{"id":170,"date":"2019-05-31T10:10:26","date_gmt":"2019-05-31T10:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kiezebrink.co.uk\/news\/?p=170"},"modified":"2019-05-30T10:27:03","modified_gmt":"2019-05-30T10:27:03","slug":"170","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kbanimalfoods.co.uk\/news\/archives\/2019\/05\/170\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Best Pet Reptile for Beginners?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you are interested in getting a reptile as a pet, it is a good idea to do your research before making a decision. Luckily, we have put together some information for you to help you choose which exotic pet you should buy, especially if it\u2019s your first time owning a reptile.<\/p>\n<h2>Good Pet Lizards<\/h2>\n<p>Unfortunately, the lizards that are usually sold in pet stores are iguanas which are not the best choice when it comes to your first reptilian pet. However, here are some other lizards which would be better suited to beginners:<\/p>\n<h3>Leopard Geckos<\/h3>\n<p><em>Pros<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Leopard geckos are relatively small and docile, with a low risk of aggression, so they are easy to handle.<\/li>\n<li>You only need bulbs to bring the tank to the optimal temperature for leopard geckos which is between 28-32\u00b0C.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Cons<\/em><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Leopard geckos are carnivores so if you do not like handling live <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kiezebrink.co.uk\/category\/73-topinsect-frozen-insects\"><u>insects<\/u><\/a>, then you will not enjoy feeding them crickets, roaches or worms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Crested Geckos<\/h3>\n<p><em>Pros<\/em><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Crested geckos are also relatively small and docile, with a low risk of aggression, so they are easy to handle.<\/li>\n<li>They also require insects in their diet, but they are considered as omnivores so also eat fruits, nectar and pollen.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Cons<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Crested geckos require high humidity in the tank, around 65-85%, so tank misting is necessary on a daily basis.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Bearded Dragons<\/h3>\n<p>Pros<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If you purchase bearded dragons when they are at least 6 months old, they would\u2019ve already agreed with their diet which makes it easier for you.<\/li>\n<li>They have a distinct personality which is charming and friendly; they aren\u2019t overly affectionate, but they will communicate with you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Cons<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bearded dragons new more specialist equipment, like UVA and UVB bulbs and heating technology, as they require higher ambient temperatures.<\/li>\n<li>They will also require a larger tank as they can grow up to 24 inches long.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Easy-to-Handle Snakes<\/h2>\n<p>Snakes are also an easy option for a first reptilian pet as they don\u2019t all have specific temperature requirements and only need to be fed at least once a week. Here are some species you should consider:<\/p>\n<h3>Corn Snakes<\/h3>\n<p>Pros<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Corn snakes only grow up to 5 feet long and are quite docile creatures which makes them easy to handle.<\/li>\n<li>They only require feeding every 5-14 days, depending on their age, which makes them quite simple to take care of.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Cons<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If you do not like handling rodents, then corn snakes will not be the right choice for you as they live on a diet of mice, preferably <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kiezebrink.co.uk\/index.php?route=product\/category&amp;path=230_231\"><u>frozen pinky mice and mouse fluffs<\/u><\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>You will need to buy a large enough tank for them with added security as they can be very good at escaping.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Ball Pythons<\/h3>\n<p>Pros<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Even though they are slightly bigger than a corn snake, they still only grow up to 5 feet.<\/li>\n<li>They are incredibly low maintenance and if you want your first pet to live for up to 30 years, a ball python is the best choice for you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Cons<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Just like corn snakes, if you do not like handling rats or mice, then ball pythons are not for you as their diet also consists of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kiezebrink.co.uk\/index.php?route=product\/category&amp;path=230_233\"><u>rodents<\/u><\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>If you are looking for a pet that shows affection, ball pythons are the wrong choice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is a basic guide to the best species you should choose, but still ask the shop owner for more information. Frozen food is the best choice for reptilian pets as live prey can harm your reptile, it is cheaper and there is better disease control. For your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kiezebrink.co.uk\/index.php?route=product\/category&amp;path=230\"><u>frozen food<\/u><\/a> requirements, turn to Kiezebrink.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you are interested in getting a reptile as a pet, it is a good idea to do your research before making a decision. Luckily, we have put together some information for you to help you choose which exotic pet you should buy, especially if it\u2019s your first time owning a reptile. Good Pet Lizards [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":171,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kbanimalfoods.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kbanimalfoods.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kbanimalfoods.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kbanimalfoods.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kbanimalfoods.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.kbanimalfoods.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":173,"href":"https:\/\/www.kbanimalfoods.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170\/revisions\/173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kbanimalfoods.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kbanimalfoods.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kbanimalfoods.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kbanimalfoods.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}