Best Pet Herps For Beginners

I am doing this just because I couldnt find top ten reptiles and amphibians (an hour on google tells you something). These are posted on what I have researched. I use research from the internet and friends who keep reptiles and amphibians. I will do a top three on each catogory.
Top 3 snakes:
1. Corn Snakes
A common herp in the pet trade and very well tempered. These are popular with both expierinced and novice reptile keepers (I think novice means beginner, I am not sure). They grow to be 3-5 feet at a mature age and need an escape proof cage. They are relatively inexpensive and will live with you 15-20 years.
2. Milk/King Snakes
King and Milk snakes are closely related docile snakes. They grow to longer lengths than corn snakes, averaging at 6-7 feet at maturity. They live 15-20 years in captivity and need fairly large enclosures of 60 gallons. Almost ALL snakes are escape artist so provide a way for ventilation to occur without having small spaces the snake can escape from. They are cannibalistic so keep one to an enclouser.
3. Ball Pythons
Ball Pythons are good pets for beginners averaging at 3-5 feet. They are quite docil and wont mind being handled. They typically live for 20-30 years although some live for 50. They do not require as big of a cage as milk/king snakes, needing only a 30 gallon. Normal ball pythons can range in cost, normally around $30-$40. While I have seen morphs come up to $500. You get better prices at breeders.
Top 3 Lizards:
1. Bearded Dragons
Bearded Dragons have become extremely common over the past decade so inbreeding is common. They are extremely docile lizards and tend to be lazy, as their name "Lounge" lizards refer to. They grow up to 2 feet long and need a 75 gallon tank. They normally price at $40-$50 if you arent getting a morph. They will live up to 10 years with you and are great for all levels of expierince.
2. Leopard Geckos
Leopard Geckos are fairly common in the pet trade and very docile. The adult normally grows to 10 inches in length and requires a ten gallon glass or plastic aquarium. They have a longevity of 10-20 years with you and from what I can tell, normally costs about $100.
3. Green Anoles
Green anoles can be rather skittish, but arent known to be aggressive. They live for about 2-4 years unfortuantly but are still recommended for beginners. A simple 2' by 2' by 2' will work for housing these animals. They are common as pets and are fairly chep for around $10.
Top 3 Turtles (I am not familiar with their care so bare with me):
1. Box Turtle
These turtles average a 30-40 years of life and are one of the most common pet reptiles. A twenty gallon is minimal but I reccomend bigger. Do not have water deeper than their heads when retracted! They have been known to drown in deep water. Their prices vary but I see most at 40$.
2. Red Eared Sliders
These are my personal favorite of turtle species and are common in the pet trade at around $20. I would reccomend nothing smaller than a 90 gallon with as deep of water as possible for an adult (watch hatchlings). They also need a land area so keep that in mind. Turtles are not a "hold me" kind of animal but may be tamed.
3. Painted Turtles
These beautiful animals can live up to twenty years with proper care and nutrition. They need a minimum of fifty gallons and will live 15-25 years. The water should be as deep as the width of their shell at minimum.
Top Three Frogs:
1. Dwarf Clawed Frogs
These aquatic little frogs live for about five years with you and should not be removed from the water. You only need a gallon per frog and they will happily be kept in groups. You need to have a longer than taller cage yet have enough room for an air pocket an inch to two inches deep with a secure lid on the top.
2. Firebelly Toads
These semiterestrial hardy toads are great for all levels of expirience. They are semiaquatic and require only a ten gallon tank. They do carry a small level of toxicity so regular handling is not reccomended. They live for about 10-15 years and need a secure lid that allows ventilation. 2-3 frogs will happily live in a ten gallon tank.
3. White's Tree Frog
These docile and inactive tree frogs, as you should know by the word tree, are aboreal and have a tall cage. They live up to 15 years and are a nocturnal species. They need a minimum of a twenty gallon tank that is tall (more than likely hexigonal). They need a secure lid and more than one can be kept, but they have to be the same size or else the larger one will try to eat the smaller.
Top Three Salamanders:
1. Axolotl
These amazing animals never really become an adult. They will remain light pink with gills and reproduce as that. While not as common, they are very hardy and will live 10-15 years. I would only reccomend one to an aquarium, especially juveniles, since they tend to be cannibalistic.
2. Tiger Salamander
These beautiful salamanders can live up to 25 years and can become tame. They become quite large and need a minimal of 15 gallons. The adults need a water dish an inch deep. I would reccomend to only house one per tank.
3. Fire Belly Newt
These newts are black with an orange and black spotted underbelly. They will live well over twnety years with proper care. They need a semiaquatic twenty gallon aquarium. These newts are not good for handling since they do secrete a toxin in their skin.
Sorry if I had wrong information up there. It is hard to type all this and get the information correct. And I am not familar with the care of all species. I just put this up for beginners who didnt know what they want.

 

Awesome post! Thanks for the info! I have a 15 gallon right now that I'm not sure what I wan to do with... just filed it today and got it ready to do an aquarium, some dwarf clawed frogs or firebelly toads?

 

Those all seem good! Nice research Except, having green anoles-I first got them last year hearing they were always more of a beginner pet, but it's not completely true. Since they are cheaper, being more common, most people think they don't need much care. Though, they do need a fairly big cage with extra height, UVB lighting, high humidity, and somewhat high temps being tropical. It's hard to keep up the humidity and temps now in the winter. And also, they can live longer-up to 7 years about and 4 I'd say at least if healthy. I also want to point out leos are geckos and not lizards as you listed them-though they are a beginner so it's fine, common misconception I would also say green tree frogs-well most tree frogs at all, are beginners, but I know you were just doing the top 3 more popular guys.

 

Sorry, I told you I may have got information wrong. I am not familiar with all their care is what that is. And it took me three hours to research all that so give me some slack. And about the leos, I was just trying to save space is all. Oh my god, I forgot completely about crested geckos two. I was thinking of ones I know are a good pet and crested gecko didnt even cross my mind.

 

Overall pretty decent, I'd also suggest Crested Geckos as an add-on to the list or replacement = )

I would have to suggest Bearded Dragons are at least Intermediate level herps though, not beginner at all - While they are docile and make fantastic, sociable pets for the keeper, their care needs are very demanding for the first time owner. UVB lighting, large caging, heat demands, omnivorous diet, and the sheer quantity of food cost for live insects in raising juveniles is absolutely mind blowing. Most beginner keepers will not expect to be paying $40 a month on a juvie bearded dragon for food alone; where the only methods to avoid breaking the bank are breeding food or ordering online. The geckos suggested, such as Leopard Geckos and Crested Geckos, only need fairly small aquariums, simple dietary needs, and no special lighting. Much easier to accomodate to the new keeper. Not to mention much hardier, as beardies are quite prone to intestinal infections and parasites that result in common veterinary assistance that most new keepers don't want to (or don't know how to) deal with. Very rewarding pet, but VERY time consuming and costly. I see why people recommend them; they are brilliant animals... but defintely require substantial research and resources to rear properly.

 

pretty good! I have to agree with Jeff and Michelle on the anoles and beardies. I would have put Leopard gecko, Crested gecko, and then Bearded Dragons. oh, and I would put ball pythons above Milk/king snakes, but that is mainly just opinion! Great work though!

 

Sorry about the wrong information, I did it by my own research and expieriences so I was bound to get wrong information as I posted in the end. And about the ball pythons, they are up there arent they (not meaning to sound rude, I am just not going to edit this since it took me forever to post)? I just found my beardie as a great pet is why I posted it. She eats well, has a clean bill of health (we take her to the vet every two months, CWDs we can only take every four months), and is a very loving pet. And we breed our crickets, buy everything else, so we have as much food as we breed. Well, we just started breeding a week ago. And about the Crested Geckos, I forgot about them. You cant expect and absent minded person to remember something she has rarely heard about. I am not familiar with most of their care so I was bound to get wrong information.

 

Pff, no need to be sorry Karlee = )

There is a lot of diversity there, and I wouldn't expect anyone who hasn't kept all of these species and then some to know everything there is to know about everything, lol. I admit that my amphibian knowledge is so minute that I wouldn't even be able to give beginner choices for frogs, salamaders or newts without asking for help ; )

And its completely understandable why you chose Bearded Dragons, and its why a lot of people do like to suggest them. Compared to most other herps, they are very intelligent and do well with handling and human interaction (they actually crave it a lot of the time). This is exactly what most people want in a pet; and the personality is surely not going to be the disappointing thing in novice owners (while personality/handle-ability may be a disappointment with some geckos, etc). But while they are great pets, they just require quite a bit of extra care. Its well worth the effort, anyone with a beardie can vouch for that, but it can be a lot for a new keeper who isn't prepared with adequate knowledge or resources.

And Adult Beardie does come a little closer to the Beginner range; not requiring as much in the insect food department. But UV lighing is always confusing to new keepers (myself included when I started out) and they do need large vivs compared to say, a Leo who can get by in a 10 gallon.

This is all somewhat Subjective too, mind you. There may be beginner keepers out there who do adequate research and have no problem providing the extra resources... they are still less effort than say, a working or herding dog. But most people do have a bit of a block that these are small, simple pets. And having to provide and cover so much cost and time wise for some herps can be a bit of a surprise. So we just like to cover all the bases and classify the beginners as the ones who are almost bulletproof... capable of handling keeper error and requiring very minimal resources = )

 

Sorry, it is a problem for me to say sorry when I shouldnt, it drove every one crazy. And I wouldnt expect any one to keep all these pets at all. And I have a better understanding of amphibians than reptiles so it was fairly easy for me to post information on that. Especially when your first pet herp was a poison dart frog you had to put in the extra research and effort than an expierienced herp keeper. And people who know what they want and think it is the right pet for them, will be more than willing to put in the extra care. I just posted this for people who want an easy pet to keep, to get an idea of what they want. I just posted the overveiw of the animal and they could do the research after that, and if they didnt want a beardie there are plenty more they could choose from. I have cared for almost every animal on this list except for a turtle. I helped my friend who got a rainbow boa as her first herp (I hate impulse buying but face it, we all do it), I have owned lizards and frogs, and I helped my cousin by watching Pinky, her axolotl, while she was out of town.

 

I wasn't trying to criticise you or anything, and I was trying to cut you some slack! I know how long that research must have took, since I've spent weeks researching fully herps I plan on getting someday. All of us are just trying to be helpful and add to what you already have-so it's benificial to us all And I love the new avatar!

 

Sorry, I was just a bit grumpy, I am not a morning or night person. But that mood changed, we found Kiki, ALIVE. I put up found signs for the lizard we found. If no one replies, we will keep him burried. I have an appoitment with a vet tomorrow at five pm. and a good vet that has a cheap cost.

And thx, I edited it on pizap, I dont own the actual photo of the alligator.

 

Oh, so you came up with the caption for the pic yourself then? Cute!

And you found her?!? That's awesome! I remember when you posted how you lost her I felt so bad and are you sure it's her or is it just another wandering lizard then lol-I wasn't sure if you knew it was her or not since you said you put up signs and all. That's great that you have a vet to take her to also!

 

yeah, Pizap.com.

And I am sure. Same size, same colorations. Also, she has a birthmark under her chin that is pretty distinct. I would take a pic but my camera isnt working. Never buy a sony camera, they go through so many batteries, have only six megapixels, and they break easily.

 

Well, that's great news then! And i have a Canon, which is pretty good-but I hate it when electronics always are running out of them! And that happens a lot, since I use all my electronics frequently. I hope you can get a better camera and/or get yours fixed so you can share pics soon!

 

By the way, I am going to add this since my friend asked me why I didnt post these animals on the list when I showed her.

Crocodiles, caimans, and alligators DO NOT make good pets, especially not for beginners. They have a nasty attitude (especially true in caimans), require a rather large area of land, have a very nasty bite and the power to kill you, as well as they are illegal in a lot of states. I love these animals, but not enough to keep them as a house pet. They arent made for captivity unlike bearded dragons, corn snakes, and leopard geckos. You dont buy them because they are cool, you have to love AND respect their capabilities. It isnt like your buying a puppy when you purchase a caiman. I would ONLY reccomend these animals to expirienced reptile keepers.

 

Just throwing my two cents in, frogs are my strong suit, and I totally agree with your 3 choices. I own White's myself, and they are really easy to care for and stuff. I disagree with lizardgurl though, not all tree frogs are beginner pets. Green tree frogs and gray tree frogs are ( similar species ) but frogs like the Mossy Tree Frog and Clown tree frog are more advanced to care for.

 

That's true-and I said most tree frogs are beginners-I know those one's are much more advanced, but I was also talking about the more commonly found ones-if they're not that easy to find, generally, they're more advanced. I also never knew clowns' were classified as tree frogs completely, they are always in my general thinking more like darts and tiger-legged. I guess I only think of frogs as "tree frogs" if they have it in their common name lol
Mossy's are also a kind I wasn't thinking of, since they're rare(around here at least). They even have a special exhibit at the zoo with them, so I know they're obviously harder to care for(plus I read a whole article on them in Reptiles magazine).
I'm sorry I didn't specify completely all the tree frogs I thought were also good for beginners.

 

Haha, yeah. No problem, just putting in my opinion. The Dendrobates and Mantella genus (Darts, from south/central america, and mantellas are the madagascar equivelant) are actually good beginner frogs, particularly the species Auratas and Leucomelas. Also, the Tinctorius species is popular, but tend to be more expensive.

 

That's all cool! I obviously don't know as much on you as frogs here-you are sort of the frog guy I always think lol BTW-how are your guys?

 

Ha, thanks. And they're good, slowing down due to the winter, but good.