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The Best Lizard In Your Opinion?

I have a little leo, I'm actually holding him right now. I love him. He used to eat mealies, but he developed bubbles under his arms, which is caused by an excess of protein. So now I'm feeding him crickets and phoenix worms. Crickets are about $0.70 per dozen by me, and phoenix worms are $6 for 100. For substrate I use tile, so there is no weekly/monthly cost there. If you use phoenix worms, leos don't need any supplements because the worms are so high in calcium. They need a moist hide, so you have to buy moss, but a $3 bag lasts you months. They always poop in the same corner, so you can make a litter box with paper towel in it and just replace the paper towel. That's what I do. They're super cute. Casey likes to climb my shirt and sit on my shoulder. And they're really good subjects for pictures :)

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I have an African fat tail gecko and a chinese water dragon. The fat tail is great for ease of care and all just needing a bit more humidity than a leopard gecko but is a nocturnal animal. He does not need special UVB. You wont see him out during the day. Ours eats calcium dusted crickets.

Our water dragon needs 80% humidity a warm humid climate that can be hard at times to maintain. He also needs a fairly large enclosure. Ours is in a 4 foot by 3 foot enclosure. He eats dusted crickets, super worms, roaches and pinkies if I can get him to think the pinkies are alive. The water dragon also needs special lighting UVB and is out during the day. He can be a picky eater at times so I keep a lot of variety for him.

Here is a nice thread on different lizards owned by forum members I think is cool.

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=119630&highlight=year+dragon
 
Beardies are easily going to be more monthly than leos. 100 crickets a day for babies and juvies is not unheard of. I use tile for a substrate and love it - easy to clean and no health risks as with loose substrates.
 
I adore my leo. I spend about $8/month on food for her, and she needs no lighting, which is nice. I've never been peed on, wasn't even aware that was an issue LoL. She growls at me if she doesn't like something I'm doing.
 
If you want a small friendly lizard then a leo is the way to go ;) We love our little girl. She lives in a 20 gallon tank, eats mealworms and crickets. Doesnt need any special lights or diets. She poo's in one corner of her tank.
Hunter
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Well, if everyone else is posting leo pics...Here's my Rango! <3 Love her chunky tail!

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Gosh, all the pictures are great!

And thank you to BooBoo18 for the great link to the other thread!

I am still stuck between leopard geckos and bearded dragons, and here's why:

Leopard Gecko:
pro:
CUTE
CHEAP
great personality
great texture
I've been in love with them since I was in 2nd grade
I can raise mealworms
con:
They always feel so delicate when I hold them, I'm scared I'll make it release it's tail
I'm worried about sturdiness?

Bearded Dragons:
pro:
CUTE
STURDY
great personality
great texture
I've been enamored with them since 8th grade
I can raise mealworms
con:
Cost, but it isn't a huge factor
need lighting, but not a huge concern, as long as I can put it on a timer (I need dark to sleep)


Sooo, I love them both, and I have some more questions!
How long are their average lifespans?
How many people have had leopard geckos release their tails?
Are they really sturdy or not?

Both lizards are great!
 
Leos live 15-20 years, the oldest on record is 39 years old (wow!)
Bearides usually live to 10 years the oldest on record was almost 15

I don't find my leo that delicate. They only drop their tails if they feel scared or you grab it and pull hard. My 10 year old son is autistic and Hunter was his reward for taking his medicine(he will not take medication...) He holds her all the time. When we got her, we would put our hands in the tank and gently scoup her up, now she will walk onto our hands, climp our arms. Go exploring :) If something ever did happen and she dropped her tail they do grow back, just not as nice.
Here is Hunter when we got her, so tiny, I was afraid we would hurt her, but she's is doing good, growing fast.
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Then get both. Lol. I think that leos are a lot more sturdy then people give them credit for. Yes they can drop their tails, but only if you really pull on them or drop them from too high. A couple of times when I had my cousin over, he tried to run off and she grabbed his tail without thinking, but he still has his tail. I think they live 15ish years? But I'm not entirely sure on that one. They live quite a while though. The reason I got a leo instead of a beardie was because it seems like beardies would be a lot more work, and I'm only 16 so I go to school everyday during the school year, plus homework, plus taking care of all my other animals. If you have quite a bit of spare time then its really whichever you are more attracted to.
 
Leo are really sturdy. They just have more delicate looking features than beardies. My girl is pretty rough and tumble. She launches around her cage at crickets like it's war.

She has never dropped her tail, even after getting out once and being chased by a cat.

Seems like the average is 15 or so years.

My advice would be to start with a leo. After you have had one a while and get used to the care, maybe think about getting a beardie too. That way you have some basic lizard care experience and that will make is easier to adapt to an additional species.
 
Thanks guys! I think I will get a cute little leo!
And now that I've decided, I can slowly collect an appropriate terrarium and decorations etc!
About January I want to start a meal worm colony, so it will be big and healthy to help feed a baby leo next summer!
They sound far sturdier than I was giving their cute softness credit for!
I really appreciate ALL the advice and pictures on here, and I know I seem to have started asking questions very early but I figured now I'll have time to get perfectly set up without destroying my bank account all at once, as well as decide on the morph, whether I'll get one in a pet shop or from a breeder etc etc
 
As you have a year to research, and you said the lighting etc. Wasn't a problem...
How about..
Chinese water Dragon.
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I've met a few of these and they ain't hard to keep, look fantastic, and have cute personalities.... Just thought I'd chuck it in the mix.
 
Fat-Tails are the best pet lizard. I've got around 60 without counting holdbacks and animals that are for sale. The genetic potential is huge with them. You'll spend a bit of money on the morphs, but they're a huge up and coming! They're much more docile than Leos, and require higher humidity. They take crickets and certain roaches easily, but sometimes don't take mealworms or superworms. My feeding bill is rather hefty, but I go through 6,000-8,000 roaches a week and 3,000 mealworms.
 
Carinata said:
Fat-Tails are the best pet lizard. I've got around 60 without counting holdbacks and animals that are for sale. The genetic potential is huge with them. You'll spend a bit of money on the morphs, but they're a huge up and coming! They're much more docile than Leos, and require higher humidity. They take crickets and certain roaches easily, but sometimes don't take mealworms or superworms. My feeding bill is rather hefty, but I go through 6,000-8,000 roaches a week and 3,000 mealworms.
Click to expand...
Don't listen to him, he's trying to sell them...
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I don't keep CWD so I am unbiased in my decision....
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Of course I'm biased! I love these animals and encourage people to keep them. And yes, if someone wants to buy one from me, I'm not stopping them.
 
Chinese water dragons need a refridgerator sized enclosure(hight is #1 for them), and most are wild caught. They really don't make a good first lizard. We have a 2 year old female (guessing from her size) She is beautiful, very active and fun to watch. Mine is pretty tame, she likes to be hand fed minnow lol!
But they don't make very good hands on pets, Zap tries her hardest to get away at times and if she does she is fast!
 
I think Kate is making the best choice. Get a leo, by far the easiest and best starter lizard, then she can branch out later if she feels comfortable.
 
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