Tell me about amphibs and reptiles, which one?

[Kadastorm]

Hi there,

Im looking into getting either a reptile or, ideally, tree frogs.
Since doing my course, (Behavioural Science and Welfare) i have realised i really love them and my lecturer said they make great pets.

I understand the need for UV/Heat lamps and diet as i have covered all of this in my lectures. However, i want to know what animal you think will make the ideal pet for a newbie and what enclosures you think are best. i have been looking around and the enclosures i like are £100+(!)

Also, what substrates do you use? What bulbs are best? What else do you think i need to know? I dont want to rush into anything and want to read up before i get anything.

FYI - The mother says no snakes, she wants a Chameleon although she likes tree frogs too

 

[welshcobmad]

I have a leopard gecko who I got as a hatchling after doing looooads of research as he was my first reptile. Waited patiently for him to come along as I was adamant I wanted a super snow morph lol! (The colours & morphs available can get very addictive!) He's been fab, took a while to tame him as he was a baby but he's so friendly & puts his face in the window to come out!

Hes in a 2ftx2ft wooden viv with the sliding doors, he has a heatmat under two thirds of the floor & a low watt uv bulb I have on a timer above the hot side. Substrate wise ontop of the mat - we have cut 2 slabs of good old welsh slate to size & filled in the gaps & edges in with that soily substrate you get. Its fab! Holds the heat really well & wipes clean so very hygienic. He has a log to hide under & a coconut on his cool side & his cave (which he LOVES) half on hot half on cold so its like a saunda & easy for him to shed in. Also has a small dish of calcium available at all times and a plastic cactus plant. In his cave (moist hide) we damp down a folded teatowel for him as we had a rush to the vet before as he ate the kitchen roll we used to use! (Even though eveyone says they wont!) I used a 2 pronged thermometer to keep tabs on hot & cold side temps using a thermostat to keep it at 32 degrees. The UV lamp is on a timer. We feed him on locusts as a staple and wax worms as treats - crickets get everywhere & stink lol! Ask me if you want anymore info or pics!

We have a chameleon too btw - look pretty but miserable as sin! lol Gecko is easier to care for, alot more fun & interactive!

 

[Nudibranch]

For a first reptile you could look at bearded dragons. They are easy to keep and tolerate handling well unlike many reptiles, in fact ours positively enjoy it. You'll need a ceramic heater and UV tube, and a light bulb if you want to be able to see them properly! Put the bulb and UV on a timer, so easy then, but keep the ceramic heater on 24/7. Make sure its wired into a thermostat. Easibed makes a great substrate, sand apparently can be accidentally eaten although we use it in the big enclosure with no problems.

Put the heat at one end so there's a cooler space, and they like basking rocks and branches to climb on. Ours used to scratch at the glass when they wanted to come out to explore but now they live in our conservatory in a specially adapted giant enclosure which they love.

They eat a mixture of crickets and green veg/fruit, and become more veg orientated as adults which is good, crickets are a pain to keep. I totally agree that they stink! They love canned crickets hand fed! You need to sprinkle their food with calcium supplement (i.e. powdered cuttlefish "bone"). Good reptile pets I would say.

Tree frogs are fab but don't make for good regular handling - all amphibians have a protective slime which can be burnt by the heat of human hands.

 

[HaffiesRock]

Another vote for leopard geckos here. I have a super hypo morph and she is gorgeous.

Very easy to care for and i keep mine pretty much the same as Ellie. They are very friendly and love attention! x

 

[welshcobmad]

Cant quote as on my mobile but HaffiesRock lets see!! Piccies!! lol

Introducing Elmo - Supersnow Het Albino

This is Ziggy our old super duper friendly Yemen Cham we had but lost 2yrs ago - absolute freak as theyre supposed to be grumpy

And this is the true to type miserable ****** Noodle that we have now, pics as a baby lol

 

[Cobber]

I have two Vietnamese flying tree frogs and they are pretty cool. Now it's colder tho they aren't terribly interesting:/ in fact the male hasn't eaten for a couple of months. I have them in a fully planted exo terra 60x45. They have a uv bulb but its more for the plants then the frogs, I have no extra heating for them as its always warm in my flat and they are very hardy. The male (who is half the size of the female) calls a few nights a week mostly in response to the tv. I think it's very cute but be aware most male tree frogs have VERY loud calls which they do at night. I love frogs and am glad I got some Esp as the tank looks nice. Second leopard geckos and beardies as a good starter rep but bear in mind a beardies should e in a 4 ft viv when older.

Get yourself over to reptile forums uk for some great care sheets about reps and froggies.

 

[Paint Me Proud]

I have crested geckos and Fire bellied Toads.

I would suggest buying second hand for housing as it is much much cheaper. Try Preloved or ebay.

This is the Paludarium i built for my fire bellies.

[youtube]Toq6A0MV9GI[/youtube]

 

[Kadastorm]

Thankyou so much for your replies, will take them all into consideration I really have no idea what to get, i am more inclined to go for frogs as i love them, they are just too damn cute. Im not too worried about handling, more something to enjoy looking at and watching behaviour and so on (due to my uni course!).
But i do love beardies and starting to like geckos too, tough choice!
I will keep looking into it before deciding which to go for, thankyou again guys, will let you know when i decide to purchase my new baby