Best Beginner Lizard

[joeplant57]

Hi guys I have a couple of Pythons and now my youngest Daughter would like a Lizard. We have a enclosure already so we just need the Lizard. Which is the easiest Lizard to look after?? What do they eat? What temps do they need and is there any other thing they spercificaly need. Cheers guys Joe

 

[AirCooled]

Have you read about Barry the beardy? http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/australian-lizards-5383/barry-tequila-176290/

 

[bigjoediver]

Bearded dragons, hard as nails, good to handle. Plenty of info on here
regarding care or just google bearded dragon care sheet.
Great lizards for kids, one of mine loves to sit on my lap watching tv.

 

[Grogshla]

central bearded dragon would be the perfect choice mate.

 

[dihsmaj]

Bluey would be awesome.

 

[Renenet]

If it's for your daughter, I'd say a central beardie. Most of them are interactive and friendly, whereas there's less chance of that with a bluey. How old is your daughter? If she's still small, watch she doesn't squeeze the animal or treat it like a doll. (I'm not saying she would, I just have very clear memories of a thread where this happened, with fatal consequences.)

 

[MonitorMayhem]

cant beat a beardie kids can handle as a baby and they get dog tame

 

[jinjajoe]

If it's for your daughter, I'd say a central beardie. Most of them are interactive and friendly, whereas there's less chance of that with a bluey.

Blueys are just as interactive & they have a much lower UV requirement & simpler diet needs...... (ie are more comfortable than beardies with zero insects in the diet)........ biased though I am.

 

[Tassie97]

bluey or beardie

 

[Renenet]

Blueys are just as interactive & they have a much lower UV requirement & simpler diet needs...... (ie are more comfortable than beardies with zero insects in the diet)........ biased though I am.

I have heard of wild blueys that would hang around humans when offered food, but I didn't think they liked being picked up or held? I'm happy to be corrected, however. I love blueys.

 

[Tassie97]

you can definitely handle blueys! ya cant sit it on your shoulder and walk around though more terrestrial species lol

 

[Wally]

Blueys started me off when I was a young fella. And I still keep a couple now. Great lizards.

 

[dihsmaj]

I have heard of wild blueys that would hang around humans when offered food, but I didn't think they liked being picked up or held? I'm happy to be corrected, however. I love blueys.

Blueys are perfectly fine with being picked up, held, patted etc.

 

[reptilian1924]

View attachment 231997
bluey or beardie

l agree Blue-Tongue or Central Bearded Dragon would be a good Lizard to start of with as your very first pet Lizard.
When l started to keep Lizard's way back in the early 70's thats what l started of with as my very first pet Reptile.

 

[james.5]

How big's the enclosure?

 

[Renenet]

Blueys are perfectly fine with being picked up, held, patted etc.

My bad. Okay, bluey or beardie it is, then.

How big's the enclosure?

Good question.

 

[DazTopEndPythons]

We breed beardies and they are a great pet for kids , have had blues in the past but found them a bit boring ,they don't really do much where as the beardies will sit on your shoulder and are more interactive , only my experience could have just been the ones I had , stand to be corrected

 

[reptilian1924]

We breed beardies and they are a great pet for kids , have had blues in the past but found them a bit boring ,they don't really do much where as the beardies will sit on your shoulder and are more interactive , only my experience could have just been the ones I had , stand to be corrected

Darring, you are right Blue-Tongue's can be a little on the boring side compared to a Bearded Dragon which as far more character or personality, like you say a Beardie will sit on your shoulder and are more attractive.

l myself no-longer keep any Blue-Tongue's but recently l got 4 x juvenile Central Bearded Dragon's, from a good herp mate of mine that offered them to me as a Christmas Present.

 

[souldoubt]

Mate, if the enclosure is big enough (~4ft) I would go for an ackie (Varanus acaranthus) they're an interactive and interesting species and they're tough as nails, but they do tend to require a higher temperature basking spot than beardys. There is also plenty of information around about their husbandry and they're a commonly kept species so you will also be able to get any specific questions answered by other APS members.

As others have suggested bearded dragons are also an interactive lizard with plenty of information available, I personally prefer the Easterns but they're not as easy to come by as central bearded dragons.

The advantage of a Blue tongue is that they are less susceptible to metabolic bone disease than monitors or dragons, and they can become very calm and friendly but issues such as metabolic bone disease can be easily avoided, it just requires you to look into the available information on keeping that particular species

 

[Tassie97]

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/sale-reptiles-insects-5371/baby-blue-tongues-174737/
there ya go