People often think of reptiles as scary, poisonous, aggressive, and dangerous. Reptiles aren’t as bad as you think; lizards can also cuddle and play with you if they are well trained. Reptiles make better pets than cats and dogs – here are some reasons why.

Reptiles are less expensive than other pets

Having a dog or a cat costs a lot more than on lizards. Most people spend around $500 in total expenses to adopt a dog or cat, get supplies, and cover initial medical costs. If you choose to buy a dog instead of adopting for free, it may cost an additional 30 to 300 dollars. Having reptiles as pets can range from 300 USD to 500 USD in total expense, this is determined by which kinds of reptiles you choose. The least expensive reptiles are small lizards like geckos and bearded lizards, and their total costs can range from 250 USD to 300 USD.

Reptiles require less attention and overall care

Having a dog or cat is a huge burden, from walking them day and night to cleaning their hair. Dogs and cats need a lot of care. Lizards, on the other hand, are a lot easier to take care of. Lizards don’t need constant walks and cleaning. The main thing the owner has to beware of is their feces, but lizards can be trained to poop in a certain place. Also, lizards shed every two to three months.

Reptiles don’t do annoying things that dogs and cats do

Dogs bark at things, steal food, chew and bite everything, and bark nonstop. Cats bring dead rats and weird stuff in your house, beg for food nonstop, wake you up very early to get food, and puke hairballs. Reptiles don’t do any of these things. Most lizards eat once per week, don’t bark, don’t wake up early, and won’t destroy things in the house if you let your reptiles roam free.

Reptiles still behave like cats and dogs by wanting attention

People often think reptiles are stone-cold killers with no feeling, but that idea is very wrong. Lots of reptiles need attention, and the reason they are aggressive towards humans is that you are either in their territory or threatening them.

Reptiles look cool

Dogs and cats look weak, but having a 1-meter long lizard will be the dopest thing you own. There is also a variety of lizards: there are cute ones and mean ones. Geckos have huge eyes with a cute little smile. If you want to have a tough-looking lizard, tegus or iguanas are your best choice.

My experience owning reptiles

I have a cat, a dog, three chameleons, and one tegu. The cat and dog are stray animals that we adopted, and the reptiles were bought from stores or personal breeders. The dog barks every day which is extremely annoying and hard to control. The cat scratches furniture and drops hair everywhere he goes in the house.

My tegu and the chameleons are different though; chameleons usually stay in their cages and roam around in there and they need less attention than the tegu. I usually let them out when the weather isn’t that cold.

My tegu is the easiest to take care of all the animals I have. I usually spend around an hour a week cleaning hair and feeding the dog and cat, and I spend half an hour on three of my chameleons every morning. For the tegu, I spend an average of 10 to fifteen minutes taking care of him every day. But I love spending time with him.

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Reptiles are great pets and everyone should understand reptiles cost less, are easier to clean and take care of, and still want attention. Reptiles are good for all pet lovers, from beginners to advanced. People should understand reptiles before being scared of them.