# Are reptiles that hard to take care of?



## ol260 (Dec 21, 2017)

I'm interested in getting my first reptile or amphibian pet. A lot of articles online make reptile care seem perpetually difficult, even for easy species like leopard geckos and such. Are they really that hard to take care of once you get past the learning curve? Obviously they have more requirements than say a hamster, but I've had dogs, freshwater aquariums, hermit crabs, & guinea pigs before. Are they much more complex than that to care for? I was looking into fire belly toads, leopard geckos, or axolotyls. Are those hard to care for? Are there other easy species I should consider? Anything potential herp owners need to know? Thank you so much in advance for any ideas/advice.


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## FK Geckos (Jun 29, 2017)

Reptile care is obviously a bit more than just popping a hamster in a cage with some sawdust and feeding a ready mixed diet but many people do like to make it sound more difficult than it is. Another thing is that the differing opinions from person to person and the common myths that get spread around don't help new keepers. There is a lot of nonsense in the hobby but just sit back and use some common sense and you will be able to work out the good advice from the BS. You'll probably have seen what I mean if you've done a little bit of research on Leopard Geckos.

There are loads of species that a brand new keeper could start out with. As long as you have your head screwed on you can choose from hundreds of species. The biggest issue is finding just the one species that you would like to keep. Just really depends on what you are looking for from your new pet.


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## Zincubus (Sep 6, 2010)

My colleague fell in love with my Royals after having a hold of a few .

She had no experience at all so I told her the basics but emphasised that she get a good feeder ....

She actually got one a few days later after she saw one being fed in the local store  That's pretty impressive for a Royal in a pet store by the way 

Anyways she's not had a single problem and that was 5 years ago


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## corvid2e1 (Jan 21, 2007)

The day to day care is generaly not difficult at all, but getting the set up right in the first place can be complicated, made worse by outdated opinions and conflicting infomation given by various sources. Pick a species you are interested in, work out what you want in an animal, i.e do you want something that is active and interesting to observe, something that will live in an attractive set up, something that can be handled? The three species you list are all nice animals with relativly simple requirements but they are not the only ones. They are also all very different, which seems to sugest you have picked them as they are recomended as easy to care for rather than because they are the species you are interested in. Try not to fall into the trap of getting a "starter" species just because you think you should if it is not something you are going to still be interested in later on, as far too many animals are passed around when their owners get bored. Not that there is anything wrong with the ones you have listed. I started with Leopard Geckos over 20 years ago and still have them today, and still think they are great lizards to keep, but make sure you get something you like as an animal, not just because they are easy to start with. Do some research on your chosen species, look online, speak to other keepers etc. You will find different infomation from different places, sometimes completly conflicting, but use common sence and logic, work out why certain things are meant to be done a certain way rather than just taking for granted that it has to be that way because somebody says so, and how it relates to how the animals live in the wild, and it will start to make more sense. Don't assume what the pet shop tells you to do is right, more often than not it won't be, in fact, if you can avoid pet shops all together so much the better. Once you are decided and know what you are doing, get your enclosure set up and functional first, make sure everything is working as it should, temps and humidity are staying at the correct levels etc, make sure you have a reliable source of food, know of a good exotics vet just in case, then get your animal from a reputable breeder/dealer. Make sure it is healthy, and preferably captive bred (with most commonly kept species this is not normaly an issue). If everything is right to start with then with any luck you should not run into any problems. Never forget that this is an ever changing hobby. New research, new products and new ways of thinking are constantly cropping up, so be willing to accept this and take advice, tweak and change details and opinions if necicary to keep providing the best possible care for your animals.


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## Catzo (Feb 3, 2018)

Theres definitely a learning process to it as theres alot of variation between individual reptiles even of the same species.
For example ive got one leopard gecko that will only eat superworms of a specific size, and only in the morning. Another that will only eat crickets that are exactly the right size, but only in the evening, and another that will eat anything that moves but only when she wants to. One of my leos likes it much warmer than the others.

Over time ive figured out these cues but at first I couldnt figure out why my leo wasnt eating. I researched all i could and had the tank set up, decided on mealworms as my staple food, and he just wouldnt eat them and i couldnt figure out what was wrong. Now i know whrn theyre hungry, i know if a food item isnt working and what to try next, i know if the temps are off, i know if a shed is coming. It doesnt take long to figure it out though, and once you get last the initial process it really isnt difficult. There will be surprises on the way but theres lots of info out there.


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## Makizushi (Feb 18, 2018)

I’m on here due to being a new snake owner (which is proving quite the learning experience) but my sister and I cared for a leopard gecko for about 7 years (she lived to about 9 years and has passed now but was a female so likely was just her time although she was under new care at the time) anyway, all that being said, it was very easy. Some of course will be harder than others, but after the initial learning of what they need and getting it all set up it can be a breeze!

She was always happy and healthy. Only reason we every changed her setup (besides cleaning) was for fun or new things for her to do. The heat lamp lasted the whole time we had her, never needed to be adjusted once set up correctly. She never had trouble eating and crickets (didn’t like mealworms) were cheap and easy to pick up. We loved her and it was a pleasant experience. 

I would say much will depend on your pets individual personality. Some will like things that others don’t and vice versa but it should be easy to bend to their will and make them happy!

Good luck. I definitely recommend a leopard gecko!


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