Best Pet Reptiles for Beginners

~ BackwaterReptiles

Many people ask us what the best pet reptiles are for beginners and we generally recommend animals that are simple to care for, non-aggressive, and visually appealing. Lizards, snakes, turtles, and tortoises can make very rewarding pets, even though they’re not furry or cuddly like a typical cat or dog. They’re also surprisingly intelligent.

So if you’re considering a pet reptile of your own, but you’re unsure what species would be best for you, read on to find out our top five best pet reptiles for beginners.

The Best Pet Reptiles for Beginners

Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)

Leopard geckos make some of the best pet reptiles in the world. They’re adorable, desert-dwelling lizards that grow to a very manageable size. They will reach around 7-10 inches in length and can live over twenty years! Usually, females will live an average of ten years, while males will live considerably longer.

Leopard geckos are visually stunning little critters that are bred in a variety of color morphs. You can find leopard geckos that are bright orange, pure white, and even black and white speckled!

The patterns and colors in the many morphs can be stunning and leopard gecko parents have many options when it comes to the physical appearance of their gecko.

The best pet reptiles for beginners
Leopard geckos are absolutely some of the best pet reptiles for beginners. The above leopard gecko morph is called a “Super Snow.” They’re black and white and highly sought after.

Leopard geckos also have very simple care requirements. They don’t need a lot of space to be happy – just a few places to hide or burrow. You can use substrate as simple as paper towels in their cage, or you can decorate elaborately and even buy neat colored sand from pet stores.

Feel free to check out our step by step guide on setting up leopard gecko habitats if you are so inclined. They also do extraordinarily well in captivity, being very undemanding, tough pet reptiles. Almost every Leopard gecko available on the market is captive bred, which is a nice bonus.

Crickets, mealworms, and reptiworms are all good food for leopard geckos. They have strong appetites, but are not necessarily gluttons. You should allow them to eat as many insects as they can in a fifteen minute sitting and then remove the excess from their cage.

Looking for a fun breeding project? If so, you couldn’t choose a better lizard. Leopard geckos are avid breeders and it takes no effort at all–just keep a male with a female and she’ll start laying eggs.

They often have very amiable personalities, and aggression is almost unheard of for pet Leopard geckos. Definitely on the short-list of the best pet reptiles for beginners. We’ve got many morphs available for you to choose from on our Leopard gecko page.

Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps)

Bearded dragons are another lizard species that are available in a variety of gorgeous color morphs. Keep in mind that the more uncommon or rare the morph of the bearded dragon is, the more expensive it will be. Morphs of the lizard strictly reflect the color or the animal and not its temperament, health, or care requirements.

Normal Morph Bearded Dragon
This is a “normal” bearded dragon, meaning that it has not been bred to express any special color variety.

Beardies can get quite large, sometimes up to 24-inches, but 18-20 inches is much more common. This means they reach a solid, but extremely manageable size.

They’re usually little piggies when it comes to meal time. Most will eat whenever they’re offered food, even if they’re not hungry, so just be sure to watch your beardie’s diet as you don’t want it to get obese.

Probably the best feature about bearded dragons is their docile nature. Beardies are quite happy to be taken out of their cage and played with regularly. They seem to seek out interaction and very rarely bite (we’ve never been bitten by one). Lots of people will even walk around their house with their beardie on their shoulder like a parrot!

Bearded dragons can also make great breeding projects, as they’re prolific breeders and do extremely well in captivity.

Bearded dragons are originally from Australia, home to some of the coolest reptiles in the world. However, exportation of live reptiles is now illegal, so you can rest assured your U.S. Bearded dragon is captive bred. Check out our Bearded dragon page to see our selection.

Corn Snake (Elaphe g. guttata)

No conversation about the best pet reptiles for beginners would be complete without talking about Corn snakes. If you’ve never had a pet snake before, we highly recommend a corn snake. Like the lizard species mentioned above, corn snakes are available in many different color morphs.

Not only are they relatively inexpensive, they usually possess pretty docile temperaments and are nearly always captive bred. They will attain a manageable size (usually around 5 feet long) and live for approximately ten years.

corn snake morphs
This is a collage demonstrating a few of the corn snake morphs.

Like most pet snakes, you will need to feed your corn snake mice. You can choose to feed your snake thawed or living specimens, but we prefer frozen (then thawed) for the convenience and safety of the snake.

Aside from eating mice, corn snakes will thrive in a twenty gallon tank with minimal furnishings. They really only need a heat lamp and belly heat source, water dish, hide space, and substrate that allows for burrowing.

We’ve got quite a variety of Corn snake morphs for you to choose from on our website.

Sulcata Tortoise (Geochelone sulcata)

In general, tortoises are popular pet reptiles because they can be kept outside in places where the weather permits. This is appealing to many pet owners because the tortoise’s natural habitat can be replicated very closely and no real cage or terrarium is required.

Just keep in mind that because baby tortoises are more delicate, they should be kept indoors until reaching a reasonable size. Their shells aren’t as hardened and thick as their larger counterparts, meaning they can dehydrate a bit quicker and can’t thermoregulate as easily.

baby sulcata tortoise
This is a baby Sulcata tortoise. They start out about the size of a golf ball and will grow to weigh around 200 pounds!

Sulcatas are pretty easy to come by in the pet trade, and many people are attracted to them because of their vegetarian nature. There is no need to keep live insects on hand as Sulcatas eat leafy greens, grasses, and other veggies.

They grow quickly, and a baby should attain a shell-length of around 3-4 inches after one year. They reach breeding size at around 12-inches.

Tortoises also live for a very long time. In fact, Sulcata tortoises can live for 150+ years! Yes, you read that correctly. We’ve got these captive bred beauties available on our website today.

Box Turtles (Terrapene sp.)

Like tortoises, Box turtles will thrive in an indoor terrarium or an outdoor environment with the proper weather conditions. If you have your box turtles outdoors, we do recommend some sort of pen be built to house them in as they do enjoy roaming and if you’re not careful, they could roam right out of your yard! They also enjoy digging and are very good at it.

Box turtles are omnivores and will eat pretty much anything you provide them. When kept outdoors, they will graze on your yard grasses and plants, but they will also consume crickets and other invertebrates. Baby Box turtles tend to be a bit more carnivorous, while the adults are more omnivorous.

We highly recommend Box turtles for first time reptile owners because they are such low maintenance reptile pets. They don’t bite, they don’t need constant attention or care, and they can pretty much take care of themselves. If you keep pairs, you might even get baby box turtles without even realizing your animals have bred! We’ve received many sets of eggs from our’s.

Check out our selection of pet turtles today.

three toed box turtles
These are “B-grade” box turtles which have cosmetic blemishes but are otherwise perfectly healthy animals. We think they deserve good homes just as much as their unblemished brethren.

The Best Pet Reptiles for Beginners – Conclusion

There are so many great pet reptiles on the market today that picking a good one for a beginner can be a challenge, which is why we put together this helpful article.

We feel that the five animals listed above are all amazing first time herp owner options whether you’re in the market for a lizard, snake, tortoise, or turtle. These species have an established track record of being easy to keep and long-lived, with great personalities.

We have all of these reptiles available for sale on our website.

Do Cuban Tree Frogs Make Good Pets?

~ BackwaterReptiles

Are you considering a pet frog but you’re unsure what species to go with? Do you want a large, hardy, and entertaining species? If you answered yes to these questions, we think a Cuban tree frog would make a great pet for you.

In this article, we’ll lay out the care guidelines for Cuban tree frogs as well as go into more detail on why we think these frogs are great for herp enthusiasts of all ages and levels of experience.

cuban tree frogs are good pets
We think Cuban tree frogs make great pets for herp hobbyists of all levels of experience.

Cuban tree frogs as pets

Originally, Cuban tree frogs come from Cuba, but nowadays, they are commonplace in states like Florida. Because they adapt so well, eat ravenously, grow to quite large sizes, and are so prevalent, they have come to be seen by many as an invasive species. These traits that make Cuban tree frogs so successful in the wild are also what make them very well suited to captivity.

Cuban Tree Frogs are actually the largest species of tree frog living in North America. Females can grow to be nearly six inches in length, while males will stay a bit smaller. Although they are long frogs, they stay quite slender with powerful hind legs designed for long jumps.

In general, Cuban tree frogs are a light brown, beige, or grey color, but can also be a darker brown or whitish color. They also possess the capability to slightly alter their color depending on their surroundings and temperament.

If you keep a Cuban tree frog for a pet, be prepared to feed it…lots. They have immense appetites and seem to prefer crickets in captivity. In addition to crickets, roaches, night crawlers, hornworms, and reptiworms make great treats and supplements. Fully matured, adult frogs have also been known to eat pinkie mice on occasion. We advise feeding pinkies in moderation because if consumed in excess or too frequently, your frog will become overweight. But the bottom line is – you will definitely enjoy watching your Cuban tree frog pig out at mealtime.

cuban tree frog
This photo shows that although Cuban tree frogs are large, they are still very slender of frame with long, powerful hind legs.

A single Cuban tree frog will thrive in a 15 or 20 gallon tank with plenty of foliage to climb on and hide in. You can keep males and females together, but make sure the frogs are of comparable size to one another. Larger Cuban tree frogs have been reported to eat smaller ones, so you don’t want them to cannibalize each other.

Good substrates for Cuban tree frogs are peat moss, potting soil, and coconut fiber. These all hold moisture well, but won’t necessarily become soggy. In addition to the plants (both real and fake are acceptable), you should provide a hide space such as a log or a coconut half that stays on the ground in the cage. While Cuban tree frogs are mostly arboreal, they do at times come down to the ground of their enclosure.

A water dish that is large enough for your frog to comfortably submerge itself should also be provided on the bottom of the cage. You can also put a small rock or platform inside the water dish so that it’s easier for the frog to get in and out of the water pool. Make sure that the water stays fresh because stagnant water can make your frog ill.

If you decide to keep a male with a female or two, expect to hear loud, barking noises during the mating season at night time. Cuban tree frogs are known for their noisy mating calls which have been described as sounding like small dog barks. If successful mating occurs, the female will deposit her eggs in the water dish.

Osteopilus septentrionalis
Cuban tree frogs have quite impressive appetites.

Conclusion

If you want a large frog with lots of personality and heart, we recommend getting a pet Cuban tree frog. Not only are these frogs large, but they are pretty easy to keep and will provide lots of entertainment at feeding time.

If you think you are ready to welcome a Cuban tree frog into your home, you can buy one (or a pair!) from Backwater Reptiles.

How to Care for Your Flying Dragon (Draco volans)

~ BackwaterReptiles

In this article we’re going to explain to you information on Flying dragon care and setup as a reptile pet. They’re definitely one of the most fascinating creatures on the planet, and definitely a favorite with our customers!

The Flying dragon (Draco volans) is a species of agamid lizard that is also known as the Flying Lizard and the Flying Draco. These lizards are brown to dark brown in color with some darker overlay patterns. Males have a yellow-ish dewlap and females tend to have a blue dewlap. They will grow to be about eight inches long.

They are unique and interesting pet lizards because they have “wings” that allow them to glide from tree to tree in the wild. These wings are not true wings, but rather a ribbed membrane attached to the side of the dragon’s body that spread out like a fan.

Flying dragon care
When a flying dragon spreads its membranous “wings,” the colors that show through are quite spectacular. We detail their care in this blog post.

The Flying Dragon is not a pet lizard you commonly see. Although these lizards are not extremely difficult to care for, they aren’t that easy to come by. We do not recommend these lizards be kept by beginners, although herpers with some experience (and space to house them) will find them to be rewarding pets.

Flying dragons come from the Philippines, western Malaysia and also widely across the Indo-Pacific islands. They prefer to live in forested areas with lots of trees and foliage and rarely descend to the ground.

When their wings are extended, bright colors are displayed, which makes it easier to determine the dragon’s gender. When the wings are not in use, the dragon keeps them folded closely against its body, giving the lizard a long, slender appearance.

Flying Dragon
Here you can see a flying dragon with its wings relaxed. These are long, skinny lizards when they aren’t gliding.

In the wild, flying dragons will eat mostly termites and ants, but in captivity, they can be taught to eat crickets, mealworms, and flies as a staple diet. It’s always wise to offer a bit of variety in order to make sure your dragon gets all the nutrients and vitamins it needs.

Flying dragons should always have access to a water dish. We also recommend misting their enclosure regularly as they do come from moist and tropical environments.

If you want to see your dragon fly, you must provide it with enough space. Due to their arboreal nature, you should provide an enclosure that is tall as well as wide. There will need to be plenty of sturdy plant life and foliage inside the enclosure with enough space between them to allow the dragon room to stretch its wings.

It is generally acceptable to house two or three females together, or even one male with several females. This will encourage the male to perform territory and mating rituals which can be entertaining to watch. When the male encounters a female, he will extend his wings and dewlap and try to make himself look larger. He will also bob his head to display his dominance.

We do not advise keeping multiple males in one enclosure as it will cause them undue stress. They might even injure one another.

In general, flying dragons are somewhat secretive. Although they’re not aggressive, they usually don’t enjoy being handled and will do much better if left to their own devices in their enclosures.

As previously mentioned, flying dragons are arboreal and don’t descend to the ground often. The only behavior that has been observed where they go to the ground by choice is when a gravid female lays her eggs.

The female will dig a hole with her snout and proceed to lay a clutch of approximately five eggs. After the eggs have been deposited in the ground, the female will cover them and remain with them for a day or so. The eggs will hatch in about a month’s time.

draco volans care
Flying dragons use their wings to glide from tree to tree and in territorial displays. They look like they’re part lizard, part butterfly, don’t they?

Conclusion

While flying dragons make impressive and fascinating pets, they are not for everyone or for beginners.

Due to their arboreal nature, they need an enclosure that is built like with an arboreal style so they have room to glide and hide. This means a wide and tall cage will be needed.

In addition, flying dragons can be secretive and are not great pets for someone who would like to handle their reptile often.

If you are ready to care for your own flying dragon, Backwater Reptiles does have these beautiful and unique gliding lizards for sale.

 

Are Hornworms Good Feeder Insects?

~ BackwaterReptiles

Tobacco Hornworms (Manduca sexta), or Goliath worms, are caterpillars that transform into the Carolina sphinx moth. They are green with seven diagonal markings along their sides and a red, spiked “tail” adorning their rear ends, which is where they get their common name.

These caterpillars, which are more commonly known as just plain ol’ hornworms, feed on both tobacco and tomato plants, which means they are widely considered to be pests by farmers and gardeners.

Hornworms make excellent and nutritious meals for many animals sold through Backwater Reptiles, but many people don’t know much about these juicy little feeder insects.

In this article, we will answer the questions:

-What types of animals eat hornworms?
-How do I care for my feeder hornworms?
-What is the nutritional value of hornworms?
-What is the difference between the two species of hornworms?

Hornworms as feeder insects
This is a tobacco hornworm. You can tell by the red horn on its rear end.

What types of animals eat hornworms?

Hornworms are great feeder insects for virtually all types of reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates including, but not limited to, turtles, frogs, scorpions, spiders, and lizards.

When you receive them, your hornworms will not be full-grown. At this smaller size, they can be fed to smaller animals or juvenile animals.

Once they have grown a bit and plumped up, your hornworms will be especially great feeders for animals that live in dry, arid environments where getting water from food is a requirement. Examples of these types of desert species that love to eat hornworms are: uromastyx lizards, collared lizards, agamas, tarantulas, and even scorpions.

Chameleons are also big fans of hornworms. We can’t stress enough that hornworms contain lots of water, so they are great to help your chameleon stay hydrated.

How do I care for my feeder hornworms?

When you place an order for feeder hornworms, you will receive a container that holds caterpillars that are either one inch or two to three inches long, depending on what option you select when you checkout.

Your hornworm pod will contain food for the hornworms on the top. It will also contain a screen for the hornworms to climb on to reach the food. The food will sustain the worms until they reach about four inches in size. This will usually take two to three weeks.

Feeder Hornworm Pod
This is what your hornworm pod will look like. The bottom is removable.

The hornworms you receive are basically in their own little ecosystem. Your hornworms are self-contained and have everything they need to thrive for a few weeks. All you need to do is remove the bottom of the container and empty out the hornworm droppings every few days.

What is the nutritional value of hornworms?

Hornworms are very high in calcium so they make excellent nutritional supplements for animals that need regular vitamin dusting such as leopard geckos.

As previously mentioned, hornworms are very succulent and high in water content. This makes them excellent food items for desert critters.

They are also great food for animals that are finicky eaters. They are even good for enticing animals on “hunger strike” to eat once more. If you have a picky eater on your hands, we suggest giving hornworms a try.

What is the difference between the two species of hornworm?

There are actually two types of hornworm that appear very similar – the tomato hornworm and the tobacco hornworm. People commonly confuse and mistake the two.

The tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) is the type of hornworm sold by Backwater Reptiles. They differ from the tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata) slightly in physical appearance. Rather than diagonal lines on their sides like the tobacco hornworm, the tomato hornworm has “V” shaped markings. In addition, the tobacco hornworm’s tail spike is red, while the tomato hornworm’s tail spike is black.

Large hornworm
This is an average-sized feeder hornworm.

Both species feed on the same plants in the wild and we do not recommend capturing wild hornworms of either species to feed to your reptiles. This is because tobacco hornworms are actually capable of collecting and storing the toxin found in the tobacco plant, which means they could be fatal if ingested by your pet. So if you don’t know the difference between the two caterpillars, we suggest avoiding wild-caught hornworms altogether.

Conclusion

Pretty much any reptile, amphibian, or invertebrate that is large enough to eat a hornworm will find it a tasty treat.

If you have a desert-dwelling critter, picky eater, or spoiled rotten pet reptile, Backwater Reptiles has feeder hornworms for sale. Order some today – your herp will thank you!

Top Four Biggest Pet Frogs

~ BackwaterReptiles

The absolute biggest frog in the entire world is the Goliath Frog (Conraua goliath). It can reach up to 12 and a half inches long (snout to vent) and weigh upwards of seven pounds! However, we’re not including this behemoth frog on our top four biggest pet frogs list because they are currently endangered and due to the strict exportation regulation of this species, we don’t recommend keeping them as pets.

So now that we’ve gotten the Goliath frog out of the way, read on to find out more about our top four biggest pet frog species.

Gladiator Tree Frog (Hypsiboas boans)

This is a frog known by many names – the giant tree frog, the rusty tree frog, the giant gladiator tree frog – to name a few.

The Gladiator grows to around 4 inches long snout to vent. It gets its name because the males possess a bony spike on their hands that they use in combat with other males when it comes to defending territory or fighting for a mate.

Gladiator tree frog
This photo shows a Gladiator tree frog next to a quarter to show scale.

Gladiators can be grey or brown in color. They possess stripes, bars or blotches on their backs. Their feet have a lot of webbing and oversized toe pads.

Like all tree frogs, the Gladiator is arboreal and as such its enclosure should support its climbing habits. These frogs are also fond of adhering to the glass walls of their tanks, giving their owners a view of their underbellies.

Cuban Tree Frog (Osteopilus septentrionalis)

The Cuban tree frog makes our list at number three because it is commonly known to be the largest tree frog in North America.

Although these frogs might not be the largest in terms of weight or girth, they are definitely the longest tree frog in North America, reaching over five inches long from snout to vent when fully grown.

Most frogs that grow to be this long will also grow in diameter (i.e. their bellies will bulge and they will be quite wide animals), but the Cuban tree frog is actually very slender for a frog of its size. This is probably because they spend a lot of time in trees and weighing too much would make it tough for them to cling to a perch or leaf while being so high off the ground.

Cuban tree frog
Cuban tree frogs are slender, but very long.

Cuban tree frogs are originally from Cuba, as their name suggests, but have become an invasive species in the U.S. They are sometimes considered a nuisance in their natural habitat because the males actually bark very loudly in the mating season.

A single Cuban tree frog can be housed comfortably in a 15 to 20 gallon tank. Due to their arboreal lifestyle, the tank should be able to accommodate vertical space (i.e. be taller than it is wide) because your Cuban tree frog won’t spend a lot of time on the ground.

Pacman Frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli)

Pacman frogs are commonly sold as babies that are no larger than a quarter, but boy, do they grow fast! Pacmans have almost insatiable appetites and will not only expand in terms of length, but girth as well. In fact, many Pacman frog owners have to watch their frog’s weight and feed them a low-fat diet because these frogs can and will overeat if they’re not watched.

When fully grown, female Pacman frogs can be around four to seven inches long. Male frogs are slightly smaller, maxing out at around four inches.

Baby Pacman Frog
This baby Pacman frog is pictured next to a nickel. They start out tiny but grow into very massive frogs.

Pacman frogs are very popular pets not only because they are very appreciative eaters and put on a show at meal time, but because they are bred to be a variety of different colors. Captive breeding has produced some truly colorful Pacman frog morphs.

Because Pacmans are not picky eaters, we feed ours crickets as their staple food, and supplement with meal worms, night crawlers, and roaches. Occasional wax worms or horn worms are nice juicy treats, but just be sure to feed these to your Pacman in moderation.

Pixie Frog (Pyxicephalus adspersus)

Pixie frogs (AKA Giant African Bullfrogs) are true behemoths. These frogs not only grow long, but they grow hefty. It’s not unheard of for them to be large enough to eat adult mice!

large Pixie frog (Pyxicephalus adsperus)
Here’s a juvenile Pixie frog, perhaps four months old.

Male Pixies can reach lengths up to ten inches, while females will get to around five inches long, which is still impressive! Males have been recorded to weigh as much as two pounds, which might not seem like much, but in terms of frogs, this is really heavy!

Baby Pixie Frog
You can fit several baby Pixies in your hand at once!

Pixies are burrowers, so we recommend  substrate that holds moisture and allows for this behavior. Coconut fiber is ideal. They will probably hide most of the time, but you better believe that when its lunch or dinner time, the Pixie comes running…or rather, hopping. We feed ours low-fat diets that include crickets, mealworms, and roaches since it’s so easy for these frogs to become obese.

Pyxicephalus adspersus
This is a Pixie frog at a healthy weight. This frog is clearly well-fed, but not obese and that is key to keeping these behemoths healthy.

Conclusion

All large frogs have complimentary large appetites which makes feeding time a fun and entertaining experience.

We would highly recommend any of these frogs for a pet. If you think you’re prepared to adopt any of these great frog species, Backwater Reptiles has many large frog species for sale.