If you are just starting out with reptiles, a good choice for an easy to raise lizard is the leopard gecko.
The leopard gecko has two very big advantages. First, it does not get very big. Second, a leopard gecko has been kept and bred in captivity since the 1920s, and is among the healthiest lizards and easiest to keep.
A juvenile gecko is quite active, but as they mature they become rather quiet and tame, and can be held and will take food from your fingers.
The adult gecko does not get larger than nine or ten inches, and can be handled by older children. Even younger children can hold them, but make sure they are supervised to handle the gecko gently and to avoid picking them up by the tail, or holding the tail tightly.
As with other lizards in the reptile family, their tails can break off easily. It is not desirable, but it is not a major disaster either. The tail will re-grow, though it will never look exactly the same as the original tail
Leopard geckos are easily kept in an aquarium or other plastic cage, as long as each gecko has at least ten inches square of floor space. The cage should be a minimum of twelve inches high.
Have a shallow bowl for water that doesn’t spill as the lizards crawl into or over it. The food bowl for the gecko can be something about the size and shape of the lid for a gallon jar, a larger flat area.
You will be using crickets or other insects as food, and it is better if the food remains in the food bowl. You can buy live crickets at most pet store very inexpensively, though it is not a sight for the squeamish.
Continued in Owning a Reptile as a Pet Part 2