I've noticed that reptiles as pets get a really bad rap.
When I tell people I've got lizards, they shrink away, wrinkle their nose and otherwise make very physical signs of their apparent disgust.
"Aren't they slimy?"
"Don't they bite?"
"But they carry diseases!"
"They're stupid, you can't interact with them."
"They're unfriendly and don't make good pets."
"They're so high maintenance!"
None of these statements are true. I've got two Chinese Water Dragons, a male and a female.
(For reference,
He's not mine, but that's a good example of one.)
They are the most friendly, beautiful, fun and interactive animals I've ever met. In truth, they can be more satisfying than a dog or a cat. Iorith, my male, loves to cuddle up with me and sit on my shoulder when we go out. He's affectionate and very trusting of me. He lets me play around with his tail, flip him upside down, put him in his harness with very minimal struggle and he has never, not even once, flared his hood or opened his jaws to tell me to back off. I have never experienced an aggressive sign from either of these wonderful lizards. Any time I walk by the tank, they scratch at the glass and dance around to get my attention, sometimes running around in circles in the hopes that I'll pick them up.
They're lovely with strangers and even kids too, calmly closing their eyes and letting the new people touch them without hassle.
The information and books I've read all glaringly inform me that 'Chinese Water Dragons are un-handlable lizards with skittish temperaments that are quick to aggress.' I'm wondering just who wrote these books and how were they treating these poor lizards? The books also say that Chinese Water Dragons demand insanely meticulous care to even be remotely happy. They require mist generators, tanks big enough to insert yourself into, entire walls of greenery that must always be kept wet, and all sorts of over-extravagant rubbish.
I have a 45-gallon tank. That is big enough for the both of them to zip around, swim, bask, hunt, eat, and play in. I chop up lettuce, caille, carrots, and give small amounts of peas and corn, as well as a good supplement of large crickets and other bugs I can find. They are bedded in sand, which requires you to scoop out once a week like kitty litter, and requires you to replace the entire sand bedding once a year. I always make sure they have fresh water available and believe me that's not exactly rocket science. I spray the tank with a spritzer bottle once a day. My lizards have never once "complained" via stress signs or any other means that an animal uses to communicate with.
Lizards are not slimy at all, and in fact people are quite surprised when they touch them for the first time. 'They're so soft!' they sometimes exclaim. It's true -- Their scales are so fine that it feels very soft, but not smooth to the touch. A lizard's body is very dry.
It's the same with snakes. Snakes require the same basic care described above with the exception that they are to be fed a mouse approximately once a week for commonly captive kept snakes such as Corn Snakes and Ball Pythons. You can even train your snake to eat frozen mice. Snakes are very intelligent, affectionate animals that get a horrible reputation. Snakes are not slimy either -- They are wonderful to the touch and there is nothing quite like the sensation of a snake sliding across your skin. They have wonderful muscular control and amazingly can grip onto almost any surface even without limbs. You can quite comfortably take a snake out on the town with you and it will calmly wind itself into a comfortable position which usually I find, is neatly wrapped around the forearm.
I'd recommend Ball Pythons for the first time snake owner as they're a lot more of a docile snake, whereas Corn Snakes tend to be a little more explorative. Ball Pythons are quite happy to be your 'gauntlet' for the evening, and will wrap around you quite happily for hours at a time, soaking up your body warmth. No, constrictors will not squeeze you. You don't smell like their food - And the extremely rare cases in which this happens, the snake has not been fed enough or something silly like that and the media loves to exaggerate. Ball Pythons don't get as large as many other constrictors as well, certainly not large enough to kill and eat you. Besides, snakes are smart. They learn to recognise you. They know your face, the vibrations of your voice, and that you feed them. They are very responsive to touch and quite enjoy being petted and stroked. It's comforting to them, just like it is to just about any other animal.
Once again, snakes are really low-maintenance, too, and there aren't many venomous ones sold as pets either to my recollection.
So if you're considering taking an animal into your home as a pet, consider a reptile. There are lots out there that need homes and just aren't thought of. They're misunderstood, people are misinformed, and they get a bad reputation for being "creepy." From scratch, you can get a functional setup complete with reptile for a little over $300 if you look in the right places. (My finishing bill was $315.16) in Canadian dollars. Relatively inexpensive.
-- Edit
Also, as for the diseases, make sure you get a captive bred animal. Most pet stores exclusively sell captive bred, as wild caught animals are obviously more unruly and CAN carry diseases such as Salmonella. However if you find out the source of the animals, suppliers are generally reputable people.
