Lizards
As a rule, only certain lizards are good for beginners. Many species have fairly complex care requirements for heating, lighting and diet. Some are quite delicate and difficult to care for, and others get quite large and aggressive. The are a few species that are quite hardy and easy to tame and these are the best for beginners.
Lizards for Beginners
- Leopard Geckos - have no special ultraviolet lighting required and relatively easy to tame and handle. Some other geckos are good choices for beginners too, such as crested geckos, fat tailed geckos, and house geckos (although house geckos are usually too fast to be good for handling).
- Bearded Dragons
- Blue Tongued Skinks
Lizards Not Recommended for Beginners
- Iguanas (large, sometimes aggressive and complicated to care for properly)
- Chameleons (very specific care requirements and easily stressed)
Snakes
There are many species of snakes that make good pets for those new to reptiles. As long as you stick to starter species, they are generally quite easy to care for and feed, and they are also fairly easy to tame. They do not need to eat often (although
you must be prepared to feed other animals to your snake, and most of them need whole prey such as mice and rats), and they do not need special ultraviolet lighting. Of course, there are dangerous species of snakes including venomous snakes and large constrictors that are definitely not suitable for beginners. For more on snakes as pets see:
- Introduction to Snakes as Pets
- Constricting Snakes
- Pre-Killed vs Live Prey
- Finding Escaped Snakes in Your Home (snakes are excellent escape artists)
Good Beginner Snakes
- Corn Snakes
- King and Milk Snakes
- Ball Pythons (captive bred only to minimize the risk feeding problems)
Not for Beginners
- Boa constrictors (red-tailed boas; generally docile but quite large and strong)
- Burmese pythons (generally docile, but they are large and strong enough that mistakes in handling these snakes can be dangerous).
- Other constrictors are not recommended due to either difficulty in providing the proper care, or danger due to size, strength, and temperament (e.g. reticulated pythons, anacondas).
- Anything venomous
Turtles
Turtles are not easy or low maintenance reptiles. Generally, turtles (including the commonly found red eared sliders) are messy, long-lived, get quite large (so need large housing), and need exposure to ultraviolet light. If you can deal with these factors and commit to caring for a turtle over its long life span, a turtle might be a good pet for you, but by far the most important factor is knowing the proper dietary and environmental needs of the species you choose.
Some turtle resources can be found here:
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