hello all, i am trying to decide on which type of lizard to get. my choices are a leopard gecko or a blue tongue skink. i want a tame lizard that enjoys being handled but doesn't exceed my limitations of space. as far as space limitation goes, for right now, i have a 29 gallon tank. any suggestions on which would be better or another lizard that might suit my situation better? thanx much. the advice will be greatly appreciated. *ash*
A blue tongue skink would require more room than a 29 gallon IMO. I'd go for the the gecko. Leos are usually pretty good about handling and are hardy which is a plus if this is your first reptile. The skinks can be so-so in temperment. Like most animals, you never know what you're going to get once they are full grown. Don't get me wrong, BTS are great and are one of the best lizards to have, but they need more space than that and in many cases don't like being handled very often. Bearded Dragons are great lizards, especially for beginners, and they have great persoanlities and usually take handling well. I think your tank would be okay for a young Beardie, some people may think you need a bigger cage for an adult. Plus Beardies are usually much cheaper than BTS. What you want to do before you buy anything is check to see what other equipment they need (Like UV lights, heaters, substrate, timers, etc) and what food items they need, etc. Then you can look into how much their upkeep will cost and if you can afford it. There is a TON of info on this site and you can also check anapsid.org to get some ideas. Good luck, and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask.
i am going to be able to get a larger tank but not large enough for a beardie. i really want a handleable lizard and while a beardie would be great i cant keep large crickets in my house because they make alot of noise and large crickets are just too much for me to handle right now because i still hate bugs but i am getting used to pin heads and waxworms. what other types of lizards are social with humans that do not require large crickets? i know im being picky but i just cannot find any lizards that suit the situation through reading care sheets. thanks for any advice and help.
well, it's hard to find lizards that are solely vegetarians and are small. The BTS you talked about before would be great in that area but you would need at LEAST a 40 gallon tank, which by what you've said is too big for you to get. It's usually best to build your own since it's not really recommended to keep them in all glass aquariums. But really crickets aren't all that big a deal. If you'd rather you could just buy them a few at a time and put them directly in the cage so you don't have to handle them much, but in the end...you'll have to get over the "icky" bug syndrome. They're no big deal...really. The problem is two-fold: If you get a vegan reptile, they are usually large and you said you can't get a larger cage. If you get a smaller reptile, they are usually insectivorous and you don't like bugs. One problem or the other is going to have to be resolved on your end before you get an animal. Sorry I can't be more help, but that's pretty much all I can offer right now given your situation.
I feed my leopard gecko soley on mealworms, which live in a tupperware in the fridge. I don't touch them, I use tweezers to pick them up. My gecko only gets crickets about once a month, to give her something to hunt. If you chose to do that, make sure to gutload the mealworms beforehand!
Blue tongues get rather large and need a big cage, just like the bearded dragon. While I like both blue tongues and leo's, I prefer the interactivity that a beardy provides. Bugs arent a problem for me; I've always loved to catch bugs and watch them. The crickets I have are very quiet. I have them in a 20 gallon tank with lots of tubes and cardboard, and I always leave fresh veggies with assorted snacks for protein. The only ones that chirp are the escapees. I had a leo a long long time ago, and I fed him all sorts of bugs, and even though he was friendly and allowed me to handle him, he just didnt have the personality that make most bearded dragons excellent pets. How about a Lawsons dragon? They pretty much are, mini bearded dragons. They stay around leopard gecko size and would eat the same things, along with veggies. They would also live comfily in a 29 gallon tank too. My dragon, named Gummy because she smells like a freshly opened bag of gummy bears, would rather eat greens and that ecotherm cactus than bugs, so I'm able to keep around 100 a week between her and my Lawsons dragon.
Sundial reptile (excellent breeders, I got my lawsons and my beardy from them): http://www.sundialreptile.com/ have rankins and care sheets for them. Lawsons dragons are often called rankins dragons, but theres a debate over which name is correct, so who knows. I do know that for a smaller lizard, you do get a bearded dragon personality.
Hi.I'm getting a leo.Juvie too.There i belive two months old.A male and female.60 for two leos,50 for the 20 gal. tank,and 25 for supplies.