5 brilliant reptiles for beginners

Leopard Geckos – This type of reptile is perfect as a first time lizard as they don’t grow too big, only about 8-12cm’s and don’t require any special lighting as they are nocturnal. They differ from other Gecko’s in that they have eyelids and very eye catching spotted markings. To buy a baby Leopard Gecko you would be looking at about £25-40, and for an adult £60. You will need to invest in a number of items to create the perfect environment for your Gecko and this will need to include housing such as a plastic or glass tank, a heat mat, substrate, a hide, water dish, health supplements to add onto you Gecko’s live food and a book on the care of Gecko’s for you to refer to. This can often be purchased as a Leopard Gecko Starter Kit and would set you back from £41.19 to £63.89. You might also choose to add a Zoo Med reptile lamp stand to your purchase just so that you have a light source if required. For their diet leopard gecko’s won’t usually accept dead prey, the best food source is crickets as they will hunt them as they would hunt in the wild, they generally choose to eat insects and worms and so you will need to ensure that you have a food supply ready for when you bring your gecko home.

Cornsnakes – Are ideal as a first snake, they are easy to handle and maintain and need little attention. They are generally a placid snake that isn’t quick to bite and so are a popular choice of snake, growing to approximately 4 - 6 foot in length they are not a too big to be easily handled and can live up to 23 years in captivity. Cornsnakes live on a diet of small rodents such as mice and many owners of captive cornsnakes choose to buy frozen mice, which are then thawed and fed at room temperature. The reason for this is so that the mice do not harm the snake, or spread any disease that they may be carrying. To buy a baby cornsnake you would be looking in the region of £30 and for an adult £80. There are snake starter kits available which will include all the equipment you need to care properly for your Cornsnake. This will include a vivarium, lamp & fitting, basking bulb, heat mat, water dish, thermometer, hut or hide, bedding, artificial plant and Cornsnakes care book. Starter kits are priced at £102.99 from www.swellreptiles.co.uk and include a 24”wooden vivarium.

Crested Gecko – This is another interesting choice as your first reptile, they feed on a variety of insects and fruit and are mainly nocturnal. They can live up to 20 years so they are a commitment and grow to over 5 inches in length. To purchase a baby crested gecko you would be looking at about £60 and an adult would be around £120. You will need a number of items of equipment for this type of Gecko as they require lots of hiding places and a good level of humidity to mimic their natural environment. The items that you will need before bringing your crested gecko home are a glass terrarium, a heat mat, feeding & water dishes, plantation soil and coco husk which are ideal for holding moisture and helping to maintain the levels of humidity in your terrarium, jungle vines, a spray bottle and a temperature/humidity gauge to ensure you can measure that you can read the levels of your terrarium and make sure that they are ideal for your crested gecko. For a Crested Gecko Starter Kit that contains all of this equipment you would be looking to pay £102.99, if you were to buy all the items separately this would cost you much more, so look out for these deals to make sure you get the best value for money. Crested Geckos eat Crickets so you will also need to make sure that you purchase some before you bring your gecko home.

Tortoise – It is becoming more and more popular to keep Tortoise, though you do need to consider before you run out and make your purchase that they have a long life span which is often similar to that of people, but can be up to 150 years. There are different breeds of Tortoise available but to give you some idea of cost you would be looking at paying £99 for a baby Herman and £79 for a baby Horsfield. Again, there are starter kits out there to help you with your set up and these can include tortoise tables or vivariums. Along with the housing the other equipment you will need is a heat lamp, lamp holder and bracket, feeding dish and water dish, UVB compact bulb, thermometer, Nutrobal and tortoise life. You would be looking at paying from £205.99 to £246.99 dependant on if you have a tortoise table or vivarium and will need to buy leafy greens, fruits and flowers. Tortoises also like to eat weeds and grass and can occasionally choose to eat worms or insects.

Shaune Morris works for Swell Reptiles and is the head advisor for any technical enquiries. You can speak to Shaune on any of the topics covered such as vivariums, heat mat, Crickets, Bearded Dragons and Starter Kit.

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