From Lizzie to Bilbo: Our Reptile Adventure
Our family’s journey into the world of reptiles began in a way we didn’t quite expect. What started with Kiley’s curiosity about snakes soon turned into a fascinating, sometimes challenging, and always rewarding adventure that now includes over 15 reptiles of all shapes and sizes. (Including batches of babies…)
How It All Started: Lizzie the Leopard Gecko
It all began with our 5-year-old daughter, who developed a keen interest in reptiles after watching Snake Discovery videos. She was absolutely fascinated by snakes, and her dream was to have one as a pet. My wife shared her enthusiasm, and they both decided that a hognose snake would be the perfect first reptile.
But as much as I love animals, I was a little uneasy about having a snake in the house, especially for a first pet. So, I suggested we start with a lizard instead. After a bit of discussion, my wife and daughter decided on a leopard gecko.
In February of 2024, we made an afternoon trip to a local nursery, hoping to find a reptile-friendly educational event.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it into the event, as it was sold out. I quickly sprang into action, not wanting to let my daughter down, and figured it would be a great idea to stop at a local big box pet store and check out the reptiles they had! That could be educational right? Well, that plan escalated within minutes of spying a group of leopard geckos, and we ended up coming home with our first pet lizard. We named her Lizzie—well, my daughter hoped she was a "she" (though we never had her sexed, that’s a mystery for another time).and out
Enter Reptile #2 - Bearded Dragon: Bilbo Draggins #1 & #2
A week later, after a bit more research, I decided I wanted a bearded dragon. The family agreed, and off to the big box store we went again, picking up a 40-gallon kit and a baby bearded dragon. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts to provide the proper husbandry and care, our first baby dragon struggled to eat and didn’t seem to thrive. It barely ate one or two crickets over the course of three weeks, even though I researched and followed all the guidelines for proper care.
We ended up returning that baby dragon, and the store advised they would take it to a vet. But when we received a second baby dragon, things didn’t improve, even after bringing this one to a local exotic vet ourselves and following their instruction. That’s when we began to dig deeper into the world of pet reptiles. We soon discovered that, much like puppy mills, the reptiles in big box stores are often not cared for in the best conditions. We realized the importance of getting animals from reputable breeders rather than big box stores. Much like the morality issues with puppy mills, reptiles for sale in these circumstances go through the same thing. But we were new to this, uneducated, and I believe that’s the case for most families that walk into these stores in search of new pet animals.
Finding a Reputable Breeder
Sadly, we took our second baby bearded dragon back, asked for our money back, and began looking for a reputable breeder. After some research, we found a captive-bred baby bearded dragon from a breeder with a good reputation on Morph Market. While we waited for him to arrive, we also learned that a 4x2x2 (120 gallon) enclosure is the minimum recommended size for a bearded dragon, so we purchased one.
In the meantime, we decided to transfer Lizzie the leopard gecko into the sterilized 40-gallon breeder, setting up a proper environment with hides and a tile floor instead of the reptile carpet in the 20-gallon kit we had purchased with her back in February.
Bilbo Draggins the 3rd Enters the Picture
When our new baby bearded dragon arrived, he was placed in his new 4x2x2 enclosure. The results were almost immediate—within an hour, he gobbled up 10 crickets and has thrived ever since. We named him Bilbo Draggins as well, and he quickly became the star of our reptile family. My daughter has a fascination for Teen Titans Go, so she named this one and the previous two Beastboy as an alternative. But this little dude was Dads’ mini-dragon, and he is a huge Lord of the Rings & Hobbit fan!
Growing Our Reptile Family
Since early 2024, things escalated quickly and we’ve gone from owning two reptiles to a thriving collection of 15! This includes:
5 Snakes
4 Geckos
2 Green Keeled Bellied Lizards
2 Uromastyx (Geyri)
1 Bearded Dragon
1 Blue Tongue Skink
Oh, and we’re currently incubating 12 Uromastyx eggs (but that’s another story for another time)! We plan to post information and pictures for each one of our reptiles in Kiley’s Kritters Reptile Family section, so you can check them out!
Reflecting on the Journey
Our reptile journey has been full of learning, growth, and even some unexpected twists. From Lizzie the leopard gecko to our ever-expanding reptile family, we’ve experienced the highs and lows of pet ownership. We’ve learned a lot along the way about proper care, the importance of reputable breeders, and how rewarding it can be to watch our reptiles thrive in their new homes.
As we continue to grow our collection, we’re excited to share our experiences and lessons with others. Our plan is to post about each and every one (or pair) of our reptiles, sharing their stories, along with the information we’ve learned and applied to their care. We hope our journey will help others in their own reptile adventures and foster a greater appreciation for these incredible creatures.
Reptile keeping and providing proper care is a journey, and keep in mind that depending on species, can be a lifelong one, we’re just getting started!
