Hello. I'm thinking about getting a lizard. What type of lizards are easiest to care for? Also, I've done some internet research and I'm a little bit confused. Are any of the commercially available substrates safe to use for geckos or not, and if so, which ones? I bought Calci-Sand, but threw it out after finding out that it was harmful. Any advice on choosing a gecko?
Leo's are deemed the "easy reptile" to own, I have 2 myself, I use Repti-carpet. I dont think I'll use sand for a while, maybe in about 6 months or so.. when choosing look for: spots on stomach (normally this is a sign of impactation, or something else that would make anyone want to stay clear of that gecko.) enflamed eye: you just dont want it... make sure his/her eyes are completly black. Tail: if it's fallen off, you'll know. It'll never be as good looking as the original, I'd say dont get it, unless you REALLY want it. Also make sure it doesnt look dehydrated Inspect the enviroment that it is being housed at where you buy it (if not online) it could be housed wrong, make sure that the place your getting it from houses it with its own species, if not turn around and go somewhere else as the leo could be stressed enough to never eat again, and eventually starve him/herself. There are other things to look for, I just can think of them off the top of my head :
I didn't see anything wrong with the ones in my local stores, but I've read about how poorly trained some pet store employees are. I wanted to make sure I had a cage first. I got a 10 gallon one, that should be okay for 1 lizard, right? Also, is it absolutely necessary to feed them live stuff all the time or can you do it just once in a while, and feed them the freeze dried crickets most of the time? I live in an apartment, so I don't think that keeping live crickets would be a good idea. Not to mention, the chirping would drive me up the wall.
A ten gallon tank would be fine for some lizards but too small for others. The usual recommended "begginer" lizard would be a leopard gecko. Your ten gallon should be fine, even though a larger enclosure would make it easier to set up a temperature gradient. These geckos feed exclusively on live insects. I have heard rumors of people "training" them to eat dead food, but have never witnessed it personally. Leopard geckos do fine on mealworms. Lots of breeders use meal worms exclusively with good results. Also they are much easier to deal with then crickets. No fuss, no smell, no noise. Use something like a glass ashtray and put a bunch of meal worms in it. The slippery sides will keep the worms confined and your gecko can feed buffet-style when the urge hits him, mostly at night. He would certainly benefit from a more rounded diet to include the occassional crickets but mealworms are fine for a staple diet. Dust them a couple times a week with a good calcium/vitamin supplement (Rep-Cal). Don't forget a water bowl. Also a humid hide. Download the caresheet for Leopard Geckos from the navigation windo on the left side of the site. Good luck. George
I don't have too much of a problem with worms (ok, I'm a bit squeamish, but I'm assuming I'll get over it eventually.) It's the crickets jumping around and chirping that would bug me (hee hee). I already got a couple of ceramic feeding dishes for lizards from the pet store, one for food & one for water, so that ought to work. Are there any good books for beginners? Is the "Dummies" lizards book at all accurate? I'm planning to stop at my local Barnes & Noble this weekend & pick one or two books up.
My go-to source for leopard gecko info is the "Leopard Gecko Manual". Pretty complete and accurate. Also http://www.leo-land.net has a bunch of gecko freaks on it that will bend over backwards to help. George
