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RE: Good beginner lizards?

amberlini95 — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:45:40 GMT

Awesome. Thank you so much for everything! You've been extremely helpful!

Thank you for correcting me as well.

Have a good weekend!

RE: Good beginner lizards?

Grant — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:23:43 GMT

No problem!

Crested geckos shed their skin exactly like leopard geckos, they bite it off in big chunks.

Chameleons still get stressed fairly easily, just not by noise. For some reason, people think that chameleons are like ticking time bombs just waiting to go off. Although they are still more difficult to keep than some other lizards, they are not quite as fragile as people tend to think.

RE: Good beginner lizards?

amberlini95 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:31:46 GMT

Hm. Ok. Great. We have really strange dogs...they will bark at anything that moves whether it be a car or a tree branch...

Oh, I thought that was one of the reasons that chameleons aren't good starter lizards; that they get stressed on a drop of a hat. Thank you for correcting me.

Oh, one more question. Do the cresteds eat their shed skin like the leos? Or do they shed by pieces of skin like an alligator would, or does it come off like a snake's skin in one big piece?

Thank you so much for all of the help and tolerating my beginner questions everyone! I really appreciate it!

RE: Good beginner lizards?

Grant — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:41:58 GMT

Noise is actually no problem for reptiles (including crested geckos). Normal, everyday noises have no effects on them at all. Even the ocassional vacuuming or party is not a big deal. And it is actually not true that loud noises stress out chameleons.

Feel free to ask anymore questions!

RE: Good beginner lizards?

amberlini95 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:36:43 GMT

Ok. I will definitely not use distilled water. Thank you for letting me know.

I will also bookmark that site. Thank you for the link!

I think just one more question. How tolerant are they to outside noises? (i.e. dogs barking, t.v.s playing, etc.,) I know chameleons get stressed easily by noises like that, but it doesn't seem to bother my leo at all. Will the crestie be ok with noises like that?

RE: Good beginner lizards?

Grant — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:07:29 GMT

Don't worry about asking questions, that is what a forum is for.

Do not use distilled water! It can kill animals if they drink it. Tap, purified, or bottled water is fine.

You should change the paper towels every few weeks (two to four). But if you forget or go a little longer, it is not big deal. Reptiles are not dirty animals.

For thermometers, I suggest the Pro Exotics PE-1 Temp Gun (tempgun.com) and for hydrometers, I use the Kritterz dial hydrometers.

RE: Good beginner lizards?

leolizard — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:14:42 GMT

Don't be sorry about wanting to care for your reptiles the best you can! It is great that you want are trying to give whatever lizard you may get the best life possible. Now, about substrate cleaning. I would replace paper towels every week, but more frequently, would be fine.

RE: Good beginner lizards?

amberlini95 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:42:48 GMT

Ok. Will the distilled water from the grocery store work? (they come in big gallon containers and usually have a tap to get water from)

Also, how often will I need to change the substrate? (I'm planning on using paper towels) What humidity thermometer would you recommend?

Sorry about all of the questions, I just want to make sure I know everything about them before I purchase one.

RE: Good beginner lizards?

Grant — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:59:00 GMT

Yep. You can buy them for like four dollars from Target. Tap water is fine for them. It's good to add a dechlorinator or leave it sitting for twenty-four hours to get rid of chlorines and chloramines, but it isn't absolutely necessary. And no, the tank should not affect the humidity of the rest of the room.

RE: Good beginner lizards?

senior beaver — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:41:17 GMT

I spray mine once a nite, I use any spray bottle, fine mist, I also leave my water out opened for at least 24hrs. to distill, even tap water. By spraying once a nite just to moisten tank, the humidity won't effect your entire room.

RE: Good beginner lizards?

leolizard — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:41:10 GMT

I have 2 green tree frogs in one cage, and a crested gecko in another. They both have high humidity. I have a leopard gecko and pueblan milk snake. They have low humidity. I also have a small bedroom, and they are all in it. And they leo and pueblan milk snake both still have arid enviorments. So your crested should be fine.

RE: Good beginner lizards?

amberlini95 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:22:18 GMT

Great! Thanks for all of the morphs!

When I go to mist his cage, do I just use a spray bottle? And is tap water ok to use? Or should I use filtered water from my refrigerator? Also, since I'll be misting the tank every day, how often will I need to change the substrate? And since the tank will be so humid, will it make the rest of my room humid? I don't want my leo to be uncomfortable.

Thanks for all of the help!

RE: Good beginner lizards?

senior beaver — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:54:19 GMT

Cresteds are my favorite.

RE: Good beginner lizards?

Grant — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:12:21 GMT

You can certainly get a gorgeous crested gecko for well under 100 dollars. The trick to saving a ton of money on crested geckos is to buy them as unsexed hatchlings, they will be anywhere from fifty to seventy-five percent cheaper than if they were full grown.

Here is are a few pages with pictures of the breeders of a few crested gecko breeders.
http://www.acreptiles.com/geckos_crested_collection.htm
http://www.sadlerreptiles.com/breederscili.html

RE: Good beginner lizards?

leolizard — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:04:54 GMT

I would start out with a simpler morph like a flame, or normal. Then if you like them you could get some more vividly colored ones. But then again, with this species it really doesn't matter because they definatly great.

RE: Good beginner lizards?

HERPETOLOGIST N TRAINING — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:27:33 GMT

Well there are dozens to choose from. Here are pictures of some.

RE: Good beginner lizards?

amberlini95 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:25:03 GMT

Ok. What color pattern/morph would you recommend? I have only been researching a couple of weeks now, so I guess I am "new" to crested gecko morphs.

Thanks!

RE: Good beginner lizards?

HERPETOLOGIST N TRAINING — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:22:29 GMT

Some breeders will sell their babies or juveniles for as little as $30. But if you would like one with great color and pattern, be looking to spend $100 and up. The money is well worth it, trust me you will not be disappointed by them.

RE: Good beginner lizards?

amberlini95 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:59:39 GMT

Tokay geckos are really gorgeous. I've known people who have had them before as well...they said that once they bite, they won't let go...and it hurts really bad. :O But they are gorgeous animals.

I've been doing a lot of research on the crested gecko, and I'm leaning towards that. On average, how much does a "normal" crestie cost?

RE: Good beginner lizards?

badams — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:27:58 GMT

I would consider a Tokay Gecko only because they are beatifull. But please remember they do require a lot of humidity.- (70%) along with a good heating source. Also, as stated above, they do not like to be held and will bite you. But all in all, it would do well in a 30 gal tank.

RE: Good beginner lizards?

Grant — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:44:27 GMT

Crested geckos and gargoyle geckos are good beginner geckos. If you are not on a strict budget, chahouas and leachies are amazing geckos.

One of either species could live quite comfortably in a twenty gallon high or larger tank. They are very simple to care for and don't require any heating source.

Here is a great care sheet about each.
http://www.pangeareptile.com/id52.htm
http://www.pangeareptile.com/gargoylecare.htm

RE: Good beginner lizards?

leolizard — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:17:41 GMT

Maybe if you are interested in skinks you could get a fire or schneiders skink. But that is if it is a horosontaly oriented tank. If it is vertically oriented some possibilitys are tokay geck, (remember, these bite hard!), gargoyle gecko, New Caledonian giant gecko, (these are very expensive), or some sort of day gecko. Or if you wanted to house multiple species you can put a anole, green tree frog, house gecko, or rough green snake together. But I can't reccoment housing different species without knowing all their care very well.

Good beginner lizards?

amberlini95 — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:33:47 GMT

Hi guys!

I'm looking into getting another lizard. I have been researching crested geckos and anoles, but I wanted some opinions from you guys. I would prefer another gecko or another small lizard. Preferably something that can be kept in a tank around 30 gallons.

Any advice and opinions are appreciated!

Thanks all!