Cool looking lizards with personality?

So I've been keeping lizards for the past 2 years, mainly your mainstream pet store varieties, but I wanna know what you guys have kept and what you want to keep as breeders and amateur herpetoculturists. I prefer animals I can hold and play with and that generally have good temperaments. Bearded dragons and tegus have been among my favorites since I first started keeping reptiles 10 years ago, but anyone else have any experience with other exotics that do more than just look cool?

Leopard Gecko's are pretty sweet.... I've alway's water a Nile Monitor, I personally prefer animals that some may consider to have attitude's and are a little more to work with just me make's it more interesting but thats just me...
If I could ( Hoping to do so in the future after I move and have all proper paperwork in order but I really want to work with Gator's Croc or Caiman's ) Dont know what it is about them but I love em...

Caimans are awesome! A bit intimidating to handle at first but a dwarf caiman would be a cool animal to keep. The only problems I have with gators in captivity is that they get big and most people don't give them enough space or think of them as pets even when they're adults. There was a story recently locally about an African croc in our sewer system- someone's pet that got too big and they didn't know what to do with it anymore.
I'm thinking a caiman lizard would be a cool pet to have. Expensive initially for sure but if I can find a steady supply of snails that might be a worthwhile pet. I do have a leopard gecko and she's real sweet but after having beardies it's not quite the same. It is neat to her vocalize though.

That they are never really delt with beardies... I got them for my son to see how he does with them and he's done great with them IMO it teaches him alot so.... I enjoy the larger lizard's 6 foot+ when full grown just seems to make working with them more interesting... But again that's just me...

I've heard and read that peach throat monitors are one of the most easy-going and "tameable" of the monitors. Someone more knowledgeable may be able to either correct or support this. They still get big but aren't overwhelming if you're new to working with large reptiles. I've always wanted one but getting a monitor is way off into the future for me.

i think i want a tegu, never dabled into lizards much tho, i had two leapord geckos when i was living with my parents and they where both over 12 years old when i gave them to a family in my old neiborhood. how agressive are tegus an the be tamed easily?

Tegu's can be a little nippy as babies but when well handled and handled often there pretty laid back for the most part..

Tegus are one of the top three coolest lizards if properly socialized. IMO.

Have you looked at a monkey tail skink? I kept them years ago. Great animals easy care and most of mine were frendly.

Check out Xengamas, like a cross between a beardie and a Uromastyx(love Uromastyx). I got some Xenagama batilifera eggs in the incubator right now, with fingers crossed. Frilled Dragons rock, Ackie monitors do too. And yes Monkey Tail Skinks rock, sadly I lost mine of 7 years this year. If you wnat bigger Rhino Iguans are great pets after about a good year of socializing though. Blue tongue skinks can be cool but I have lost interest in them, grea pets, but boring display animals. I think the Xenagamas are my favorites, harder to find but so worth it when you do land one, they are great to hold, and fun to watch, especially at chow time.

i love my crested geckos, they look awesome, they r not aggressive, and they r super easy to care for(no heat source or UVA/UVB lighting needed)

Tegu's without a doubt. Have you seen this video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz5mvOpCnvI

I think the Tegus are one of the coolest reptiles on the planet!

Tegu's are pretty sweet I used to have one ( well my lil brother did ) they just IDK I like monitor's better but it's deff a hard choice between the 2 specie's and sub species within the species to pick one I guess that's why I dont have one yet Nile Monitor's though.... I like the attitude of them that and the fact they eat rabbits I know it's sad but hey.... Im a sucker for feeding time

How big do Tegu's grow to be? As well as, how aggressive they can be?

It depends on the species of tegu here's a quick link to one species Argentine Tegu

http://www.thereptilefile.com/wiki/index.php?title=Argentine_Tegu

they average 4-6 feet 6 being rather large there pretty tame via there handled and interacted with daily

I'm getting a uromastyx. He's really laid back and easy to care for plus I think they're really cool looking. Do need a lot of heat but after having beardies, desert temps aren't hard to control. Looking forward to having a lizard that primarily eats veggies. Insects add up fast and are no fun to keep.

I have a few favorites but my favorite by far is the bearded dragon. Ive been breeding beardies for a few years now and have started to amass quite a collection o.0

I'm training my water dragon to hang out cage-free. He did good all day yesterday with only one incident.

I love tegus and bred them for many years. They have fantastic personalities and are certainly one of the most intelligent of lizards. However, proper care of them requires VERY large enclosures as well as large amounts of food, heat, etc.

I'm currently working with Jeweled lacertas and they are a lot of fun. They are a medium sized diurnal insectivore. Not only are they amazingly beautiful, they're very active and inquisitive. They love to dig tunnels and chase insects. They can spend a vast majority of the year outdoors here in Va. They can be a little shy/skittish. But they're not biters. Mine will run away when you walk up to them, but then as soon as they realize that you're the food guy, they'll come right back out from hiding and will pretty much eat from your hand.

As for geckos, there are many species that are easy to work with and handle. But a large majority of geckos species are nocturnal. So if you're looking for something that's going to be out and active during the day, they probably wouldn't be the best choice.

I for one am not big on "playing" with my herps or trying to "tame" them. I prefer my animals to exhibit natural behaviors as opposed to forced behaviors.

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I for one am not big on "playing" with my herps or trying to "tame" them. I prefer my animals to exhibit natural behaviors as opposed to forced behaviors.

I'm going to assume this is directed at me (since I used the phrase "tame") as well as the OP and others who posted about enjoying handling their animals in a playful way.

That is interesting about the Jeweled lacertas and good to know. It's also great that your able to "tame" them to eat out of your hand which is surely not a natural behavior in the wild. I too enjoy interacting with our pets whether our dogs or our bearded dragons. When I had two green basilisks, they were strictly show pieces as they hated being handled but playing with animals (even if it's holding just holding a wrapped ball python around your neck/upper arm) is important to us and many others. I think the wild animal/"do not make good pets" stereotype is a huge image problem with snakes in particular and is a reason they are slowly being banned in many cities and towns across America where only people with permits for exhibits can keep them and not pet owners.

My statement wasn't aimed at anyone. To each their own. Just a general statement about how I deal with my herps. I was simply trying to explain that my particular idea of "handleable" might not be the same as someone that wants an animal that they can "play with". BTW my lacertas don't literally eat out of my hand, but they would if I'd let them. I made no attempt to "tame" them to do so. They simply are intelligent enough to equate the fact that I'm the person that brings the food and places it in the enclosure and thus come when they see me.

Well, since the first page of this thread was filled with people talking about taming, handling, and playing with their herps, I hope you can at least see how your statement came across as a little sneerish.

Jeweled Lacerata's are really neat and I am glad to hear someone in VA is keeping them in such an great habitat. I remember reading about them back several months in Reptiles and even found the link if you or anybody else is interested. Not exactly the best source of information but there are some neat pics.

http://www.reptilechannel.com/lizards/lizard-care/jeweled-lacerta.aspx

I know they are hardly flashy, but I love my gargoyle geckos. Since I was a child, I had a fascination with dragons. During my aquarium keeping hobby, I learned from a fellow aquarist of gargoyle and crested geckos.

For some reason I only had cresteds for years...but lately I have actually traded out most of my cresteds in favor of gargoyles. I prefer their crocodilian look. They also have little needle teeth, but I have yet to be bitten. I love when they squawk, even though it is usually an indication of irritation or the feeling of being threatened. They are nocturnal, but they are still quite beautiful. I also like the variety of colors they can "fire up" to.

I have kept a uromastyx before, but he was always terrified of me. I can't blame him. I probably look like a very tall predatory bird, with my long nose! Hehe.

I would love to have a bearded dragon but at this point in my life cannot afford the amount of bugs and fresh veggies they need.

I have to say the leopard geckos have some of the most enjoyable personalities. I think I can relate to their eyelids, hehe! But again, they require a buggy diet.

Blue tongue skinks, so easy nice, mine eats caned supers, snailes, a good dog food fruets, he is the easyest lizzard i ever keep nextt to the monkey tails.

I would love to have a Blue Tongue Skink or a Uromastyx. I'm working on it, I have to find something to bribe my husband with first My two savvies are Fred and George Weasley. They are jokers, totally funny, have very different personalities, and are great! They are quite aggressive though, no matter how much I try to hold them or do anything they just freak out, but I love them...

Hi,
I see a few people like Tegu's....only drawback is the hibernation period they go thru....its hard having a close friend want to sleep on you all the time!
Anyone else have some input on the tegu's hibernation period?
Bryan

IMO one of the coolest lizard species is Shinisaurus crocodilurus or the Chinese Crocodile Lizard. Their natural behavior is interesting, the Chinese folklore about them is interesting to say the least, and they are live bearers. One drawback is the price tag. A while ago you could get them for next to nothing, now, they are expensive and breeders are far and few between.

http://www.shinisaurus.de/englisch.htm

Cp3_Pythons wrote:

Tegu's can be a little nippy as babies but when well handled and handled often there pretty laid back for the most part..

I love them too but that is the part that bothers me.

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IMO one of the coolest lizard species is Shinisaurus crocodilurus or the Chinese Crocodile Lizard.

Couldn't agree more with you! I saw one once, I think at the zoo, and thought it was one of the neatest animal's I've ever seen. Most of the images I googled just now showed a dark brown lizard but I believe they also come in really bright reds and oranges, maybe a gender difference.

I have been working with a Rhacodactylus leachianus pair for a couple of years now and have found that they can have varying temperments. The male is extremely docile and does not seem to mind short periods of being handled, which I generally do once a week to assess health. The female is somewhat more skittish and has bitten a hand once. The hatchlings are very skittish. With all of that being said I have to say that I also am not a big fan of overhandling herps. They are fascinating to observe, feed, etc however I personally feel that it would be a stretch to assume that any herp actually enjoys being held. Living near two college towns I always cringe when I see people walking around in public with their snakes.
Chip

I never owned any kind of a reptile before Steve let me bring Stubbs (blue tongue skink) home from his shop. He was almost dead and I felt sorry for him. I knew SO LITTLE that I would reach in the cage to see if he was alive. He would be cold and I thought he was getting ready to die, so I would pick him up and comfort him just to let him know someone in this world cared about him. I felt awful that someone let him get in the shape he was when he came to the store. Low and behold, he would warm up and 'come back to life'. All the poor little guy was doing was trying to rest. I didn't know they get cold when they went to sleep. DUH!!!!!

I've learned a lot about blueys since then, and I've gotta say that he has become a member of our family. He has an outdoor pen to hang out in during the summer. We put up baby gates and let them have floor priveleges at night in the den. They come up to us and bump their heads on our feet and ankles so we will pick them up. After wrapping around our necks or crawling down inside our clothes for a little warmth, they are back on the floor for another go round. The two grown ups I have even come out from their substrate when they hear me come home. They scratch on the glass and want to come out. People who have never owned a BTS don't believe me until they see it.

I don't have any experience with other reptiles (other than turtles and I don't think they count here), but my vote would definitely be for a bluey.