Reptile/Amphibian

[whalelover]

Hi.
I will be receiving a 10 gallon fish aquarium from some friends soon, because they don't want it. It comes with a fish filter and heater, and normal gravel. The thing is, I want to put either some kind of reptile or amphibian in it. But, I need something that is realy cheap, easy to care for, and that is interesting and that you can hold and has personality. Something like that, but I don't really know what to get...
Any ideas on what I could get?

[wolfsoul]

I'm certainly no expert, but I can tell you that most reptiles aren't very easily cared for, nor cheap -- they require a certain level of heating, humidity, etc. Not only would you need the tank, but [depending on the type of reptile] you may need two thermometres, a heat pad, a basking light, a nocturnal heat light, a UVB producing light...plus special food and all of the other equipment that you need for a reptile. Also, a ten gallon tank is not suitable to most reptiles. There are some that are dubbed "easy to care for" but that is usually only when compared to other reptiles. If you want to compare reptile care to cat care, a reptile would be very difficult compared to a cat because with few changes some reptiles can die so easily . That being said, I've always heard that corn snakes are cheap and easy to care for -- only my friend had two that both died within a week.

As for amphibians...How about an aquatic frog? I hear they are fairly easy to care for. You can find them at pretty much any pet shop. I once had a small toad/frog (not too sure) with a newt, and they didn't take much effort, although I never cared for them properly. They hated to be held though.

[IRescue452]

Possibly a small corn snake. They are cheaper and not so hard to care for, but they still take time and commitment.

[Godzilla]

If snakes aren't your bag, a leopard gecko or crested gecko would do pretty well. Or for an amphibian, there's a whole list of species you could try, but you'll probably have the easiest time finding a common green tree frog or fire-belly toad (don't mix them though).

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by Godzilla
If snakes aren't your bag, a leopard gecko or crested gecko would do pretty well.
Wouldn't a 10 gallon be too small for a leopard gecko? I was under the impression that since they don't climb, they need atleast a 20 gallon for the ground space. :confused:

[CathyBogart]

Originally posted by IRescue452
Possibly a small corn snake. They are cheaper and not so hard to care for, but they still take time and commitment.

Corn snake in a ten gallon? I don't think so....maybe for the first two months. They should have a thirty gallon or lager when they are full grown, because they get 4+ feet long.

I would suggest a leopard gecko or a fat-tailed gecko. If you can find one, a sandfish skink would be fun...they're cheap and attractive and friendly, but a little tough to find.

If any of these sound interesting, let me know and I will tell you about their basic care....(There are a lot of other knowledgeable reptile people on here too, these are just my ideas)

[whalelover]

Thanks, I'm interested in the gecko. I was talking to my friend, and her brother has a gecko in a ten gallon aquarium, and they got him at christmas and he is still living. He seems to be doing fine...and they didn't say he was super hard to care for or anything like that. It's a leopard gecko I'm almost positive, and now I'm pretty sure that's what I want...either that or maybe a fat tailed but I'm leaning more towards leopard gecko. Now I just have to do some research and find out basic care!

[IRescue452]

Oops sorry, that the tank was a ten gallon must have went right past me.

[Godzilla]

Originally posted by wolfsoul
Wouldn't a 10 gallon be too small for a leopard gecko? I was under the impression that since they don't climb, they need atleast a 20 gallon for the ground space. :confused:

You can keep ONE in a ten gallon with no problems. My buddy does, and his gecko is older than I am!

[CathyBogart]

A single leo can be quite happy in a ten gallon tank. It's one of the easiest setups for a beginner to reptiles. :)

[CathyBogart]

Just to give you an idea, a very besic setup for a leo in a ten gallon would require...

Sand: Fine grain is better, and some people prefer to use astro turf or cloth turf, and those are fine as well. I just think sand is easier to clean up.

A water dish: something large and shallow enough for him or her to easily climb in and out of.

A heat pad for beneath the tank: As far over to one side as possible. There should be a "Warm side" and a "cool side" of the tank so he or she can go back and forth as needed to keep comfy.

A cave at either end: I like to use flowerpots cut in half or the little half-logs you get at pet stores.

Optional but VERY nice to have is a moisture chamber. To make one, take one of those disposable ziploc tupperwares, or something similar, and cut a "door" in one side. Stuff it with moss, and keep the moss damp at all times.

One important reason for this is that leopard geckos tend to get skin stuck to their toes when they shed. The moisture chamber will help them get it off so that the shed skin doesn't restrict blood flow to the toes.

Personally, I would recommend a nice fat adult male. Hatchlings aren't really fragile, but they are a little more delicate, and on occasion females can have problems with egg-binding, so when I worked at a pet store I always recommended boys for beginners. It's a little more costly to invest in an adult, but in my opinion it is worth it.

Here is a link to Kingsnake.com's classified page just for leopard geckos. Don't get turned off by some of the prices there: a lot of the people on this website breed super high-colored morphs, and some of the geckos listed will be very expensive! I just thought you might find it interesting to look and see what's out there. :)

[whalelover]

Thanks!
Okay that sounds good, it's going to end up costing me almost nothing, except for the gecko and food...but I have a question.
Since I have the fish heater, can't I juse use that? I'll just put it at one end and then it will just heat the tank like it would a normal fish tank...would that work?

[CathyBogart]

One of those heaters that hangs over into the side of the tank? Like...a long glass cylinder?

I don't think it would work very well...You could always hook it up and check the temperatures on both sides of the tank.

[Godzilla]

I personally use an undertank heating matt. One thing, the matt can only be under 1/3 or 1/4 of the cage, if you put it under the whole cage, the poor gecko can't go anywhere if it gets too hot to cool down.

[tikeyas_mom]

my friend has her leopard gecko in a ten gallon tank with a heating mat on one side and a moss hut ont he other side...
I have my leopard gecko in a 33 gallon tank with a heating mat and a mosshut, along with some other cute decors.. ;)

[whalelover]

Would this setup work?:
10 gallon tank
newspaper on the bottom
heating pad/lamp (whichever is cheapest heating)
some type of log (can it be from outside?)
a plastic container w/ a cut in the middle and moss on the bottom for a moisture chamber (do I have to spray it w/ water?)
water dish

Okay well if this will work how much do the heating pads cost, and how much do the heating lamps cost? What is the cheapest type of heating that I could use?
Also, how much approximatly is a gecko? And how much is the food would you say?
I hope it's not too expensive...

[Godzilla]

Well, I'd probably get the lamp (Cost you between $25-$30). Newspaper's a fine substrate, easy to replace. If you get a log from outside, wrap it in aluminum foil and heat it in the oven at about 400 degrees to kill all possible bacterias. Your moisture chamber sounds fine, but yes, you do have to mist it daily. Your water dish should be about knee-level on the gecko and wide enough for him to soak in it. A single, normal phase gecko generally costs about $30 (designer morphs can be significantly more expensive). Food is about $10 per week. (This'll get you up to 50 crickets depending on where you go). For a reptile, a Leopard gecko isn't all that expensive, but it does cost some.

Hope this helps.

[whalelover]

They don't eat fifty cricets in a week, do they? My friend feeds her gecko only about 4 crickets per week I think...so fifty should last me a long time!

[Godzilla]

Originally posted by whalelover
They don't eat fifty cricets in a week, do they? My friend feeds her gecko only about 4 crickets per week I think...so fifty should last me a long time!

No, that's just what I usually get, lasts me for 2-3 weeks actually. I'm sorry, in that case, food is about $5 if you but crickets once a week. (BTW: Feed at least 3X weekly).

[tikeyas_mom]

i think you should feed your leo at least 5 crickets every 2 days when it is an adult.. along with meal worms and silkies.

A heating pad is more apropriate then a lamp, they run about 35$.

You have to spray the moss hut every day to keep it moist.

Use bark mulch as a substrate, news paper is annoying because crickets get under it and cherp all night, and it isnt pretty...

Bark mulch is alot more apealing to the eyes, and the leopard gecks dont eat it, they spit it out...

make sure that every peice of food it gut loaded for at least 24 hours before feeding to the leopard gecko because most petstore crickets and mealies dont have much nutrience. feed them a high quality gut load feed, potatoe or orange for moisture, high quality tropical fish food. Bran for the meal worms.

Make sure to dust bugs with calcium dust before every feeding because leos cannot produce calcium by them selves....

My leopard gecko is a high yellow male from a reptuable breeder, he cost me 45$ canadian...

[CathyBogart]

A heating pad is more appropriate for this type of animal. 4 crickets a week is not NEARLY enough to maintain a healthy leopard gecko!!

I would offer it six every two days. Whatever is not eaten, remove after a few hours.

The moisture chamber should always stay moist.

Rather than worrying about what is cheapest, worry about what is most effective. If you have to wait a little longer before you get your gecko to make sure you have the best setup, then it's worth it. (I studied up and saved money for two years before I got a bird)