# Help! My son wants a reptile...



## ClawHammer (Apr 26, 2018)

Hi All,
I’m new here and have signed up in order to get some advice. I’m a member on a lot of different forums as I find them to be a great source of information and will always sign up to the relevant forum before making any purchase. However, this time is slightly different as the purchase is for my son. He’s 11 years old and has been wanting a pet lizard for the last 3 years. He’s doing exceptionally well in school and out and my wife and I feel he deserves rewarding and this is what he really wants. We’re at the planning stage and right now my son is putting together a fact sheet of information on three different reptiles. He’s comparing a bearded dragon, Yemen chameleon and a panther chameleon. 

The little research I’ve done suggests one or more of these aren’t the best repitiles for a beginner. However, he won’t just be left to get on with it on his own and we won’t allow any animal to suffer due to his neglect. He will be made aware of any feeding and cleaning routines that he will need to follow so he knows what he’s getting into before buying. I’ve keep marine fish and follow strict routines to keep everything healthy and happy so can bring that experience, if at all relevant, to the table. 

So, I would like your opinions on the suitability of the above three reptiles for an 11 year old or is there another reptile that would be more suited? We’re probably going to by in one to two months time.

Thanks in advance for any help, advice or opinions. 
CH


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## cegriffy (Jul 28, 2016)

Hi and :welcome:

I am by no means an expert as we are also relatively new to reptile keeping.

My son is 8 and animal mad (reptiles especially). We bought him a royal python in November 2016 and I recently rescued a bearded dragon. My son adores his snake but in terms of interaction our beardie wins hands down!

As a first reptile I would avoid chameleons as they are not the easiest reptile to care for.

Have a look at bearded dragons, rankins (if you can find them) or consider some of the different gecko species - leopard or crested would be a great choice if you didn't want a large lizard. 

In terms of snakes a corn, milk snake or even some of the rat snakes might be worth looking at - I love the Gopher snake, something different.

You also need to weigh up what space you have to accomodate your reptile - beardies need a large viv, as well as considering how you feel about feeding your pet - would you be ok with rats in your freezer or housing a tub of crickets etc. 

Find a good reptile centre/shop who will talk through the choices and let you handle some of the animals


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## Muzzah (Mar 21, 2018)

Ok,

I'm going to preface this by saying you shouldnt get a lizard as a present for a kid. Most of them don't have the long term thought pattern necessary to care for one long term.

That being said, there are some things you should think about before buying a reptile. (FYI I would reccomend a Bearded dragon, they are pretty user friendly as far as reptiles go)



Space - An adult bearded dragon will require a 4x2x2 foot tank as a minimum.
Cost - The initial setup can be quite costly, I would suggest getting a full sized tank, as they grow incredibly quickly. Along with specialist lighting (UV) and heating requirements. In their first 6 months or so, they will require an incredible amount of live feeders (Crickets/Roaches) somewhere in the region of 70+ appropriately sized feeders per day.
Time - The first 6 months, a beardie requires feeding 3 times a day. They can also live for over a decade.
Specialist care - You will need to see a specialist herp vet if your beardie gets ill, General vets just dont have the knowledge base to treat them.
Handling - You will not be able to handle the beardie from day 1, They will need to be left alone for a couple of weeks or more (other than cleaning poop and feeding), while they get used to the stress of changing their envirnoment (Stress can be really harmful to a beardie). After that initial period, you will need to build up trust with your beardie, by slowly letting it get used to you (IE. Getting it to take food from tongs, then from the hand, then trying stroking, then using food to encourage him on your hand etc. its a long process, but builds a lasting relationship).
Bugs - How are you handling live bugs, cause thats what beardies eat, although, they eat alot of veg when they are older, but bugs are still a part of their diet.
Substrate - Alot of places will tell you that you need to house a beardie on tiles or carpet! that is simply not true, beardies do well on a soil sand mix as they love to dig. If people tell you about impaction, its a "Myth". I used air quotes, as its not the substrate that causes it, it's poor husbandry (IE, your lights and heating)
I dont want to put you off, Beardies are lovely animals, but you also need to think about if your Son decides he doesnt want one any more, do you want to be looking after a reptile?


Feel free to ask any more questions, I'd be happy to tell you what i know : victory:


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## Outlaw (Apr 24, 2018)

ClawHammer said:


> He’s comparing a bearded dragon, Yemen chameleon and a panther chameleon.


Chameleons are, or at least used to be specialists lizards.... I sure wouldn't recommend them as a first lizard species.


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## Zaipei (Nov 27, 2016)

As stated above I wouldn't recommend a Chameleon for a first reptile. They are quite demanding. Bearded dragons are definitely a good choice, however I think a leopard gecko or a crested gecko would be an even better choice. Many people have geckos as a first lizard and there are endless caresheets and information about them.

I would like to add ( Although I'm extremely biased  ) A pet snake. More specifically a royal python. This was my first pet reptile and they're still my favourite to this day. I was planning on getting a lizard before my snake but, got persuaded otherwise and, couldn't have been happier with my choice. 

Was just a thought, however if his heart is set on a lizard, bearded dragon, leopard gecko or crested gecko would definitely be my top picks for you. Good luck, and hope you guys enjoy reptile keeping!


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## Isabel463 (Apr 10, 2018)

Consider a Blue Tongue Skink! I bought one at age 13 and she is my best friend! She has a 4 by 2 foot viv exotic viv and comes out for regular handling. I feed her on a mix of wet go cat cat food, fruit and veg chopped up and mixed in to the cat food and mealies. I dust all food in her dish with calcium powder. Absolutely amazing pets, docile and gentle too! I have only been bitten once, it was when I was hand feeding and my hands smelt of food- she got very excited but let me go as soon as she realised! X


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## Isabel463 (Apr 10, 2018)

She is a Meruke Blue Tongue btw x


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## Debbie1962 (Dec 5, 2008)

The only problem with leos, cresties and royals is that they are primarily nocturnal or crepuscular meaning they can come out at dawn and dusk but are generally really active late in the evening. A young child may find these boring. Your best option is a bearded dragon which are active throught the day and will tolerate handling. Chameleons are more delicate so not advisable as a beginner lizard. Whilst I have no problem with young children owning reptiles, or any animal for that matter, they can lose interest quickly so as long as you are prepared to look after that animal in the long run then that's fine.


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## ClawHammer (Apr 26, 2018)

Hi All,

Many thanks for your replies. 

I can already see a couple of issues. Space and feeding. We intended on placing in his bedroom and there simply isn’t room for a 4ft or even 3ft long tank. The only thing that would fit is the 2x2x4 tank for the Yemen chameleon but, as per your comments, it seems this isn’t the best first reptile. 

The second issue is feeding. I hate insects and don’t relish the thought of dealing with dead baby mice so I wouldn’t want to be left feeding any reptile. I also have enough on my plate with my two cats and marine fish. I just don’t see him sticking at this and it’s completely unfair on the animal. 

I will press on as I think he will come to the conclusion that this isn’t the best pet for him. The biggest test will be feeding. I’ve point blank refused to entertain this until he has fed live insects and a pinky himself at a pet stores few times and also helped clean out a viv. He needs to know what’s involved and be prepared to do this consistently. 

Let’s see.


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## Isabel463 (Apr 10, 2018)

Try a smaller breed of blue tongue. They don’t need live insects or mice, just wet cat food, fruit and veggies mashed in with some mealworms and calcium dust! I think eastern are relitivly small, though I may be mistakes. Cresties don’t NEED insects. You can buy this stuff that you just add water to or something, though I would suggest throwing a couple of wax worms in every so often, though it isn’t completely necessary. If you decide not to go down the reptile route, try a jird (shaws are best in my opinion) or a duprasi or something like that. A duprasi would fit nicely in that size tank, just keep one female, preferably with megazorb as a substrate and a wheel (cage runs make good wheels). I know a breeder called Rachel Owers, she is very good! Good luck!!


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## Zincubus (Sep 6, 2010)

Some great comments and suggestions already but my vote would go with a Corn snake , maybe a yearling one .

They look amazing , very cool to keep , great for handling , feed well , don't get too large etc etc..

They come In a fantastic array of colours ..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## Isabel463 (Apr 10, 2018)

Stot clean viv’s once a week, full clean every 1-2 months. Tell the pet shop that you’re interested i, otherwise they won’t let you! Frogs may be a good option too.


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## Debbie1962 (Dec 5, 2008)

> Cresties don’t NEED insects.


I wouldn't actually agree with this. They eat insects in the wild not a pre made food that we supply now. A varied diet is always better and that should include insects.


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## Isabel463 (Apr 10, 2018)

I know, I agree with you completely but my point is that they can survive on it. Not ideal, I must admit, but reasonable. A Blue Tongue would certainly be a better option!


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## Isabel463 (Apr 10, 2018)

Garters and egg eaters may be a good option! I live albino checkered garters!!


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## AdamZero (May 9, 2018)

hey, I'm a snake person so not particularly my expertise, however I would strongly discourage chameleons as they aren't beginner friendly as others have pointed out.

I did look into getting a reptile with more legs, my conclusion for the best/most interesting beginner was the blue tongue skink, the only reason I didn't get one is I realised if I got a new viv I could just get a new snake instead lol. 

so I would be another voting blue tongue skink.

That said here is some advice on kids and pets.
1) never underestimate their ability to lose interest
2) nocturnal pets make for lousy entertainers unless you are nocturnal so maybe you want to avoid the nocturnal reptiles.
3) hope they will take care of it, encourage them to take care of it, prepare to take care of it yourself! gumtree and freeads are full of kids reptiles that got neglected.
4) not in their bedroom, you don't spend enough time in there to make sure its well kept.
5) no matter how well you think they are keeping the pet always at least inspect the deep clean (should be done once a month at least with most reptiles) before anything (reptile, hides, substrate) goes back in the viv! while the viv is empty get a slightly damp kitchen roll and wipe every surface of the viv and look for discolouring on kitchen roll.
6) life span... they live longer than a hamster, beardies I think can live to about 10, blue tongue skinks 20, royal pythons live to about 30 (oldest recorded royal was 47 I believe)

If you can live with this then that's cool, if it sounds like it is too much then probably leave it. 
honestly your son needs to know what is expected of him show him this list, tell him this is only the half of it, tell him the water needs changing daily and while once a month might be a deep clean spot cleans are far more frequent (depends on reptile and depends how often it poops but probably needed a couple of times a week)

I know some of this is repeated info, but that is in its self important, I for one always wanted a snake as a kid, and as much care and attention as I give mine now I'm glad I didn't have one as I'm sure I wouldn't have given it enough then, and I was a very responsible kid, even if I had then I'm sure the drinking and late nights and general 18+ behaviour of me before the age of at least 24 would have been less diligent (I was hung over/drunk as most people are at that age) I ended up getting my 1st snake at the end of my 20s which for me was the right time as I have time.


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## Isabel463 (Apr 10, 2018)

ClawHammer said:


> Hi All,
> I’m new here and have signed up in order to get some advice. I’m a member on a lot of different forums as I find them to be a great source of information and will always sign up to the relevant forum before making any purchase. However, this time is slightly different as the purchase is for my son. He’s 11 years old and has been wanting a pet lizard for the last 3 years. He’s doing exceptionally well in school
> and out and my wife and I feel he deserves rewarding and this is what he really wants. We’re at the planning stage and right now my son is putting together a fact sheet of information on three different
> reptiles. He’s comparing a bearded dragon, Yemen chameleon and a panther chameleon.
> ...






Have you decided on what to get yet? Hope all is going well!


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## Lukekello18 (Jul 6, 2018)

Hello I would recommend getting him a Rankins dragon as they are a miniature species of the bearded dragon and require a lot less effort and cleaning out and is overall better for beginners.


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## Demonique (May 5, 2007)

Of the 3 listed the bearded dragon would be the best choice, chameleons aren't beginner reptiles

An even better choice would be a leopard gecko, they're smaller than bearded dragons so don't require as large an enclosure and are pretty docile.


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