Good inhabitant for a 20 gallon

[Deliverme314]

I have zero herp experience but want a snake or cool lizrd of some sort for a 20 gal. Gimme suggestions suckas!

PS I want something I can handle.

 

[Lycanthrope]

snake: rosy boa
lizard: african plated

 

[scorpio]

Kenyan sand boas! or any other sand boa for that matter.

 

[Phillip]

Someone with zero experience looking for a small handleable snake would be hard pressed to do better than a corn. The combination of size, handleability, and color/pattern choices along with ease of keeping make it a no brainer.

Phil

 

[da_illest]

the only reason i'd suggest a corn over any sand boas is because corns are extremely good eaters... i have a trio of red albino corns and they'll even eat after handling, something a beginner tends to do lots of... i think spotted pythons or childrens pythons also don't grow very big but i'm unsure of this..

 

[Deliverme314]

the only reason i'd suggest a corn over any sand boas is because corns are extremely good eaters... i have a trio of red albino corns and they'll even eat after handling, something a beginner tends to do lots of... i think spotted pythons or childrens pythons also don't grow very big but i'm unsure of this..

Do any of these eat insects? like large roaches? I know this is going to sound really silly... but as a snake grows I think I would have a prob feeding cute mice to them. pinkies I dont mind... but when they get older I think they are pretty damn cute. haha... I know this is retarded and that I could get over it and all... but I am sort of a wuss when it comes to cute fuzzy animals.

Also my girlfriend who is notoriously against my Ts has said that if I got a "cute" snake she would try and get to know it... so something "sute" in snake form would be nice... boas/pythons seem to be cuter than corns it seems. But maybe I just need to look harder.

 

[da_illest]

get a really colorful corn snake... for example, candy cane, red albino, even oakatees are nice.. my girl thinks my red albino's are cute.. a lot cuter then boa's or pythons...

and no, none of the snakes mentioned above eat insects.. they're cornavores hehe.. believe me bud, once you have the snake and realize how much you love it and what you paid for it, you'll start beating on those darn cute fuzzy mice, shaving them and shid... lol... trust me... you should be feeding anything bigger then pinkies frozen anyways so they're dead already... believe me, you can get a corn snake on dead NO problem at all... sometimes i think they prefer dead so they don't have to go thru the trouble of killing the thing... also, you can stock your freezer with frozen food and never have to go out and buy when your "studying"...

now, if you want a snake that eats insects... get a green snake.. they'll eat crickets..

 

[ddale]

20 gallon? - definitely a trio (1.2) of leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius)

Cute - definite chic-appeal
Handleable - easily hand tamed
Simple - one of the easiest cared for herps
Same food - feed it what you feed your T's (with some calcium/vitamins)
Longevity - lives to be 30 years old
Prolific - breeds and breeds and breeds
Fun with color morphs - breed for the best colors

 

[The Juice]

I second the leopard geckos, also they can be very affordable depending on what morph you choose. Baby normals run about $20, Baby albinos $40 & up , baby hypos $200 & up, Leucistic & Blizzards $50. If you choose a leopard gecko check around , because prices very between dealers. Also check out Fattail geckos.

 

[eksong]

I agree leos and corns are the best choices for a new herper like me =]

Just be sure to have a female-only tank if you plan on going with leos or you may just end up with more pets than you think!

 

[Immortal_sin]

we have a rosy boa in a 20 gallon long, he's full grown and it's not too small for him. He is the most dociile snake I've ever encountered. He eats thawed jumbo mice like they are going out of style, and he has no humidity requirements. His water bowl gets filled once every 1 1/2 - 2 weeks, and he's on calci sand. He's also 'cute'. You'd be hard pressed to find a snake that is that easy to care for!

 

[cichlidsman]

you can get a bearded dragon, they eat crickets

 

[Zoo Keeper]

Bearded dragons, are great, I have two. But a twenty gollon tank is way too small for an adult. I also keep leopard geckos, they will be a much better fit. And if you have a reptile show neer you, you would not belive the animials you can get, I went to a show a couple of week ago, and striped albinos were only thirty-thirty five dollars. you can get great deals if you look around. Good luck with what ever you choose.

 

[manville]

a pair of cresties would be nice

 

[ddale]

Rhacos Rule!

Cresteds are cool, but you would probably want to modify the tank in some way to make it vertical. Frequent misting of the cresteds may also leave the glass cloudy and inhibit viewing (barring frequent cleaning).

I use only screen cages with my 26 cresteds

 

[da_illest]

Frequent misting of the cresteds may also leave the glass cloudy and inhibit viewing (barring frequent cleaning).

not if you use distilled water

 

[woijchik89]

Do any of these eat insects? like large roaches? I know this is going to sound really silly... but as a snake grows I think I would have a prob feeding cute mice to them. pinkies I dont mind... but when they get older I think they are pretty damn cute. haha... I know this is retarded and that I could get over it and all... but I am sort of a wuss when it comes to cute fuzzy animals.

Also my girlfriend who is notoriously against my Ts has said that if I got a "cute" snake she would try and get to know it... so something "sute" in snake form would be nice... boas/pythons seem to be cuter than corns it seems. But maybe I just need to look harder.

Just buy it a mouse, and when it bites you. Let the cornsnake take care of it.

Or when you're at the pet shop, be sure they give you an ugly, white, red-eyed, mouse. Cause they b and w ones are way too cute to feed.

If you want a cute pet snake, get 2-3 baby corns.

It'll also help with your c&f prob, cause you don't have to feed them mice, just crikets and roaches, untill they get bigger, that is.

They are alot cuter when they are younger, more colourful too, and cheaper.

Baby emperor scorpions can be cute, along with orchid mantist.

 

[Lasiodora]

All of the suggestions made sound great. The only thing that I have to add is that most of these snakes will eat pre-killed or thawed frozen mice. You never have to deal with live. You can just feed them and walk away if feeding them rodents bothers you. Food is usually gone in a matter of minutes depending on prey size. Also here a tip for dealing with hard water deposits on the glass that is left over from misting. Buy a generic brand of white vinegor. Use this to wipe the inside glass. This will take off any hard water deposit and is non-toxic. It can be used while the animal is still in there. I do this in my gray treefrog tank.

As for my choice for a beginner lizard or snake:
1.Crested gecko (as easy to keep and breed as leopard geckos) A trio can be housed in a 20g. Eats insects and baby food fruit mix
2.Leopard gecko Eats insects

1.rosy boa (stays small)
2.corn snake
3. spotted or childrens python (also stays small)

Mike

 

[Deliverme314]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys... I guess I should really just go do some research, huh? What can I say I am a lazy sob... but you have given me a godo idea where to start. I wont be getting one until th eend of summer or begining of autumn... any place cheaper than prehistoricpets.com that is reputable? They seem a bit over priced for the more common herps... course I dont know what I am talking about.

 

[ahkiu]

i third the leopard gecko choice, they are the ideal beginner lizard. easy to keep, not fussy, and look great with many varieties.