of power unless you keep your house freezing cold.

 

For DD, I'm glad we adopted an adult-a baby corn is a tiny, fragile-looking little thing, and tends to be easily spooked and scared-by getting an adult, we got a snake that was already calm and a lot easier to handle, especially for a kid who was 7 at the time she got the snake. And as it turns out, we got a perfect demonstration snake-she seems to really do well when we have kids over in being willing to be shown off-and she's more than willing to eat for a group :)

 

One herp I kind of wish I'd seen before adopting the corn is a Kenyan Sand Boa. They're small snakes, only a couple of feet long (and males are a lot smaller than females).Most males never get past fuzzies, and only the largest females ever need adult mice. They're usually very calm, like most boas. They do require higher heat (desert dwellers) than many pet snakes, and they like to dig and tunnel. I'm half tempted to buy one for me ;)

[Dmmetler]

Oh-I should add-be careful about asking a kid to research a pet. We got our snake after I'd told DD, at a point of frustration, that if she wanted a snake. She needed to show me she knew what it would take-she presented us with a PowerPoint proposal (from a business plan template, I think), comparing the needs of corn snakes, ball pythons, and rough Green snakes, including a yearly budget and her plan for paying for the snake's needs, When I posted it on my local homeschool board (in a "see what cute thing my kid did), we ended up being offered a snake AND habitat -that the prior owner, a homeschooled teen, had gotten at age 9, and at 14, was willing to pass on to a new home. So, be careful what you say-it's kind of hard to turn down a free snake when your writing phobic child has just written a paper to get one without a single moan or grumble.

[Alice]

Oh-I should add-be careful about asking a kid to research a pet. We got our snake after I'd told DD, at a point of frustration, that if she wanted a snake. She needed to show me she knew what it would take-she presented us with a PowerPoint proposal (from a business plan template, I think), comparing the needs of corn snakes, ball pythons, and rough Green snakes, including a yearly budget and her plan for paying for the snake's needs, When I posted it on my local homeschool board (in a "see what cute thing my kid did), we ended up being offered a snake AND habitat -that the prior owner, a homeschooled teen, had gotten at age 9, and at 14, was willing to pass on to a new home. So, be careful what you say-it's kind of hard to turn down a free snake when your writing phobic child has just written a paper to get one without a single moan or grumble.

 

Ha! So far, we’re safe.

 

I like the idea of looking for an adult snake to adopt or purchase. One of the sticking points for me is that really he is the only person in the house that wants this pet so I don’t want to be stuck with it in 10 years when he is gone. I know we could probably give it away to some other reptile seeking child but I definitely don’t want to be one of those people who gets a pet and then years later gives it away because we got tired of it or didn’t realize how long a commitment it was. If it lives 20 years, then I feel we need to be ready to have it 20 years. So an adult reptile might be a good option.

 

Thanks also to the people who recommended bearded dragons. I had looked those up on other sites and had gotten the impression they were very difficult. Good to have a different perspective.

[yucabird]

My 9 year old would really really like a pet reptile. Ideally he’d like a snake which I am not thrilled about. Partially, for the silly reason that snakes just give me the heebie-jeebies. And partially because they seem difficult as pets and I know they live a long time. I do not want a pet snake in 10 years when he goes to college. He would also be ok with a lizard. He’s wanted this for a long time and he’s always liked reptiles (even as a toddler his favorite house at the zoo was the reptile house) so I’m confident it isn’t just a passing whim.

 

I’ve told him to research what he wants and to think about things like lifespan, what they eat, cost, special equipment, etc. I’m still somewhat reluctant but I also think in some ways it would be good for him.

 

Any advice on what could be a good reptile for a beginner?

 

This is a valid concern. My husband purchased a snake while at university. He had it for ages, but when he made an international move he couldn’t bring it (paperwork, etc.), so he asked his mother to care for it. She had it for about thirteen more. It died last year.

 

It always makes me laugh to think about my MIL, a little English woman, walking into the pet shop asking for “sweeties†(her name for dead rodents).

[Wheres Toto]

My oldest has wanted a snake (ball python) for over 10 years. It never worked out just due to circumstances but I know if we got a snake for the younger kids and ever wanted to get rid of it, she would take it in a second.

[warneral]

My sister had 2 burmese pythons and they really do get huge! They were 16ft long and not done growing when she re=homed them. We had boas that mated and had 20 babies! Ball pythons are nice. The nice thing about snakes (as long as it is tame and doesn't bite), they can be held and aren't fast. Most lizards (except for bearded dragon) are fast and difficult to hold.

[skirch]

We also had an iguana that someone didn't feed properly as a baby and it had a malformed lower jaw. Then they "didn't realize how big it would get" so gave it up. You see a lot of iguanas for sale around here because people don't understand how big they can really get.

 

 

Thank you for bringing this up. I used to have green iguanas and also took in rescues. They CAN be great pets IF you know what you are getting into. They get HUGE. They can be aggressive and have razor sharp teeth and claws. You need a LOT of room for them and they need very specific heat and humidy levels. I wish pet stores would stop selling them.

[Hoot]

I don't know anything about snakes, but I'm familiar with a lot of lizards. Definitely, the best starter lizards are bearded dragons or leopard geckos. Both are pretty calm if they're cared for properly and don't mind being handled if you start from the beginning. A bearded dragon needs a bit more specialized set-up, but it's not overly difficult. I've had my big boy for 7 yrs. and expect him to live several more. In captivity and with excellent care, you can expect 10+ yrs. from a bearded dragon. A leopard gecko can live even longer. I know of a couple who are pushing 15 - 17 yrs. old.

 

A leopard gecko is not at all difficult. Under-tank heating, a mild UV light, and a warm, humid hide are the most specialized equipment you'll need. Most people believe that leos don't need UV because they are nocturnal but this is absolutely false. They DO need a small amount to avoid ending up with metabolic bone disorder. My guy gets to go outside in the sunshine about once a week. As for food, my little guy has eaten whatever I put in front of him like a champ from day one, unlike my dragon who has fits where he wants a certain type of food and will hold out until I give it to him. :001_rolleyes: Many leopard geckos don't like to be handled, but I've found if you get them when they're little they acclimate to it very quickly. Mine loves to come out and crawl all over me at night. Now, messing with him during the day is a great big no-no. That's when he sleeps and he will let you know pretty quickly that you're ticking him off. :D Vitamins, just like for dragons, are as simple as "shake 'n baking" the bugs before you feed them.

[Hoot]

Thank you for bringing this up. I used to have green iguanas and also took in rescues. They CAN be great pets IF you know what you are getting into. They get HUGE. They can be aggressive and have razor sharp teeth and claws. You need a LOT of room for them and they need very specific heat and humidy levels. I wish pet stores would stop selling them.

 

:iagree:

 

I have a green ig and he has been my biggest challenge yet. I ADORE him, but he makes me work for every ounce of affection he might give. My other reptiles are easy-peasy compared to that boy but I wouldn't trade him for the world. Then again, talk to me again when he goes through breeding season in about a year. I may change my tune. (just kidding, of course) :coolgleamA:

[houseofkids&pets]

Contessa20 gave great info about the leopard gecko. They are a gecko from a dessert habitat originally, so they do not need humidity like other types of geckos. They do need a "moist hide" to go in when they are shedding their skin. Our hide is an empty plastic take-out container with moss inside. We cut a hole in the top and burned around the edges so it wouldn't be sharp, add the moss, put the top back on, and just make sure to keep the moss moist. You also have to supplement with calcium. We use two types of calcium; we leave a water bottle cap in the enclosure that is filled with calcium without D3. Then, we dust crickets with calcium with vitamin D3 right before feeding them to our gecko. We got "Dottie" when she was a tiny baby a few years ago and she is healthy and looks great.

 

Also, you do need the overhead and under the tank heater. The info given to us by the young kid at the pet store was totally wrong. I don't think a lot of the pet store employees really know how to correctly care for some of the animals. Do your research and you will be fine with whatever you choose.

 

I still vote for a bearded dragon!!

[Hoot]

We got "Dottie" when she was a tiny baby a few years ago and she is healthy and looks great.

 

 

How cute, ours is Dobbie. :)

[Mom2TheTeam]

We just have a turtle...it will probably live 20+ years. *sigh*

 

We saw a turtle lay eggs in our yard...then found them eaten.....the next day, my son saw another turtle laying eggs in our yard. So, I looked up how to incubate turtles and we dug them up and incubated them. All 7 of them hatched. (It was the coolest thing ever!!) We were planning to release them after they hatched, but we couldn't do it knowing most of them would probably end up eaten. So, we raised them and then gave 6 away and kept one.

 

He is cute and I'm glad my kids have a pet, but I'm not that happy about his life expectancy. The kids are going to be long gone and we are going to have a turtle still. So, it's something to think about.

 

(We *could* release him back into the wild, but I feel like he probably wouldn't fair very well since he was born and raised in captivity. So, we will keep him. He is cute after all. ;))

[Matryoshka]

I've actually grown a bit fond of our ball python. I am a big fan of low-care pets, and he's easy-peasy! A rat every couple of weeks, and he's good. Only poos about as often as he eats, so no stinky cage. He also is happy to be taken out, and will even sit curled up on your lap.

[houseofkids&pets]

I thought of one more piece of info. Our friends' bearded dragons are really neat and I love that they eat fruits/veggies instead of only live critters. However, I did notice that they seem messier than our leopard gecko. "Dottie" ALWAYS goes potty in the same corner of her tank, so it is easy to keep her habitat clean. We actually made a litter box for that corner after reading about it on a reptile website. We just use paper towel on the bottom of her tank since using sand as a substrate can be dangerous for geckos. Her tank is definitely easy to clean and maintain. She doesn't smell at all, but the crickets in our cricket keeper are nasty!! I wish she would eat something other than live crickets and mealworms (which need to be refrigerated), but my kids do think it is cool watching her hunt. The circle of life.....

[Hoot]

We just have a turtle...it will probably live 20+ years. *sigh*

 

We saw a turtle lay eggs in our yard...then found them eaten.....the next day, my son saw another turtle laying eggs in our yard. So, I looked up how to incubate turtles and we dug them up and incubated them. All 7 of them hatched. (It was the coolest thing ever!!) We were planning to release them after they hatched, but we couldn't do it knowing most of them would probably end up eaten. So, we raised them and then gave 6 away and kept one.

 

He is cute and I'm glad my kids have a pet, but I'm not that happy about his life expectancy. The kids are going to be long gone and we are going to have a turtle still. So, it's something to think about.

 

(We *could* release him back into the wild, but I feel like he probably wouldn't fair very well since he was born and raised in captivity. So, we will keep him. He is cute after all. ;))

 

Very cool! What type of turtle is it?

[Hoot]

I thought of one more piece of info. Our friends' bearded dragons are really neat and I love that they eat fruits/veggies instead of only live critters. However, I did notice that they seem messier than our leopard gecko. "Dottie" ALWAYS goes potty in the same corner of her tank, so it is easy to keep her habitat clean. We actually made a litter box for that corner after reading about it on a reptile website. We just use paper towel on the bottom of her tank since using sand as a substrate can be dangerous for geckos. Her tank is definitely easy to clean and maintain. She doesn't smell at all, but the crickets in our cricket keeper are nasty!! I wish she would eat something other than live crickets and mealworms (which need to be refrigerated), but my kids do think it is cool watching her hunt. The circle of life.....

 

:lol: Oh yes, the beardie poop! It is nasty. I have told others that it smells like warm, old-man denture breath that hasn't seen a toothbrush in awhile. If you're lucky you can get them kind of trained to go in the tub at a certain time of day (the beardie, not the old man). However, when they go in the cage it. is. gross. They will inevitably run through it and get it everywhere. They will need a bath complete with a designated toothbrush to scrub it off. The gecko could only be easier if he opened the cage door and pooped directly in the toilet.

[Mom2TheTeam]

Very cool! What type of turtle is it?

 

It was totally cool. They are Eastern Painted turtles. There are a lot of them in the retention pond that backs to our house. Most people don't like the retention pond there, but we love it. It brings turtles, frogs, tadpoles (same thing, I know) and all sorts of other animals.

 

Anyway, the turtle hatch-lings were so cute. It took them a couple of days to all get out. It was hard not to help them get out. LOL! They were about the size of a nickel. We were surprised that all 7 turtles hatched and survived to be given away. It was really a fun science project and definitely something we will never forget doing. I hope we can do something similar when my younger kids get older.

 

And to think, we almost didn't buy this house because of the hill and retention pond it leads to. It has turned out to be a huge blessing and the best part of owning this house.

[Dmmetler]

One of the people on DD's herp forum has managed to "potty train" her beardie-she takes him out and gives him a warm bath, and he goes then. Nice set up, if you can get a lizard who does it.

 

I do think the corn snake is super-easy in that regard. a mouse every week, one poop that's easy to spot clean, and done. we also have leopard frogs (side effect of a life cycle project that turned into pets), and they poop in their water, so it's a matter of changing the water every few days. Wish the crickets they eat are as obliging!

 

If you're going to do bug-eating herps, it saves a lot of money if you can set up a colony of feeders-We have sparkling beetles/mealworms (easy-they actually happily breed on the land side of the frog tank-self reproducing food! I only need to reserve some or restock when I change out the land side) and crickets on the back porch (box of dirt inside a big Rubbermaid box, with cricket food and water, and a bunch of adult crickets that are chirping (bait shops are better for this-most pet store crickets aren't adults)in about 3 week, you start getting pinheads hatching, and, when they start getting to the right size, transfer them over to wherever you keep feeders to gut load, powder with calcium, and feed). I've heard good things about Dubia roaches, but I can't bring myself to bring something with the name "roach" into my house willingly. At least crickets have good PR!

[Jackie]

For beginner snakes, I recommend corn snakes or king snakes. Both stay fairly small and generally can be conditioned to regular handling.

 

I'm another vote for bearded dragons. I would try to find an adult to adopt so you don't have to mess with finding tiny crickets and the need to change cage sizes for a baby. I will say that the initial setup can be pricey. A lot of information says that a 55 gallon tank is sufficient, but I really disagree. I rescued two previously, and the female went into a 55 gallon tank and the male into a custom 4x2x2 cage - it's what I had on hand at the time. We thought the female was kinda lifeless while the male showed a ton of personality. I got curious and swapped the living spaces, and the lizards swapped personalities. Having more room to run around seemed to do wonders for bringing out their personalities.

[Eagle]

Am I the only one weirded out by this thread? I somehow managed to read the whole thing. It started off talking about easy care reptiles and I was picturing a cute little gecko or a bearded dragon with lots of personality. Next thing there are live crickets, frozen mice, a rat once a week, 16 ft snakes (!!!), and stinky cages. I know I'm somehow going to get talked into this someday as we are allergic to anything furry. And now I'm scared!!

 

The turtle sounded ok, but then I remembered that recent thread about the possibly buried alive turtle...

[Mom2TheTeam]

Am I the only one weirded out by this thread? I somehow managed to read the whole thing. It started off talking about easy care reptiles and I was picturing a cute little gecko or a bearded dragon with lots of personality. Next thing there are live crickets, frozen mice, a rat once a week, 16 ft snakes (!!!), and stinky cages. I know I'm somehow going to get talked into this someday as we are allergic to anything furry. And now I'm scared!!

 

The turtle sounded ok, but then I remembered that recent thread about the possibly buried alive turtle...

 

 

My husband used to raise snakes when he was a kid. Now, my 7 year old would like one, but my husband can't stand the thought of feeding it. LOL!! Honestly, I don't want to feed any rats to any snakes either. But, to be perfectly honest, watching frogs (not reptiles, I know) hunt and eat crickets and flies and such is really entertaining. ha, ha! I would imagine the same would be true of the reptiles mentioned here. But, the rats and pinkies, eeewwww......

 

As for the turtle, the thing to think about with turtles is they can carry salmanila (sp???), which is one of the reasons you can't buy them under 2". It's not a big deal as long as you keep the tank clean and wash your hands after you hold them, but they aren't great for young children. My 7 year old is the only one of my children who regularly holds/touches our turtle and he is VERY good about washing his hands afterward. Also, they live a long time. But, they don't stink and are easy to care for. Ours likes worms, but he doesn't have to have them. Many days he just gets his turtle food we buy at the store. (He like goldfish food too.) Ours is a water turtle which is fun to watch because he swims around all the time. Anyway, some things to think about. :)

[Alice]

Am I the only one weirded out by this thread? I somehow managed to read the whole thing. It started off talking about easy care reptiles and I was picturing a cute little gecko or a bearded dragon with lots of personality. Next thing there are live crickets, frozen mice, a rat once a week, 16 ft snakes (!!!), and stinky cages. I know I'm somehow going to get talked into this someday as we are allergic to anything furry. And now I'm scared!!

 

The turtle sounded ok, but then I remembered that recent thread about the possibly buried alive turtle...

 

 

Ha! Yes, I have been thinking that it was a very informative thread but one that is not convincing me to get a reptile.

[SebastianCat]

My brother had corn snakes when we were growing up, and while my mom was initially VERY hesitant, she admitted that they were the easiest pets she ever owned. Feed 'em one pinkie per week, clean up one poop shortly thereafter, clean water once or twice a week, and handle whenever you feel like it. No housebreaking, no barking, no scratching furniture, no litterbox, no walking required.

 

Now the snakes would occasionally escape from their tanks, and THAT freaked my mom out. Especially when one snake, whom we assumed was long gone, poked its head out of HER shower drain early one morning while she was showering. :)

[Courtney_Ostaff]

My husband likes reptiles, but I have household rules: nothing that slithers, escapes, bites, eats animals, or has venom. So, we have two leopard geckos, and two chameleons. I know chameleons can be a little cantankerous to set up, but once you have all the equipment, they're quite easy--and happy to be ignored except for feeding. I also like that they don't live long enough to be handed down as pets, or left behind when they go to college. Our older Nosy Blue chameleon is 6 1/2, and just starting to slow down a bit. An automated fogger for misting, a table-top fountain for drinking, a largish glass tank with a screen top with a ceramic heat light & a UV light, and regular doses of calcium-fed crickets (mail ordered from Flukers and kept in a 10 gallon tank in the basement), and the chammies are easy as pie.