Lizards As Pets Lizard Facts

The Green Anole

American “chameleons” more properly know as green anole lizards or anolis carolinensis has probably become a pet in more households in North America than any other lizard.

The green anole is a member of a genus of about 300 species and subspecies all very similar in body configuration and habits common in tropical and subtropical North America and South America. The Green Anole is the only species of Anole lizard that is native to the United States but other species have been introduced and have apparently successfully colonized. True chameleons are reptiles of the Old World and have little in common with green anoles except the ability to change color. In the green anole the change from brown to green is caused by changes in pigment cells of the skin and the response to various stimuli such as temperature light and emotion. When resting the anole is usually brown during the day will turn green at night but fright and other stimuli can cause the anole to turn green at any time.

The green anole also shares another ability with another type of lizard the gecko. Green anoles are not closely related to geckos but their toes share similar characteristics and both species of lizards are able to climb flat smooth surfaces such as glass.

Another oddity of the green anole lizard is the possession of a fan on the throat which can be extended arbitrarily. Green anole lizards are territorial. The males will stretch their pink or reddish throat fan and bob their head to warn other males of their territory.

A six-inch full-lizard is mature and robust and thrives well in captivity. Green anole lizards require a humid environment the leaves of plants in the enclosure should be sprayed from time to time because the hanging drops of water that provide the anole with the liquid nourishment it needs. Captives can be maintained for long periods on a diet of mealworms but a varied diet of flies and other insects is preferable.

Green anole tails are very fragile and easily lost. This habit of separating from their tails common for many families of lizards. The new tail usually does not resemble the original and you can see at a glance whether a green anole sports its original tail or a regenerated tail as a regenerated tail is generally shorter and the scale pattern is different. Among the reptiles only lizards and not all lizards are able to regenerate lost tails.

Green Anole Enclosures

A colony of several green anoles can be kept in a large aquarium or other suitable cage. The enclosure should have abundant foliage and the enclosure should be well lit. If possible direct sunlight should be available to part of the enclosure. In such conditions these hardy lizards follow the same activity they would follow in the wild. Territories will be established and breeding may take place. Eggs may be laid beneath the bark or stones in a relatively moist area. Green anole babies like most babies of other reptiles parents will not receive parental attention. Babies can be fed with small insects. The growth of green anole lizards is quite fast and the hardy species frequently lives as long or longer in captivity than it does in the wild.

Despite the large number sold as pets the green anole lizard remains abundant in the southern United States where it frequents trees shrubs vines and around older homes. A large number can be caught at night using a flashlight. Green Anole lizards are among the least expensive reptile pets available to private collectors.

Skinks Can Be Interesting Pets

Skinks might possibly be the most wide-spread of all the lizards, turning out to be present in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and America. Few grow very sizeable, the majority staying between four inches and one foot in length. All skinks are ground-living lizards; some have only rudimentary limbs and some are legless, but the majority are burrowers – this is demonstrated in their skin, the scales of which are small and close together. There are not many appendages on skinks such as crests on their cylindrical or flattened bodies, but members of the genus Eumeces have fringes or flaps of skin that go over the ears when the lizard burrows.

Enclosures for Skinks

The important thing to keep in mind when setting up an enclosure for skinks is the floor-covering, the majority of the family are happy with somewhere around one inch of sand, as long as a handful of rocks are supplied for basking. A water dish is not required – few skinks can tolerate dampness – but a little bit of water should be sprayed on the ground in the morning. Skinks have very wide ranges of taste when it come to food including insects, lettuce, fruit, cooked meat or egg, preferably chopped up. A few of the larger skinks might take small birds or mammals, however it is not common. Skinks are livebearers, and as with other viviparous lizards breeding is reasonably easy. This is a good thing since many of the larger skinks are from Australia and are now difficult to obtain outside that country, including the Shingleback orTwo-headed Lizard, common names for the stump-tailed skink, whose head is the same shape as its tail both to confuse enemies and to store reserves of fatty tissue. Another Australian species popular as a pet is the Blue-tongued Skink. A common American species is the Blue-tailed Skink. Opposite sides of the world and blue at opposite ends.

Agama Lizards

Agamas agamas is really a large family of lizards from Africa, Asia, and Australia, members of which often find their way into terrariums: the number of species is far too numerous to list here, some growing as much as a metre in length, some only a matter of centimetres in  length.

Certain agama lizards have the ability to change colour to some extent, a great example being the Indian Changeable Lizard, or ‘Bloodsucker’. It does not truly suck blood, but in the mating season the male will turn bright red concerning the throat and chest as component of a threatening display similar to that found in birds and fish.

Agama lizards might require rocks to climb on, sand to burrow in, or ‘trees’ to hide in, so it is wise at first to provide a mixed set-up to determine what a specific animal prefers after which increase the quantity of his favourite cover. Above all agama lizards require space, particularly when in contact with with humans; it is commonplace for agama lizards to damage snouts, heads, and tails by banging around trying to escape from too-small an enclosure. An approximate guide might be that the run should be a minimum ten times the length of the agama lizards themselves. Many agama lizards can withstand a high temperature, but they will require a pool in which to bathe and cool off. The pool, preferably a shallow dish, should not be placed directly under the heat, otherwise the water will evaporate too quickly and the temperature of the remainder of the water will turn out to be excessive.

Most members of this family have extremely good teeth, that are fixed to the skull, and even the smallest species can bite fiercely. Agama Lizards’ food depends upon size and habitat, some becoming very specialised: for example, the Australian Moloch horridus feeds only on ants. Most little agamids will take insect prey, but the bigger species have no trouble with small birds and mammals, or even reptiles smaller than themselves – because of this big and little agamids don’t co-exist peacefully.

Breeding Agama Lizards

Agama lizards are oviparous and might well mate and lay eggs in the terrarium. If mating is noticed and the female begins to swell, it is time to prepare a maternity cage, because she will want to bury her eggs within the correct medium. Suitable media include sphagnum moss, peat, sand, vermiculite, or clean dry earth. Ideally, the pregnant female ought to be placed in a terrarium containing an assortment of media, so she can make her own choice. The choice of dry or damp remains: the expectant mother will figure this out, if required, by urinating over the nest of eggs. It is therefore essential to offer her clean drinking water.