Good Starter Reptiles

[Syn]

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My personal favorite for geckos is a Crested gecko, they're quite hardy, also kids (and me!) love the "sticky" toes, . They're one of the few lizards that can be sustained (although it's not their ideal diet) solely on baby food, and a good cage for them is a 10g tank turned on end for a arboreal habitat, with a little substrate and plants.

Where the H-e-double hockey sticks did you hear they can be sustained on baby food?
Their bones will be thin as toothpicks, they do NOT get enough calcium and D3 and what they NEED, BABIES need 10gs VERTICAL, yes,..
But as an adult they should have no less than 20 gallons or more per gecko!!
I know you said it wasn't an ideal diet, but just to suggest it is very VERY .. just terrible.

They need to be fed Repashy Crested Gecko Diet (Or Meal Replacement Formula.)

I'm sorry but that is the worst information I have heard about crested geckos in a while...

GREAT example of a gecko that was fed baby food.
Courtesy bertopia of Pangea forums.

You can find whta they SHOULD look like on my rhacodactylus thread.

Any type of gecko is great as a first pet, but most drop their tails.. so it will be an issue.
I would suggest a snake like a ball python or a corn... but kids, eh? Bearded dragon might be your best bet...