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#90418
Apryl
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What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter? 
I have a 4 year old daughter that wants a lizard. Im not sure what kind to her her that will be easy for her to hold without killing and that isnt going to jump everytime we hold it. I also need something that isnt too aggresive. Any suggestions I have had no help from petstores they just wanna sell me the most expensive things and they try to bite them when they are taking them out of the cages! Please help!
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06/23/04 2:21pm
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#90427
Ajs020294
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Message To: Apryl In reference to Message Id: 90418
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
anoles are great beginer lizards and are good with kids also iheard day geckos and iguanas are good. but i dont think you should buy a lizard for a fourh year old buy her a hamster and in a few years buy a lizard.good luck ajs020294
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06/23/04 2:30pm
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#90451
Snakedude47
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Message To: Ajs020294 In reference to Message Id: 90427
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
sorry but if you need ajs020294 alex it is me i lost my password so if you need info use snakedude47
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06/23/04 2:51pm
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#90514
Apryl
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Message To: Snakedude47 In reference to Message Id: 90451
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
Well i found out what that was and that thing is UGLY! Lol i think she would be afraid of it..lol. Any other suggestions??
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06/23/04 6:06pm
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#90537
Flip21
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Message To: Apryl In reference to Message Id: 90514
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
Leopard Geckos all the way. Great lizards love people and are easy to maintain. They are also cool colors, they get around 10" in length.
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06/23/04 7:10pm
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#90539
Flip21
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Message To: Flip21 In reference to Message Id: 90537
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
No way on Iguanas very hard to maintain and keep healthy!
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06/23/04 7:11pm
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#90544
Whitehorse
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Message To: Apryl In reference to Message Id: 90418
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
Apryl,I own a Montessori school for children from 3 to 6 years, and I have got a little zoo in the classroom. The most popular by far is my corn snake Athena. Leopard geckos are great but delicate, so that will take a judgement call from you. (Know that you can’t leave her unsupervised with any animal.) My top recommendation would be a bearded dragon. I find that a bigger animal is usually handled with more care by young children. On another thread, some people have recommended to me blue-tongue skinks and uromastyx; I don’t own skinks or uromastyx, but from my research, it looks good. It could be worth checking them out. Hermit crabs also make good pets for young children. Iguanas and most geckos do not make good pets for young children. Also, you want an animal that is easy to care for and hardy, i.e. one that could manage a few mistakes on the part of your daughter without too much ill effects. Good luck, Mark
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06/23/04 7:23pm
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#90576
Apryl
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Message To: Whitehorse In reference to Message Id: 90544
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
I wish she wanted a snake I much rather have one than a lizard but those gieko commercails have made her want a gecko or a lizard of some sort. She is a very gentel child and I know she wont hurt it (im not sure she will even touch it, leaving me to handle and take care of. I just hope I can make her happy for her forth birthday. I know I dont want an Iguana or water dragon they seem to be way to hyper. I just need something she likes. We tried the whole hermit crab thing it pinched her till she bled. Im leaning towards the bearded dragon hopefully everything will work out but keep the suggestions coming I sure need them.
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06/23/04 8:32pm
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#90577
Apryl
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Message To: Apryl In reference to Message Id: 90576
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
Btw does anyone know the temperment of an eastern collared lizard? A pet store guy told me about them and I havent been able to find much info on them.
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06/23/04 8:33pm
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#90706
Blue eyes
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Message To: Apryl In reference to Message Id: 90577
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
The best lizard for a young child would be a bearded dragon. They are very gentle and can tolerate and handle the somewhat rough handling a child does...I stress somewhat rough, but you said she is gentle. She can’t hold an anole and leopard geckos only tolerate being handled. Bearded dragons enjoy being handled and are content being out with the family for long periods of time. Most won’t ever bite not even when provoked. I had one of mine with the neighbor kids and they kept poking her in the eye and wanting to see her her mouth. So if you want something she can hold a bearded dragon definitely the way to go. I also recommend going with a breeder and not a petstore. Petstores will also give lots of bad advice when it comes to the care of reptiles in genearl most of the time. I suggest going over to the bearded dragon forum and reading through some of the threads, they really do have the greatest and most dramatic personalities.
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06/23/04 11:34pm
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#90739
GimliMakaio
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Message To: Blue In reference to Message Id: 90706
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
i totally agree with what Blue Eyes is saying. beardies, in my opinion, are the tamest, most tolerable lizards you’ll find out there. they arent too small, where they can be lost easily if let out(when grown, of course), and they dont get as large as an iguana. i have never been bitten by my two dragons, nor have they ever shown aggression towards me or anyone else. they relish human attention, and love to interact with their family. this is just what i think, but if you were to buy your daughter a bearded dragon, i’d go with a juvinile or adult to start off with. that way, they are already established, and if you get it from a responsible breeder, healthy. my dragons seem much calmer as adults as well. when they were little, they loved to run around when i let them out of their cage. now they just like to sit and watch tv with me.
the top pic is my male, Gimli, the 2nd pic is my female, Makaio. the third pic is of them both. these pics were taken a long time ago, both my beardies have grown up quite a bit.
be sure to let us know what you decide to do!
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06/24/04 1:57am
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#90759
Zenn
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Message To: GimliMakaio In reference to Message Id: 90739
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
BEARDED DRAGON! BEARDED DRAGON! BEARDED DRAGON! BEARDED DRAGON!BEARDED DRAGON! BEARDED DRAGON! BEARDED DRAGON! BEARDED DRAGON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I also have been chossing a lizard to buy and after all my research bearded dragons have been the ones i have choosen. They seem to have the best personalities and can be very friendly. (I am getting one in two weeks!)
Hope this helps,
Jon.
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06/24/04 5:34am
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#90791
Apryl
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Message To: Zenn In reference to Message Id: 90759
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
The only problem we are having on choosing the bearded dragon is space. I know they get sorta big and im not sure we will have the room for it. Also, we really dont have much of a choice but to get one at a petstore seeings how her birthday is in 2 weeks. another question I was wondering about are they prone to getting parisites? My water dragon ended up dying from paristites and we didnt even know it was sick. i dont want her to have to deal with her pet dying. thanks for all the advise and keep it coming please!
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06/24/04 8:43am
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#90821
Snakedude47
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Message To: Apryl In reference to Message Id: 90791
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
GOOD LUCK
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06/24/04 11:04am
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#90884
GimliMakaio
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Message To: Apryl In reference to Message Id: 90791
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
space is a factor. you are right. you might want to tell your daughter, even though her birthday is in 2 weeks, you will shop around for a pet. you could only get a beardie in the next 2 weeks if you are willing to spend hundereds of dollars if you arent ready for one. my advise is NOT to buy one from a pet store just because you ran out of time. pet store beardies are usually sick, and almost always too young to be sold in the first place. from my experience, they need at least a 50 gallon tank each. here is a list of what i bought and had ready before i even brought my beardies home: heat lamps, UVB lights, substrate (i am not recommending any kinds, there is so much controversy on the issue) the aquariums, secure lids, something for them to climb on (i read an article about beardies the other day that said beardies suffer from stress and can become ill very easily if they arent able to climb. i am not sure this is true, but it sounds very accurate to me.) and a supply of food. if you get a baby dragon, are you ready to feed it as many crickets as it wants and greens several times a day? do you know what other kinds of greens and live prey dragons can eat? are you aware that crickets can sometimes run up to 10 cents apiece?
parasites can infect any living thing. beardies are more hardy than any of the other lizards suggested to you. but i wouldnt be the one to ask about parasites, as neither of my dragons have ever been sick.
if you arent ready for a lizard, why not get your daughter a rabbit, guinea pig or some other fuzzy creature? they are easier to take care of, and dont have as high a food bill. they dont need as special lighting as lizards do, and i’ve seen some pretty nice ones in pet stores. i like the little local petshops, not the big chains like petsmart and petco. check in your phonebook. any other questions?
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06/24/04 1:39pm
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#90896
Apryl
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Message To: GimliMakaio In reference to Message Id: 90884
 What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
If she wasnt allergic to everything fuzzy we’d probably have something fuzzy. We don’t have any large petstores around here and the one small one we do have only has adult lizards that he has raised himself so im not to worried about that. im sure i can learn to take care of this thing im not going to just buy it and let it die! It isnt that im not ready to take of it. I have no problem doing that or buying the stuff it needs i jsut need to know what kind to get her.Ii dont want somethign that big right now we dont have room for it. There really is no place for me to put such a big tank thats why i was asking what else would be okay for her.
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06/24/04 2:06pm
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#90943
Blue eyes
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Message To: Apryl In reference to Message Id: 90896
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
Well there really aren’t many options when it comes to something that she can hold. A beardie is pretty much the only thing that actually LIKES to be held. All animals can get parasites and should get a vet check and fecal exam as soon as they come home. Breeders ship overnight so two weeks is nothing on getting one online.
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06/24/04 3:13pm
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#91031
GimliMakaio
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Message To: Blue In reference to Message Id: 90943
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
maybe a pet isnt the right thing for your daughter. just because she ’wants’ one doesnt mean she absoloutely needs to have one. i want a ferret, but my parents wont let me have one. maybe you should wait till she gets older.
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06/24/04 6:53pm
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#91113
Blue eyes
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Message To: GimliMakaio In reference to Message Id: 91031
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
I agree, I understand where you are coming from and want to give her a special present that will definitely excite her, but it’s better to have somethign she can enjoy than something that squirms or bites because it doesn’t want to or is tired of being held. Most are very fast to a 4 year old holding a lizard could be risky seeing as how if she let go and more than likely most would run it could be anywhere in the house in a matter of seconds.
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06/24/04 9:25pm
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#91258
Apryl
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Message To: Blue In reference to Message Id: 91113
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
Well everyone would like to know that we have decided to hold off on getting her a lizard at least until christmas when we will also be getting a snake for my 6 year old. thanks for all the help! You will all be happy to hear shes going to get a dollhouse instead. We will ahve room by christmas for the bearded dragon adn then she will get one. Once again thanks everyone!
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06/25/04 9:08am
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#91366
Blue eyes
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Message To: Apryl In reference to Message Id: 91258
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
You should hang around in the bearded dragon forum then, you will learn a lot rather than wait until you have the animal and then read everything! It’s a pretty active forum so there is almost always something new to read.
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06/25/04 1:13pm
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#91375
Apryl
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Message To: Blue In reference to Message Id: 91366
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
Yea I was planning on reading up on it in the mean time i do ahvea few months so im sure everything will work out fine. thanks again
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06/25/04 1:22pm
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#91424
GimliMakaio
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Message To: Apryl In reference to Message Id: 91375
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
good luck!
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06/25/04 2:26pm
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#92690
Liv
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Message To: Ajs020294 In reference to Message Id: 90427
 What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
I agree, you really shouldn’t get a lizard for a four year old. I have two lizards, and they are a lot of work sumtimes. cleaing the cage, refilling the water, feeding, checking the lights, cleaning and changing the sand, its a lot of work. please understand that ur daughter needs a hamster or a goldfish, NOT a lizard. Good luck!
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06/28/04 5:37pm
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#92697
Blue eyes
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Message To: Liv In reference to Message Id: 92690
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
She already said here daughter is allergic to the hair. I don’t think a hamster is a good pet for a 4 year old anyway.
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06/28/04 5:47pm
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#96456
Chelsey
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Message To: Blue In reference to Message Id: 92697
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
 she is only four...she wont know the diff if you get her a reptile or if you get her a newt...they are cute,they can live in a fish bowl...and if it is a fire belly newt it can eat prepared food,and they dont need lots of heat.go with a newt...Just to tell you
im 12 and i luv newts... 
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07/07/04 3:33pm
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#96678
Chelsey
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Message To: Chelsey In reference to Message Id: 96456
 What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
how about that idea??? or 
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07/07/04 10:44pm
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#96768
GimliMakaio
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Message To: Chelsey In reference to Message Id: 96678
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
no newts. they are too fragile and they run risk of carrying salmonella more so than a bearded dragon or other non aquatic creature.
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07/08/04 2:00am
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#99902
Rocky ray martin
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Message To: Apryl In reference to Message Id: 90418
 What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
i would say a green anole or a ghecko
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07/14/04 3:21pm
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#100891
Whitehorse
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Message To: Rocky In reference to Message Id: 99902
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
For a four year old, it is best to have an animal that she can handle if she is to keep interest. I wouldn’t recommend newts because their skin is fragile and they are all poisonous. Before handling a newt, you must wash your hands thoroughly and keep them wet to prevent passing toxins to your newt through gas exchange at the skin level and to prevent dehydrating the newt. It is very important to wash your hands very well after handling for if the hand goes in the mouth, you could get very sick, vomiting and all. Four-year-olds are old enough to understand that and I have had no problems with the newts at my kindergarten but as I have written above the hands must be kept wet during handling and newts should be handled very little. Having said all that, I like newts and I think they make a good addition rather than a good single pet.Lastly, newts need a proper enclosure that is bigger than a fishbowl: that would just be cruel. If you’re interested, I could post pic of my newt’s enclosure, it’s got a land and a water area with living plants in it, I’ve spent about $200 on it.
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07/16/04 6:52am
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#104214
Reptiboy
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Message To: Apryl In reference to Message Id: 90418
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
My friend has a bearded dragon and he’s really friendly. I’ve also heard that blue tongued skinks and leopard geckos are great for handling and easy to maintain.
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07/21/04 12:50pm
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#104658
Lizard expert
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Message To: Apryl In reference to Message Id: 90418
 What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
you should buy her a bearded dragon they love to be handeled and they dont bite
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07/21/04 11:14pm
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#104675
GimliMakaio
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Message To: Lizard In reference to Message Id: 104658
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
she has issues with dragons, we tried to convince her, but she didnt want to hear it
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07/21/04 11:28pm
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#107623
DBaby
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Message To: GimliMakaio In reference to Message Id: 104675
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
why do people say anoles? that’d be the worst idea ever. the poor lizard would be miserable. they are one of the hardest to care for and a 4 yr old wants something to play with. anoles ARENT to be held unless absolutely necessary. they hate it. I think if space is an issue leos are the way to go. that takes care of space and cost and maintenance issues plus they are very friendly.
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07/27/04 5:01am
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#108499
Ienjoyhavingahouse
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Message To: DBaby In reference to Message Id: 107623
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
yes, i used to defend them, but that was just because i didn’t want to tell myelf i have the worst pet lizard ever. They on’t live long, they’re very small, skittish, they need so much stuff to maintain, they’re just, bad lizards. I am soon getting a Leopard gecko, i think thats a good idea, but since this discussion’s already over and my advice is about useless, here’s a picture of a bunny with a pancake on it’s head
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07/28/04 9:14am
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#108594
Gus
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Message To: Apryl In reference to Message Id: 90418
 What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
none too young!!!!!!!!!! 
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07/28/04 11:45am
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#108672
Ienjoyhavingahouse
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Message To: Gus In reference to Message Id: 108594
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
she is not, I mean, just because a kid wants a pet oesn’t eman its really tat kids pet, like i had fish when i was 4, and my parents took care of them, and im sure apryl would be taking care of her daughter’s lizard
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07/28/04 1:09pm
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#108925
DBaby
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Message To: Ienjoyhavingahouse In reference to Message Id: 108672
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
yeah really, it’d be a great learning experience for her. she could learn how to handle reptiles and be gentle with animals and all. hey that’s the cutest pic i’ve ever seen. Is it your bunny??
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07/28/04 6:11pm
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#109486
Ienjoyhavingahouse
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Message To: DBaby In reference to Message Id: 108925
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
no, i did a reash for images, pancake bunny
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07/29/04 8:43am
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#109725
Luv My Lizard
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Message To: Apryl In reference to Message Id: 90418
What kind of lizard for 4 year old daughter?
4 years old is pretty young. But if you’ll be supervising, a bearded dragon is great. They’re friendly. Don’t bite. Low maintenance and great looking. NO iguanas! They’re high maintenance and not always social. Leopard Geckos are friendly but fragile. Blue tongued skinks are fun by they poop like crazy. Good luck.
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07/29/04 3:52pm
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