Pet ideas?

[slleipnir]

Ok...I REALLY want a small pet. My dad says no, but I don't see why not if it's something small haha. I had a few questions though.

I've had many rodents when I was younger, I don't think that is something I'm looking for right now (unless it's a ferret or rabbit which I know I won't be getting too expensive as well lol)

I've always wanted a reptile, like a snake or a lizard. Are they hard to care for? Is there ones you can get that only feed on crikets? I don't thikn I'd want a snake if I had to feed it mice..O_O! Also, can you handle them at all? I think I'd like something I could take out and hold a little..What about life span? Generally, how long would they live? I know a bunch of you have stuff like this, so I was wondering about them. I guess I'm looking for something small, that can be handled, isn't REALLY expensive and lives for a decent amount of time. Any sugestions? I've seen corn snakes (I think) at the pet store and they look really beautiful I think..I've always wanted one hehe.

Anyway, I doubt I'll be getting one anytime soon, but I'd like to atleast know for the future.

(Also, I really want a bird, like a tiel, but I know with my current pets there is no way haha XD)

[Kfamr]

A girl I used to be friends with had a Chinese Water Dragon. they're reeeaaly cute. She fed them crickets and some type of worms. I'd love to get one but I don't know much about them.

Hers was named Spike.. and he got pretty big.

Here's one that was POTD.
http://petoftheday.com/archive/1999/January/28.html

[slleipnir]

Aww, they're cute! I'll have to look into them as well

[popcornbird]

Popcorn and Muffin say to get a tiel. Just tell the doggies not to touch him/her!

[slleipnir]

Hehe, I wish I could

[CathyBogart]

Ask ILoveReptiles for leopard gecko pictures! It sounds like they might be a good canidate...thyy're small, friendly, eat crickets, live 10+ years, and they're just CUTE!

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I don't know too much about water dragons, but I do know that they are not something you can usually hold. What about a tortoise? We have 3 sulcata tortoises, which I don't recommend because they get too large. But maybe a smaller tortoise.

[CathyBogart]

Water dragons can be handleable and even very friendly, but they need sucha large enclosure that housing them can be very pricey.

[Kfamr]

My friend and I held her water dragon ALL the time. He was VERY friendly. I guess it's all on how you raise/handle them from the start.

[Sweet Sixy]

I would say a bunny. They are not expensive at all, the smaller the rabbit the cheaper to maintain. They can be litter trained and most breeds (espically Holland Lops) love to be held and cuddled. But thats just my opinion!

[DJFyrewolf36]

I agree with you WolfChan. Leos make great first time reptiles. I love my little leo . She is pretty receptive to handling but she will let you know if she isnt in the mood!

[Kfamr]

I remember we had a leopard gecko back in 6th grade as a class pet. It was VERY sweet, and I held it alot.

[slleipnir]

Originally posted by Sweet Sixy
I would say a bunny. They are not expensive at all, the smaller the rabbit the cheaper to maintain. They can be litter trained and most breeds (espically Holland Lops) love to be held and cuddled. But thats just my opinion!

Oh, I'd get a bunny if I could! But I don't think it fits into my life style right now with my dogs. I'm afraid (as well behaved as they are) that they would scare the bunny.I have no where to keep a bunny by itself either

The gecko sounds really neat! Can anyone tell me about caring for them? Like anything general about ones you own? I'm gonna look into it at the pet store/online, but I just want to hear also from your own experience I'm pretty sure my dad is going to let me get one

[CathyBogart]

ILR is really the expert on leos here, but I can tell you some basics...

They can live comfortably in a ten gallon tank. I know that they need an under-tank heater, and I *think* the young ones nead a UVB light, so that they can absorb calcium and use it to grow. They stay pretty small (around 6") and they are very gentle. (not to mention gorgeous!)

Their skin is delicate, so you have to be careful when handling them not to drop them. They also drop their tails without hesitating if you grab their tail. It will grow back, but it'll never be as pretty as the original tail.

They eat crickets. I feel the ones in the store 3-4x per week, it should be pretty easy to keep some crickets in a plastic tub or something similar if you don't want to be at the pet store constantly. Ours all get quite perky when you put the crickets in, and they're impressive hunters!

I LOVE leos, even though I've never had one personally. I recommend them for kids, for beginners to reptiles, and I know a LOT of very experienced reptile people who STILL love Leos. Good luck with whatever you decide to get!!

[ILoveReptiles]

Hello!

I tried to send you this in PM but it was too long, so I'll post it here. I do own leopard geckos - 6 of them.

WolfChan is dead on about them, they're fairly inexpensive, one of the easiest reptiles to keep in captivity, and they're extremely friendly. They love being handled, but they are quite delicate and will drop their tails if you handle them too roughly. Their tails are where they store excess food as fat, since they are indigenous to the deserts of Pakistan, where food is scarce. In the wild, dropping a tail can be disasterous, but in captivity, since food shouldn't be much of an issue, it's just cosmetic. However, if a leopard gecko drops its tail it's usually a sign of improper treatment/handling of the animal.

Young Leopard Geckos are somewhat skittish, and will bolt when you try to handle them, but when they grow up they LOVE being handled, and will quietly sit on your shoulder. They're quite friendly and don't usually bite unless they are very aggravated by something.

They will eat crickets and mealworms, but mealworms are dangerous. Unless you crush their heads before they are fed to the gecko, they have been known to chew their way out of the gecko's stomach. The adult geckos can even be fed pinky mice as a calcium boost, but crickets dusted with calcium powder and vitamin powder will suffice. I feed mine canned crickets, which I purchase from www.bigappleherp.com

I usually feed my geckos every other day, sometimes every third day. You can opt for live crickets, but they're messy, they make a lot of noise, and they smell bad. Canned crickets are much easier, and I've even managed to get a few of my geckos to take them right from my hand.

All in all they're a perfect pet for beginners... and they do live for quite a while. I'd stay away from the "special" phase geckos and just get a normal - the phases tend to be more delicate - because they are inbred to get the patterns and colorings... Normal phase seems to be much more robust, and is just as cute.

Also - the blizzard phase is a bit nippy, and they don't have as even a temperament as the normals.

A 10 gallon tank will suffice for 1 leopard gecko - I have vision cages, but they're a bit on the pricey side. You can get a 10 gallon tank at any pet shop for around 15.00.

Be careful also of substrate... you should avoid anything that has large granules, I use really fine desert sand, but even that has been known to cause impactions - though I've never had any issues with it. I would suggest for younger geckos using paper towel or astro-turf cut to fit the bottom of the cage.. Either that or newspaper. When the gecko gets bigger/older, you can move to a really fine sand.

I have a few links for care/feeding of Leopard Geckos available on my reptile and amphibian information base... at www.caicos.org

If there's anything else I can help you with, please let me know.