Reptiles?

[Lemon]

I have several questions about reptiles in general and geckos

. do they smell bad? that is one of my parents issues with indoor pets.

. which is better for a beginner leopard or crested gecko? is there a better breed/type for beginners

. do they do well with live plants?

. are there prepared foods that is healthy for them?

. what size cage does a leopard or crested gecko need?

thanks for the help 🙂

 

[Chiclid addict]

Just now, quirkylemon103 said:

I have several questions about reptiles in general and geckos

. do they smell bad? that is one of my parents issues with indoor pets.

. which is better for a beginner leopard or crested gecko? is there a better breed/type for beginners

. do they do well with live plants?

. are there prepared foods that is healthy for them?

. what size cage does a leopard or crested gecko need?

thanks for the help 🙂

 

1. No 

2. I would go with a snake but if you don’t want a snake I would say crested geckos are easier 

3. depends on the species if your interested in live plants i would do a bio active setup for a crested gecko 

4. There is prepared foods for crested geckos that are healthy and can be there whole diet 

5. a crested gecko is gonna need a taller enclosure instead of floor space there really is not correct answer to this question I would say a MINIMUM of 20L for a leopard gecko and for a crested basically a 20L flipped on its side for this front opening is better for this too

And last but not least DO YOUR RESEARCH I will send you a pm with some good youtubers since I don’t think I can post them

[Lemon]

19 minutes ago, Angelfishlover said:

1. No 

2. I would go with a snake but if you don’t want a snake I would say crested geckos are easier 

3. depends on the species if your interested in live plants i would do a bio active setup for a crested gecko 

4. There is prepared foods for crested geckos that are healthy and can be there whole diet 

5. a crested gecko is gonna need a taller enclosure instead of floor space there really is not correct answer to this question I would say a MINIMUM of 20L for a leopard gecko and for a crested basically a 20L flipped on its side for this front opening is better for this too

And last but not least DO YOUR RESEARCH I will send you a pm with some good youtubers since I don’t think I can post them

why do crested geckos need more height? why would you recommend snakes over geckos? 

[Chiclid addict]

Crested geckos are and areial species so they will spend most of there time climbing, snakes are much easier to care (for me) but it’s all about what’s right for you and what you want I will pm your a crested gecko care guide that could explain this better 

[ChemBob]

20 hours ago, quirkylemon103 said:

I have several questions about reptiles in general and geckos

. do they smell bad? that is one of my parents issues with indoor pets.

. which is better for a beginner leopard or crested gecko? is there a better breed/type for beginners

. do they do well with live plants?

. are there prepared foods that is healthy for them?

. what size cage does a leopard or crested gecko need?

thanks for the help 🙂

 

I had a similar debate on crested vs leopard geckos a few years ago. Ended up with a crested gecko based on a few items. Here's what I know from that research. 

Neither have a smell if you properly care for them. 

Both leopard and crested geckos are good beginner reptiles. They have multiple morphs you can choose from if you are willing to pay. Or you can get the normal morph for a reasonable price. 

Both do fine with live plants. However, note that they are very different from an environment standpoint. Leopard geckos are terrestrial and like to burrow. They are an arid species. Crested geckos are arboreal, so they need to climb and need elevated hides. They are a semi tropical species. If you are interested in live plants, research bioactive vivariums. There are a few good Facebook groups and vendors that you can find info from. Message me if you want some recommendations, as I'm not sure I can post them per the rules. That being said, it may be a bit easier to do live plants in a crested setup initially, but there are a lot of successful arid setups out there as well.

Crested geckos can have live fully prepared foods, but leopard geckos need live insects. My crested is eating exclusively prepared foods at the moment, but I am moving towards supplementing with live insects for enrichment. 

General concensus for leopard geckos enclosures is 36" x 18", or a 40 breeder minimum in most of the recent research I've done. Older standard is a 20L minimum. Often debated and argued from what I've seen, and not here to debate it. Crested geckos recommendations is 18" x 18" x 24", but also see a lot if 20L s converted to vertical. I'd recommend looking into a front opening enclosure for reptiles. I find them easier to work with. I have an exo terra for my crested gecko. In either case, I subscribe to bigger tends to be better.

Let me know if you have any questions. I'm not an expert, but am happy to help where I can.  As with any other pet, research, research, research. Hope this helps.

[Lemon]

are reptile stores a thing? if so what are they called typically?

[Cys aquatics]

I have a bearded dragon called godzilla

[Chiclid addict]

1 hour ago, quirkylemon103 said:

are reptile stores a thing? if so what are they called typically?

Yeah they are just google reptile stores near me the names usually have something to do with reptiles but not always 

[JoshStover]

I’m a reptile junkie as well. I keep and breed Asian Water Monitors, Ball Pythons, False Water Cobras, Eastern & Western Hognoses, Eastern Box Turtles, Redfoot Tortoises. We also have a few pet Sulcata tortoises, Russian Tortoise, Alligator Snapping Turtle, Spotted Salamander and a fat Tomato Frog. I used to keep a lot more venomous snakes and lizards but after having kids I’ve rehomed most of them. 

[Chiclid addict]

On 7/2/2021 at 12:36 PM, JoshStover said:

I’m a reptile junkie as well. I keep and breed Asian Water Monitors, Ball Pythons, False Water Cobras, Eastern & Western Hognoses, Eastern Box Turtles, Redfoot Tortoises. We also have a few pet Sulcata tortoises, Russian Tortoise, Alligator Snapping Turtle, Spotted Salamander and a fat Tomato Frog. I used to keep a lot more venomous snakes and lizards but after having kids I’ve rehomed most of them. 

Damn I wish I could have that many I currently only have 9 most of witch are breeder balls I have a pastel bp, 2pastaves, a black pastel ghost, a pumpkin pied, conda western hognose, super salmon corn snake, “red tail” bci boa and a banana het clown/pied bp 

[JoshStover]

Heck yeah. Do you have a picture of the pumpkin? I’m a sucker for pieds 

[Chiclid addict]

On 7/3/2021 at 12:17 PM, JoshStover said:

Heck yeah. Do you have a picture of the pumpkin? I’m a sucker for pieds 

This is the only one I have of him from when I first got him

[Guppysnail]

Bearded dragon and northeastern grey tree frog

[BaRanchik]

On 7/9/2021 at 6:20 PM, Guppysnail said:

Bearded dragon and northeastern grey tree frog

Never thought I'd see a cat and a bearded dragon chilling together, very cool!

For some reason I'd expect cats to try and kill any live animals around 😅

[Guppysnail]

On 7/9/2021 at 7:21 PM, BaRanchik said:

Never thought I'd see a cat and a bearded dragon chilling together, very cool!

For some reason I'd expect cats to try and kill any live animals around 😅

Nope. Very protective of him. 

[Guppysnail]

for the crested gecko.  You want tall because they are tree dwellers. If they are on the ground and are frightened they will drop their tail and run. It’s a defense/distraction technique so the predators stop to eat the tail and they can getaway. Heavily planted helps them. They do not need uv but you can use it for plants. They do need moist soil. Reptisoil is good they need misted to 80% humidity at least once a day or a humidifier/rainmaker And thermostat and hygrometer 

leopard gecko….all pet control and pet smart give care sheets for house geckos. These are not for leopard geckos their requirements are totally different. Do not use sand substrate they avoid sand in the wild hard pack dirt is their preference sand harms them. 

[Guppysnail]

On 4/16/2021 at 1:06 PM, quirkylemon103 said:

are reptile stores a thing? if so what are they called typically?

Exotic pet store. My lfs actually has an exotics section

[westennity]

I like reptiles. I would like to get a snake as a pet, but the unknown scares me. I don't know anyone with any reptiles at home, so I have no one to consult with. If anyone has a snake in their home, can you tell me more about caring for it? I don't think snakes require much care. They just need all the necessary conditions for a good life. I want to read more information about pet snakes. I hope there are pet stores in our state that sell them. I also need to find out if our veterinarians know how to treat snakes and do health screenings. I was advised mysnakepet.com. Hopefully, I can find all the information I need there.

Edited January 20, 2022 by westennity

[laritheloud]

I love reptiles and never kept one, but I'm starting on a journey to create a bioactive setup for a crested or gargoyle gecko. 🙂 Been researching the heck out of it!

[Expectorating_Aubergine]

I have about 12 rosy boas, 3 Indian sand boas, 2 rubber boas, 1 gopher snake, 2 musk turtles, 1 mud turtle, 3 Russian tortoises, 1 large male sulcata tortoise, 4 box turtles and my wife has 4 blue tongue skinks.

[Johannes]

I would love to have but three things are keeping me from doing it

1. My mom will not let me

2. Budget

3. Space because i have crammed aquariums every where

[BettaHomesAndGardens]

Reptile keeping has actually begun to eclipse my aquarium keeping. I have 4 Ball pythons, 1 Kenyan Sand Boa, 1 Boa Constrictor Imperator, 4 Leopard Geckos and a Crested Gecko. Honestly the reptile husbandry is less time consuming then the aquarium husbandry. I love both worlds tho and am blessed to have both in our home.

[laritheloud]

I have a baby Gargoyle Gecko (5g right now, 3 months old) and there is virtually zero smell, zero noise, and very simple husbandry. The taming process is slow and requires a lot of patience and gentling, but I know we'll get there -- I just got this little one a month ago and they've only just started settling here in their new home. Love my little geck! I keep dreaming of other wonderful creatures I could adopt but also trying to pump the brakes a little bit on raising more animals. I like what I have going now.

Edited August 16, 2022 by laritheloud

[redfish]

We currently have a rehomed crested gecko that we took in and a yellow-bellied slider turtle.

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 7/9/2021 at 10:20 AM, Guppysnail said:

Bearded dragon

That's a nice looking beardy!  It does look like you need some mammal remover in a few of those photos though.  Don't be embarrassed, those things seem to get into all sorts of homes.