Has your child become fascinated by reptiles? Is your little one asking for a pet? These can be tricky waters to navigate. As you may know, it’s not uncommon for children to beg for pets, only to lose interest in them. A local Oshawa, ON vet discusses getting a child a pet reptile below.

Benefits

There are some benefits to getting a pet reptile. For one thing, they are quite beautiful and can be fascinating to watch. They don’t smell, don’t need training, and are very quiet. They also won’t chew your shoes or demand attention. Plus, many of the reptiles that are suitable for children don’t take up much space. Last but not least, they also often require minimal daily care.

Things To Consider

Reptiles are great, but they do have some drawbacks. Longevity is one factor. Some of our scaled friends have quite long life expectancies! Many live to be 20 or even older. A seven-year old child really can’t know where they will be that far down the road, so think carefully before proceeding. Size is another thing to consider. That adorable baby iguana won’t stay small for long! Also, keep in mind that reptiles eat things like bugs and worms. You won’t be able to pick up canned food at a grocery store. You’ll also need to provide a suitable habitat, which may increase your power bill.

Choosing A Reptile

If you’ve thought things through carefully and decided to proceed, the next step is to decide what type of reptile to get. Bearded dragons are a good choice. They’re very pretty, and only grow to be about two feet long. They rarely live beyond ten years, which may be another benefit. Leopard geckos are also very cute, and can be appropriate pets for mature children. They only get to be about a foot long and, like beardies, rarely live over a decade. The blue-tongued skink, another cute, fairly small lizard, also makes our list. These little guys do live longer than Leopard geckos and beardies, but they are known to enjoy having their chins scratched, which isn’t always a given with reptiles. Of course, there are other options out there. Do some research, and ask your vet for advice. Do you have questions about pet reptiles? Call us! As your Oshawa, ON vet clinic, we are dedicated to offering great reptile care.