Newbie here! What species of lizard should I keep?

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I'm looking at a youtube clip about a Rankins Dragon, they look pretty cute! Would they be something suitable? Only one or two?

Edit: oops posted too soon! Defs not two XD
 
Those geckos look absolutely gorgeous MathewB! Are they hard to get ahold of? I suppose when Im ready I'll just trawl the net and hope/wait for what I decide on.

The leaf-tails I've looked at seem pretty interesting too. I think I did read something that said they climb, which I'm guessing is why they are suggested :)

Does anybody here own geckos that don't mind some lighting? I'm just thinking that it can be a bit dark where I have my tank currently (but it's the only place for air con in summer) so it'd be nice to be able to spot them once in a while ha.

Thanks again all! Going to go read up on these great suggestions!

Golden Tails are content to sit under their basking light in the open on a branch, they rely on on their camouflage for protection, so you'll always be able to spot them and they're diurnal as well. I'm not to sure about the velvets though but I'm led to believe that they're a pretty active, possibly diurnal gecko. As best as I can remember both are fine with lighting, in fact all species are, if you have a purple or whatever light that simulates the moon. I don't think that they're very difficult to get a hold of, some can be a bit pricey.

Ive heard that some leaf tails can be a bit tricky to keep, something to do with humidity.

Take all of this with a grain of salt haha
 
Ta Mathew :)

Thanks to everyone's input, I have narrowed the selection down to either 2x Golden-tailed geckos or one dwarf or mountain dragon! I am having an inner war between wanting to be able to handle my lizard, or wanting a gecko that makes my heart do little heart-***** it's just so gorgeous. That and the idea of having Gecko babies one day would be amazing! This is one very hard decision!
 
I think that's a bit small for a scaly-foot, but I know of at least 2 breeders on here that have scaley-foots (feet).

2ft is to small for a scalyfoot????
damn, i better get my pair out of my 35cm tub!!

if its your first ever lizard i wouldnt recommend a gecko ;) ... buy a small bearded dragon or blue tongue and grow it up into that enclosure and later on find a 4 foot tank to keep it in
geckos are very delicate lizards for first timers, if you keep them wrong it can be a disaster!. People more experienced with them need to realise that as you know well the small tips to keep geckos, where as a newer person even though given the right advice might not care for them properly because the lack of experience ... thats why i would get something more hardier like a dragon or blue tongue
 
Weird question perhaps - do you ever get scared your lizard is just going to up and run away if your handling it? My sister was saying how when she stayed at her friends she was just getting dinner ready with what I suspect was a bearded dragon just sitting on her shoulder. Pretty cool, but I'd be petrified he was going to jump off and do a runner! Although maybe the bigger central dragons are less likely to do this than the smaller kinds I'm looking at?
 
Weird question perhaps - do you ever get scared your lizard is just going to up and run away if your handling it? My sister was saying how when she stayed at her friends she was just getting dinner ready with what I suspect was a bearded dragon just sitting on her shoulder. Pretty cool, but I'd be petrified he was going to jump off and do a runner! Although maybe the bigger central dragons are less likely to do this than the smaller kinds I'm looking at?

heres another thing to bring up, unnecessary handling of reptiles can really stress them out, especially geckos! ... If you want a handling species get a blue tongue or bearded dragon
Small dragons like netteds or painteds can be flighty so handling is not recommended
 
2ft is to small for a scalyfoot????
damn, i better get my pair out of my 35cm tub!!

if its your first ever lizard i wouldnt recommend a gecko ;) ... buy a small bearded dragon or blue tongue and grow it up into that enclosure and later on find a 4 foot tank to keep it in
geckos are very delicate lizards for first timers, if you keep them wrong it can be a disaster!. People more experienced with them need to realise that as you know well the small tips to keep geckos, where as a newer person even though given the right advice might not care for them properly because the lack of experience ... thats why i would get something more hardier like a dragon or blue tongue
How would you gain the experience needed to keep a gecko by keeping a lizard that is nothing like a gecko. I would think that with the right research and attitude someone who has never kept lizards could successfully keep a gecko.
 
pygmy beardie or central netted dragon are small dragons and would be better suited. but have to agree there are some nice geckos out there.
 
How would you gain the experience needed to keep a gecko by keeping a lizard that is nothing like a gecko. I would think that with the right research and attitude someone who has never kept lizards could successfully keep a gecko.

the geckos suitable for that enclosure what people were suggesting were stuff like oeduras and strophrurus which do need experience.
from what im gathering so far reading between the lines they want a lizard they can handle so im suggesting a beardie ... as the title said 'what lizard' not what gecko
 
That enclosure is plenty big enough for scalyfoots.
No geckos like to be handled, some may tolerate it more than others but none enjoy it.
Some of the gecko species mentioned so far can be a bit more complicated to keep for a beginner.
Research different species and get what YOU like best, not what someone else thinks is good.
 
the geckos suitable for that enclosure what people were suggesting were stuff like oeduras and strophrurus which do need experience.
from what im gathering so far reading between the lines they want a lizard they can handle so im suggesting a beardie ... as the title said 'what lizard' not what gecko
I understand that the poster may need to learn a lot of stuff before trying to keep a gecko like you pointed out "gecko's don't like to be handled" and that the OP was "what lizard" and not what gecko but you still made the statement "if its your first ever lizard i wouldnt recommend a gecko ;) ... buy a small bearded dragon or blue tongue" which to me is suggesting that keeping a beared dragon or blue tongue will give them the experience to keep gecko. I agree that if the op wants to handle a lizard that maybe one of those may be better and as I have no gecko experience or knowledge I am not questioning what you say about geckos nut my question of how would one gain the experience needed to keep a gecko by keeping a lizard that is nothing like a gecko?
 
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I agree I think you should get a young beardy you will have to upgrade but that will take about a year and a half and you could get a dwarf beardy they can grow up to about 30 cm

A pygmy beardy will be fine for 12 months in an enclosure of that size but as Rick has stated a Central will out grow it very quickly. I have a six month old female central and she is nearly the same size as my adult female breeder, her mother
 
I understand that the poster may need to learn a lot of stuff before trying to keep a gecko like you pointed out "gecko's don't like to be handled" and that the OP was "what lizard" and not what gecko but you still made the statement "if its your first ever lizard i wouldnt recommend a gecko ;) ... buy a small bearded dragon or blue tongue" which to me is suggesting that keeping a beared dragon or blue tongue will give them the experience to keep gecko. I agree that if the op wants to handle a lizard that maybe one of those may be better and as I have no gecko experience or knowledge I am not questioning what you say about geckos nut my question of how would one gain the experience needed to keep a gecko by keeping a lizard that is nothing like a gecko?

haha jeez way to point a man out
i was trying to say (probably didnt word it that well) .. that all the suggestions people were making were really not acceptable for a newer person
if you want to get a gecko your best bet is to get a christinus marmoratus (marbled gecko) as they are one of the more cold-tolerant hardy geckos ... even saying there lack of care can lead to them being unhealthy

ive got schraderi matthewb
 
haha jeez way to point a man out
i was trying to say (probably didnt word it that well) .. that all the suggestions people were making were really not acceptable for a newer person
if you want to get a gecko your best bet is to get a christinus marmoratus (marbled gecko) as they are one of the more cold-tolerant hardy geckos ... even saying there lack of care can lead to them being unhealthy

ive got schraderi matthewb
My intent was not to show you up and I apologise if I made you feel that way. My intent was to more dismiss the common myth that a lot of people have that you need experience in one easily kept species before keeping another totally different hard to keep species. I will say if they are similar in husbandry then there would be a benefit but in my opinion thorough preparation is enough to start keeping most reptiles. I have read many of your posts and do not doubt your knowledge and sure most of your recommendations are for the best but just wanted to discuss the one point.
 
Um may I ask where abouts you're located @ OP? not sure whether you mentioned. Just because I know that in Vic, Golden tails are on the advanced licence. Possibly Velvet geckos are too..? although that would require confirmation. Then again, there are new legislations coming in so not sure yet whether the above has or will change. Pretty much what I'm saying is just check your states laws before setting your heart on something. Then again its just more money for a more advanced licence :)
 
Central Coast NSW :) I realised I hadn't even checked that last night! But everything mentioned is class 1 so all good.

Oh and the reason I said lizard is because although I was swayed towards geckos at first... there's just so much out there and trying to figure out what you can get is crazy!

I have the actual dimensions of my tank - its 60cm long x 50cm high x 30cm wide. "A pygmy beardy will be fine for 12 months in an enclosure of that size" - Oh so after a year I would need bigger? I have decided that I'm not comfortable relying on needing to buy a bigger tank. Who knows what my situation will be in 12 months :/ I hope I can get a big tank by then for a lovely central! But I don't want to make plans that I might not be able to keep. I stress a bit about making sure the animal will be comfortable - I dont want to squish something into a small tank just because I think it's pretty.

I'm definitely not going to rush my purchase, I mean I come from fish keeping where you have to set a tank up and wait a month before you can put anything in it! I'm patient and want to learn everything I can to get things right :) and to make the right decision. I am going to move house in about a month so I'm not putting the tank together till after the move. May seem weird being so indecisive about what I should get! But it's a big commitment and I want to get things right. Well that and I'm indecisive about everything I ever do... took me 30min to pick what movie I wanted to watch form the vid shop tonight >.<

I'm hoping my local library has some good books I can look at as well as what I've been reading on the net.

I think what I've been trying to say earlier is that I am stuck on whether I do want a lizard I can handle, or if I am OK to not touch but look with a gecko. But this is something I've got to try and figure out myself I suppose :) though if a 'handling-lizard' will become too big for this tank that decision would be made for me!

Thanks again everybody <3
 
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