Any thoughts on a next reptile?

[firefishbrain]

hi all! New the the board and kinda new to reptiles as well. I've currently got some small projects going with cresteds that are just waiting to grow out and will probably start breeding in the spring. As you know, they are nocturnal, so I was hoping to get something that could be out during the day and act more of as a pet. The stipulation is that I am not sure what to put in this cage I got for some sps coral frags I got a week or two ago. It has 4 sides screen, the bottom and back side are glass. The guy I got it from was raising a veiled cham in there, its dimensions are 30"L x 12"D x 24" H. Now, I suppose I could also lie it on the back to make it 30Lx24Dx12H. Are there any nice recomendations on a next animal? I don't want to be doing any snakes (cuz I would have already decided on a piebald Ball), now is just not the time in my life to get into those guys.

Some recommendations that I got from friends was a Mountain Horned Lizard, Helmeted Iguana, and U. firmbriatus (How would I keep humidity up with this guy?) Are there any others that I haven't found yet? Thanks for looking and any feedback!

Edit: I was also contemplating a leachie, but again, not sure on humidity with the screen and (right now) the A/C making my apartment pretty dry atm. Also, not finding one in my price range...

 

[T-ReXx]

hi all! New the the board and kinda new to reptiles as well. I've currently got some small projects going with cresteds that are just waiting to grow out and will probably start breeding in the spring. As you know, they are nocturnal, so I was hoping to get something that could be out during the day and act more of as a pet. The stipulation is that I am not sure what to put in this cage I got for some sps coral frags I got a week or two ago. It has 4 sides screen, the bottom and back side are glass. The guy I got it from was raising a veiled cham in there, its dimensions are 30"L x 12"D x 24" H. Now, I suppose I could also lie it on the back to make it 30Lx24Dx12H. Are there any nice recomendations on a next animal? I don't want to be doing any snakes (cuz I would have already decided on a piebald Ball), now is just not the time in my life to get into those guys.

Some recommendations that I got from friends was a Mountain Horned Lizard, Helmeted Iguana, and U. firmbriatus (How would I keep humidity up with this guy?) Are there any others that I haven't found yet? Thanks for looking and any feedback!

Edit: I was also contemplating a leachie, but again, not sure on humidity with the screen and (right now) the A/C making my apartment pretty dry atm. Also, not finding one in my price range...

Seeing as your still pretty new to reptiles I would cross the species you mentioned off your list rather quickly. Mountain Horned Dragons and Helmeted Iguanas are rather difficult to keep alive, and captive bred animals are nearly non-existent. U. fimbriatus can be kept in screen cages(I keep my pair in a big one) but humidity is difficult to maintain without a lot of careful balancing(I use a combination of frequent misting, plastic on the sides, live plants, forest substrate, and a cool air humidifier in the room). And that size cage really isn't big enough for fimbriatus. I consider something 24inX24inX36in to be the minimum. And Uroplatus aren't a good beginner species to begin with, U. fimbriatus is one of the hardest to maintain sucessfully. I would consider getting more experience with cresteds(at least a year) and starting with a more hardy species like U. lineatus or U. henkeli if you want to get into Uroplatus.

Now, as far as species I can recommend, there are a few. Carpet chameleons are fairly hardy as chams go and on the smaller size, one of those wouldn't be a bad starter cham species. A cage that size would do well for a Cuban Anole, they're fairly hardy, diurnal, and active. A pair of any of the smaller anole species would do well in that sort of setup as well. Screen cages can be used with Gargoyle geckos with some modifications, and they are a good second species. Tokay geckos, although they have a fairly bad rep, can do well in screen cages and do ok as slightly lower humidity levels. Some of the smaller Gekko species, like White Lineds, Goldens, etc could also be maintained in a properly setup screen cage.

I would do a bit more research on small to medium hardy, diurnal arboreal lizards and go from there. What ever species you choose, be sure to do plenty of research and make sure you have all you need before you get it. There are quite few terrestrial species that make good second lizards, but screen cages aren't the best for most of them and obviously it would need to be a longer/shorter cage.

 

[firefishbrain]

thanks for the advice, I've actually been trying to find some small-ish diurnal lizards, but as far as what I see available, they seem to be few and far between. But, carpets, eh? chams could be cool, Gonna have a lot of homework to do though (I spent 6 months before even seriously considering my first reef tank, I like to do stuff right, the first time). thanks, I'll pursue your recommendations further, would you happen to have a decent directory of moderately common anole species? I have been looking at cuban knights a little.

thanks again

 

[T-ReXx]

thanks for the advice, I've actually been trying to find some small-ish diurnal lizards, but as far as what I see available, they seem to be few and far between. But, carpets, eh? chams could be cool, Gonna have a lot of homework to do though (I spent 6 months before even seriously considering my first reef tank, I like to do stuff right, the first time). thanks, I'll pursue your recommendations further, would you happen to have a decent directory of moderately common anole species? I have been looking at cuban knights a little.

thanks again

I don't have a direct link but a google search should bring up plenty of info. The most commonly available species include Greens, Browns, Cubans, Jamaicans, Cresteds, and Hispanolan Anoles. I highly recommend the Cubans, they're hardy lizards and wcs can be a bit nippy but younger animals usually tame quite well, and they have a lot of personality.

 

[firefishbrain]

I had a buddy bring his Cuban to work one day, they are pretty sweet, just like to hang out, and what a cool skull shape!

Again, thanks for the info.

 

[T-ReXx]

I had a buddy bring his Cuban to work one day, they are pretty sweet, just like to hang out, and what a cool skull shape!

Again, thanks for the info.

No problem. I consider Cuban Anoles to be rather underrated, they're easy to keep, very personable, and stay at a moderate size yet are large enough not to be delicate. Try to find captive breds if you can, it can be tough, if not I'd get a younger wild caught, the adult wcs are generally pretty defensive.