[IceAngel]

Is it hard to take care of a reptile like a lisard?

[demongelding1@hotmail.com]

It depends on what kind. Chameleons are easy keepers. Almost ALL reptiles have special needs, though. Most need a special light to help them survive....like uvb and such. This helps them with vitamin absorption. Your pet store can tell you what light they specifically need. As far as the others, like iguanas and such....yes, they are hard to take care of. They need specials lights, humidity, food, etc. They also eat live food....light live goldfish. (that sucks) Plus, they need a rather large cage that is a certain temperature and humidity. This can all be kind of pricey...plus, spending money for live food like that, can really take its monetary toll. If you are after a nice beginner lizard, look for a chameleon or an anole, they are called anoles. They require a lot less special stuff and eat mostly crickets...rather cheap. Hope this helps and good luck!

[Lexi P]

Yes, they require special lighting, heating and diet. Some lizards, such as the green iguana, require room sized enclosures and can become violent (during breeding season, especially). Others, such as the Chameleon, require special housing and humidity.BTW Chameleons are NOT good beginner pets. You must be confusing them with Anoles. True chameleons are only for experienced reptile owners. It takes a lot of work to keep them alive in captivity.And Iguanas do NOT eat goldfish - they are solely vegetarian and eat dark leafy greens and vegetables. Animal protein is horrible for their kidneys.

[andy s]

Ok well first thing you should know is a reptile as in lizards are NOT like a dog. They tend to be hard to get started at but once you have all the equipment and stuff for them and do your research before buying them they can be great pets. Personally if you wanted to get a lizard i would recomend a Breaded Dragon as a first pet. well mannared and tame they get 1ft to 1 1/2ft so not to bad. dont need a HUGE cage and they have a great personality. If you wanna talk about any kinda reptile feel free to IM me or email i own a few myself so im love to talk (brag) about them lol but they are my babies.

[Dumblydore]

Chameleons are NOT easy first keepers at all. Your first hint about that should be that they generally cost upwards of $70.Reptiles are not very easy to take care of because you have to mimic their natural habitats very closely, which is difficult, because many of them live in considerably extreme conditions (like in the hot desert, so you'd have to provide such an animal with heat sources and UV sources that mimic the sun, along with its substrate and cage). Even basic lizards have more needs than, say, hamsters or birds. Like I said, improper lighting can kill your pet reptile, and they are sensitive to changes you make in the tank. They also don't like being handled (some don't even like being looked at), and may have picky diets that new owners are reluctant to provide, like live crickets or mealworms. If you can manage to take care of all those things, it's not hard to "care" for a lizard, but you have to provide for it. A good beginner reptile, if such a thing exists, is a leopard gecko. Their lighting demands are not as extreme as other reptiles, they're okay with moderate handling, and are not terribly hard to care for. But make sure you research any reptile's necessity first! My cute $5 baby turtles turned out to be an investment of several hundred dollars, but they're happy and healthy and extremely cute.

[redy2screm]

If you have alot of time to devote to it then no they are not hard to keep. You have to make sure they have clean, fresh water every day. also regulate the temperature in the tank. Clean the bedding often. Make sure there diet is right for the kind of lizzard you have and find a vet that treats lizzards.

[nick the skater]

not really.u just need the wright equiptment.Get a book,a big tank,the spesial lights and heating equiptment.U only need to put some food in the tank and clean it from time to time.

[sam d]

Yes, pretty much everything said here is accurate. I do how another piece of advice.Caring for a reptile has a VERY VERY expensive upstart. All the things mentioned here:Tank - $15-???Heating Element - $15-???Vitamins - $5-???Food (for 1 baby lizard daily) - $0.30(will get you like 3 crickets, haha) - ???Water - (i use purified drinking water so...) $1.00 a weekCalcium Only (sometimes it's not all about vitamins, you need just calcium some days and no vitamins) - $5-??? Reptile Carpet/Sand/Papertowels/Moss/All Substrate - $5-???(maybe it needs replaced weekly)So... The upstart and maintanence of a lizard of any kind is not cheap by any means (especially if you need a vet) but the REWARDS are plenty. Read up on whatever species you decide on before purchasing. Take care.