Reptile Question: What lizard would you suggest for someone new to reptiles?

anoles and uros hate being handled

Hey, I recommend green anoles! I've got 3 at the moment & they're really easy to look after. They will eat just about any small insects (I generally feed mine crickets), will drink from a water bowl (most lizards will only go for running water), r small so they do not need tons of space, but r still quite active during the day. Plus they r not as susceptible to metabolic bone disease as many reptiles r so do not rely upon vitamin supplements quite as much.
However they really hate being handled, & r very good at escaping (and believe me they r very difficult to catch again!), so if u want a lizard u can handle ur best bet would be a bearded dragon or uromastyx. Also anoles r very territorial, so make sure u do not house males together, they get very aggressive.
But they r great little lizards, & perfect for a beginner.
Best of luck :-)

Leopard Gecko -

Needs care most beginners can handle with mild amounts of research. Common enough that good information is available.
Can live in a reasonable sized enclosure.

I would NOT reccomend green anoles; they really need LOTS more space that most folks give them. We have two in a 250 g enclosure. It is a lot of space dedictated to a creature you basically just get to watch! (Kids love it though).

beardie or leo gecko. both great starter animals.

Get a bearded dragon!!
they are generally docile and soooo cute!

An Iguana is NOT a beginner pet. Please disregard that poster is answer.

A Bearded Dragon can grow up to 22 inches, so they need a fairly large tank. A 40 gallon breeder tank is the bare minimum for 1 adult. Bigger tanks r always recommended. They need both a heat/basking lamp & a full spectrum UVB florescent light. Once u get all the needed items for the Bearded Dragon & set up the tank & correct temps, they make very easy, low maintenance pets. They learn to enjoy human contact & have wonderful personalities.

Leopard Geckos r basically the same. They only grow up to 8 inches, so they do not need quite as big of a tank. A 20 gallon long tank is suitable for a F/F pair or a M/F pair (only if u want babies). Although, even housing 2 females can be a hassle, so housing 1 is always the best choice. They r nocturnal so they do not need the FS UVB light. However, they need a red heat bulb for night time, or an under tank heater (or both). They do not need quite so high temps like Bearded Dragons do. The Gecko is tanks can stay in the 80s.

A Green Anole is perfect for a beginner lizard too. They r very small, with most of them not getting any bigger than 5 inches. 2 Green Anoles can be housed in a 10-20 gallon TALL tank. However the highest tank is always recommended because they r arboreal (tree dwellers). They also need a UVB source & a heat lamp.

For supplies there r many different online pet shops such as:

http://bigappleherp.com

http://LLLReptile.com

http://petmountain.com

and of course u can find unused, cheaper items on ebay. http://ebay.com

For breeders & more places to get supplies: http://kingsnake.com Click on Classifieds up at the top then scroll down & check out the links that interest you.

Whatever animal u do choose, please do all the proper research. Since u do not have prior reptile experience, I would read as many articles on the reptile u chose to become more familiar with it, before u buy it. Also, before u buy the reptile, buy ALL the required supplies (lights, food, tank accessories, etc) to properly house it. Set up the tank & establish the proper temps, then go & get ur preferred reptile. This way u will be sure u can provide for ur reptile 100%.

Good Luck, reptiles make wonderful pets.

I would go with the beardie (out of the ones u mentioned). If u go with a babies or juvie u could go with a 20 gallon tank to start, but u will need to get a larger tank as they grow. They need a 40 gallon breeder as an adult (you can always get the large tank to start off with & get a tank divider that u can move to give more space as the dragon grows). You will need a UVB light, a heat source, substrate (nothing loose for the baby or juvie (until about 7 inches head to tail) then u can move them to play sand if u want. I have my adult on play sand & it is never been a problem. As young ones they will not eat much greens/veggies as they do when adult. Make sure that whatever u get u give a variety of foods so they do not lack any nutrients & u wo not get stuck when the dragon refuses to eat something specific. (if he does mine never had a problem with that). Also u will need a decent size water bowl, mine likes to soak once in a while, until they r big enough u can put a cleaned rock in the water so the dragon (and crickets) wo not drown. You can try to get the tank from a site like craigslist or ebay & maybe some decorations. I can not suggest any breeders because I got all my lizards from different pet/reptile stores. I can suggest two websites for further reading, & it might be a good idea to get a book on them for reference when a computer is not on or handy. bearded-dragons.com & beardeddragon.org

I would not get a Iguana as they can get over 6 ft with proper care. I would get a bearded dragon or a geko as they are small and rather easy to care for. a good shop should be able to put together a nice starter kit for you and answer any and all questions about your new pet. They can be a valuable reference for you for the life of your animal.

why is there always some moron that say iguana, they get to 6 feet need a huge enclosure have specialist needs as adults & if not handled daily for all there life become agressive even sometimes they still become agressive & with a bite that will need stiches & a tail whip that can crach bone there not a good starter pet.

bearded dragons r a good choice easily avaiable, firendly easily to tame generally good eaters & quite active. uromastyx is r also a good choice for those not wanting to deal with insects.

for something smaller a leopard gecko is good. as for a breeder where r u (what state) as local breeders tend to be better than nation wide ones.

Bearded Dragons and Iguanas are good starter lizards.

Bearded Dragons are carnivores - so you will have to feed it live crickets and meal worms.

Iguanas are herbivores - so you can feed them a special food paste that they sell at most pet shops or even lettuce and grapes and other fruits and veggies right out of your fridge.

I would recommend an Iguana to start. They're great animals and pretty easy to care for.