best pet reptile for kids ?

[randomgeckos]

hi ,
wondering what's the best pet reptile for kids
I have eastern long neck turtle and two levis levis geckos
but my two kids don't touch or play with them .
they ask me when they can get there own reptile they r
5 and 3 years old but they r good with pets they know they don't touch pets unless an adult is there with them

no snakes lol

 

[Blinky]

Bearded dragons blueies would go pretty well

 

[Beans]

Bearded dragons or blue tongue or even a pink tongue would make a wonderful first reptile for any age

 

[MesseNoire]

Bearded dragons or blue tongue or even a pink tongue would make a wonderful first reptile for any age

In my experience pinktongues don't handle very well and love to hide.

I would stick to Bluies and Beardies.

 

[Toska]

Another vote for bluies here.
Our girl Honey was the first reptile my brother and I had as kids and she it still going strong 15 years later.

 

[randomgeckos]

do you have a care sheet for blue tongues ?

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

I would like to suggest a Perentie.
(I can think of some kids I would like to see go down that path)

 

[Grogshla]

Bluey would be a good choice

 

[Dragon_77]

Eastern & Blotched Blue-Tongues as well as Inland Bearded Dragons all would be a good choice for young kids, these 3 Lizards don't mine being handle and a easy to feed and look after.

Which ever lizard you decide to get your kids hope they enjoy looking after and taking good care off....best of luck.

 

[kingofnobbys]

I would think a 3 year old is too young to keep a pet lizard , perhaps even a 5 years old. The child needs to understand he/she can hurt other beings / animals and learn to be gentle in how they touch (pat) handle and nurse them , ie the lizard is not a toy.

That said, I've taught our 4 year old grandson to be gentle with our BTs and beardies and he adores them, I started showing him how to interact with our pet lizards from when first showed an interest in them (about 2 years) and started off just letting him give them mealworms as fun activity - he loved seeing them (especially beardies) waiting expectantly for the worms to be dropped into their raring tanks (I had them in big tubs for their first 12 months) , he especially loved giving them food treats (mealworms are his preferred treat to give to pet lizards inside and the wild ones outside). He's not so keen on nursing the beardies but is OK with BTs.

I've even got him patting and stroking our pet water skink , she wasn't so keen on the experience to start but has learnt to trust him now.

If you chose to get a lizard for your kids, I'd suggest a BT as a baby or a juvenile , as they are slower moving than a hyperactive hatchie or juvenile beardie (who have just 2 speeds, Warp10 and still).

- - - Updated - - -

do you have a care sheet for blue tongues ?

There is a care sheet online , just google blue tongue skink caresheet.

 

[randomgeckos]

I'd like a baby BT
deffenetly sounds like the best pet for my so and daughter

 

[spud_meister]

Crocodile? Blueys would be the best. I work with kids and have a couple of Blueys at my work. The kids love 'em.

 

[kingofnobbys]

I'd like a baby BT
deffenetly sounds like the best pet for my so and daughter

IMO the younger the lizard the better (so long as it's eating well and healthy and not been injured by it's siblings/enclosure mates), less chance of a breeder ruining it's long term health by feeding it poor or inappropriate foods and not providing proper UV and husbandry to start off.
I'd be very reluctant to buy an adult lizard , too much chance of it having underlying health issues that will shorten it's life (inexplicably).

 

[randomgeckos]

yeah a baby blue tongue would be good so it can gown with the kids n both can.get use to each other

- - - Updated - - -

Crocodile? Blueys would be the best. I work with kids and have a couple of Blueys at my work. The kids love 'em.

no crocodile lol although that would be cool

 

[kingofnobbys]

Baby BTs are mega cute and personable , and surprisingly good climbers considering how short their legs are.

No expert but I'd recommend starting the little BT off in a big tub (maybe 90L) is tall enough that they can't climb out and for a UV5 CFB in reflector style mounting to fit under the lid and be high enough off the bottom to give a good UV spot and the little lizard wont be overwhelmed so much or as stressed as it would in a full sized 4'x2'x2' enclosure , wont loose it's insects as easily either. They grow quick and within 8 months will be too big for a 90L tub and ready for a full sized enclosure.
I'd limit the opportunities to climb on stuff in the enclosure too. One of our's had a misadventure and broke it's right front leg in a fall / slip and it was expensive having the little lizard's leg reset and pinned and put in a caste.
Course Kritters' Krumble mixed with gum tree trigs and branches and dry leaf litter is a great bedding for them, they love exploring and tunnelling through the mixture. And it's very similar to natural ground litter and helps with shedding.

All my lizards have access to heat 24/7, via spot lamps on a timer (day time) and 5W and 7W heatpads sandwiched between old wall tiles which are on thermostats and run 24/7 at one end of their enclosures under a hide.
Others will say this is unnecessary. But My lizards like their heatpads at night and often choose to sleep in the hide that's ontop their heatpad.

 

[GBWhite]

Here's a link to Husbandry Guidelines for Blue tongue Skinks Compiled by Western Sydney TAFE if your interested.

http://nswfmpa.org/Husbandry Manuals/Published Manuals/Reptilia/Blue Tongue Lizard (Atcheson).pdf

I'll add that a lot (if not all) the information provided by kingofnobbys can be found on the many care sheets that are available on line and if your interested joining a herp society or group can be very beneficial to anyone new to the game. Not only do you get the opportunity to chat with experienced keepers first hand you get the opportunity to be involved in the wider herp community to expand your general knowledge. You might also get the opportunity to attend field trips which are very educational as well as fun.

Cheers,

George

 

[EdwardB]

What about amphibians? I have a 4 and 3 Year old and they enjoy watching our striped marsh frog tadpoles grow more and more everyday. We have had adult frogs in the past as well. Kids love the feel, the noise they make and the changes you witness in their life cycle. Striped marshes are pretty easy to look after and good thing is when the kids get bigger and bored with them you can throw them in the pond out back and get something new.

 

[kingofnobbys]

What about amphibians? I have a 4 and 3 Year old and they enjoy watching our striped marsh frog tadpoles grow more and more everyday. We have had adult frogs in the past as well. Kids love the feel, the noise they make and the changes you witness in their life cycle. Striped marshes are pretty easy to look after and good thing is when the kids get bigger and bored with them you can throw them in the pond out back and get something new.

Frogs are a wonderful pet , had one when I was a kid (a big green tree frog) it didn't seem to mind being handled and was pretty tame.

They are a bit loud and noisey though and don't live as long as a BT or beardie.

A fresh water native turtle is another option , had one of these too, they live a long time and become very tame , not as interesting and personable as a frog , BT or beardie though but still pretty good value and very hardy and easy to care for and keep happy and healthy. Just another option.

 

[EdwardB]

Frogs are a wonderful pet , had one when I was a kid (a big green tree frog) it didn't seem to mind being handled and was pretty tame.

They are a bit loud and noisey though and don't live as long as a BT or beardie.[/


i have a beardie as well but the kids dont want to interact with her as much as the frogs. My frogs are loud especially at night but you get used to it. I find it peaceful. Life expectancy for my frogs is between 8-10 years I believe. Cheaper to maintain than most other reptiles. You can even add rainbow fish or even go down to the local creek and catch some Gambusia (better in your aquarium than in the creek as they are introduced), add some plants, rocks, substrate etc to create your own little ecosystem in a tank. I believe you don't need a license for spotted grass frogs which are similar, but you need one for striped marsh frogs.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Frogs are a wonderful pet , had one when I was a kid (a big green tree frog) it didn't seem to mind being handled and was pretty tame.

They are a bit loud and noisey though and don't live as long as a BT or beardie.[/


i have a beardie as well but the kids dont want to interact with her as much as the frogs. My frogs are loud especially at night but you get used to it. I find it peaceful. Life expectancy for my frogs is between 8-10 years I believe. Cheaper to maintain than most other reptiles. You can even add rainbow fish or even go down to the local creek and catch some Gambusia (better in your aquarium than in the creek as they are introduced), add some plants, rocks, substrate etc to create your own little ecosystem in a tank. I believe you don't need a license for spotted grass frogs which are similar, but you need one for striped marsh frogs.

Now that was very interesting - I had no idea frogs could live so long (as pets).