Easy reptiles for pets?

[js89]

Advice needed but I am not 100% purchasing!

Ds is 4 , nearly 5. obsessed with reptiles mainly snakes but I am terrified. Can get on board with a lizard they are cute and did see a leopard gecko (i think the name is) is easy to keep etc

We are taking him to pet shops and a little showcase of reptiles and seeing if he is serious. If so (I know I will be doing mainly care) we are considering a pet as part of his 5th birthday. Again not definite we will be exposing him to more reptiles up until birthday will educate him on them etc. But i know as hes so young me and DH will do all of the care really but we are open to it

So im doing this post! To educate me and so I can pass onto DH

Another question is, we have 2 shih tzus. Would this be a problem? They can get up on the couch thats it so I know they wont be able to get to a tank or anthing. May bark first few days but if this is a big no.let me know please

All tips and education please leave here!

Had a crested gecko. My husband and kids started off looking after it and very soon it landed on me… needed twice daily care, live food as well as specialist food, everything for it was expensive the substrate, food, locusts, lamps… it hid and slept a lot and was a natural prey to the cat. It also doesn’t remind you of its presence like a cat would so you have to set reminders to look after it - they can live years and need a pet sitter/friend/ family member to visit twice a day to look after it when you go away. They can get frightened if their environment is moved.. don’t do it- if you do use a rescue as plenty get abandoned. It’s cute but ultimately a pretty boring pet.

Snakes and lizards are hardly cuddly creatures. My brother minded a snake for his friend. He also minded an iguana for another friend and had a slow worm as an 8 year old. Thank god reptiles weren’t the in pet they are now or he’d have got more. Poor things.

We had this issue with my DS9 when he was 5. We knew he would eventually get bored, so we opted for Giant African Land Snails. Very cheap to buy, set up is easy and they are easy to care for. Only have to check the soil for eggs. They are quite affectionate when out and enjoy slithering up our arms

A natural prey to the cat. I’m sorry but dying here 🤣🤣🤣. The cat must’ve thought all it’s Christmases had come at once whereas the gecko must’ve thought the complete opposite, you’ve brought me here, to be attacked by a predator?! No wonder I hide!

other": easier " lizard is a blue tongued skink needs a large Viv though at least 4 "2"2 but are really friendly if you get anything get something you like as well as you will end up doing most of the work

Whenever I’ve suggested to SIL that I buy my nephew (now 8) a snake or lizard she says “it can live at auntie Gonna’s house”. She’s deadly serious too.

I’ll never forget going as a teenager (about 18) into a pet shop in Camden that sold snakes and the like, asking them what they fed them, and they nonchalantly grabbed a white mouse out of the freezer in the shop to show us, frozen. I was with my younger half sister and we were both .

@7238SM to be fair she might be active later but im generally asleep. They say that leos are active at dawn and dusk.

get this snake - it is the only one suitable for a child under age 10

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/djungelskog-glove-puppet-snake-burmese-python-40402811/

We have a crested gecko, he’s great. They are arboreal so need height, rather than floor space which means they take up less room. We must a couple of times a day, his heat bulb is on a thermostat, and the UV bulb gets flicked on in the morning, and off in the evening. Cresties eat mostly a special powdered food which you mix up with liquid with some supplementary insects. Once you get used to them, locusts are ok to handle. I still find the way crickets scuttle a bit creepy but they are tolerable. We have a bioactive set up so any cleaning is very minimal. I honestly think he’s probably more straightforward to care for than the majority of small mammals.

As per pp, an African land snail.
they are easy to care for and quite sweet.
im sure ours used to respond to his/her name.

You've made me laugh now 🤣 I have cats and they'd be like 'What's this crispy pre-cooked delicacy?'

She's really beautiful! Such a sweet little face. What's her name?

The cat didn’t get him but would jump on the vivarium and terrify the poor gecko in the evening when it was active 🤦‍♀️

DS had an African land snail - it was very cute but cheap and easy! He was called Steve (Minecraft!)

anyone wanting gals i have loads here

As an aside, my kids were 12 and 9 when we got the lizard and it’s still us who does 99% of everything. A 4 year old wouldnt be able to do much of the care.

Something I found out too late is that if you’re allergic to shellfish, you’re also allergic to bugs so while the lizard itself is fine, her food makes my asthma flare up if I’m around it too long. Just another random thing that meant this was more work for my husband than we anticipated. She is lovely, but not really a pet for a small child.

@Gentleworkshe's called Mimikyu