Lizard advice: non-medical

[spittin_in_the_wind]

So ok....

My son says he wants a lizard. Any advice on something that is

a) not too hard to feed
b) not too hard to clean
c) not too likely to die
d) not too likely to carry ebola or other dastardly diseases (is that medical?)

It doesn't matter if it's fast, it probably won't be handled much. I was thinking gekko or chameleon, because they're cool, but maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree. We're pretty good pet owners, our pets tend to be long-lived (17 year old dogs, 18 year old birds, 3 and counting year old gerbils...you get the picture). Fish, however, don't do too well with us, for some reason.

Thanks!
Robin

[Tyghress]

So ok....

My son says he wants a lizard. Any advice on something that is

a) not too hard to feed
b) not too hard to clean
c) not too likely to die
d) not too likely to carry ebola or other dastardly diseases (is that medical?)

It doesn't matter if it's fast, it probably won't be handled much. I was thinking gekko or chameleon, because they're cool, but maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree. We're pretty good pet owners, our pets tend to be long-lived (17 year old dogs, 18 year old birds, 3 and counting year old gerbils...you get the picture). Fish, however, don't do too well with us, for some reason.

Thanks!
Robin

Chameleons are NOT easy to keep.
Geckos can be very cool and reasonably easy. Leopard geckos and fat tailed geckos...nice easy keepers.
Iguanas....easy keepers, can get VERY large and require space.

All reptiles are going to have salmonella...fact of lizard life. Teach the kids about washing hands with hot soapy water after handling any reptile or its habitat.

I personally prefer snakes to lizards, but its a matter of taste, I guess.

The most common problems I've seen with reptiles is calcium deficiency, partly diet (not supplied the calcium) and partly environment (full spectrum lighting and a good overhead heat source).

Hot rocks are horrid things and scorch more lizards that I care to think about. Heat lamp is a better option.

Don't get your info from a pet store...go to a nature center, zoo or other place where they're not trying to sell you things (and where the staff knows what they're doing).

Good luck!
Tyg (who spent 9 years (in two shifts) working for an avian/exotic vet specialist)

[emmline]

My 13 year old would SO love one. At the moment though, on top of 4 cats and 1 dog, his betta fish is about all I can bear to keep alive at the moment.

[dubhlinn]

a) not too hard to feed
b) not too hard to clean
c) not too likely to die
d) not too likely to carry ebola or other dastardly diseases (is that medical?)



Thanks!
Robin

Get him a Fiddle

Slan,
D.

[rebl_rn]

At the risk of sounding too medical, tyghress is right about the salmonella - I would be hesitant to get a lizard if you have an infant or very young children in the house. We've had several cases at work of babies getting very sick from lizard salmonella. (And my co-worker had to collect a stool sample from a lizard for case follow up once. She didn't enjoy it one bit).

But I think a lizard is a cool pet for older kids - just remember the handwashing! My nephew has had lizards for a while, and absolutely loves them! (I think he has a gecko. I can't remember for sure right now.) He's 13, he's had lizards for the past 3 years or so.

Oh, and it's not just lizards with the salmonella - turtles are notoriously problematic with it too - just FYI. I'll stop with the medical stuff now.

[gonzo914]

When one of my kids wanted a reptile pet, we started digging out information on lots of species -- snakes, lizards, turtles, all of 'em. One thing that was common throughout all the books we read was that bearded dragons were relatively (and I stress "relatively") easier to care for. For one thing, they can be taught to eat veggies, which my wife thought was way better than bringing home pinkie rats for a milk snake.

But we never really got one, because the lad changed his mind (Yes, there is something to be said for procrastination). So don't take this as authoritative advice as much as just a suggestion on something to look into.

[DCrom]

About 8 years ago, my older daughter got a young leopard gecko. That daughter's away in college now, but Anna the gecko is still (Happily? She *seems* content) living with us.

She's a *very* low maintenance pet compared to fish, birds or mammals - feed her when she's hungry (seems to average 1-2 weeks between feedings - we give her a dozen crickets dusted with a special vitamin/mineral mix for reptiles, and buy more a day or two after they're all gone), make sure she's got water, and clean her droppings.

She does have a heat pad and heat lamp that get turned on in cooler weather, but we've set them up at one end of her tank so she can choose her prefered temperature.

That's about it. Our book on geckos says they can live a fairly long time (15-20 years) with good care. We're hoping Anna does well; Geckos are not a hands-on pet, but even my wife (who regards most animals with deep suspicion) is fond of her.

[chas]

I'd recommend the King Crimson album. Lizard was not one of King Crimson's better efforts, but I think if your son listened to it, like once a week, he'd be just fine. It's not a bad album, just not one of their best. It's a lot less effort than caring for an animal, feeding, cleaning the cage, all that. Much cheaper too, just 15 bucks up front, no continuing costs.

[Unseen122]

Bearded Dragon. I used to have one, they are easy to maintain. Geckos are nocturnal. Although, Beardeds eat Cricktes and Meal Worms (when older), which can sometimes escape. They also need some Kale and Carrots, mine used to love strawberrys. Only cleaning is filtering the sand weekly or so. They can live up to about 15 years if I remember correctly. I had to give mine away when I moved 5 years ago, last I heard he was still alive. I think I got him when I was around 8. They love to be handled, and are very friendly.

[jim stone]

Avoid, avoid, I say, pet alligators. Don't ask me how I know.

[Walden]

I used to have green anoles (so-called American chameleons). They're pretty low maintenance. You do have to feed them living stuff.

[Mitch]

Bearded Dragon. I used to have one, they are easy to maintain. Geckos are nocturnal. Although, Beardeds eat Cricktes and Meal Worms (when older), which can sometimes escape. They also need some Kale and Carrots, mine used to love strawberrys. Only cleaning is filtering the sand weekly or so. They can live up to about 15 years if I remember correctly. I had to give mine away when I moved 5 years ago, last I heard he was still alive. I think I got him when I was around 8. They love to be handled, and are very friendly.

When I was a kid, my dad would bring stuff back that had narrowly avoided being road-kill on his insurance-selling jaunts to farms. Once was a bearded dragon - they like bananas, they also like ecaping to frighten the neighbours - unfortunately this habbit eventually draws-down the reaper's sentence "It's Road-Kill for you my spikey little recidivist!" and we found him flat the next day. Once it was tortoises - whatever happened to them I will never know - I think the neghbours stole them. Once it was an echidna - we had no idea how to feed tha happless little pincushon - It excaped as well - the neighbourhood was split by a pircing shriek across the road when a neighbor tried to uproot the strange "weed" that had appeared in her garden bed. Echidnas dig - so off we went with a spade to ruin an otherwise slightly trammelled flower display and take our little buddy for a trip back to the country. That was the last of our school of home-biology and any goodwill remaining to our names in the hood.

I'd only like to know how these Oz native lizards managed to escape all the way to the USA?

[djm]

Chameleons are NOT easy to keep.

Would you expand a bit on this please? I'm not a real big herp fan, but chameleons are fascinating to me. Yours is the first negative thing I have seen written about their upkeep.

Oh, and red-eyed treefrogs are stunningly beautiful, too, but I am definitely NOT going to become a herp fan. No, no, I cannot afford to get hooked on another hobby. I am definitely not going to .... hmm, they have a sale on crickets at the pet mart ...

No! Stop that! Run away!!!! RUN AWAY !!!!!!!!

djm

[spittin_in_the_wind]

You guys are too funny! Well, it looks like it could be gekkos or bearded dragons. Don't know where I'll find those, but I can quietly start searching. Green anoles are pretty common in pet stores, but from what I know about them, they're wicked fast so if one got out, I'm not sure we could catch it. My son is 6, so I'm not sure how serious the salmonella problem would be for him. But, he can wash his hands well, so I think it shouldn't be too much of a problem. I personally would love to get a hedgehog, but haven't seen them anywhere.

Robin

[Jack]

I used to have green anoles (so-called American chameleons). They're pretty low maintenance. You do have to feed them living stuff.

Wouldn't you know it that I've also had green anoles (so-called American chameleons), and I also thought they were pretty low maintenance?

Also, skinks are native to the eastern US and if you can catch one, you can keep it and feed it spare roaches. This is what I used to do when I had one, but I unfortunately killed it in an accident.