Looking for a new Reptile pet? Wondering which ones are the most friendly and easy to take care of? Look no further.
Reptiles take a specific kind of care. Some require special lighting and heat. Some you can handle and some you shouldn’t for a while.
This guide will help you figure out which are best for you.
Table of Contents
The best reptile pets for beginners and Kids
reptiles are great little pets to own. I think reptiles are cute as well. Bearded dragons for example will sometimes fall asleep on you.
Use the guide below to help guide you. Especially if you’re a new pet owner and have no clue what kind of care reptiles need.
Bearded Dragons
These little guys are my favorite. They are social and like being held/handled. You can count on them to be friendly towards you and your kids.
They can spend a lot of time outside their cage. Just make sure to keep an eye in case they run around somewhere they aren’t supposed to be.
They can become extremely comfortable with you when you spend a lot of time with them.
Beardies (common nickname) can live up to 15 years. especially if you take good care of them. Feeding them a good diet and taking care of their habitats.
Bearded Dragons can get pretty big too. Around 24 inches long. The average size being 18-19 inches. If you’re not the kind of person that wants a bigger reptile then you should consider a different one.
Cost and diet and care
You can expect to spend around 350 to 400 dollars initially on these guys. Especially if you get the right stuff for their habitats. You also want to get a decent sized cage depending on when you get them in the life span.
If you get them as babies then you are going to spend a little more as the cage requirement is going to change.
On a monthly basis you wont be spending too much. For food you can expect to spend between 35 to 75 a month. You will have to occasionally replace basking lights and stuff like that as well.
What can they eat?? They are omnivores so they can have a variety of different types of food. Here’s a list for you
- blueberries
- blackberries
- strawberries
- superworms
- crickets
- cockroaches
- mustard greens
- collard greens
- kale
- spring mix
You are going to have to give them calcium supplements as well.
The lights you’ll need are here and combined they wont cost you more than 50 bucks.
- UVB lights
- Basking lights
One thing you need to know is that they do need to eat daily. Don’t worry too much about them missing one little meal but make sure if you go away for a period of time they will have someone take care of their needs. They also need quite a bit of attention. Let them run around daily if you can.
Health concerns
If they aren’t cared for properly and their cage isn’t properly set up for temperature they can get sick like anything else. Metabolic bone disease and Impaction can occur if fed the wrong food and if the cage isn’t giving the proper heat and lighting
take your time studying their needs. like any other pet give them exactly what they need and they will be ok in the long run
Leopard Gecko
These guys are super popular and extremely cute. The Leopard gecko is another one on this list of best reptile pets for beginners and kids.
just look how cute they are!
they are low maintenance, affordable and very easy to handle which makes them great reptiles for beginners and kids
A little info about the leopard gecko
- They have eyelids. unlike other geckos.
- They don’t have sticky toe pads which means they wont be so jumpy when handling
- They are from the middle east and india
- They get their name from the spots they get on their skin
- They grow from 8 to 12 inches long
- They can live up to 20 years old if proper care is taken
- They can eat every other day
Because they dont like to jump they are going to be easier to handle with confidence. When you’re new to reptiles you want to be careful with handling because dropping them can hurt them pretty bad. Especially with small geckos
They are super affordable too. Setting up their habitat will cost around 100 bucks initially. if you get them as a baby you might have to upgrade their cage later on down the road but its not a heavy investment. Usually these kinds of geckos are a heavier upfront cost and not too much maintenance besides food and lighting
They don’t really need to eat every day so their food requirements are less. This is perfect for beginners. They can survive off of crickets and other little insects. Some people enjoy watching them eat and hunt for their food
make sure they have a little water bowl and enough crickets to feed them every other day.
Again these guys are extremely low maintenance compared to some other reptiles so its perfect for beginners and kids looking to own are reptile.
Blue tongue skink
The Blue-Tongue Skink is another one on this list of best reptile pets for beginners and kids.
These guys are very friendly and easy to handle. Some info on the Blue tongue Skink
- They live between 15 to 25 years long. This is the average lifespan
- There are many different subspecies of blue tongue skinks. they all have blue tongues but we will be focusing on the Indonesian kind because they are the most popular
- You can expect them to grow to about 24 inches long
- They have large bodies so they are easy to handle
- They move slow as well so it will give you confidence with handling
Habitat, Food and Care Needs
For an adult you’re going to need a pretty big tank. Something like 80 to 120 gallon tanks are a good size for these guys.
You want to aim to have the humidity levels between 60 to 80 percent for the indonesian kind. Make sure if you have a different type you do extensive research to know what needs your specific reptile needs. if the right needs are not met they can get sick.
For the substrate needs i would focus on getting cypress mulch. Make sure you give them extra so they can burrow themselves in it.
You should aim to keep one side of your tank warm and one side cooler. Have the cooler side 15 degrees cooler than the warm side.
These guys are omnivores. They have a wide variety of foods they can eat. aim for this
- 40 percent protein
- 50 percent vegetables
- 10 percent fruit
Fun fact: you can use wet cat/food. Yeah!
Please get the best stuff. The stuff without fillers and all that other crap inside it.
You can give them things like this too
- chicken
- cooked ground beef
- cooked ground turkey
- they can eat most fruit ( just no citrus, avocados, eggplant and such)
- no high sodium foods either
Feed them every 2 days for an adult. For juveniles give them food more often.
Make sure their enclosure has lots of flat rock to keep their nails filed down. Give them a great diet and they will live a long time disease free. Obviously do regular vet checkups to ensure proper health.
These Guys are one of the best reptile pets for beginners you can get since they are hardy and easy to take care of. Give them a try!
Corn Snake
Some quick infor about corn snakes
- They come in a variety of different colours and patterns
- They grow up to 5 feet in length
- They live up to 20 years long
What you need to consider is buying an escape-proof tank. Get one with a screen top
You want to get a UV light if the room you keep them in doesn’t have big windows. If you get a lot of natural sunlight then its fine but unlike other reptiles that have heavy lighting needs corn snakes don’t.
If you do get a light, place it somewhere a above the cage. This will help keep them healthy and happy
The absolute best thing about corn snakes is they only need to eat once a week!
This is why it makes the list of best reptile pets for beginners. If you have the right set up you can leave town for a little while and they wont need much care or attention.
For beginners i think its about confidence and ease of care. When you’re new to reptiles some of the other reptiles require so much care that it can be overwhelming
corn snakes are easy to care for and they are cute too 🙂
make sure you keep a close eye out for mouth infections. Do regular checkups with the vet if you’re afraid your corn snake is sick
Just make sure you set up the proper habitat and they will thrive just fine
The Russian tortoise
Some quick info about the Russian Tortoise
- they can live a very long time 50 plus years
- Low maintenance requirements
- They are cute
They come from central Asia and they are imported to meet the pet store demand
If you buy yours from a pet store make sure you get it checked out by a vet and inquire about its care.
They are hardy and can survive low and high temperatures. Their resiliency is sought after by some people because of how low maintenance they are which is why it makes the list of best reptile pets for beginners
Diet, habitat and care needs
These little guys LOVE leafy greens. Kale, Spinach, collard greens. Don’t give them anything with sugar like bread and fruits.
OK so you want to give your Russian tortoise some room. my personal recommendation is 6 feet by 6 feet
Substrate requirements
- Flat rocks
- Lots of dirt and sand
- They like to climb so give them something to climb up
- Give them a lot of dirt and sand because they like to burrow under it
To keep them healthy, keep them dry. Unlike other reptiles like geckos which require heat and moisture you should aim to have a habitat that is dry.
The reason for this is they are prone to respiratory infections and moisture can actually make things worse.
Where to buy one online
https://www.xyzreptiles.com/product/russian-tortoise/
thank you for taking the time to read this.
