So I'm getting a leo soon and my friend Is gonna get a beardie (they will be pur first reptiles) so I sent him your channel to help him out he is 11 I am 12 I have studied reptiles since age six he has not so you will save his life
I wanted to get my g-daughter, age 9, a bearded dragon. She loved the name because it was a dragon. But after watching your channel, I have changed both our minds. If she gets a reptile now it will be a leopard gecko.... Thanks, Adam....you are a fantastic teacher...
For what it's worth I would suggest either a leopard, crested, and gargoyle gecko for your granddaughter those should be pretty appropriate for a starter animal.
I agree with L, but ask your granddaughter what she wants. A gecko that runs around and eats bugs? Or a gecko that hops around sometimes but is mostly just sitting and chilling and eats a powder mixed with water. And if she wants a desert style tank or a tropical style one. If she says yes to the first of the options, Leopard. If yes to the latter, Crested.
I think I would get my 9yro sister a Crested before a Leopard purely because I think she would have an easier time mixing repashy than powdering crickets and worms :) And she would not need a light on at night, which may keep her up on school nights.
Noah Stirrat I was offered an adult veiled chameleon for free, everything included. I almost excepted it but then declined because I didn’t think I was up to it and I didn’t have the room. I am very glad that I declined now. I could have taken good care of it but the space restrictions I have and everything else just would’ve made it very difficult.
@@tinaleighton6390 yea, and if you have a full time job they just are not a good fit, I'm lucky that I'm still a teenager and live with my parents so my mother can help with my chameleon if I can get a job after the COVID-19 lockdown. If you're a breeder or dont work and have the time to put into a chameleon, go for it, but if not, I wouldn't do do it again
So far the best I've owned has to be a Burmese, she's got an amazing character and tbh id say she's about the same of not better to deal with than a corn snake lol
I've had my heart set on an Argentine Tegu since I was 8. I don't have a stable enough lifestyle to accommodate one right now, but the day I buy a house I'm getting a hatchling from a good breeder and building him a SICK custom enclosure... Complete with lockable doggie door so he can come say hi as he pleases when I'm home.
I really liked this video, I've never seen a video in this format and think it's a great idea so that beginners don't go out buying things like chameleons
I had already pivoted from wanting to go out and get myself a chameleon to focusing on the snake I've been dreaming of since I was a kid, but I'm really glad I stumbled across this video anyway!
When I was doing research and looking into getting a lizard, those were my primary choices, Beardie and BTS. I am so glad that so many people now in the community are talking about BTS, I would have been so disappointed and unhappy with the experience of owning a Beardie, for me. I have loved watching my BTS grow from a three week old baby and can't wait to see how she is as an adult. :)
Based on everything I’ve learned about Brazilian rainbow boas leaving them completely alone for more than a day or two seems to almost be a death sentence for them unless you’ve got a very good misting system and the other aspects of their husbandry are totally on point. Which is why as beautiful as they are I decided a long time ago that they’re not for me. I don’t know how accurate my statement was so please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.
@@Chengchengsfish I have a male and female, keep them in plastic tubs with a hide on warm side and a moss box on the other and they are doing excellent, i agree with you completely, as long as they got a moss box and fresh water you're good to go.
Not true at all. I’ve had my girl for 6 years and she’s super easy to care for. Just have a humid hide and mist once a day and you’re good to go. So easy.
My Red Tegu is almost 2 years old (I had her since she was about 3-4 month old) and she is AWESOME! But she does require A LOT of space. But she is adorable. She does have a huge bioactive enclosure, yet she still spends the majority of the day just roaming freely around the house.
@@elirane85 That's awesome. And yeah, that's the only reason I don't have a tegu yet is because even if I got a baby, they grow so fast that I wouldn't have space to upgrade it. So a tegu will have to wait til I'm out of my 1 bedroom apartment, and into a more appropriate housing situation for a large lizard species.
I think you should do a video 'on is it cruel to keep reptiles as pets.' seeing as my dad and I were talking about how I was getting a blue tounge skink and he said don't you think it's cruel to keep reptiles. I don't think it is seeing as they live longer lives and don't face predators. P. S I'm getting the blue tounge skink which will be my first reptile
@@WickensWickedReptiles and Im deffinetley gonna give my blue tounge a good size enclosure I'm making one that's gonna be 6ft long and 3ft wide and maybe a 1ft tall
I think this is a great idea. Not just a general video but some myths and misconceptions debunking. Because it's not only the "they all want to chase us and see us dead!" myths of reptile haters that are a problem, but also people who do mean well but only know reptiles and snakes from movies, especially kid movies, or from documentaries where you see a snake or reptile squeezed in along with animals that do indeed move around a lot and need space to move so they don't wither away. People easily make the well-meaning mistake to think that something that can get several meters long or looks like a small dinosaur needs similar care like a large, active dog breed or hunting dogs. Or, the message that even small parakeets and single fish shouldn't be crammed into tiny cages/tanks with barely any enrichment finally becomes mainstream and people conclude it's the same with reptiles. At least, that's what I thought all my life until a year ago. So, while "here is why they aren't actually out to get us!" videos are still important, I think we also need more "Your heart is in the right place but snakes, tegus, and skinks aren't elephants, lions, antelopes, or bassets."
Is it cruel to keep the animal? Only if you don't provide it the proper care... Sadly, this is probably a very high percentage of keepers, or at least higher than it should be... most people that get their first pet, even dogs, tend not to do a lot of research figuring they'll learn along the way, and also tend to buy on a whim without realizing that once it's there, it's there for the next several years (in the case of some reptile species, decades).
Totally agree on the beardies. Took care for 3 when I worked in a pet store although the care wasn't difficult the poop was very smelly and alot to deal with.
I was totally agreeing with you which is surprising… until you're number one I have both a Brazilian rainbow boa and the dumeril's boa and there is no comparison Brazilians are way better… but nonetheless excellent video
I don’t know much about dumerils but the brazilians need high humidity and are a lot more susceptible to fluctuations in it, which could be hard for someone getting their first reptile
Yah, that one is silly. It's not hard at all to keep humidity. Pvc holds in humidity like crazy. I've got a fogger set up on mine, and I could go out of town for as long as he doesn't need a rat.
I got my first reptile like a week ago, its a Brazilian Rainbow Boa. I am a Beginner, but I can say that it’s easy to keep the humidity above 75%. You just need to put a big waterdish on the warm side and that’s it!
I am an experienced snake owner, but traded my reptiles in the army and then had 3 kids about 15 years ago. We have a now bearded and a leopard gecko, but I’m ready to be a snake owner again and it will absolutely be a Brazilian Boa.
Just here to say. My stepdad had a rainbow boa when I was a kid, effer got its tail into a knot, so my mom had to unknot the tail while my stepdad held its head with leather furnace gloves on. Still got bit, several times. It ended up escaping its enclosure, to where it was found less than three days later, already deceased. (This all happened when I was about seven so don't @ me I didn't do it) Meanwhile, the dumerils boa he got around the same time is now 17-18 years old, in my care, with the chilliest temperament and still doing amazing. Literally not a single mishap ever.
When getting into lizards, I can honestly say I failed miserably with bearded dragons. How ever, I now have a crested gecko and a Madagascar giant day gecko. They are awesome and growing like weeds (haha just like my kids). My MGD is just a display animal but my CG loves to be handled and is pretty chill.
I love my sav. She's in my top 2 favorites in my collection (tied with my retic), and I still wouldn't recommend them as pets unless you really know what you're doing
@@WickensWickedReptiles agreed. My husband and I run a reptile rescue, and someone sent us a message (about a year ago now) saying they had a very aggressive lizard and they couldn't keep her because not only was she aggressive, but she was getting bigger than they could handle (they didn't have any other reptiles, so they really didn't know what they were getting into when they got her). Long story short, my husband and I ended up adopting her, and like you said about the chameleons, savs are definitely a full time job to get tame and keep them tamed down.
@@WickensWickedReptiles Monitors, of all types except for maybe ackies, are only for advanced keepers. They are tough, which has lead to many people keeping them improperly because they seem to endure it. Until they don't. Also, they don't fit the profile of cuddly, complacent animals like many pet owners seem to want. I frequently tell people monitors are not like a dog they're more like a room mate. As a keeper, you don't decide what's going to happen, you and the animal have to reach a consensus. Because of their needs and personalities, I discourage most people from getting them. For those that are willing to properly accommodate them, however, I don't think any reptile is as interactive or rewarding to keep (maybe crocodilians but I don't have experience with them).
And it seems you have no idea how to take care of it. I saw the video of you feeding chicken to it... I hope you at least stop feeding it from november/december to june/july. The only thing that is comparable to vertebrates in their diet is lizard eggs that consist 3 % of their diet. Majority of their diet consists of millipedes (49,4 %) with beetles (21,2 %), larvae (15,1 %), crickets/locusts (9,1 %) and snails (2 %).
@@dougkelly1933 I wouldn't completely agree with that there are several monitors that beginner keepers can definitely have such as Timors, Roughnecks, Whitethroats and Quinces. In fact I heard that roughnecks especially Brown roughnecks might be the best starter monitor of all at least all around
Saw you on Animals at home. Enjoyed. Maybe I'll be on there 1 day with my tarantulas 😊 Beardies are awesome BUT poop smells too nasty. I used to own and breed chameleons and I can honestly say I feel that they do not belong in captivity they rarely thrive
Me and my stepfather bought in total 2 savanna monitors😅 (over a spend of a couple of years tho) The first one was a sweetheart and never did anything and actually was really nice.. but sadly we couldn't afford her so we have to give her a new home. Several years later we wanted to try it again. The little guy was 24/7 stressed.. always mouth open hissing and biting :( so after trying to tame him down (that didn't help btw) we had to give him a new home too😅 Now we are getting ackie monitors since I do really love the spieces and still wanted to have something small :)
I expected beardies even before I clicked because I have 3 and plan on getting more in the future and there are one of the more high maintenance lizards I have in terms of food and uvb (out of my smaller lizards)
Man my skink looked just like yours, ages ago, great pets, and yes if I get another it will be a Northern, I had trouble with mine because the enclosure was huge and wasn’t able to maintain humidity well without growth........mine was “farm raised” so yeah, problems from the get go. However Northerns being the best entry, they are all great, as with usual, always try to get captive bred. Great now you made me want a Northern again lol.
if you want a python that doesn't get giant, carpet pythons are around 6 to 8 ft generally., if socialized and handled they can be just as chill as a larger python.. but i really love my boa. she is so gentle and chill. :)
We keep our BRB on coco coir in a 4' boaphile. Water the substrate like watering a plant. Keeps the humidity at 80% no problem. We have left her home for a week while on vacation with no problem whatsoever. Humidity really isn't super difficult to maintain in an enclosed space. Much harder with a terrarium with screen top
I definitely agree with you on these especially beardies. Most people don't realize how important uvb/a truly is. Lol Cuban false chameleons are awesome and a great alternative to chameleons. Have a great day!
I have both a savannah monitor and a tegu, raised both from hatchling, and my tegu is the evil one, my sav is a super cool sweet dude! I also have a Brazilian rainbow boa and he's one of the easiest snakes lol his tank is semi bio, so I clean up the big chunks but he's got isopods and springtails. He's nipped a few times but generally he's amazing to handle
I have a savannah monitor, and I tell people they should not want one. I definitely agree with the tegu if you want a large lizard. If I'd had a choice, I would have gone tegu. I got my savannah from a co-worker's son who couldn't keep it. My husband had had one a long time ago (when there was even less info on keeping them, he also volunteered at an old museum that had some other reptiles etc when he was young, long story) so he at least had experience with it. I wanted a pet, and he is allergic to just about everything else. Like I don't think we can keep an omnivorous reptile because he'd be allergic. So I said sure we'll take it (and did a ton of research.) But I'm lucky with my savannah, he's about like a grumpy cat. He hangs out, sometimes he's grumpy, but he doesn't bite or whip and I can pick him up if I want (at most he'll hiss if I'm taking him out from somewhere he doesn't want to be taken out from). He's just not going to stay and be held though. He is curious and comfortable with me, but not affectionate. I mostly trust him, but of course have some caution and always tong feed because I like my fingers. I do believe he shows some restraint with me, or I would be a lot more clawed up than I am. He's fun to feed, but I had to learn a lot about raising bugs after I got him, and he has his section of stuff in the freezer haha. Big learning curve! Of course my friends love pictures of him in my facebook feed, because he is a mischievous goofball, and everyone is startled he's bigger than they expected. It's funny the last was the brazilian rainbow vs the dumerils boa. I love the look of the rainbows, those peacock eyes, the red colors, plus the iridescence, but I know they have particular care. I was more seriously considering a dumerils boa once I discovered them if I ever want to more up to a larger snake (but I don't want anything huge- I just have 2 ball pythons now, and I am perfectly happy with them.) But I'd probably research more on mid snakes and even consider something like a childrens python. I just don't clearly know about adult sizes for all of them. I'd probably be more tempted by a BTS if I wasn't worried about my husband being allergic. I like the look of them more than beardies.
I had 2 beardies. 1 died on 9th april...her 2nd birthday...no warning signs at all. Fine in the morning...gone in evening 😭😭😭 her brothers ok though from what I can tell
@@WickensWickedReptiles This was a problem for me at first, but we went bioactive and it's been amazing. Our beardie is thriving and no smell. Understand it might be more difficult for beginners, though.
I fostered a sketchy burm for almost a year. She was 10ft long and 68lbs when she moved to her final home. She never bit me, but the constant hissing and side eye were enough. I named her Mary Jane.
I agreed with all except the Brazilian rainbow boa. I really don’t find humidity an issue. I swear by reptile humidifiers. As long as you ensure there’s no mold and you get a decent humidifier. Hook it up to a zoomed timer and you never gotta worry about humidity
My cousin had a panther chameleon named alfredo. (he passed away on Valentine’s Day this year. Rip :(...) but alfredo was actually a family members neighbors and they lost him in their backyard and he was found months later!!!! That house hold already replaced alfredo and no longer wanted to keep him so my cousin took him in. He was already 3 years old when he was taken in and he lived for another 4 YEARS!!!! he lived for almost 8 years!!!! A panther chameleon that was found outside in a backyard in lil Indiana. Such a crazy story!!! Rip alfredo 💕
We got a baby brazilian rainbowboa and he is the sweetest thing I have ever seen. We expected him to be nippy, but he didnt bite us or something like that, we can take him out whenever we want and he wont bite. We also have no problems with the humidity, but we tested it weeks before we got him so we are sure everything works out. I think we got just really lucky with him and I am super happy with that.
I agree Savannah Monitors are not for everyone! I have a 3 year old and love him but wouldn’t tell anyone to get one. Not only for lighting and food but you have to provide a huge enclosure not only in length but deep they love to dig! But mine will not set under a hot spot over 105 I don’t know if I’m the only one but he can’t handle one that hot and after trying different temps 105 he’s comfortable with
They are for no one. Not before successful husbandry methods have been demonstrated to them. Every year approximately 25 000 wild individuals are harvested from mainly Ghana. Only to live short miserable lives in hands of reptile keepers that don't know how to keep them. It's been 150 years and still nobody knows.
I'm impressed with the change in the way your videos are filmed! Your'e in the reptile room, handling or showing the animals you are talking about. If you don't have it, you include clips. Fantastic. Compared to your other videos I've seen, this is SO much better! I am more motivated to watch your videos with this layout, it makes the video interesting and we get to see the beautiful reptiles you have. After all, what's the point of having an animal channel if you don't show the animals?!
Having a ball python is a second job in my opinion, however, I am new to reptiles. Before I got my BP I had’t ever entertained the thought of having a reptile. I have done hours of reading and asking questions and I guess it’s so time consuming because I want to make sure I’m taking the absolute best possible care that I can provide. I’m constantly checking the thermostat and humidity because it’s winter in Canada. I thoroughly enjoy these videos.
Here (Brazil) we have a lot of available information about the brazilian boas. You probably don't speak portuguese, so I'll give a advice. Don't own a Epicrates Cenchria cenchria. They are more aggressive. Brazil is a humid country, so we recommend brazilian boas as begginer snakes, because of their easy behavior and disease resistance. The humidity needed is a problem in USA, but they are easy snakes.
Another alternative for the rainbow boa would be a white lipped python. Although not a boa they have the iridesence most people are after. They do need moisture but not as wet as a rainbow and are very active and like to climb. The babies can be a little nippy but they are quite tameable and their colors are stunning.
I have a savannah monitor. And he is amazing. Walks free in the house when I'm home. Sometimes he is chilling with his buddy stella. Stella is a pitbull btw😄. Bigboy (savannah monitor) loves te go anywhere. Even in the bathtub on my front yarn 🤣Only when he hungry he gets a little mad but after a few rats and some cowhart he is a puppy dog🥰
I had a baby Brazilian rainbow boa. I named her Skittles. She was amazing but you are absolutely right. They take MUCH more care. I had to put her in a separate tub to thoroughly steralize the one she was in due to her previous "roommate" and less the 12 hours of lower humidity killed her. :(
I really wish Cuban false chameleons were a more appealing color in oppose to brown. But honestly I think I might consider them. A handleable chameleon sounds cool. And I'm getting my first job soon, so I can save up!
I’ve been really interested about snakes for a while now and have researched how to take care of them. This channel is so informative and fun! I won’t be able to get a snake myself for awhile, but hopefully some day I can be a proud owner of a friendly noodle
Back in 2017 or so Savvies were super trendy. Don't ask me why, people were saying that Savvies and Tegus were basically the same, with slightly different diets and temperature. I'm super glad I went with a Tegu!
I miss my Snow Corn. I got her when she was almost 2 and a half years old from my uncle (he bred her parents together). I got her to just after her 10th birthday before she passed away. She and I bonded very well too. She only bit me once because she saw the mouse in my hand and bit my finger by mistake.
speaking as someone who's had a chameleon i totally agree. I loved her! she was a veiled and i loved her so much! And she was SUPER cool. But. she was hard to handle, very stressful to keep, and took up a lot of time and thought. I'm not going to get another chameleon although I am glad i had her while i did.
Another big snake that I think are really impressive are anacondas. They’re a little harder than bcis or bccs in my opinion but the yellows are a manageable size and once you get the hang of their potentially picky diets they’re great
I have a panther chameleon and he is not wrong, they are a job. I love mine and I really don’t mind the money and effort that is put into keeping him happy, but definitely not a good option for most.
So i bought 2 bearded dragons and had to quickly adapt to their needs. Both have all their stuff they need but mine went lethargic after 2 days of owning her. She was a PETCO special, has no use of her back legs, her brain is not all there and she wants to do nothing but eat lol but i love her. I do agree though on the poop thing with her dragging herself around i have to give baths daily, and she has to be hand fed because if it doesnt move she doesnt know its there. So doing this daily along with my 3 leopards, 2 ball pythons, and my tortoise i can tell you the uvb every 6 months gets pricey.
I really liked this comparison video!! Especially beardies! I see beardies recommended as first-time reptiles all the time, and so many of them don't do well simply because they have been so effectively branded as "easiest/best pet lizard", that people just get them and don't think they have to put time or effort into 'em, and certainly not house them in a properly-sized tank.. Or worse, some parent thinks their kid is responsible enough, but let's be real, a seven-year-old doesn't want to clean up that smelly poop, and isn't going to remember that the UVB light needs changed.. Seen too many beardies with health issues / early deaths to feel right about saying they're the perfect first-time pet / reptile for everybody. It's nice to see a RU-vidr saying "maybe they aren't the best pet" for once. lol
Hello, I'm a viewer from Brazil. There is a lot of things about rainbowboas that most of the people abrod don't seem to know. The Brazilian rainbowboa that you guys have is just one of the 5 types of BRB (beeing 4 species and one "subspeices"), the Epicrates Cenchria Cenchria is the one you guys have there and they have the red and orange coloration, but we also have the Epicrates Cenchria Crassus, Assisi and maurus, they all have more brownish collors, but some can be golden as well, and they range from the size of 1,20m (for maurus) up to 2,20m (for the Cenchria Cenchria), they also vary a lot in humidity requirements, Crassus actualy come from one of the most arid biomes in the world, so you can always find a BRB that feets your needs. IDK about any breeder that breeds these other BRB abrod, but here you can find them at "Jiboias Brasil" and probaly import them.
Epicrates Cenchria Crassus actualy are more docile and they don't need misting or any humidity extra task at all, they are fine in 30-40%, same for assisi
A grumpy Savannah is a happy Savannah is the general rule of thumb for Savies. All monitors are in my opinion is expert. We have two and they are a huge handful and we love them but if you do not interact with them daily then you could be in trouble.
Thank you Ugh it saves me much time and (brain) to research about a reptile. And you as a more experienced reptile keeper, it means alot and really good reality check on it. I'm just into ball pythons hehe boring or not they're chill noodles and I like them alot. 🥰 But I still look and research, I meant that its easiest from a reptile keeper/breeder, go from that and look how other people experienced about their reptiles
A shout-out for Dumeril's Boa. I got one last year and out of 15 snakes, he is my favourite. But I don't think you conveyed their power enough. mine is fully grown and is immensely strong but at the same time intelligent and personable.
Great video. Chameleons- Keep one. Just one and this will change your mind. I kept them actually when I began keeping reptiles and they are COMPLETELY different than other reptiles. Yes, more work but well worth the little bit of extra effort. Just my opinion but I think you would change your mind if you kept a jackson/panther.
Hi Adam, making the request again for Solomon Island ground boa care video:-) I got one about a month ago for free. Nobody wanted her at the show and the vendor didn't want a snake they couldn't sell
I got a boa for my birthday nearly 5 years ago and I'm growing him slow. He's still growing and is about 5 and a half foot just now. He's got some Hogg Island in him so didn't really expect him to even get this big but I know he's still got the potential to get bigger and I'm ok with that!!!
Also if you have ur heart set on a monitor(dont like tegus because they can drop their tails) an ackie monitor is a badass monitor and doesnt get overly big and has an amazing attitude.
LOL, how different things can be. Long years ago I got a Savannah Monitor that was anything else than tamed because it wasn't treated well after the original owner had an accident and fell into a coma for several months. His family didn't know much about the monitor and didn't really care. When I got him it was really a beast. But I took my time treated him well and after a few weeks I've been able to handle him without running danger of getting bitten. Another few weeks later the monitor was just as tame as a puppy and I really could walk him on a leash just like a dog. Of course not a dog leash it was more like a cat leash. He loved being cuddled and petted and you could handfeed him and he never confused my hand with the food. Complete opposite were 2 Tegus that I got, both adult ones. Almost identical background, not treated well, nobody really had cared about the Tegus and they've been really wild. And there was no chance to calm them down or even tame them. Maybe it was exceptional but me for myself would rather go for another Savannah Monitor than a Tegu although I can't keep reptiles anymore due to health issues.
As someone who has cared for almost every animal on this list I 100% agree with your list of not to get and list of replacements. The only ones I haven't cared for are false chameleons and tegus but have heard good things. I have cared for all the ones on the don't list and would never own them.personally.
I have a bci and a brb. I love my bci. My brb was supposed to be a foster but her owner decided he didn't want her and has been a rough learning experience.
i’m sorry but my heart is set on a brazilian rainbow boa😂 i’m not getting one until i’m more experienced and have a job that allows it or friends that are willing to help out whenever needed. they’re just so beautiful and worth it in my opinion
I guess I got really lucky with my Savannah Monitor, he was as tame as all heck. He would sometimes hiss at me when I'd touch the top of his head, but never tried to bite me outside of food drive.
@@WickensWickedReptiles thanks for the reply, love your videos, Sir. Sykes was actually kind of little, he has long since passed, 2009, but he only got up to 2.5 feet, which is below average for a Savvy I believe.
I cant say enough good things about my Brazilian Rainbow Boa I had him from about 2 years old and he was undersized due to the previous owner not feeding him correctly he was very well behaved and only bit me a handful of times and this was my fault due to my stupidity. Main thing is with these snakes is daily spraying with a water bottle keeping humidity above 70% a PVC vivarium as wooden will rot in about a year. They love to climb so plenty of sturdy branches/perches for this snake, large water bowl too.
if you want a skink that has more personality than a Blue Tongue Skink but has the almost the same care requirements and require less space get a African Fire Skink they get 15 inches long and they can be cohabitated too unlike Blue Tongue Skink which is awesome
@@WickensWickedReptiles its kind of ironic how you replied right as I'm watching another one of your videos and yes I agree I should of also mentioned Schnieder skinks as well.
Haven't had a tegu yet but 4 Savannah all great temperament big boy's great pets need interaction alot. also blue tongue skinks awesome 1 of the best laid back beautiful lizards ever
I have a veiled chameleon and I agree 100 percent with what u said they are a whole lot of work and u rlly gotta figure that shit out before u get one :)