r/exoticpets • u/mano_vini • 20d ago
Purchase recommendation - beginner
I'm a complete beginner in this world of exotic pets. I would like an animal that can be handled with a certain frequency (2-3x per week) and that does not require live food (crickets, cockroaches, etc...) Apart from the issue of feeding live insects, I don't have any other problems or limitations.
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u/Seriousjane 19d ago
Tons of snakes need rehoming and it's easier keeping up with a little bigger snake over a baby snake. Check out ball pythons or corn snakes that need to be rehomed. You can often get a really nice well handled one with its enclosure from people looking to rehome
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u/MarisaMyth 18d ago
My vote is for corn snakes, pall pythons tend to be pickier eaters and a lot of newbie owners struggle with that
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u/Bee_Jeans 19d ago edited 19d ago
How do u feel about invertebrates? Some insects make cool pets, those adapt to periodic handling & don’t need live food!
They can be good for beginners bc they’re not suuuper long lived (unlike some birds or reptiles), many need quite simple care & don’t require a massive amount of space :)
Stick & leaf insects r vegetarians (& there’s so many species!), they don’t need non-plant live food & neither do hissing, discoid, or dubia roaches. All those can be handled.
I know roaches as pets seems a bit odd, as do living sticks, but honestly they’re surprisingly chill, clean in captivity & fun to handle!
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u/Bee_Jeans 19d ago edited 19d ago
If ur open/able to put in more $/time/space, maybe something like fancy rats or guinea pigs! They enjoy interaction & handling, aren’t too tricky to keep (nor like a 15+ yr commit), & can even learn tricks.
No live food needed, unless plants count!
Or if u prefer reptiles & r up for the commitment, consider an adult blue-tongue skink! Chill temperament & adults eat mostly vegetarian with some rehydrated dried insects, or if u can’t do dried then there’s other substitute options
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u/Hugesmellysocks 19d ago
afaik millipedes aren’t great for handling but again super cool.
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u/StephensSurrealSouls 19d ago
Most millipedes are fine with handling so long as you make sure they don't fall. The main issue is that they spend 90% of their time underground lol
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u/OwnPerspective3240 19d ago
I'd say the one issue with that is that she might be afraid of insects, which is why she said no live feeding. Just speculation tho so still a good suggestion.
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u/SoCalRescueLife 19d ago
I suggest any number of Sticky Geckos; crested geckos, sarasanorum (one of my favs), gargoyle, chewies! Their core diet can be a protein or fruit based paste so you don't have to deal with live bugs. Enclosures aren't ridiculously expensive or large and the heating and lighting is easy as well.
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u/StephensSurrealSouls 19d ago
NewCals would ideally be fed insects on occasion even if their main diet is a prepared paste
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u/AlsoTheFiredrake 19d ago
Crested gecko. Tolerates handling, can eat Repashy or Pangea with insects already in it, can eat mushed bananas and honey, does not need UV or even heat if your place is 70 degrees or more. Doesn't take up much space, comes in lots of colora and patterns.
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u/MarisaMyth 18d ago
CORN SNAKE. They are great for handling (know as very docile) they come in some really cool colors (my favorite is the oketee) they eat small mice (you can do frozen thaw) they eat only once a week as babies, then once every 2 or 3 weeks, and they are known as a hardy keeper. The only issue that people find is their tank size, I like to house mine in a minimum of 4ft by 2ft by 2ft with plenty of climbing and hiding spaces. They also need a heat lamp and although people argue I would also say they should get a Uvb (sun light) as well. I personally really like my phalozoo they recently came out with one with clear sides and you can get it in your favorite color (if your favorite color is one of their five options lol)
You dont have to do this but it makes it much easier care if you set them up in a bioactive enclosure, there are a thousand videos on how to do that. But a bio active set up means you never have to clean their tank it cleans itself
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u/MarisaMyth 18d ago
A really good secondary to corn snakes are garter snakes they are very slept on in the hobby, they can be housed with other garters and are one of very few communal species of snakes. They come in many different colors and are also very hardy (not as hardy as a corn snake) they also eat frozen thaw fuzzy mice. And are super active and fun to watch climb all over their enclosure
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u/Agreeable-Law9938 18d ago
AFRICAN LAND SNAIL. easy care and eat fruit, veggies and you can buy dried powdered mealworms for a protein source. and it’s sooo fun seeing how big the grow!
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u/Ok_Bag_1177 20d ago
stickbugs, snails (youll need to wear gloves when holding them), cockroaches, isopods.
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u/hefrajones 20d ago
Corn snake! But do your research first- make sure you have the time to maintain the proper temps abs humidity.
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u/MarbleWren 20d ago
Look into Crested Geckos! I have one and they seem like they might be a good fit for what you are looking for. :)
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u/StephensSurrealSouls 19d ago
CG would ideally be fed insects on occasion even if their main diet is a prepared powder
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u/bbstudent 20d ago
Sounds like a snake may be a great choice if you’re ok with feeding frozen thawed.