Pet Lizards

[Itort]

I've noticed a number of the members also keep lizards. I was wondering what kinds and why you keep that type ? I myself keep bluetongue skinks. They have similar husbandry to the torts, are very personable, and are livebearing (placental like).

 

[Cameron]

I have an 8 month old "Extreme Giant" B&W tegu. He is amazing! They are very intelligent reptiles. I have kept leopard geckos, tokays, and blue tongue skinks and savannah monitors, but tegus are BY FAR my favorite. They get large (which i like!) and they tame down real well. Plus, they are absolutey gorgeous (at least mine is....!).

 

[ChiKat]

I have two leopard geckos. I got them when I was 14 and they are both about 8-years old now. I was obsessed with them when I was younger.

 

[chadk]

leopard geckos, bearded dragons, water dragons. But I just re-homed the beardie and 2 water dragons.

 

[Tom]

One seventeen year old green iguana, one red tegu, one black and white tegu on the way, seven blackthroated monitors.

I just like big, non-violent lizards. The iguana is my wifes'. I've kept just about every species available in the pet trade and the tegus and blackthroats are just my favorites. They get big, they are pretty, hardy, easy to feed and care for, they live well outside in my climate with very little effort, I have what they need on hand or easily accessible. They are intelligent and as Larry (Itort) said: When you look them in the eye "there is somebody home". These three species tend to be really tame and personable, very easy to handle, fun to watch... I could go on and on.

 

[latshki]

good to know your into the real lizards Tom
I am a varanid guy at heart but can only keep a few ackies due to space and the cost of rats here are nuts
but I have one of m favorites, I have a prehensile tail skink he was a rescue that I got for 150$
he didnt have heat or uv for 9 years and was being fed lettuce
I also have about 15 leopards geckos
a veiled chameleon
2 beardies
2 fat tail geckos
a crestie
and a yellow throated plated lizard

 

[Tom]

I love the chameleons too. I've really been fighting the urge to get another one. Meller's are my favorite, but I like the veiled and panther's too.

 

[Itort]

good to know your into the real lizards Tom
I am a varanid guy at heart but can only keep a few ackies due to space and the cost of rats here are nuts
but I have one of m favorites, I have a prehensile tail skink he was a rescue that I got for 150$
he didnt have heat or uv for 9 years and was being fed lettuce
I also have about 15 leopards geckos
a veiled chameleon
2 beardies
2 fat tail geckos
a crestie
and a yellow throated plated lizard

You have a prehensile tail skink. How is it doing with heat, humidity, and a decent diet? These one of my dream lizards, to have a colony of them.

 

[Tom]

I had one for a while, but I got rid of it since they are nocturnal. The cage was in my bedroom and the damn thing was always up all night making a huge racket. Everything else was sleeping, but he'd be up knocking things around and rearranging the cage. I'd sit up and shine the flashlight at him and he'd just look at me like, "What?". He found a new home quickly.

 

[Seiryu]

I have two male, 4 year old Green Basilisk. Was really drawn to their colors even though, they are one of the most skittish lizards I have seen. But I knew that coming in when I got them.

A few years of handling though and once I get them in my hands, they are actually calm. Getting them out of their huge cage is a different story

 

[latshki]

the skink is doing great
it makes me feel good to watch him improve, he went from being barely able to walk and just dragging himself across his cage and not being able to climb at all
now he is climbing and can pick his body up quite a bit, the only thing I wish I could make better is his fingers
he has almost no toes or claws so clmbing is somewhat slow going for him

Tom I love the chams but I wish i didn't get mine from a chain store
when I got him he had a bit of MBD and vit A deficiency so his tongue only extends a few inches and the vets here say there isn't any hope for it to go back to normal
and to top it all of my cat jumped on his cage which ripped the screen and the bulb burnt his back and that caused him to have a peice of his back literally fall of, it is amazing how well it healed it looked so terrible then he shed one day and bam it was like a bandage coming off
the worse part was he didn't eat for two months so he's pretty thin now
but i love him and we've been through a lot together

 

[Tom]

Calyptratus do that sometimes. I mean the hunger strike thing. I have never figured that one out. My first one years ago did this to me. After six months I gave up and gave him to an experienced chameleon guy. He ate for that guy within minutes of putting him in the cage, with me still standing right there. I tried EVERYTHING. I'd love to solve this reptile mystery someday.

Sorry to hear about your poor guys misfortune. That's one reason why I haven't jumped on the screen cage bandwagon. Humidity, being the other.

 

[latshki]

Im getting out of using screen cages
I'm making an enclosure with just the door and top being screen so three sides will be wood

 

[Tom]

Everyone will think you are weird and tell you you are wrong, but you and I know better.

 

[latshki]

there are so many things like that and the varanid world and leopard gecko scene is the worst
for varanids its the free roaming dog food eating sav vs the dirty burrowing agile varanus exanthematicus

and the leopard geckos people bicker about sand and impaction and how sand = instant death