Mexican spiny tail iguanas. Ctenosaura pectinata. This variety is called "banana pectinata" due to the yellow colors.
If you are in to lizards, you can't do much better than this. They are dog tame, and I mean dog tame. They come to you just because they want to. The first one I ever saw was a juvenile and the owner slid the door open, called the lizard and it came out of its hide and calmly walked right up her arm and onto her shoulder. She then handed the lizard to my daughter and it sat/explored/hung out on her for the duration of our visit. Here is that lizard. It was only a few months old and not colored up yet:
Around that same time, several years ago, I saw these at a private tortoise facility in AZ. This is an adult pair, male and female:
It took me a few years, but I finally got my own. A friend of a friend has two pair and breeds them. Here is mom and dad:
And here are my new babies!
I knew that as adults they become super calm, comfortable with people and tame. I had no idea HOW tame, and I had no idea the babies would be so tame. They just calmly climb onto any offered hand and tongue flick almost immediately. Tongue flicking is an exploratory behavior and generally indicates that a lizard is relaxed and comfortable with its surroundings. When they are stressed or scared, they don't tongue flick.
They will stay mostly indoors as babies, but they will live in a large rocky, arboreal style outdoor cage when they get bigger. I'll give them a heated night box like the tortoises. These guys thrive in hot weather. The parents were in the sun basking in the guy's 100 degree backyard when I picked up the babies last week. They had shade available, but they were sitting in the sun.
As babies they eat 90% bugs and 10% greens. As adults they eat 90% greens and 10% bugs. The breeder had two main care details for me, other than all the usual lizard stuff: 1. Keep them hydrated. He said his don't really drink from bowls, so I am to spray the babies several times a day. It totally works. They lick up the drops and drink at every spray. I soak them in shallow water too, and that seems to work. 2. Give them a hot basking area. This species likes to get warm during the day.
I bought 10 of them intending to sell or trade a few to friends and family. Let me know if you want one or a few. I'll keep a few and then buy some more from another source to make pairs or trios for breeding. I'll keep the adults in 8x8 cubes outside, with a night box attached. Those will be a super fun build, and I'll make. thread on that when the time comes. I'll start building this winter when the weather is cooler. Its miserable outside mid day here right now. 100-108 every day.
It should come as no surprise to anyone here that I'm eager to talk about them. Questions and comments welcome!
If you are in to lizards, you can't do much better than this. They are dog tame, and I mean dog tame. They come to you just because they want to. The first one I ever saw was a juvenile and the owner slid the door open, called the lizard and it came out of its hide and calmly walked right up her arm and onto her shoulder. She then handed the lizard to my daughter and it sat/explored/hung out on her for the duration of our visit. Here is that lizard. It was only a few months old and not colored up yet:
Around that same time, several years ago, I saw these at a private tortoise facility in AZ. This is an adult pair, male and female:
It took me a few years, but I finally got my own. A friend of a friend has two pair and breeds them. Here is mom and dad:
And here are my new babies!
I knew that as adults they become super calm, comfortable with people and tame. I had no idea HOW tame, and I had no idea the babies would be so tame. They just calmly climb onto any offered hand and tongue flick almost immediately. Tongue flicking is an exploratory behavior and generally indicates that a lizard is relaxed and comfortable with its surroundings. When they are stressed or scared, they don't tongue flick.
They will stay mostly indoors as babies, but they will live in a large rocky, arboreal style outdoor cage when they get bigger. I'll give them a heated night box like the tortoises. These guys thrive in hot weather. The parents were in the sun basking in the guy's 100 degree backyard when I picked up the babies last week. They had shade available, but they were sitting in the sun.
As babies they eat 90% bugs and 10% greens. As adults they eat 90% greens and 10% bugs. The breeder had two main care details for me, other than all the usual lizard stuff: 1. Keep them hydrated. He said his don't really drink from bowls, so I am to spray the babies several times a day. It totally works. They lick up the drops and drink at every spray. I soak them in shallow water too, and that seems to work. 2. Give them a hot basking area. This species likes to get warm during the day.
I bought 10 of them intending to sell or trade a few to friends and family. Let me know if you want one or a few. I'll keep a few and then buy some more from another source to make pairs or trios for breeding. I'll keep the adults in 8x8 cubes outside, with a night box attached. Those will be a super fun build, and I'll make. thread on that when the time comes. I'll start building this winter when the weather is cooler. Its miserable outside mid day here right now. 100-108 every day.
It should come as no surprise to anyone here that I'm eager to talk about them. Questions and comments welcome!
! They are wonderful. So interesting that the pectinata are so calm. I understand that the Ctenosaurus similis is supposed to be the world's fastest lizard? Anyway, congratulations on your new adorable little green babies!
