My son is nearly 7 and wants a pet lizard or snake. I have told him that he has to wait until he is at big school, and has to find out all about them and save up his money.
He is very sensible and animal mad (can't think where he gets that from!!)but although we have kept lots of different animals, we don't know much about reptiles. I quite like geckos are these a good starter pet and what about snakes? and can anyone recommend any good books or websites, to get information?
I know it's 4 years away, but he is desperate to start the planning and research!
Thanks

leopard geckos are nocturnal,some of the others are bit quick & flighty,tokays are vicious,go for a bearded dragon,get a 4ft viv ,habistat controller for the basking light set it to the required temp and then keep an eye on it,10% uv tube thats 3 ft long.a rock for basking on ,a hide for hiding in,and your pretty much sorted,if you handle them regually they get really tame my 10 yr old used to wander around supervised with the male we had on his shoulder.you can get babies off a breeder on reptile forums uk for as little as £30 in the summer.

Geckos are small, more delecate, quicker and are very heat reliant.
Beardies are good but as babies they are small, fast and jumpy.

I know it may sound like i'm only suggesting this because i own one, but you should at least look into Blue Tongued Skinks.
Even as babies they arn't overly small and are not very quick. They don't jump and you can have them out of their vivarium for a long period of time without having to worry about the temps, as room temp will not hurt them.
Like with all animals, they can bite but Blueys will give a pretty clear warning if they are stressed enough to want to bite, they will puff up, hiss and display their tongues (note that hissing and puffing up does not automaticly mean they will bite, mine does this when he isn't in the mood for being handled but he has never displayed or bitten me once). They tame really well and all you really have to worry about is that your son doesn't drop it from a hight as they have small legs that don't take the impact, and that he doesn't hold it or pull on the tail because it can come off (only through being pulled though, unlike some geckos which i believe can drop their tails simply due to stress)
They also do not have to eat live foods and the meat portion of their diet can consist of cooked chicken, so you don't have to worry about crickets living under the floor boards or having to try and keep them alive.

They have such adorable little personalities and can be kept in a 4 food viv, same as a Beardie. They love to watch whats going on around them and love to come out and explore and play.

Some people simply won't give them a chance because they don't look like little dragons, but they are definatly worth looking into and are a wonderful beginner lizard.

i would go for a beardie but not as a baby if u have never had one they are so laid back

thanks guys that is really helpful.
Bearded dragons are his favourite, I never considered them as I thought they would be a more advanced pet, so I will definately look into it.
I like the look of blue tongued skinks to so I will add them to my research list.
I don't think geckos would be right for us now you've told me they are nocturnal, and a bit flighty.
I was a bit worried about the larger lizards as my neighbour has a ( i think it is anyway) water dragon, which she says can be really nasty.
Thanks again!

good luck on ur search

corn snakes are very good starters as well,
your get lots up if you google about what your looking for.

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rehoming page up and running on my web site
so if you wish me to add details please mail me.

oh yh and the best snake i would agree with carol all ours are so dosile and calm, there kwl i love them (we have got three adults and 13 eggs)

thank you.
I did wonder about a corn snake. I will add it to the research list. I think he has his heart set on a lizard now, but as he has to wait a few years before he gets one so he may change his mind!
He has started a 'lizard tin' and is putting some of his pocket money and some of the money he gets from selling his baby guinea pigs in so he can save up to buy the set up!