What's everyone favorite lizards??

So far we've got cresties, gargs, and crocodile skinks. What does everyone else have that are pretty easy to care for?

Blue tongue skink! - great animals.

I have a Savannah that I love... and a few beardies that I also love... I'm looking to get some red eyed croc skinks hopefully in a few months...

I like the leopard geckos the most. They are really easy to breed and care for. Also recently got an adult female blue tongue

Gila Monster!!!!

TheRealYoda34 wrote:

I have a Savannah that I love... and a few beardies that I also love... I'm looking to get some red eyed croc skinks hopefully in a few months...

We just got our croc skinks yesterday! They are awesome! They're a little skiddish still, but they just look so cool! I love alligaotors and crocs though!

I have recently noticed the amount of people that love BTS! Compared to bearded dragons which do you think is easier to care for? I used to have a bearded dragon.

I like tokay geckos.

jw wrote:

I like tokay geckos.

Tokay geckos are SOO awesome looking! However, theyscare me haha. It's amazing to me how a little gecko can have so much attitude! The first time i went to a reptile show, I didn't know what they were and asked to hold one..haha, they laughed at me.

Blue tongue skink best and easiest lizzard Ive ever had. and Gila Monsters also easy to take care of.

Arent Gila monsters venomous? Otherwise I think they are cool looking, as well as BTS

Yes they are. Experience required.

Green basilisk

Bearded dragon!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, they venomous. But only a stark raving moron would ever get bit by one….now, that being said. I was bitten by one in 2007. =) haha, was a fast acting venom. In my rattlesnake bites, I have waited up to 20 minutes to know weather of not I received venom. But, with that lizard, by the time I forced him off my finger, I was burning up into my forearm. But it was a fast affect. The swelling made it almost to my elbow, but within 6 hours all pain and swelling was gone and I had full mobility in the hand, wriest, and elbow.

I have a savvy, love him, 2.5 ft and growing. Saharan Uromastyx, orange and black, gorgeous boy, slow growing though! Beardie and leopard geckos, both rescues but great and easy to care for. My BTS died, but I will be getting another baby in June. I want a Gila Monster, Tegu, Chameleon and others!

Komodo dragon, is that a lizard?

Don I'm totally with you there! That is by far my favorite lizard, but I have no chance of ever having one legally or because my husband would be scared of something that could eat him!

All Komodos belong to the Indonesian government. The ones you see in zoos are only on lease and if they produce, the babies revert back to the Indo gov. baring something unforeseen, none will ever end up in private hands. Shame though, one pair in the hands of a private breeder, and they would no longer be endangered. But those that are into that type of lizard, Asian Water Monitors are readily available and fairly cheap. They are capable of adult sizes over 7 feet, should satisfy a Komodo fetish. =)

I didn't know that. I knew a regular person couldn't acquire one, but never really knew or looked up why. I have a hard enough time with my savvy and my husband being afraid of him, much less something bigger! Thanks for the suggestion!

Can a basilisk even be acquired in VA?

Never mind answered my own question. I never looked into owning one before but turns out they are common and cheap.

they are a source of income for Indonesia. If we could just legally get two into the hands of a breeder, they would be everywhere in a few years....this, Indonesia loses income....so they keep them all locked. shame the way that works. a Tuatara can live over 100 years. If someone was producing them, one could have a lifetime reptile...well, live time plus...something to leave the grand kids. haha. But, just like the Komodo, they are completed locked down by New Zealand.

Chuck do you have any more information on this? I'd love to read about it and find out more.

Oh and I will always have a soft spot of leopard geckos.

Can you be more specific on what you would like? My limited knowledge, comes from many years of reptile study…occasionally I cannot recall at a given time, where I learned a given bit of info, but I will try to direct you as best I can. I am not into exotic mammals, but I have heard this same situation is pretty common with mammals as well. Example, China and Pandas. But if you look at other endangered species that did go into private hands---Tigers! I once spent 6 months trying to give away 4 tigers and I had trouble just finding someone to take them for free. Gila Monsters----now available at almost any reptile show. And the list goes on and on, Indigos, LA pines, -- if you want to un-endanger any species, give it to private breeders.

I would of course have to answer bearded dragon on this one We are also looking at possibly getting some ackies next year. Tuataras seem like an amazing lifelong project if I could ever legally acquire one.

Shinisaurus crocodilurus. Livebearing chinese lizards. Really cool and they have an interesting folklore in Chinese culture.

sbouldin wrote:

TheRealYoda34 wrote:

I have a Savannah that I love... and a few beardies that I also love... I'm looking to get some red eyed croc skinks hopefully in a few months...

We just got our croc skinks yesterday! They are awesome! They're a little skiddish still, but they just look so cool! I love alligaotors and crocs though!

I'm so glad to see more folks getting into Croc Skinks! I've had my pair since August and although they are still very very shy (that's just the way this species is), when I do pull them out, they are super docile for handling, and also very good photo subjects. :-)

Honestly my want with the croc skinks is the fact that the look like little dragons... They are so cool...

Knight Anoles and Cuban False Chameleons (also anoles). My exposure to the hobby was with Green Anoles back in the early 80's. As a kid I thought they were the coolest thing ever and to me they were miniature iguanas. The Knight's are my favorites. They are relatively common and collected from introduced colonies in S. Florida frequently. The down side to them is most are quite nippy and a big male can draw blood (been there, done that). Neither of my Cuban False Chameleons has shown any interest in biting and they are really growing on me as well. They are rare in the U.S and have a nice price tag (thanks to my wife for getting my pair as a Christmas gift!). I hope to breed them this year and put a few into the market here in Hampton Roads.

Chuck H. wrote:

Knight Anoles and Cuban False Chameleons (also anoles). My exposure to the hobby was with Green Anoles back in the early 80's. As a kid I thought they were the coolest thing ever and to me they were miniature iguanas. The Knight's are my favorites. They are relatively common and collected from introduced colonies in S. Florida frequently. The down side to them is most are quite nippy and a big male can draw blood (been there, done that). Neither of my Cuban False Chameleons has shown any interest in biting and they are really growing on me as well. They are rare in the U.S and have a nice price tag (thanks to my wife for getting my pair as a Christmas gift!). I hope to breed them this year and put a few into the market here in Hampton Roads.

False Chameleons really interest me! However, they are sooo expensive as you stated. Lol, Maybe one day..

ChuckHurd wrote:

All Komodos belong to the Indonesian government. The ones you see in zoos are only on lease and if they produce, the babies revert back to the Indo gov.

Back in the 80's the Indonesian government attempted this rental arrangement but it failed. Today most Komodo dragons are not the property of Indonesian.

Of course, everyone who knows me knows I am in to blue tongue skinks. We have just started mating our female in the last week or so. Babies will be coming sometime in June. And yes, lokeilani will be getting first pic due to the unfortunate tragic death of her previous BTS.

Blueys really do make awesome pets, and are so easily handled. I love the fact that they are 90 - 20 inches long so they are large enough to get ahold of but will not grow to eat you out of house and home. Not to make a shameless plug, but if you get one, try to find an independent breeder as opposed to getting one from a pet store. My experience is that many you get from stores are wild caught, not tamed, and full of problems. We start handling our babies when they are about 20 minutes old. I work most if not all of the nippiness out of them by the time they move onto their new owners.

It really is a personal preference. Everyone will have their own personal favorite. You will figure out what yours is, and it will be right for you. Good luck on your quest.

Yay! I'm so excited!!!! Did you breed Oscar Rose or Speckles or both?

Well, interesting thing about that. Speckles had been awake for a short time when Oscar Rose finally came out. I put her in the tank with Stubby. They had a lot of foreplay but never got down to business, which has happened every year the first time I put them together (don't know why). When I put her back in with Speckles, 'she' ran right up to her, gave her a quick sniff, latched on, and hooked up within about 30 seconds. So as it turns out, 'she' is a 'he', and they just happen to like to live together. He has now taken up independent residence. I'm sure with her making babies, she will not want a tank mate no matter how well they get along. And I suppose now that Speckles is an adult, they were going to need to be separated anyways.

Good news - between the colors and markings of the two of them, they should make some amazing babies.

Bad news - I can never put Stubbs and Speckles out together. They would certainly fight to the death, and with Stubby's disabilities, Speckles would put a good hurt on him, if not kill him, so there will be none of that.


Oh, and I just read my previous post. It is supposed to read 18 - 20 inches. 90 inches would be rather large for any type of lizard, but I'm sure you all saw around that.

Wow! I hope there are some that get Oscar Rose's caramel and Speckles's speckles! They are going to be gorgeous, I can't wait! That is so funny they have been together all this time, I guess it took another male to be interested to bring him out That sucks that you have to have 3 separate adult enclosures now!

Oh well. that's life. Last year, they all got along fine in the outdoor habitat but he wasn't a grown up boy. When I had another male for a period of time, Stubby sprang to life and as debilitated as he was, he tried to scale a 3 foot high divider and eat the boy. We won't be putting them both outside at the same time from now on.

Little side note. I was at the pet store the other day and they had a baby merauke BTS - apx 8 or 9 months old. I had to bring it home. Its really one of my favorite species, so now we have five. I would like to thank STEVE (SMD58) for starting me into this little venture of reptiles. I never had one before the rescue I got from him. Now I'm breeding and slowly filling my house with them. Thanks my friend.