Reptile advice needed
Discussion
My 9 year old daughter has her heart set on either a Bearded Dragon or a Gecko of some kind.
She doesn't live with me full time, I get to see her and her Brother every other weekend and her Mother has refused to let her have one at their place.
So after speaking with her Mother I said to her that if she saved enough money for the animal, then I would buy the tank and equipment and it could live at mine.
She's only gone and done it! Pocket money and birthday money saved up and she has the required amount.
Is one of these a suitable pet for a 9 year old? She's very mature and responsible, also not remotely squeamish. Also happily not the type to get bored and move onto the next thing.
Has anyone on here kept them and can offer some sage advice about which is most suitable - inevitably she will want to handle it and so I'd prefer to know which is likely to be the most tame and least likely to bite.
They both have pretty undesirable eating habits from what I can make out - but does either of them edge the other in terms of not being quite so gross?
Thanks in advance for any pearls of wisdom
She doesn't live with me full time, I get to see her and her Brother every other weekend and her Mother has refused to let her have one at their place.
So after speaking with her Mother I said to her that if she saved enough money for the animal, then I would buy the tank and equipment and it could live at mine.
She's only gone and done it! Pocket money and birthday money saved up and she has the required amount.
Is one of these a suitable pet for a 9 year old? She's very mature and responsible, also not remotely squeamish. Also happily not the type to get bored and move onto the next thing.
Has anyone on here kept them and can offer some sage advice about which is most suitable - inevitably she will want to handle it and so I'd prefer to know which is likely to be the most tame and least likely to bite.
They both have pretty undesirable eating habits from what I can make out - but does either of them edge the other in terms of not being quite so gross?
Thanks in advance for any pearls of wisdom
good for her in saving up, i would go for a beardie dragon- very hardy, easy to care for.
basic equipment you will need is-
4ft tank cos they grow big
10%uv tube (provides them with the goodness of sunshine, changed every year)
heat bulb and attachments
dimming thermostat(not every body finds they need it BUT it does let you control the heat output of the heat bulb
thermometer(digital is best)
calcium powder
water dish(always provide) they may not use it but if its not there they have no choice
substrate for the floor
maybe some plastic/silk plants for decor
oh and of course some bugs to keep the beastie happy
they are lovely pets, just make sure hand washing is carried out always after handling them and do get them wormed .
basic equipment you will need is-
4ft tank cos they grow big
10%uv tube (provides them with the goodness of sunshine, changed every year)
heat bulb and attachments
dimming thermostat(not every body finds they need it BUT it does let you control the heat output of the heat bulb
thermometer(digital is best)
calcium powder
water dish(always provide) they may not use it but if its not there they have no choice
substrate for the floor
maybe some plastic/silk plants for decor
oh and of course some bugs to keep the beastie happy
they are lovely pets, just make sure hand washing is carried out always after handling them and do get them wormed .
ds". Apparently their ability to run up the walls and across the ceiling makes them difficult to catch and return to the tank 
Bearded dragons do grow rather large so you'll need a pretty decent sized tank to suit it. When it gets big it'll eat more (more cost) and the tank will cost more to run etc.
I kept tokay geckoes for a while and honestly wouldn't overly recommend them. They were fast (open door to tank a tiny bit and if you were unlucky they'd be gone), not particularly people friendly (once they bite it can be diffucult to mske them let go, so you can hang them from your ears) and not all that exciting to watch as they were mostly nocturnal.
I found my geckoes tended to want to charge around the tank making noise and crunching insects whilst I was in bed, so I moved them to the living room. Not ideal.
We also had crickets running all over the house (regularly saw them hopping down the corridors) no matter how well we thought we'd sealed the tank.
So I'd suggest you don't buy either. Get a tarantula (eat less and move less) or maybe a rat (more intelligent and actually a real pet).
I kept tokay geckoes for a while and honestly wouldn't overly recommend them. They were fast (open door to tank a tiny bit and if you were unlucky they'd be gone), not particularly people friendly (once they bite it can be diffucult to mske them let go, so you can hang them from your ears) and not all that exciting to watch as they were mostly nocturnal.
I found my geckoes tended to want to charge around the tank making noise and crunching insects whilst I was in bed, so I moved them to the living room. Not ideal.
We also had crickets running all over the house (regularly saw them hopping down the corridors) no matter how well we thought we'd sealed the tank.
So I'd suggest you don't buy either. Get a tarantula (eat less and move less) or maybe a rat (more intelligent and actually a real pet).
Thanks for the replies, some really useful advice here
Yes, I'm really quite proud of her for saving up the money herself and since she's a responsible sort this is just to try and get some advice to help me steer her onto owning the pet that she will get the most out of.
Sounds like a Bearded Dragon is the way to go.
Any advice on where to buy? Should the 'one stop shop' Pets at Home approach be avoided?
Yes, I'm really quite proud of her for saving up the money herself and since she's a responsible sort this is just to try and get some advice to help me steer her onto owning the pet that she will get the most out of.
Sounds like a Bearded Dragon is the way to go.
Any advice on where to buy? Should the 'one stop shop' Pets at Home approach be avoided?
I'd go for the Dragon, Geckos are generally nocturnal so you'll find they spend most of there time hiding under cover.
Obviously you've made your choice, but if there's some flexibility I'd say a Green Anole would make a better starter? Very colourful when the male displays his crest, easy to look after and can even be trained to an extent.
Obviously you've made your choice, but if there's some flexibility I'd say a Green Anole would make a better starter? Very colourful when the male displays his crest, easy to look after and can even be trained to an extent.
Maycott said:
Any advice on where to buy? Should the 'one stop shop' Pets at Home approach be avoided?
From past experience, if you want the advice of a work experience teenager then go for it!Most small independent retailers tend to be enthusiasts who have turned their hobby into a business so advice from these should be sound. There are of course exceptions to both examples. Why not look up some of the reptile associations / rescue organisations ?
Personally I'd recommend a leopard gecko to start with - require slightly less to keep them than bearded dragns (no UV as they're nocturnal, smaller tank etc). Also, unlike many geckos, they're terrestrial so you won't have problems with them running across walls and ceilings trying to escape.
There are lots of good reptile forums out there which contain a wealth of knowledge, along with plenty of books on both bearded dragons and leopard geckos.
Either way, they're both fantastic pets (I've kept both, among many others) and are a great alternative to the more commonly kept hamster or gerbil.
There are lots of good reptile forums out there which contain a wealth of knowledge, along with plenty of books on both bearded dragons and leopard geckos.
Either way, they're both fantastic pets (I've kept both, among many others) and are a great alternative to the more commonly kept hamster or gerbil.
I'll hopefully be picking up a Beardie on Monday. My tank came today and it's recommended you set it up atleast 48 hrs before you pick your Dragon up plus I have everything except my UV bulb and sockets that were meant to be delivered today but didn't. 
If I'd lived near any I'd have got a preloved one, there a are plenty around for sale for <£100 complete with the full set up. Fully grown they'll be less fragile. I've done lots of research so here's what I've picked up:
They grow to around 60cm, females are a little smaller.
You can't really keep 2 together particualry not males as they'll fight and poss injure or kill.
Get a 4 foot viv minimum, 4'x2x2. Some people say that a baby will feel swamped in a large tank and struggle to find his/her food. I'm pretty sure the the Australia outback from where they originate is bigger than 4'x2x2. You can always put a barrier in to make it smaller.
They live about 10 years on average.
What you put in the bottom (Substrate) is highly debated. Babies/youngster can swallow sand when they catch their prey this can lead to compaction and health issues/death. I'm going for tiles till mine gets older.
Babies need lots of insects/protien to help them grow. As they get older they'll eat more veg maybe 70/30 split. Make sure you're comfortable handling live insects, they need calcium to help develop. I'm gona put some crickets in zip lock bag with calcium powder shake and then feed them.
As a rule of thumb don't feed anything which is wider than the gap between their eyes, this is roughly the width of their throat.
You can feed them mice when they're older. I've handled a few in the shop and they're awesome, look like little dinosaurs. They not skitish if you handle them regualr and will sit still on your lap and let you pet them. Everytime I go into the shop the Gekos are asleep or in their hides not dong anything but agree they need less of a set up initially.
That's about all I can think of at the mo, theirs loads of info on the internet but alloooooooooot is one persons opinions vs anothers.
I'll post some pics hopefully on Monday when I pick up mine.
If I'd lived near any I'd have got a preloved one, there a are plenty around for sale for <£100 complete with the full set up. Fully grown they'll be less fragile. I've done lots of research so here's what I've picked up:
They grow to around 60cm, females are a little smaller.
You can't really keep 2 together particualry not males as they'll fight and poss injure or kill.
Get a 4 foot viv minimum, 4'x2x2. Some people say that a baby will feel swamped in a large tank and struggle to find his/her food. I'm pretty sure the the Australia outback from where they originate is bigger than 4'x2x2. You can always put a barrier in to make it smaller.
They live about 10 years on average.
What you put in the bottom (Substrate) is highly debated. Babies/youngster can swallow sand when they catch their prey this can lead to compaction and health issues/death. I'm going for tiles till mine gets older.
Babies need lots of insects/protien to help them grow. As they get older they'll eat more veg maybe 70/30 split. Make sure you're comfortable handling live insects, they need calcium to help develop. I'm gona put some crickets in zip lock bag with calcium powder shake and then feed them.
As a rule of thumb don't feed anything which is wider than the gap between their eyes, this is roughly the width of their throat.
You can feed them mice when they're older. I've handled a few in the shop and they're awesome, look like little dinosaurs. They not skitish if you handle them regualr and will sit still on your lap and let you pet them. Everytime I go into the shop the Gekos are asleep or in their hides not dong anything but agree they need less of a set up initially.
That's about all I can think of at the mo, theirs loads of info on the internet but alloooooooooot is one persons opinions vs anothers.
I'll post some pics hopefully on Monday when I pick up mine.
The beardies are amazing pets! I have two, a male and female (Barry & Doris) and they're amazing! You will fall in love with them in no time.
They are great pets to keep and they are rather loving to their owners (well mine are). When I get Doris out, she often likes to lay upon my tummy and go to sleep whereas Barry likes to find a hidey place (often under a unit) and he'll stay there until I put him back in his viv.
I'm sure your daughter will love her beardie and well done to her for saving the cash too. Clearly a determined little girl who knows what she wants and goes for it
Happy dragon sitting!
p.s. For the crickets which do escape - fly spray kills them!!
They are great pets to keep and they are rather loving to their owners (well mine are). When I get Doris out, she often likes to lay upon my tummy and go to sleep whereas Barry likes to find a hidey place (often under a unit) and he'll stay there until I put him back in his viv.
I'm sure your daughter will love her beardie and well done to her for saving the cash too. Clearly a determined little girl who knows what she wants and goes for it
Happy dragon sitting!
p.s. For the crickets which do escape - fly spray kills them!!
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