# Whats Best



## Darcysmum (Mar 13, 2008)

Hi can someone tell me what would make the best lizard for a pet for my young son. It will be our first reptile and i am new at all of this so i have no idea. HELP PLEASE


----------



## thals (Mar 13, 2008)

id say a eastern bluey  Great pets, very hardy and adaptable and easy to care for, awesome lil critters


----------



## Fiona74 (Mar 13, 2008)

Yeah I'd say a bluey. I had 2 and they lived outside (as they occur naturally around here anyway) easy to feed and handle. My kids loved them.


----------



## Chris1 (Mar 13, 2008)

Central bearded dragon.


----------



## Bluie (Mar 13, 2008)

Yeah i'd say bluey to.


----------



## Riley (Mar 13, 2008)

yeah id say a bearded dragon. awesome little lizards and fun to keep.


----------



## dragon lady (Mar 13, 2008)

Dragons!....yes are incredible ....have the own personalities!


----------



## Bluie (Mar 13, 2008)

so do blueys


----------



## Manie (Mar 13, 2008)

I got my 7 year old a bluey first. Within a week we had another.... 3 weeks later 2 central beardies. Either make great pets and are alot of fun. Good luck with whatever you choose


----------



## mckellar007 (Mar 13, 2008)

i vote dragons, much better looking and alot more interesting for children then blueys


----------



## Fiona74 (Mar 13, 2008)

Well it looks like its narrowed down to bluey or dragon. Get a couple of both!


----------



## hornet (Mar 13, 2008)

blueys are not as active as dragons. I could sit next to my dragons tanks for hrs just to watch their habits. Very active and alert animals and very nosy.


----------



## Lukey47 (Mar 13, 2008)

i dont have any lizards but i would say beardie because no offence to bluey lovers they just seem like a boring pet


----------



## salebrosus (Mar 13, 2008)

I'd say a bluey, look at all the posts made by those new to the hobby begging for help and asking "my dragons not moving is it sick"? comments. Central Beardiees are a great animal but not something i'd recommend first up.

I'd go a bluey but if you're after something with a little more character and a bit more hardy i would go a Ridge Tailed Monitor.


----------



## Fiona74 (Mar 13, 2008)

I must confess b4 I got another snake I was looking into getting a beardie rather than blueys again for the same reason hornet said. But I ended up with another python anyway.


----------



## cris (Mar 13, 2008)

Definately a central beardy, they are one of the few reptiles that doesnt seem to be bothered by being handled. Very easy to look after too.


----------



## Bluie (Mar 13, 2008)

salebrosus hit it on the head


----------



## Miss B (Mar 13, 2008)

I agree with Simone.

Beardies are great but husbandry mistakes are common with new keepers, and baby beardies aren't all that forgiving. A bluey would probably be a little more robust for a first-time reptile owner.


----------



## Just_Joshin (Mar 13, 2008)

Chris1 said:


> Central bearded dragon.


they are some fat beardies in the pics.

I say go with Barbatas......the under-rated beardy


----------



## Australis (Mar 13, 2008)

salebrosus said:


> I'd say a bluey, look at all the posts made by those new to the hobby begging for help and asking "my dragons not moving is it sick"? comments. Central Beardiees are a great animal but not something i'd recommend first up.
> 
> I'd go a bluey but if you're after something with a little more character and a bit more hardy i would go a Ridge Tailed Monitor.



Agree with the above..

Blueys are bloody tuff.


----------



## bredli_lover (Mar 13, 2008)

yeah..blueys are a great first pet - Bearded Dragons are good...but blueys are an easier first pet....but if i was you i'd get a snake!  lol


----------



## Just_Joshin (Mar 13, 2008)

Cunninghams.....Sherman tanks those things!!


----------



## koubee (Mar 13, 2008)

Go for a Beardie, theyre the best!!!!


----------



## Ela21 (Mar 13, 2008)

Blue tongue are easy to look after but beardies have more personality, If you want to get a Beardie get a older one.


----------



## Crush (Mar 13, 2008)

I personally think Bearded dragons are more interesting but if you get a nice bluey you'd be happy. Youll most likely want one or the other after a while any way

Good luck,
Crush


----------



## arbok (Mar 13, 2008)

bredli_lover said:


> yeah..blueys are a great first pet - Bearded Dragons are good...but blueys are an easier first pet....but if i was you i'd get a snake!  lol



/agreed just got my 2 babies and im hooked, havent even had a chance to handle them! (except transporting from bag to enclousure)
i love my stimo for her fiestiness and size, but atm its kinda tough to beat my bhp, hes got so much character!, ill looking in the enclousure and he will come out of his hide and look at me with his adorable little face ! he parades around like he owns the place, and when ever i look he doesnt even get defensive just seems to kind of smile back  lol


----------



## hornet (Mar 13, 2008)

While blueys are tougher beardies are cetainly not hard and are alot mokre interesting than blueys. You could also go for something like a cunninghams or similar but some sort of dragon would be my number 1 choice


----------



## snakes01 (Mar 13, 2008)

id go with the bluey


----------



## Riley (Mar 13, 2008)

i reckon u should still get a beardie.. i find em much more interesting than blueys to start off with. beardies like being handled, have a great personality and look better (imo)


----------



## salebrosus (Mar 13, 2008)

Riley said:


> i reckon u should still get a beardie.. i find em much more interesting than blueys to start off with. beardies like being handled, have a great personality and look better (imo)



Thats fine Riley and i guess its not so bad to stuff up on a cheap animal. 

I speak from experience, i nearly killed a pair i had when i first got into it. Beardies are great but for a beginner with the number of issues people have with them, you should think of the animal first. I wouldnt buy anything that i dont think i have the necessary skill or knowledge to look after properly.


----------



## Riley (Mar 13, 2008)

they are pretty easy to keep though (from what i've read, and my short short experience(like 2 weeks lol))


----------



## salebrosus (Mar 13, 2008)

Exactly my point Riley, so many times there are posts on this website form people recommending beardies when they have kept them for short periods. Then when things go wrong there will be posts about sick beardies.

No body wants to lose an animal or think they have hurt their new pets.

Whatever the animals chosen, the person should by those books by Australian Reptile Keeper Publications, they are great for beginners and will offer advice in relation to beardies that wasnt available to me at the time i stuffed up.


----------



## paulibabes (Mar 13, 2008)

dragon lady said:


> Dragons!....yes are incredible ....have the own personalities!



i have actualy found that all my reps have their own personalities!


----------



## cris (Mar 13, 2008)

womanator said:


> they are some fat beardies in the pics.
> 
> I say go with Barbatas......the under-rated beardy



Yeah they are nice lizards but not as suited to interaction as centrals are(as a general rule). They are definately worth considering though. They were my first official lizards(i was 8 or so) and i never had any problems and they are better suited to humid areas. They also look heaps better than central beardies IMO.

Bluies are cool if you like them, i personally dont think they are well suited to handling though. I guess they may be harder to kill, but i dont really think thats an issue if you want to look after your critters.


----------



## Riley (Mar 13, 2008)

point made salebrosus
though what i read about beardies that they were easy to keep was from books and people.
and then again, i dont think i've heard of a beardie dying after being sick many times

yes and what hornet says below


----------



## hornet (Mar 13, 2008)

salebrosus said:


> Thats fine Riley and i guess its not so bad to stuff up on a cheap animal.
> 
> I speak from experience, i nearly killed a pair i had when i first got into it. Beardies are great but for a beginner with the number of issues people have with them, you should think of the animal first. I wouldnt buy anything that i dont think i have the necessary skill or knowledge to look after properly.
> 
> Simone.



If you do your research you should have no probs with beardies, i know many people who started with beardies and had no probs.


----------



## salebrosus (Mar 13, 2008)

hornet said:


> If you do your research you should have no probs with beardies, i know many people who started with beardies and had no probs.



When i got my first beardies back in 2000 there wer eno books and i was told "oh they're easy"

I nearly killed them with feeding them mealworms (as advised by my vet) and this was not shared in any books i had on them. ARK books did mention it but it wasnt available at that time.

I jsut dont believe beardies are hardy enough for a first timer.


----------



## Riley (Mar 13, 2008)

salebrosus said:


> When i got my first beardies back in 2000 there wer eno books and i was told "oh they're easy"


 
theres books now


----------



## salebrosus (Mar 13, 2008)

Riley said:


> theres books now



Maybe i should've said whatever animal you pick make sure there is a book on how to keep the animal (written by Aussie Keepers) 

Simone.


----------



## hornet (Mar 13, 2008)

yes, there may have been a lack of info around 8yrs ago but there is plenty of info available to keepers these days.


----------



## 262 (Mar 13, 2008)

Get some Central Netteds They are awsome and full of it.


----------



## Chris1 (Mar 14, 2008)

womanator said:


> they are some fat beardies in the pics.



yeah, Chubby and Bug have been on a diet for about a year, theyve lost 100g each and have another 100ish to lose,..

poor girls eat hardly anything and the weight just wont budge.


----------



## ishka (Mar 14, 2008)

i am going to be different and say i'd go with a shingle back 

They are hardy and easy to keep (exactly what you need in a kids pet).

I had 2 of them groing up and loved them to pieces!!

Cheers,
Ishka


----------



## gonff (Jun 12, 2008)

blue tongue lizards are a lot slower, but are more hardey and proberbly easeyer to handle than a bearded dragon. however having kept both i personally would go a bearded dragon because they are more active (more exciting to watch), and are an awsome lizard. as for monitors, such as the pygmy mulga monitor and the ackie(ridge-tailed monitor) they are a lot cheaper to run (dont need u.v or ceramic heat lamps), all they reqiure is a large tank and a hot basking light. beardy's and blue's need u.v and heaters(can be expensive). 

as for tanks melemine is the best. for a bluey, and bearded dragon, a 3ft long, 1ft wide and 1ft high is a minimum. and for a monitor probably 4ft long, 2ft wide, and 2ft high is a good size. u could go smaller for the monitor but bigger is always best. 

i like monitors the best but its up to u wich u like best.

small skinks such as the garden skink wich u can find in gardens, woodstacks and stuff often make a great first lizard for younger kids. (i started off with skinks). 

hope it helped


----------



## Dinoizmadragon (Jun 12, 2008)

Bearded Dragons are the best, It was my first and I've had no major problems with him. They're active, individual and run and jump - unlike bluies


----------



## Jewly (Jun 14, 2008)

I'd go for bearded dragons. Just make sure whatever you choose that you do your research first. It's a good idea too, to buy their enclosure and have it all set up and running a day or 2 before you bring the lizard home so that you know you've got the heating/lighting set up right.


----------



## FNQ_Snake (Jun 14, 2008)

Blue Tongues are a great first lizard. They are hardy and very receptable to handling. How old is your son?


----------



## Tim.Arm (Jun 14, 2008)

*Id go for a bluey they are a great first lizard.*


----------



## Jewly (Jun 14, 2008)

I held my first bluey today and they are just gorgeous. They would probably be more hardy for your son to start off with because little beardies are quite fragile.


----------

