What is the best pet reptile?

What is the best pet reptile? #

Retiles, as with any pet, the more work and effort you put into it, the more rewarding they are. Any animal will require a certain level of maintenance, from feeding and watering to cleaning out the faecal matter and any shed skin. Each species on this list will have different environmental and husbandry needs and those needs will have to be met and maintained to give the animal a long and healthy life.
So, what is the best pet reptile? Let’s jump right into our top 5 best pet reptiles (in our opinion and experience):

Bearded Dragon #

Friendly, handleable, incredibly responsive and absolutely adorable! They make wonderful pets and with the correct husbandry and care, can live for 10 – 15 years. Many dragons can be trained to sit on a shoulder and will stay there for as long as you let them. Their omnivorous nature makes feeding them very straight forward too, live insects offered 3 times a week with a mix of leafy greens and vegetables offered too. A native Australian, bearded dragons like it hot!

Royal Python #

A wonderful species of python, not a giant and with a very docile and even temperament. They acclimatize very well to handling and will remain incredibly tolerant throughout their lives. Attaining a size from 3-6 feet in length and an average lifespan of 15-30 years, royal pythons are a firm favourite. Fed anywhere from once a week to once a fortnight, royal pythons will take size appropriate rodents and birds for their entire lives. Originating from west Africa, Royal pythons inhabit savannahs and grasslands into forests and jungles.

Leopard gecko #

At 6-10” in length and a curious, almost friendly nature, leopard geckos do make very good pets. Similar to bearded dragons, leopard geckos can be trained to sit on laps or shoulders and can come to recognize their keepers. Fed up to 3 times a week on appropriately sized live insects (leopard geckos being strict insectivores). They can even be treated with small mice! Found throughout Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, India and Nepal in dry, rocky grassland areas.

Corn snake #

These amazing colubrids can reach lengths of 6 feet but remain fairly slender. Very even tempered as adults and very inquisitive and interactive. Corn snakes will always be interested in what you are doing. With more than 800 morphs recognised in the hobby today, there is a colour and pattern for everyone! Fed weekly or fortnightly on appropriately sized rodents (or chicks as a treat). Corn snakes are a low maintenance, interesting and interactive pet. Named after being first discovered in and around corn silos in north America (they were there for the rodents). Corn snakes are incredibly adaptable and can be found anywhere from semi-arid deserts to swamps.

Crested gecko #

Crested geckos can reach between 6” and 8” in length, live for more than 30 years and are possibly the prettiest animal on this list. Their latin name correlophus ciliatus, translates to “eyelash gecko” and they are well named. Thought extinct in the wilds of New Caledonia until their rediscovery in the Blue River valley in 1994. Every animal available in the hobby today can be traced back to a number of adult animals that were taken into captivity for breeding and re-release programs in the late 90’s. An omnivorous species that (in captivity) feeds mostly on specialized crested gecko diets, crested geckos will take ripe fruits, small insects and even nectar and pollen from flowers.

As you can see, it is very difficult to pick a top 5 from the thousands of species of reptile, amphibians and invertebrates available in the hobby today and decide from that what is the best reptile to keep. The animals we have chosen on this list represent some of the most straight forward reptiles to keep and maintain in a home environment, but they also are some of the more interactive species that can be handled. Suffice to say, if you find a species reptile, amphibian or invertebrate that you like, we can help. What is the best pet reptile? That’s for you to decide.

Why not check out our YouTube channel for some awesome videos on our reptiles and reptile care!