Today we will cover the question everyone asks themselves before acquiring their first reptile, "What kind of reptile should I get?"
The answer to this question is only discovered by answering more questions and here are some you need to ask yourself.
1. Who will be exposed to this animal, adults only or children and adults?
2. What kind of space am I willing to commit to this animal?
3. How much money will it cost to maintain and feed?
4. Am I willing to handle insects or rodents as food or would I prefer a strict vegetarian and all the work entailed in maintaining the balanced diet of a vegetarian?
5. Do I live somewhere where they are allowed? Check your lease and/or you're HOA as well as local laws especially when considering large or venomous reptiles. You don't want to go through the heartache of getting attached to your pet only to be forced to get rid of it later, or worse, fined for having it.
Once you've answered these questions for yourself you should find a reptile dealer, not a chain pet store, and tell them what criteria you're looking for. Hopefully they are knowledgeable and can make some good recommendations as to what your first reptile should be. The last step is, after talking to the dealer, to take your list of potential new family members and find breeders of those particular species through websites like www.kingsnake.com and call or email them and listen to what they have to say. Often times the breeders will give you, not only insight into owning that particular species that the dealer could not, but helpful tips as to the best ways of keeping them happy and healthy. From there it is up to you to make the right decision for your family and home.
The author has only one request, be reasonable. If you decide that you want your first reptile to be a large lizard or a large snake start with a baby and take heed, reptiles that get large can do so very quickly when kept properly reaching 70% of their full potential size at 1-2 years of age. Many times this overwhelms the reptile’s owner and the animal ends up being sold again or worse. If you think you want a 7 foot lizard start with one that only gets 3 ft and see how it fits before you move up to the big leagues.
If this has been helpful to even a handful of people then it was worth the time it took to type. Good luck in finding your new family member and hopefully you will enjoy each other for years to come..................................................................................
Thanks to Mike at PolarPics Las Vegas for taking the photos and thanks to the model in the lower pic, Jessica... for more info contact sincitydragons@gmail.com
The answer to this question is only discovered by answering more questions and here are some you need to ask yourself.
1. Who will be exposed to this animal, adults only or children and adults?
2. What kind of space am I willing to commit to this animal?
3. How much money will it cost to maintain and feed?
4. Am I willing to handle insects or rodents as food or would I prefer a strict vegetarian and all the work entailed in maintaining the balanced diet of a vegetarian?
5. Do I live somewhere where they are allowed? Check your lease and/or you're HOA as well as local laws especially when considering large or venomous reptiles. You don't want to go through the heartache of getting attached to your pet only to be forced to get rid of it later, or worse, fined for having it.
Once you've answered these questions for yourself you should find a reptile dealer, not a chain pet store, and tell them what criteria you're looking for. Hopefully they are knowledgeable and can make some good recommendations as to what your first reptile should be. The last step is, after talking to the dealer, to take your list of potential new family members and find breeders of those particular species through websites like www.kingsnake.com and call or email them and listen to what they have to say. Often times the breeders will give you, not only insight into owning that particular species that the dealer could not, but helpful tips as to the best ways of keeping them happy and healthy. From there it is up to you to make the right decision for your family and home.
The author has only one request, be reasonable. If you decide that you want your first reptile to be a large lizard or a large snake start with a baby and take heed, reptiles that get large can do so very quickly when kept properly reaching 70% of their full potential size at 1-2 years of age. Many times this overwhelms the reptile’s owner and the animal ends up being sold again or worse. If you think you want a 7 foot lizard start with one that only gets 3 ft and see how it fits before you move up to the big leagues.
If this has been helpful to even a handful of people then it was worth the time it took to type. Good luck in finding your new family member and hopefully you will enjoy each other for years to come..................................................................................
Thanks to Mike at PolarPics Las Vegas for taking the photos and thanks to the model in the lower pic, Jessica... for more info contact sincitydragons@gmail.com
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