First reptile??

[Philip77]

Just after a bit of advice, I have my own opinions but looking to gain advice from people who experience. We are looking to get a snake we have a four year old son, and looking for something that would be compatible. My thoughts are for a children's python or similar fro my limited experience it seems that most children's pythons have resonable temperaments. Or are we better off starting with somethign else, a dragon, blue tongue etc until our son gets older. any advice is very welcome, though not urgent asit ay be a few weeks or month before getting organised.
Thanks,
Phil

 

[Gavin]

All of the pythons from the Antaresia which are the spotteds,stimsons,children's would be good for a first snake.

 

[Gavin]

http://www.southernxreptiles.com/Article PDFs/road_testing_lr.pdf

 

[Philip77]

Thanks Gavin, for the advice and link, more information there then i have found in all the books i have read for a beginner like me.
Regards,
Phil

 

[Dave]

Its really upto you/your son what you want..


Pythons:

Good:
Are easy to look after.. being fed once a week one prey item (rat/mice) and only need to clean there tank once a week (when they soil it)
tank is easy to set up as a baby (tub paper towel heat mat thermostat toilet rolls for hide.. ceremic dish for water bowl)
(Theres more of course but I won't list them all

Not as good:
As hatchlings they are known to bite no matter what species as they will feel threatened which could be bad if your son gets scared if he gets bit?
They aren't really that active during the day and normally only active at night time

Lizards:

Good:
Are cheaper then pythons (eg bearded dragons can be bought for $20-$100 as babies)
Are very active fun to watch
Handle well after they get used to you
Won't bite as much as a python (mine has never even attempted to bite me)

not as good:
There setups can cost $400 or more for a adult setup
They go through alot of food (needing to be fed twice a day as hatchlings (and can eat over 100crixs per day if you let them)
Are skittish as babies and can run fast

Like I said theres more good and "bad/not as good" :lol: things but thats just a few


Good pythons for beginners

Antaresia family
(spotted python, childrens python, stimsons python) there small easy size don't need a huge tank

I really would stick with them if your son is still little

Good lizards:

Beardies
Blue tongues (pink tongues too I guess)
Netted Dragons (there smaller)

etc etc

 

[Kronk]

a scrub python lol

 

[Gavin]

Thanks Gavin, for the advice and link, more information there then i have found in all the books i have read for a beginner like me.
Regards,
Phil

No problem and good luck

 

[Philip77]

Thanks for the advice, Dave, I am starting to sway towards Lizards for the moment. A children biting probably not an overly scary problem for my son, if you had met him you would understand, but getting bitten and suffering no 'ill' from it may be concern, as we are often walking river and lake banks fishing and feel that maybe he wouldn't be able to distinguish the difference between a Eastern brown, red bellied black or myall that are fairly common in the local area, then in a few years when he understands better the difference between captive and wild animals then maybe a snake.
Money for enclosures is not really an issue as i have access to wholesale pet suppliers through my business and have a few options for enclosures, accessories, lighting and heat sources as well as foods and medications. Bearded and eastern Water Dragons along with Blue tongues, Shinglebacks and Cunnighams skinks are all fairly common out here and would probably be more interest in the Netted Dragon or a jacky ........... mind you i still want a snake
Regards,
Phil

 

[Philip77]

I have had experience at The Aust reptile park and not sure a Scrub python would be compatible

 

[tenacres1100]

if you want a python get one, I would go for a spotted or a Stimson's (& call it Bart). Maybe get a yearling thats been handled, that way it won't be so bitey and would be old enough to go in a enclosure not a click clack.

good luck

 

[Philip77]

hhmmmm Bart Stimson now theres a thought

 

[Aslan]

Phil - ...either way, a snake or a lizard will be great...

As far as snakes go, they are often quite snappy as babies but they do grow out of this fairly quickly. In saying that, some never even look like biting from the day they come home.

A down side, as far as a young child goes, is that snakes are far less active than lizards and are active generally after bed time...

In regards to lizards, I would strongly recommend a Bluey over a Beardie for a young fella. Beardies are a great pet, however, they do require a lot more effort (and money to look after adequately). This is almost solely from a food perspective, baby Beardies eat a ridiculous amount of bugs and need to be fed multiple times a day...

Blueys on the other hand will eat salads, dog food etc making them significantly simpler to care for. They are also quite amenable to handling and a great first reptile...it may be a good way to get him started with a nice simple reptile and then as he matures and interest grows upgrade the collection with a snake or Beardie...

 

[tenacres1100]

Blueys on the other hand will eat salads, dog food etc making them significantly simpler to care for. They are also quite amenable to handling and a great first reptile...it may be a good way to get him started with a nice simple reptile and then as he matures and interest grows upgrade the collection with a snake or Beardie...

Yeh, part of the fun when we had them (blueys), was going out when it rained (lol) and collecting snails for them, yum yum

 

[scorps]

a scrub python lol

Your funny

 

[Philip77]

Cheers Aslan, I still can't make up my mind and at this rate I will probably get both a small snake and Lizards, (Hope my wife isn't reading this!) I have always liked Childrens Pythons and do very much like the idea of a Bart Stimson. In regards to feeding i have noticed that there are many bearded Dragon foods the one i am freely able to get is Ragin Reptile Bearded Dragon Food by HBH, are these products ok as part of a diet for Dragons or are all natural products a better option, (not sure the boss will like a breeding colony of Cockroaches in the house, she wont even let me have a bird eating spider, fun police) as with most of my pets (fish, dogs cats etc) we use a commercial 'staple' product, normally a good quality product, especially for the fish however all are supplement fed with other items such as fresh mince, eggs, vegies and fish. The ease of the commercial products makes them easy, (maybe i am just lazy) and convienient to store, are these products ok for use or best left for vacation feeding by people not really willing to touch 'Bugs'
some people say i ask to many stupid questions?
Cheers,
Phil

 

[lizzy_reptile]

Dont get a Cunningham they dont like handling much.

 

[Aslan]

Phil - I will start off by saying that I am basing this solely on personal preference of 'fresh' (?) food - but I don't feed any lizards a stock standard commercial pellet diet. In saying that, I have heard very good things of the 'RepCal' Bearded Dragon food (which I believe you can buy online)...

I crush it up and use it as an additional supplement to vegies and bugs...

In saying that, again, I think Blueys are a better option for you and your youngster - preparing a salad which can be stored in the fridge is simple enough (it should still be supplemented with Calcium etc) and canned dog food or mince can be used as well...

In addition, Blueys are quite a bit slower than Beardies which can be a benefit when handling

I should also confess a slight bias as Blueys were my first major experience with captive reptiles as a kid and I loved them, still hold a very soft spot for them (despite no longer keeping any). They were my first experience in keeping, feeding and ultimately breeding reptiles (no incubation is a MASSIVE bonus as a kid) and I think they are a fantastic first pet - and again, infinitely less maintenance than Beardies

 

[Philip77]

Thanks Aslan again,
Blue Tongue sounds like it may be a excellent introduction to full time reptile care. What requirements will a blue tongue need, I was thinking a 600mm (2 foot) Glass enclosure ( the type with the sliding doors in front, With 600mm Vivarium D3+ lamp 12% UVB and 30%UVA, (or would a compact lamp up one end be sufficient), a Calcium Substrate a Medium Water bowl ( do Blue tongues require a dish for soaking?)
And a large cave hide. All of which should cost less than $300.00 Will a blue tongue require any more heating?? Anything else that would be required??
Cheers
Phil.

 

[tenacres1100]

not sure the boss will like a breeding colony of Cockroaches in the house

Just wait until she unwraps the parcel in the frezzer to get out the chops and gets frozen rats instaed:shock:
you need a basking light and a uv for blueys or any lizard, you won't need uv for pythons. Blueys are the easiest things to look after. Ours used to get in the water when they were gong to shed, but it's been a few years since them so other will help out there.

 

[Philip77]

mmm roasted rat medium rare. I think the rats/mice would be in my bar fridge with my frozen bait etc and other "DON"T YOU BRING THAT IN THE HOUSE!!' items