kinda newbie...

[fern]

im not a newbie to the site as such, you may have seen my posts already but im hoping to become a rep owner in time... not quite yet as i dont have the initial set up moneys yet

what would be good for a starter? i dont want to throw myself in WAAAAY over my head and end up not being able to care for a snake or lizard to its needs.

im reading up on here and finding out as much as poss from people who have reps themselves thankyou

x

[Steve 88]

Get a snake! most snakes are very simple to care for, there is no supplementing their diet, they dont need UV (with exceptions) lighting so that'll save you money, there food is also cheap (unless your after a burm or other enormous snake in which case it gets expensive) and also dead so no having to deal with live food, oh and they are truly fascinating creatures that come in so many colours looks and personalities. corns snakes, milk snakes and royals are considered good starter snakes. good luck with what you decide =)

[Toeboe]

Hi,
I would recommend a corn snake. I have one and he's so easy to keep. Easily handled too.
I have him in a glass tank with a thermostat controlled heat pad under one end and a regular household 40w candle bulb (or whatever I have to hand) at the other end set to give a 12hr day night cycle by nothing more extravagant that a 24hr plug in timer. You will get lots of folk saying you need this type of sunglow tube or that kind of dayglow spotlight or the snake will die. I'm fully expecting a backlash to this advice already. Well I have kept this snake for over 10 years like this and he is brilliant for it.
While I'm at it, I dont subscribe to keeping things in plastic rubs with newspaper on the floor. Its not expensive to make its environment look a liitle more pleasurable and natural.
Setting up a vivarium can be done at very little cost if things are sourced wisely. Dont get dragged into buying unecessary items just because some say its a must.
When you are ready to buy your snake look through forums for a seller because the prices vary wildly. If you are on a tight budget, then dont get suckered into buying any of the special morphs. The normal corn is as nica as most of the pick n mixes.
I hope this helps.

[XoxOriptideOxoX]

hognose snake, hermasn tort STICK INSECT!

[linda60]

It depends what what you want in a pet,beardies and leos are the most popular starter lizards and both have their pros and cons,if you want something that is around all day then beardies are best and love to come out and sit with you,if you want something for later in the evening then leos are best,also like to be handled,leos take up less space cost less to buy and keep,but I find my beardies more interesting,Cresties are great but cost more than leos but are cheap to keep and easy to feed and are very comical.I could go on and on,be warned reps are addictive you don.t see many members on here with only one.Good luck with whatever you choose.

[Triangulum]

Hi there Fern, Welcome to the forum.

Firstly, what are you after in terms of owning a reptile. As the possibilites are huge. Are you after an easy maintanence animal, an animal with character, a display animal. What sort of lifestyle do you have, Are you out in the days often, i.e working?

Once we know what your after and your lifestyle, it will be a lot easier to pinpoint what animals are for you

Scott

[fern]

right ok... some background... im a female whos coming upto 18 :P i go to college 3days a week and at the mo the rest of my time is spent at home, i often have very late nights but am awake during to day too so evenings and daytimes im around

i have 9 rats and so know how important it is to socialise animals and spend time with them (to an extent not so that they get annoyed with it lol)

alot of people dont spend time with me because i have rats but thats their loss so im not too woried about it being something to show off... my animals are for my pleasure and for me to watch and no matter if they are really ugly to me, being mine makes them beautiful

im really looking into things and reading around

[stinglestick]

Hiya Fern..Like yourself im the token 'weird one that keeps rats and adopts anything that moves and needs help!!'~Pleasure to see a keen rat enthusiast on here!!! Hope you enjoy the forum..

[repkid]

What is the main thing you are expecting to get from a reptile?

[rc10andy]

Hi, Fern, i personally would go for a snake.....i was once in your shoes snake or lizard and i went to my local rep shop and got a Corn Snake! Snakes are also easy to keep....its easier than a hamster (and there tamer)

I was very ill informed at the shop when i first started keeping snakes and had no stat or anything....just a heat mat, so you have come to the right place for pointers and good advice!! Ppl on here have been keeping snakes years so ask questions all night long...you can never ask enough questions or do enought research IMO.

The best starter snake is a Corn Snake regardless of what anyone else suggests....this is the best starter! Corns enjoy being handled are very very easy to keep....99% are good feeders and 99% are well behaved, obviously there is one or two bad eggs but they are very rare in Corns.

They rarely grow more than 5 foot, they are hardy as hell and fantastic snakes really!

If you want to know any more feel free to pm me, i am by no means a expert lol, but i know my fair share on Corns!

Cheers
Andy

Oh and with Corns....there is that many different morphs(colour options) the sky is the limit and your 110% deffo gonna find one you like