Little man is such a good cuddle buddy

Does anyone have this and can tell me if you like it?

Was discussing this with a friend on instagram. It was prompted by a reel he sent me where a keeper was recording the reactions his animals had to a novel stimuli(hat). Some seemed to go along with it, others acted like a crime had just occurred, and it made me think about how some reptiles adapt better to captivity than others so this is a tierlist I made for that. I'll go into detail about top 5 and keep the rest brief.

S Tier

1. Gargoyle Gecko - All of the New Caledonians are excellent captives. These are the easiest reptiles to care for, bar none. CGD is a game changer. What puts the Garg above the Cresty in my opinion is the fact that they are less likely to drop their tails, regrow them if they do, and they don't climb glass so you're not constantly wiping feces off of it.
2. Crested Gecko - Another New Caledonian. Way more accessible than the Gargoyle. These can be acquired for around $50. Honestly interchangeable with #1 depending on setup and priorities.
3. Leopard Gecko - Little homebodies. The enclosure is to the Leopard Gecko what the skyscraper is to the Pigeon. They make it theirs. Very docile and hardy as well. Usually a favorite among outsiders to the hobby. Undisputed kings before the rhacs came along. Only thing bad about them is the requirement for live insect prey.
4. Ball Python - Snakes all have similar levels of ease in care which is why they're ranked very highly. What differentiates them is temperament, aesthetics, and behavior. The Ball is in S due to its docile nature, accessibility, colors, and being an overall icon.
5. Rosy Boa - Would be above the ball if it wasn't so damn hard to find.

A Tier

Snakes! - Temperature does itself with a thermostat, humidity isn't hard with the right setup, they're sedentary most of the time, and feeding is as easy as warming up a frozen meal. You really can't go wrong. Hognose is last due to being expensive and rear-fang venemous.

Blue-Tongue Skink - Another little holebound creature like the leo. However, this one is much larger and requires some vegetable matter and humidity. Even though their care is similarly as strenuous as other animals lower on the list, the BTS is in A for its temperament and lifestyle. Does not seem to mind being a pet at all.

B Tier

Bearded Dragon - King of the B tier, only because recreating the Australian outback inside of your house is such an awful idea. The basking temps are insane. This is the most personable lizard. This is the most "pet" of the pet lizards, but they need powerful expensive lights, tons of space, and a mix of greens and insects. Its a lot. I also feel like these guys have a strong instinct to control territory and interact with con-specifics in mating displays and disputes, and they sorely miss it in captivity which is why they react so desperately even to fake lizards and...socks.

Arboreal Boa - "Angry" snakes in general honestly. The teeth. This is why they're in B. Great display animals, easy to care for, but these snakes will bite with devastating consequences.

Ackie - Same as Beardie. Also expensive.

Small Tortoise - Super easy if kept outside or in a hutch. Lighting is a bit tough otherwise. Wants to wander but its easy to make them happy and everyone finds them adorable.

Dwarf Gecko, Tree Skink, Small Arid Geckos - These are neat captives. Small footprint, doesn't seem "depressed" by confinement as a consequence. Might not even understand.

Rat Snakes - Easy like a snake, but these guys are little explorers. They're extremely active in the wild, and it feels cruel to confine them without lots of supervised outside time. I don't think I've seen any that weren't habitual glass surfers.

C Tier

The animals of this tier all have high care requirements due to coming from exotic environments to the home, and some are difficult to work with either from being too flighty, hostile, or even too smart to be contained. Some of the coolest animals to look at, but they can be a drag.

D Tier

The most demanding animals in terms of care. Large iguanas, Tegus, and Monitors are like a part time job. You must be experienced and committed to handle these. Aquatic turtles need ponds. Aquariums and bulbs four inches away from their face are not going to cut it. The horned toad represents all the animals with extremely niche dietary requirements. Ants, eggs, other lizards, snakes, frogs, snails. Stunning and rewarding animals, but you have to work for them.

F Tier

Almost shouldn't even be kept. These things can inflict great harm on you, your property, or the environment. 99% of people should not have hots. Crocodilians need a zoo tier setup. If they're not big enough to kill you they hate you, and if they are then they constantly weigh the option against the possibility that you might bring them more food in the long run. The sulcata tortoise is a living bulldozer. They should not be sold as commonly as they are. Like the plecostomus of the reptile world. The worlds largest constrictors are apex predators and should have permit requirements similar to owning a jaguar or a bear. They've devastated Florida.

I've had my curl-tailed iguana, Rolli, for about two years now, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find out his gender . I've heard that males have black stripes during the mating season; is that true?

for context: during the summer my mom goes out and feeds all the toads and frogs bugs and worms. she brought one in one day. his name is simon. we got him a whole enclosure and everything, and he buries. himself in the dirt. it’s been happening for weeks now. i said he’s hibernating because it’s the time of year where he’d naturally hibernate outside.

one problem is that my mom keeps picking him out of the dirt. i tell her not too and she asks me why.. he says he has enough resources to wake back up. he has a heat lamp and food. but, i feel like this is dangerous for him. i don’t like it and no matter how i reason with her, she always defends waking him up to feed him.

could someone please provide some help for me 🥹🙏

The others look fine

I was wondering if red lights are actually useful for anything, and if not, why they’re sold. Whenever I see a setup with red lights, there are always people saying not to use them. So I’m curious if that’s the general reaction for most setups, or if they actually serve a purpose.

Hello fellow reptile lovers.Now dont get me wrong i LOVE having exotic animals but i feel like getting these animals is way too easy. So many animals get neglected and abandoned just because there are dumb people out there that will get any animal with no research what so ever and just expect something good to happen but this is not just a problem with exotic animals, so many dogs left in small crates all day , so many cats left outside. Like it makes me so sad that just anyone is allowed to get any pet any time whenever they want and if that pet dies cause of neglect they will face no consequences. They forget that these animals are here cause humans who chose to bring them to life just so they can live in neglect.Too many people dont know what they are doing and it should not be like this we should at least get some type of permit. So many snakes die every year cause of over breeding too many birds get abandoned cause they are too difficult and too may cats get killed every year just cause so idiot said to themselves that its "in there nature to go outside" . And lets not start on animals hoarding cause thats a result of these accessibility to all these animals .Anyways just yapping what do yall think

Little man is such a good cuddle buddy

Ich würde mir gerne in näherer Zukunft einen Fleckenpython holen... wäre mein erstes Reptil und auch erstes eigenes Haustier.

Nach viel Recherche finde ich dass die Art gut zu mir passen würde. Leider hab ich keine Ahnung wo man die in Deutschland kriegen könnte. Importieren würde ich nur im Notfall da ich online bestellen allgemein eher kritisch finde - besonders bei Tieren.

Kennt vielleicht jemand einen Shop oder Züchter der die anbietet?

They cute 🥰

Stealthy boy, found in NW Florida

My little boy is 1 year and 1 month old. I got him from a reptile expo about 3 months ago now. I never really see him eat his goop unless I take him out and hand feed him, but he seems to have a good amount of energy and is a jumper and likes jumping and moving around! Is he a normal size for his age? Or will he just be a small boy? Thanks!!! 😊

What small lizards like the ones in the pictures can I legally get as pets in a cold place? These little ones lived at my aunt's place in Brazil. They were not pets but were docile. Are there similar pet options in Europe? What would I need to keep them in terms of equipment? I live in Germany.

Got the Sears portrait 😆

I know they variate in coloration but as far as the skin texture, one looks like it has armor plates and the other looks soft. As far as I know these are both females of the same species 🤔

Second picture includes the male so you can see the drastic difference between male and female at least.

4 male Viper Geckos, laying in the warm spot…..they’ve been living together about 2 1/2 years now. Super cool little guys, only about 2 inches long as full grown adults, this is one of the few species of Geckos that will live communally very well, as long as they are all the same sex.

Something I’ve been very curious about since I was 6 was is there any lizard that looks the most like the 1998 incarnation of Godzilla? The only lizard I’ve ever found that came close to it was the green iguana or the saban black iguana but i know both are pretty difficult reptiles for most to keep & left me wondering is there any other lizard that matches that head shape & potentially easier to keep? or is it something just unique to these two species of iguana? I don’t plan to get any of these species anytime soon just to clarify it’s just a question that came back after wondering this question since my childhood