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Lizard Cage

Here are some great tips on buying a lizard cage for your pet lizard ...

My twelve year old son has been asking for a lizard as a pet for two years. I am not fond of reptiles and have not wanted one in our home, especially when it seems that the care and clean up of the family pets’ falls on me. My husband feels that now that our son is twelve he should have the responsibility to care for his own pet. My son has promised that he will be responsible and that the lizard can live in his room. I have agreed as long as the lizard cage is very secure. I do not want the surprise of a lizard crawling around the house.

We made a trip to the pet store to check out the kinds of lizards that are available as well as a lizard cage. My son brought along his birthday money so that the lizard would truly be his. The owner of the pet store likes lizards and was very excited to educate us about them and the care that they need. The pet store had a huge assortment of lizards and the lizard cage to keep them in.  They also had lizard tanks. The choice of a tank or lizard cage is up to the individual. He told us that most people keep both a cage and tank so that the lizard would have a warm environment with the tank and the ability to do more climbing in the cage. My son was concerned that he did not have enough birthday money to pay for both. I thought the tank looked more secure, but I also thought it may be harder to keep clean than the lizard cage. The owner of the pet store told us that lizards are quite clean animals; however their living space needs to be thoroughly cleaned every two weeks to keep them healthy. My son picked out which lizard he wanted and also the lizard cage. I decided to purchase the lizard tank for him so that he would have a place to put the lizard while he was cleaning the cage, and vice versa. 

I was surprised when the pet owner asked if we rented or owned our home. I told him that we owned our home and inquired why he was asking. He stated that in some counties in the state that we live in will not allow you to have reptiles at a rental property. I thought this was strange, but he stated that if reptiles are not properly cared for they can spread salmonella bacteria. He went on to say that if you run a daycare center in your home you are not allowed to have reptiles for the same reason. I was very concerned about this, but my son again reassured me that he would take good care of the lizard.

Besides the lizard cage and tank we also had to purchase food and a vitamin that you mist the lizard with to keep it healthy. This has been quite an investment for a twelve year old. Time will tell if he is up to the challenge of caring for a lizard and properly maintaining the lizard cage and tank.

For more information about reptiles, pet lizards, turtles, snakes and indoor terrariums, see the "resources" section of this website, or go to articles about reptiles.