im chris, im 13, and new to the site. well i've got 2 beardies, 2 firebelly toads, 2 african clawd frogs, a sinaloan milk, and a corn. i recently went to a reptile expo and my younger brother (he is seven) bought himself a "neon dragon" without my approving (aka a tree dragon), which is not widely sold for their short lives. he had no idea the animal was sick and it died the nxt day. i bought a corn and he seems very healthy, ill post pics. so i am trying to find a good lizard that my lil bro will like, and a chinese watr seems nice. just the size mite freak him out a bit. idk wat to do. any suggestions???? help me out please!
CWDs are excellent lizards - but they take a huge commitment, it not something for someone who is not 100% dedicated to them. They require a lot of space (lots and lots - they get to be three feet+ in length and require a VERY large cage...probably something that will need to be constructed, standard aquariums dont really cut it unless you get a massive one - which is heavy and expensive) and have specific care requirements. If their requirements are met they re relatively hardy lizards - but they stress easy and if their husbandry is not great then they will not tolerate it and will become ill. If your younger brother is going to be the primary care giver i would probably advise against it - if your parents are going to behelping, willing to financially contribute to buying or building a cage, paying for the lighting etc etc - then if your brother is very responsbile then it might be doable. I dont want to make it sound like these are lizards are super fragile and impossible to keep, or that they arent enjoyable to keep - but they are definately something that needs to be thought out as they are very sensitive to certain areas of their husbandry. And, of course, they require a lot of space. If this is his first herp then i would say go with something smaller and easier to care for such as a leopard gecko, crested gecko, or even a bearded dragon.
