Boas are the best. Colombian boas are probably easiest and calmest, or morph boas (mix of localities and sub species) but smaller stuff like Hog Island Boas, Sonorans etc are also great, tho CA boas are hissy as babies in my experience lol. My Pure Sonoran hisses anytime I take her out, til she is out then she is fine lol.
That said, MorphMarket is definitely the best reptile hub/online Community I’ve found so far. It’s non-judgemental, understands not everyone’s care has to be identical, etc. Plus, I’ve ordered 2 boas from a MM seller and both went fantastic!
If you want an easy lizard, New Caledonia gecko’s don’t eat bugs and are easy to handle etc. Crested Geckos and Gargoyle gecko’s are great for kids, just need humidity and food every 2 days in a little dish. Don’t even need extra heat usually, afaik. (Obv do research, I keep leopard geckos which are much different tho also fun if you don’t mind bugs and the fact they are always on the move when handled lol)
Regardless, welcome back to the hobby! I didn’t keep reptiles for much of my adult life before getting back into it once I financially could, it’s been a blast! Things today are so much better than when I was a kid. So much info, resources, breeders etc.
Leopard gecko’s have always been a personal favorite. Even if kiddo doesn’t want one I do! I’ve read that they need a minimum of a 20 gallon enclosure. What do you recommend? I was thinking of getting a 20 long so I can put stuff for them to climb over but I kinda feel like a 20 long isn’t gonna be big enough maybe? I’ve also read that they need a cool hide, a moist hide, and a warm hide, is that correct? I’m still researching them so any tips/suggestions for supplies and care would much appreciated if you don’t mind!
But the gecko is prolly gonna have to wait until after I get a tortoise. I’m beyond excited to see if I can find any hatchlings at repticon in November.
Welcome to the community! This is a great place to learn about tons of things and find new species to keep. I mainly keep leopard geckos so I can help with some questions.
For leopard geckos, floor space is more important than volume space. They will use any climbing room that you give them, but if it comes down to one or the other, give them more floor space. A 20 gallon is a good size for a leopard gecko. Larger is usually better (for an adult, but there are exceptions)
Leopard geckos need at least 1 cool hide, 1 warm hide, and 1 humid hide (which they use for shedding and females use for egg-laying). The hides need to be small and have only one entrance so they feel secure. The half logs that are sold wouldn’t count since a gecko can’t feel secure in them so they shouldn’t be used as a replacement, but they could be added in addition to the other hides. The more decorations and hiding/climbing opportunities you give them, the better.
The biggest thing is to give them lots of climbing/hiding opportunities. Give them a varied diet; silkworms, soldier fly larvae, hornworms, dubias and crickets all work well as a staple; waxworms, mealworms, and superworms can be fed as an occasional treat, but they don’t have the nutrients to be a staple feeder.
Leopard geckos make great pets and are very rewarding, I love them but I’m not planning to buy any more than a couple (I’m planning on producing babies for some morph projects) due to their maintenance (time and expense).
Also, I love tortoises, I really want to get a russian, but it’s going to have to wait until I can give it a properly sized enclosures. So, if you do get one I would love to see pictures of it.
I’ll definitely post pics once I get a tortoise! Thanks for the tips about geckos! I’m leaning towards a redfoot tortoise but a Russian tortoise was what I wanted for most of the time I’ve been researching! We’re planning on getting a hatchling to start so we can build a tortoise table! We’re also planning on building a indoor turtle pond with a 150 gallon stock tank for my daughter’s red eared slider. I wanna wait to put her in the bigger enclosure so I can more closely monitor her bite wounds from the other turtles at Petco (she’s doing better but I wanna be sure before I put her in the stock tank where I couldn’t see her as easily.)
