The Debate ((Please help & give personal views, perspectives, experiance, & advice!!!

[BlackendMetalDeathHead666]

So I just cant descide on the following..

1. red tegu, black & white tegu, or extreme giant tegu?

2. Blue Iguana, Green Iguana, Red Iguana, Snow White Iguana or Rhinocerous iguana?

3. Egyptian Uromastyx?

4. Amazon Tree Boa, Argentine Boa, Hog Island boa, Yellow Anaconda, Emeral Tree Boa, Emerald Black Phase Amazon Basin Tree Boam or Paruvian Red Tail Boa?

5. Frilled Dragon or Chinese Water Dragon?

6. fire red bearded dragon or regular or anther phase?

7. Malaysian blood Python, Black Blood Pyhton, or Jungle Carpet Python?

8. Mossy New Caledonian Giant Gecko?

9. which reptile do i get!!! or reptiles if theres more than one in th above quesitons???

some body help me please? i want your advice, views and opinions. please and thank you!

Love Kannyon aka BlackendMetalDeathHead666

 

[james.w]

What are you looking for in a reptile?

 

[BlackendMetalDeathHead666]

well its not exactly so much what Im looking for in it as ive helped out and taken care of many reptiles before for people and studied them and helped others get their housings and ect built ands set up and cared for properly. its more of a, i dont know which one i want and which would be most rewarding to have yet would bring that whole, exotic, in aw, prehistoric, wtf is it doing in our world, how did these make it, that livig exotic dinasaur should be mean but its so not evil and is enjoyable to be around, something, that id be really proud of. im very capable of caring for almost any reptile im just..careful and picky about how and where i spend my money and what i get when i do it you know?

 

[james.w]

I would say rhino iguanas probably have the most "prehistoric" look of the animals you listed.

 

[BlackendMetalDeathHead666]

I would say rhino iguanas probably have the most "prehistoric" look of the animals you listed.

hmm, are they kinda, tedious to keep alive? someone told me theyre a pain to keep and someone else told me theyre very easy to keep.

 

[james.w]

They are fairly easy to keep, it takes patience to tame them as most don't tame down until about 2 yrs of age. Some are more docile sooner, but don't expect that.

 

[BlackendMetalDeathHead666]

green iguanas are known for not finding their water so easily. what about Rhinos?

 

[james.w]

Iguanas get a good majority of their hydration from their food.

 

[adam1120]

what type of reptile do you have right now?

 

[BlackendMetalDeathHead666]

what type of reptile do you have right now?

right now none, though ive hd many over the years and spent my entire life dealing with them, raising ,caring, handling, ect them. as soon as i get my own place im gonna get a bunch of ones i used to have back if i can find them if not just get newer ones.

 

[Rhetoric]

I'd make some kind of chart, whether its mental or on paper. I saw you had mentioned moving within the next couple years (at least I think it was you, forgive me if it wasn't), you had also mentioned doing shows with your band(s). If you're going to do a lot of traveling it might be better to go with one of the larger snakes you mentioned. I do not know much about snakes but it seems like it might be a better match if you are going to be gone for a few days or a week or so at a time. Snakes don't seem like they need a ton of daily work, larger snakes eat less frequently so you wouldn't need to worry about feeding it daily. I don't think they NEED to be handled or worked with daily, it seems like its the owners preference. I'm not saying snakes are pets you can forget about, I'm saying that some seem to be less maintenance than some other reptiles. I could be wrong, I probably don't have business giving inputs about animals I know nothing about.

I agree a rhino would have the most prehistoric look to them, I've seen a few threads on here where some members have talked about raising their rhinos and they seem pretty hands off for the first couple years. They still need to have basic care, spot cleaning, feeding, etc. But they aren't going to be as handleable as say a tegu its first few years if at all. If I could pick an iguana, I'd go for a cuban rock iguana lol. I saw a members cuban on here and was amazed with the colors he had... *sigh* maybe some day

As far as tegus go, I have only had my 3 black and whites. They do need a considerable amount of time, they need to be fed daily when younger. As sub adults they might switch to being fed every other day. As adults maybe 3x a week. I let my tegus tell me how often they need to be fed. My youngest won't eat every day, my 2 year olds inhale food every day. They poop and poop so they need to have their cages spot cleaned and water switched daily. I don't believe that they "need" to be handled every day. It should be semi-frequently (IMO) if you want to keep it handle-able. I spend some time with each of my tegus every day. A tegu might not be a good choice if you are going to be gone for a few days at a time (frequently).

Any larger reptile can be a pain to move if you are moving far. Actually, moving in general lol. I moved a couple months ago and it took a few hours to get my tegu ready to be moved. I had to pull all the substrate out, clean it, remove lights, blah blah blah, move the enclosure (well we had movers do it lol), then set it all back up again. When I got my 2 newer tegus it took about 2 hours for the previous owner to take the enclosure apart then about an hour and a half to put it back together at my house, then I had to put in all the crap they need. If you are moving semi-frequently it might be better to get something that can live in an aquarium style enclosure or something smaller.

I don't think you are stupid by any means, I just always feel the need to say this, make sure you do through research on whatever it is you think you may want. Think about it for a little while after you feel you've done the research. If you still want it, go for it (assuming you can properly provide for it lol).

---

I hope I didn't make anyone mad with my comments on snakes

 

[new2tegus]

I'd also recommend a snake, they don't require feedings as often, and generally don't need as much attention, I know there are exceptions,but most lizards depending on size and so forth will eat something everyday if not every other. I like rhino's teguboy definitely has me thinking about one of those.

 

[laurarfl]

Green igs have a lot of kidney issues from improper humidity and diet. They really are the disposbale pet of the industry...so sad. Females get egg bound easily and males go through hormonal changes in the winter and can be short-tempered. I wouldn't recommend one unless you are truly prepared and really want one.

Rhinos live a loooong time.

Uros are sort of hands-off, same with tree boas. They get stressed with over handling. Chinese water dragons need a lot of room and a lot of water. Mossy geckos need a large vertical cage and are pretty much display animals.

Beardies are awesome, but too small if you want a larger lizard. The tegu turns out to be the best for someone who wants a larger lizard that can be handled and has a moderate life span. The specific kind depends on what you like best.

 

[roastedspleen]

you should get the mossy new calcedonian gecko

 

[laurarfl]

You know, if you ask 20 different people, you'll probably get at least 15 different answers .

 

[reptastic]

I personally like the rhino iguanas, they are fairly eeasy to care for if you know what you are doing, as others have mentioned a snake would be a better choice with the traveling, unless you have someone you trust to feed/clean ect for your pet when you are away, personally i plan on having just my tegus, 2 rhino tegus and maybe a green iguana when i move

 

[roastedspleen]

the thing that makes me sad is when you hear about how green iguanas are the most popular reptile in pet trade when probably over half the people who have one dont know what their doing

 

[reptastic]

That is true, here in my city most people i see with green iguanas got them because they saw that huge iguana at a petshop( i was that person once) but in reality they have no idea how hard it is to maintain a green iguana, i got a male iguana from this guy in '09 that was so skinny and had mbd, he kept him in a 75 gal tank and wondered why he was agressive(he was 4') after having him for only 2 mos. He was eating a well balanced diet and gained alot of weight, after a few sheds his color improved dramastically, his jaw was twisted but it didnt stop him, he was still a lil agressive but he was cool as long as you didnt try to pet or pick him up, i wish i still had him

 

[BlackendMetalDeathHead666]

or how they eat iguanas <.< then again ive had alligator and snake but it wouldnt be so bad if theyd keep them in a good condition

 

[Toby_H]

Your question is probably the most common question asked on reptile forums... and one that no one else can answer for you...

What are you looking for in a reptile?

In my opinion, this is where to start...

well its not exactly so much what Im looking for in it... its more of a, i dont know which one i want and which would be most rewarding to have yet would bring that whole, exotic, in aw, prehistoric, wtf is it doing in our world, how did these make it, that livig exotic dinasaur should be mean but its so not evil and is enjoyable to be around, something, that id be really proud of...

Here you said "it's not exactly what I'm lookign for in it"... then proceeded to explain what you are looking for in it...

I saw you had mentioned moving within the next couple years (at least I think it was you, forgive me if it wasn't), you had also mentioned doing shows with your band(s).

Then do not only consider what you want out of your reptile... but consider what you have to offer your reptile...

Way too many of us buy pets without considering how our life will compare to the life of the animal. Just because reptile X would be perfect for you now, does not mean it will be perfect for you in 5 or 10 years. But if that reptile has a 10+ year life span we absolutely need to think of that.

I'd make some kind of chart, whether its mental or on paper.

I do not have any suggestions for you... but my best advise would be to follow the suggestion quoted above...