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choosing a reptile

M

Maddie M

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Hello!
I'd like some advice in choosing the best reptile for me.
I'm basically a beginner, I had a ball python until I was about nine years old so I know how to handle snakes, monitor heating and feed a snake, pretty much just the basics. I'm looking for an animal I can handle/spend out of cage time with at least once or twice a week; and while I have the most experience with snakes, I would like a few options other than snakes.
I have an upfront budget of around $400 to go towards the animal and the setup with about $40 a month to spend only on food. I'll have more money saved up to replace bulbs, broken supplies, bedding, etc.
Thank you in advance for any help or suggestions:)
 
Besides dogs, snakes are the pets I prefer, & there are many kinds that make better pets than BPs (in my opinion) but it sounds like you want something different now? Since you want something you can handle & interact with, I'd recommend a bearded dragon...but only IF you're prepared for a high-maintenance DAILY pet. They have a lot of personality and love to cuddle...at least the one I rescued years ago did, & he was a male who was feisty toward other male dragons* too. *The only one he ever saw was his own reflection, for which he would (hilariously) display & attack...but with me he was 100% docile. The high maintenance warning comes from the required heat, sunlight, poop-scoop, and especially the complex dietary needs on a daily basis. But if that's something you'd welcome, a beardie may be just the thing. They don't get too large, but they do need a large warm terrarium with both UTH & overhead full-spectrum lighting, with supplemental real sunshine when you can (& NOT that which is filtered thru window glass). The full-spectrum lights (when last I needed to buy them?) don't actually stay "effective" after about 6 mos. & should be replaced (they still give off light & can be used for other lights-only purposes), but be aware that regular replacement can get pricey. As for feeding a bearded dragon, I am big on eating my veggies, fruits & salads, so for me it was more like just sharing: if anything, a beardie can be a good influence for us to eat healthier & they're really fun to watch. But if you live on 'fast food', it might be more of a challenge to feed a bearded dragon, as they need a good diet every day to stay healthy.
 
hotlips said:
Besides dogs, snakes are the pets I prefer, & there are many kinds that make better pets than BPs (in my opinion) but it sounds like you want something different now? Since you want something you can handle & interact with, I'd recommend a bearded dragon...but only IF you're prepared for a high-maintenance DAILY pet. They have a lot of personality and love to cuddle...at least the one I rescued years ago did, & he was a male who was feisty toward other male dragons* too. *The only one he ever saw was his own reflection, for which he would (hilariously) display & attack...but with me he was 100% docile. The high maintenance warning comes from the required heat, sunlight, poop-scoop, and especially the complex dietary needs on a daily basis. But if that's something you'd welcome, a beardie may be just the thing. They don't get too large, but they do need a large warm terrarium with both UTH & overhead full-spectrum lighting, with supplemental real sunshine when you can (& NOT that which is filtered thru window glass). The full-spectrum lights (when last I needed to buy them?) don't actually stay "effective" after about 6 mos. & should be replaced (they still give off light & can be used for other lights-only purposes), but be aware that regular replacement can get pricey. As for feeding a bearded dragon, I am big on eating my veggies, fruits & salads, so for me it was more like just sharing: if anything, a beardie can be a good influence for us to eat healthier & they're really fun to watch. But if you live on 'fast food', it might be more of a challenge to feed a bearded dragon, as they need a good diet every day to stay healthy.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the info! They're definitely on my list.
 
get a savannah monitor

I strongly recommend you get a savannah (bosc) monitor. After I had a ball python I made the change and I loved it. They are awesome cuddle buddies on the couch, they get big, and are much more prehistoric than a python.

You can start them off in an aquarium but when they get big you are gonna have to have someone make you a cage, or it will shave a couple years off your pet's. Their cages are relatively easy to make something wide/long and low is ok. You got about 3-5 years before he will outgrow the biggest aquarium you can buy.

Bare in mind that the hardcore people on this site detest aquariums, but probably won't hesitate to say its okay when it comes to making a sale.
 
crossfire79 said:
I strongly recommend you get a savannah (bosc) monitor....
Click to expand...

What does their food cost per month? The OP stated that her budget for this pet's food is $40 per month. I have no personal experience with savannahs, but don't they also dig, trying to escape a cage? Seems like one should be a homeowner, not a renter, before taking on a sav, as the eventual size & activity will be a challenge. I really encourage people not to focus on the cute little reptile for sale but what it's going to become in a few years...to make sure it's something they can manage for the life of the pet, especially if they don't all have the same optimal temperament. What is the lifespan of a sav?
 
Savannah Monitor

The life span of a savannah monitor is about 12 years, I believe you can get away with spending about $10-$15 a week on food for a savannah monitor. When they are young I fed mine about 3 times per week, frozen pinkie mice mostly, crickets, mealworms (depending on your substrate it will promote digging, you just drop them in cage and your lizard will use their tongue to find them latter). When he got bigger I would feed him large quantities but only once or twice a week.

I am not saying that this is optimal care for a monitor. I made a lot of mistakes with mine who just past away after ten years. Perhaps I should not have fed him furry rodents as often as i did, and I definitely should not of let him live his whole life in a glass aquarium.

I have been reading a lot of people feed their savannah monitors fresh ground turkey, a day old chick (good luck finding one of them not frozen), chopped up beef heart. But no one I consider an expert has responded to my question about which of these are okay and in what frequency.

10-15 Crickets 2-3 times a week while less than 1 foot, 20-30 once a week when bigger than 1ft. Once a month I would dust them with D3 vitamin supplement. The care sheet in reptile magazine forum dose not discourage feeding an adult savannah monitor furry rodents. It also says mealworms, large dubia roaches, and grasshoppers you can collect in summer months, are good.

These are just examples, your some google searches and draw your own conclusions. They are probably the easiest monitor to care for.
 
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