which lizard??

[pretzels]

i think i may have started a reptile craze in my family. since getting my spotted almost a month ago my brother has since decided that he might like a reptile pet as well. currently he has a rat ( who might i add is possibly the best pet i have ever had the honour of owning) but steve ( yer shes a girl) isnt going to live forever unfortunately.

Aidan, whos 15 turning 16, has made it clear that whilst he is ok with my snake in the house he does not want one himself. so i was thinking of getting him a lizard or dragon of some sort.

so what would be a good one for a first time handler? i understand that there are likely to be cranky sods in every breed.... iv seen bearded babies at the local pet shop but would rather get one from someone who actually likes their animals rather then just one that has been sitting in the store until its bought (no offense to pet shops)

also what would be the best set up for it?
iv done a bit of research but google really has nothing on you guys, especially when you all have first hand experience with the animals.

 

[reptile_keeper_luke]

For a started lizard I would recomend a species of blue-tounge or bearded dragon.
It would really tepend on the person, bearded dragons tend to not mind being held as much and are a lil more intelligent than others, though I started my self with an Eastern blue tounge lizard and she is great I think if you are to get a blue tounge you just really need to get to know the animal because each hav their own lil personality that you will need to learn.
I think either of these two animals are great for bigginers

 

[PythonLegs]

+1 bluetongue..probably the best starter reptile out there. Usually placid, hardy, have good personality..plus you don't have to worry about buying crickets and woodies as you would with a dragon or geck.

 

[kukri-dragon]

make sure you know how big the lizard will grow as blue tongues get very fat and surprisingly large for a skink. i think bearded dragons may be a bit boring (no offense to them or keepers ) but they mainly bask all day, that i know of at least but i have seen dwarf bearded dragons which looked very lively and I'm just taking a guess but they mightn't grow so large Eastern water dragons are very hardy but need space and are hard to find, (at least in QLD) . really choose out what you like, ask about them especially their requirements and get what best suits. btw im no reptile man so i'm sorry if this isnt helping:|

 

[Icarus]

definately a blue tongue or a type of beardie! if you wanted something smaller or to get two or three, get lawson's dragons (pogona henrylawsoni, some places call them rankin's or black soil). They have so much personality and only grow to about 12cm snout to vent!

 

[JackTheHerper]

Bluey, never seen an aggresive bluey but it comes to personal preference at the end of the day

 

[Jeannine]

as your going to buy it for your brother and he will be the one looking after it, feeding it and interacting with it perhaps you should ask him what he prefers?

 

[Tit4n]

Best place to ask about beardies is Australian Bearded Dragon Forum

 

[reptalica]

Well I'm going to wave the flag for the Central Netted Dragon. Only negative if u can call it a negative is that they r more flighty then a bearded dragon, more so at a young age, hence making it harder to handle.

 

[pretzels]

thanks guys. sorry to all blue tongue lovers but i looked into them and went and handled a few and just dont like them at all..doesnt help that the little so and so's tried to bite me haha.
its like a family effort when it comes to looking after the pets all round but the lizard will belong to aidan i guess.
the petshop up the road has beardeds at the moment and the woman described them as being close to rats in personality....really?
i got a few out there and they are cute little things and were very active.
once iv decided on the best species i am gonna take aidan down to pick the one he wants and gonna drill it into him everything he needs to know to properly look after the new addition.

 

[Shotta]

maybe look into bearded dragons and pygmys lol i just got a pygmy a few days ago she's adorable very inquisitive animals and they get very tame the'yre so cool when they look at ya and tilt their cute little heads to watch what you are doin

 

[pretzels]

the'yre so cool when they look at ya and tilt their cute little heads to watch what you are doin

haha yes thats what the little beardeds at the shop were doing sooo cute! ill probably end up getting one for him and one for me at this stage.....just gotta convince the mother ship that she really wants to turn the living room into the reptile room....

 

[Pilbarensis]

I started off with a Southern Angle Headed Dragon and would rather have one of them over a beardy, blue-tongue or netted dragon any day. But it's his choice so he should be able to choose whatever he wants.

 

[Sinners121]

varanus brevicauda

 

[pretzels]

I started off with a Southern Angle Headed Dragon and would rather have one of them over a beardy, blue-tongue or netted dragon any day. But it's his choice so he should be able to choose whatever he wants.

i met an angle headed dragon yesterday at snakes down under- very cute.
its not really his choice....lol the animal will be his but it will be a family choice as we all have to live with it and we will all no doubt end up handling it at some point.