What kind of reptile would be good for a 10 year old?
Answers:
I do reptile programs for our local libraries and children's museum. I always tell parents that either a bearded dragon or a ball python are good choices for a first reptile because they are sturdy and will tolerate alot of handling. They are also of a pretty even temperament and not liable to bite your child, and they do not harbor salmonella as most aquatic turtles do. You may prefer a bearded dragon because the only live prey it will eat is crickets, they are basically vegetarians, Both are inexpensive and do not require a great deal to set up an enclosure, a tank( with a top), a source of UV light, bedding and a water dish. You may also need to provide a heat pad during the colder months, I suggest placing it under the tank so your reptile does not injure itself.
leopard gecko, easy to care for
What kind of reptile are you comfortable with is more the question because even at 10 there will be times YOU will be caring for it. If he wants a snake I suggest the easiest of all beginner snakes a cornsnake. If he wants a "lizard" I always found that Iguana's are enjoyable but they do require alot of knowledge and time. Geko's are easy to care for. Turtles are cute but if you dont maintain that water boy can they smell!
leopard gecko or bearded dragon
leopard gheckos are good although they do eat mealworms sooo. but my friends 7 yr old brother has one or you could try a turtle their cute and they'll eat lettuce carrots stuff like that and i dont think they bite so he can hold it when he wants and even let it walk around in your yard as long as some ones watching it or maybe you could get a small frog or maybe he'd like a hermit crab i know its not a reptile but their not hard to take care of and sometimes you can buy them with painted shells which are cool. i hope this helps.
i would go for the leopard gecko because they are hardy and are great for begginers and children and is ideal pet that takes up little space, has simple food requirements, comes in designer colors and patterns and can withstand the life dealt out by even the most absent-minded of keepers. They are excitable as babies, but harmless, and as adults they become very tame; taking food from your fingers. With a maximum adult size of 7-10" this lizard is easily handled by supervised children. But remember, their tails can breakoff (and be regrown), so make sure you never pick them up or grab them by that fleshy tail. It has a fantastic tract record and is probably the most widely kept pet lizard next to the sometimes troublesome green iguana, (Iguana iguana). Since 1992 serious breeders have developed striped, high yellow, "jungle", "ghost", and "leucistic" forms from the original wild-caught imports, which originate in Pakistan and India.
Being a terrestrial type of gecko makes keeping them at home a snap. They are easily kept (our caging system) in a glass or plastic cage that offers 10" x 10" of floor space for each gecko housed and that is at least 12" high. Now that you have a cage in mind, here's your gecko recipe for success: Use paper toweling or newspaper for the cage bottom. You can see when it is soiled and the cost is low.
Never use fine sand as a substrate since geckos up to 5" in length may eat the sand and become impacted.
Always provide water in a shallow lid or bowl that won't spill.
Use a gallon jar lid or shallow plant dish to serve as a food bowl. It's nice if the insects you are using as feed don't escape from this bowl..
Use a 6" wide plastic container for a hide box. Fill the container with moist peat moss or Vermiculite and cut a 1 1/2" diameter hole in the lid or side to serve as an entrance for your pet.
Mist the hide box medium daily. This aids in skin shedding, which they eat.
Provide a screen top for your cage; especially if you have young children or cats.
Keep the gecko cage off the floor and create a temperature of 82-88 F for the daytime. The night temperature can go as low as 64 F with no ill effects. Heat can be gained from commercially available reptile heat tapes, hot rocks or a 40-watt light bulb placed over to screen cage top to reach the needed daytime high temperature. Twelve hours of light is fine.
Feed four live food items daily per gecko.
Never let direct sunlight strike your cage, since it will overheat quickly, like a closed automobile standing in open sun, and kill your pet.
Never have more than one male gecko per cage. Adult males of all types of lizards will fight each other, and sometimes to the death, if they come into contact. A male will vibrate its tail rapidly when it sees another gecko. If the other gecko in turn vibrates its tail in the same fashion then each of them knows that contact has been made with another male and a fight will occur. If, however, a male signals his presence via the tail shaking and the other gecko does not respond in like fashion, then the male knows that the gecko near him is in fact a female. This behavior is one means of determining their sex.
Sexing your gecko is not very difficult. Male geckos are larger, heavier in the neck region, have a line of small pores on their belly between their hindlegs which are just in front of the anal opening or vent and they exhibit two swellings at their tail base and just past the vent. Females lack the large size, in general, and the pre-anal pores and post-anal swellings are missing. Sex can't be easily seen until your gecko reaches 5-6" in total length. Most of the geckos sold in pet shops are females.
You can keep a male with 1 to 10 females all their life. Cage size is the only limiting factor.
Keep a jar lid full of vitamin-mineral powder available in the cage at all times.
WHATEVER YOU DO DONT GET AN IGUAnA BECAUSE THEY hAVE BEEN KNOW TO BITE OFF NOSES AND FINGARS AND NEED ALOT OF SPACE NOT FOR A BIGGINAR
get him a bearded dragon they are cool pets that my friends 8 and 10 yr old sons love!! they are very nice to never bite its impossible for them and they will sta completly still wen u hld them or a turtle but they require alot of cleaning explain to the boys that no matter what they get it is there responsibility to clean its cage and love him for as long as he lives other wise you will be the one cleaning the cage lol
Not matter what kind of pet you choose, make sure to find a caresheet for it, most can be found online, that way you will know what kind of care the chosen animal requires...Good luck..
a ball python is good they are not aggressive and dont need special lighting just one of those cool colored light bulbs and you only feed them once a week but get a dark color bulb because they are noctunal animals and they dont grow to big only about 3 to 4 feet and weigh 5 or 6 pounds depending how much you feed them or get a bearded dragon but they need special uv lighting
leopard gecko or a bearded dragon easy to take care of and fun to take care of
It depends on how responsible you deem him to be. Reptiles are big responsibilities in the idea that they can never completely be tamed (particularily snakes).
If you get a lizard, it would require keeping insects to feed it healthy and alive. This is like having a whole other pet. I have a bearded dragon (which is the best type of lizard; can become very affectionate; avg lifespan about 6-10 yrs which is fairly long for a lizard) and keep a 10 gal aquarium full of crickets. There are very specific details for the crickets otherwise diseases spread like a plague through the tank and you wind up with 800 or so dead crickets (the beardie won't eat dead ones) In order to keep them healthy, I have to clean the cage completely every two days! And that's just the prey items. You haven't even gotten to the lizard yet!
I would suggest a snake. They are generally one of the easiest pets to care for on a day to day basis. Corn snakes and kingsnakes don't need UV lamps, so they're a bit cheaper. An undertank heater will do just fine. Both can be nippy (depends on the individual snake) and will grow between 3 and 6 ft. Kingsnakes will eat ANYTHING. Mammals, lizards, and other snakes; so if you have any other pets (you should do this anyway) you must wash up before handling it. I didn't once and ended up with a third of my finger down a snake throat. LOL
With all reptiles, you must be certain to wash yourself after handling it. All reptiles carry Salmonella on their skin. The dirtier the reptile's living conditions, the greater the chance of catching it. Never put a reptile near your face. Don't touch your face with your hands while holding a reptile. You have to decide if your ten year old will follow this rule. Kids often diss such behind their parents' backs. (I know I did when I was younger ^^;)
If you're bent on getting him a reptile, I'd suggest a ball python above all others. They're a little more expensive than corns or kings because they require more elaborate equipment to keep temperature and humidity in the tank at a good place. Failing to do so could result in serious health problems for the snake. They're the most docile of any snake you can own, slow moving, and are extremely hesitant to bite. They average between 3 and 6 ft but are much bigger around than corns or kings due to the fact that they're constrictors. (do not confuse ball pythons will the burmese or rectics. Those both get HUGE and don't always have the best temperments.)
The thing is: when your son moves out for college (weird to think about right now, I know. But this is important to consider) what'll happen to the animal? Most snakes live an average of 20-30 yrs. Ball pythons can live as long as 48 yrs! Don't even think about giving it away to a zoo or rescue. They're overcrowded with unwanted reptiles that people got tired of or that got bigger than the owner would have liked.
I've just started reptiles this year (am 19). Looking back, I don't think I would have been mature enough at 10. If you want your son to get a reptile, I suggest you supervise every time he handles it, just for precautions.
If you're interested still in snakes, email me and I'd be happy to give you more info and direct you to some excellent sites!
~bearded dragons, leopard geckos, or anoles for lizards. (NO Iguanas)
~Garters, Ribbons, Kings, Corns, or Ball Pythons for snakes.
~Red-Eared Sliders, Maps, Painteds, or Cooters or turtles.
~Russians, Box Turtles, or Red Foots for tortoises.
Good Luck with your decision, and do a lot of research before you buy a pet reptile.
African Clawed Frog! Easy to take care of. These fully aquatic frogs are cool and get big too.
i have a childrens python and my 8 and 10 yo kids handle it. not sure if they are available outside Australia though
I recently had the same problem when my 9 yr old son wanted a reptile. Kids at their age can still be rough and boys especially a little thoughtless that's why I went for a turtle I figured that he couldn't squash it accidentally and and it wouldn't be able to run faster then he could catch it. I am happy to say one year later "Murtle" is still happy and healthy!
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