Your son or daughter has been asking for a puppy for months, but the thought of taking a dog outside in the rain and house training it doesn't appeal to you. Then, you are asked for a lizard. It may seem like a compromise- your child gets a pet, and the pet stays in a cage

After all, just how tough can it be to raise a reptile?

Very, depending on the type, according to Melissa Kaplan, author of Iguanas for Dummies. Reptile owners sometimes have to go to great lengths to help their new pets adapt to living in captivity-- just to live. People interested in taking a reptile in as a pet should consider the following:

It takes work to make a home as close to the reptile's natural environment as possible. "Owners must spend a great deal of time-and money-working to keep their reptile's enclosure warm enough or cool enough, and dry enough or humid enough, or the reptile will sicken and die. What works to provide the right temperatures and humidity during the summer may not be enough during the winter," Kaplan wrote.

Not all vets are trained to care for reptiles. Research vets in your area. If there are none who treat reptiles in your area, decide how far you're willing to travel and be sure there is one within that distance.

Their food does not come neatly packaged on the grocery store shelves. Most lizards and snakes are partial to live prey. To avoid a scene from "Animal Kingdom" in your living room, and as a more humane method, they should be served killed prey. If you cannot find a pet store that provides killed prey, you will need to do it yourself or buy in bulk from breeders. It will need to be kept frozen which means, "in the freezer, amongst the chicken and ice cream, is a bag or two of mousicles..." Other foods, such as crickets and mealworms, need to be fed live. If the thought is too much to handle, carnivorous species are not for your family.

They take up space.

Many reptiles reach adult size in a year or two. Kaplan said that there are no commercially-made enclosures large enough to house iguanas and many snakes. Reptiles confined in too small an area may cause severe illness and behavior problems.

Some types are much more suitable for beginners than others.

If you are still interested in reptiles, research different types carefully. Kaplan said some, like the leopard gecko and savanna monitor are much better for beginners than turtles, lizards or iguanas.

She recommends that prospective reptile owners check with local herpetology societies or rescue groups as well as email discussion groups. For more information, see www.anapsid.org.