plz help the lizard noob pick a good 1st lizard

oops. sorry...didn't see the page two.

 

From the research I have done (you should be doing it too, if you wish to purchase an animal and be responsible for it's well being!) a 20 gal should be fine for an emerald swift. With careful handling they can be tamed and become docile pets. They do need a UV light and things to climb on, and they enjoy burrowing too, so that is something to take into account when deciding on your tank setup, how much it is going to cost and how much timeit wil take to maintain and clean it. They also need misting regularly to keep humidity up. Depending on how much time and effort you are going to put into your reptile depends on whether it is going to be a good first lizard or not. I think getting any kind of pet for the first time is overwhelming, but just be prepared for it to take a while before you find your own way/timetable for doing things and before long looking after a reptile will become like second nature. Just make sure you know exactly what you are getting yourself into before you buy it :lol:

 

i have started reading a lot on them and now i made that post when i had seen was a picture and a price. I dont know how much they are a like tamming wise but my russian tort will take food from my hand + let me rub her head/chin so i dont think that is the issue. I will be able to give it daily attention i would just like to know if there is anything about them that would mean i would need to spend more than 20 min a day and mabey an hour or 2 on the weekends after i get him/ her settled in. I earn a lot of money (at least for a 13 year old) 30$ a week between walking dogs + chores. My parrents wont let it starve so if i do run out they will buy the stuff i need untill i earn more. I know that it will probably take more than time i would like in the begining but is that reasonable once (s)he gets settled. Thanks

 

I'm afraid I can't really give you the info you have requested because I haven't ever owned one. Perhaps search for emerald swifts on the forum and pm any member who owns one to ask them some of these questions? Good Luck!

 

Anybody else?

Thanks Ria

 

dont be foolish,get a crested gecko.can live in a 20 forever,at baby food and crickets are easily handalable and dont need a heat source

 

As long as you do enough research on your chosen species, you can keep (almost) any kind of lizard.

 

Beginner:
African Fat tailed gecko, Leopard Gecko, Cornsnake, Milksnake, Trinket snake, etc

Intermediate:
Water dragon, Bearded dragon, Collared lizard, Frilled Neck dragon, etc

Advanced:
Iguana, Monitor lizards, Tegus etc

 

CRESTED GECKO!!! Man are they great. They are handelable, they get about the same size as a leopard gecko. They don't need bugs as long as you use the superfood designed for them. It's made by T-Rex and says crested gecko on it. It's a powder and all you do is add water. You can feed them is as a sole diet IF you like. They don't need lots of extra heat. They do best at 72-78F Over 80F and you start risking heat stroke. They come in so many different colours and patterns. They can climb glass, and like their own eyeballs, so they have all the appeal of the non handelable geckos, but you can hold them.
This site has some info as well as some great pics of crested geckos
http://www.acreptiles.com/

 

If you have a pair of cresteds, though make sure they are not housed in your bedroom...they can make a racket! They growl and make noises at each other to communicate at night.

 

None but my breeders make noise. I've had two grils living together for almost a year and not a peep comes from their cage at night

 

I will probably get an AFT only because what ever I get is going to be housed in my bedroom and I dont want to have to give whatever it is away because of noise. I am still open to ideas It will take a while for me to save enough money.

 

a mali would also need a bigger enclosure