Category Archives: lizard care

Lizards As Pets And Children

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Lizards For Kids

lizards for kidsSome kids crave for puppies. Some love cats. And some have a liking towards the cold blooded creatures. If your kids want to keep a pet, let them show that they can take care of one and should own a reptile only when they are able to understand that their pet is a living animal which experiences pain, fright, hunger, anger and other feelings just like us humans. Bringing home lizards for kids is a long term commitment. There are only a few types of lizards that are considered to be good as pets for kids such as Bearded Dragons, Leopard Geckos, Blue Tongued Skinks and Green Anoles.

Leopard Geckos: Leopard Geckos are the ultimate starter lizards and inexpensive to purchase. They are easy to handle, small and need a small tank. They do not need UV lighting like other lizards. They reach up to eight inches in size and their diet comprises of insects. A twenty gallon tank is a perfect home for them. Kids might find it a little frustrating that these neat lizards sleep during the day.

Bearded Dragons: Impressive, larger, easy to handle, feed and maintain. Bearded Dragons reach about seven to eight inches at adulthood. They need a larger tank (about fifty gallons in size) and UV lighting and prefer living alone inside the tank as they are prone to getting stressed if there are other lizards around. Their diet comprises of greens, insects and vegetables and they love fortified crickets for dinner! Children find it delightful to own a Breaded Dragon, however, it should be introduced to all the family members slowly and over time in order to keep it from getting anxious. Beardies have a wonderful personality and are very popular as pets.

Blue Tongued Skinks: They are generally easy to feed, tame and maintain. They are a good choice for kids and beginners. They get quite large, up to thirty inches in size and need a very large tank and UV lighting. Being omnivorous their diet comprises of greens, insects and vegetables, just like Bearded Dragons. They are quite expensive and not popular as much as other lizards.

Green Anoles: They are quite easily available, are insectivores and very good eaters. Crickets can comprise the main part of their diet, however, they can also be fed wild caught insects. They can change colors when stressed and males are generally larger than females. They are inexpensive and a single Green Anole can do with ten gallon tank. Apart from the basking light they also need the UV lighting.

If you are thinking to bring home lizards for kids it is better to know and understand the needs of these little creatures. Prior to bringing home a new pet make sure you are well prepared to keep it in a healthy environment. Choose the right lizard for your kids by discussing which one would they like to have and which one can you as a parent take responsibilty of. If your pet is happy your kids will enjoy too and it can turn out to be a mutually rewarding experience!

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The Iguana As A Pet

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Some members of the Iguana family are almost indistinguishable from one another while others differ – particularly with regard to diet. Most iguanas live mainly on vegetation taking meat simply as an extra. One species, the Galapagos Marine Iguana exists on a highly specialised diet of seaweed. Some Iguanas will eat insects and pieces of meat but it is reassuring to note that it’s the larger iguanas which are the vegetarians.

An Iguana Generally Needs A Large Enclosure

iguanaA large enclosure is obligatory for the iguana; ideally one sufficiently large to accommodate the growing of plants. The fresher the food the healthier the iguanas which may be at their most happy when plucking tomatoes off the plant or tearing lettuces from the ground. Though desirable this kind of market gardening isn’t essential. However daylight is particularly mandatory for iguanas. The more sunlight they experience the better their overall condition. No enclosure should be placed in front of a window and left in the sunshine though it’s much better for it to be in a light room facing a window so that some sun falls on the iguana at some point in the daytime.

Stout branches will be required for an iguana since all but desert species are expert climbers. Ensure that one branch is over the large water dish as a wild iguana will bask on a branch overhanging a brook or stream diving into the water as a minimum sign of danger.

A feeding bowl is mandatory unless growing vegetation is provided or else food will be trodden into the floor covering. Argument exists among iguana keepers as to how plant matter should be served. Chopped finely food is suggested by some owners while others mention that this is not available in natural habitats and that whole plants should therefore be given. This discussion is mitigated by the assertion that plants should be rooted into the ground so that an animal can bite and pull off pieces which couldn’t so simply be separated from a plant lying on the floor of an enclosure. An arrangement would lie in cutting the food be it lettuce tomatoes cauliflower Brussels sprouts or fruit into bite-sized pieces leaving perhaps 1 or 2 huge leaves to be eaten at the iguana’s leisure. A little chopped meat should be added two times a week for protein and the diet may also be sundry by a twice-weekly addition of 1 or 2 mealworms or slugs. The food bowl should be cleaned and replenished every day. The smaller non-vegetarian iguanas should be fed as if they were agamas with a mixed insect diet like spiders crickets beetles mealworms woodlice and flies. Slightly larger examples may take tiny mice and birds but if they are much over one foot long the iguanas are probably vegetarian.

Keeping An Iguana With Other Iguanas

Iguanas are oviparous reptiles but unlike agamas the iguanids don’t breed very well in captivity. As with all groups of lizards when more than one young iguana is housed in the same enclosure care must be taken to ensure that all iguanas may be able to feed satisfactorily. Dominant individuals may frighten off weaker lizards resulting in negative effects calling for the development of a natural screen with one or two feeding dishes. The screen should be rigid and of a neutral color to be sure that the reptiles aren’t put off their food altogether. During observation needless noise and movement should be minimised since most reptiles particularly snakes and lizards won’t feed if scared. Iguana keepers will find it fascinating to watch iguanas feeding and as with all animals this is the initial step toward taming.

 

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Geckos As Pets

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Geckos are great escape artists

Geckos are frequently kept as pets, however, not always inside a terrarium. In many areas where they’re indigenous they are encouraged to enter dwelling properties to be able to get the flying bugs abundant in tropical and subtropical climates. Geckos tend to be appealing to keep but have one negative aspect. Madagascar Day Geckos are beautifulThough geckos rapidly become accustomed to people and will come to be fed on a regular basis, as in the wild, they are accomplished escapologists that can ascend the smoothest, perhaps even glass, types of surface.

Great care ought to be taken in setting geckos homes – even aquariums provide too many possibilities of escape.

In planning the terrarium one should think about the animal’s behaviours: if disturbed they’ll run further up to hide, so a lid isn’t good. A entrance at the bottom of the side, providing a secure place towards the top of the terrarium, is necessary. The door will need to obviously be close fitting – probably a sliding one is best. Any kind of air flow openings should be protected at least using muslin cloth. Considering the fact that geckos are insectivorous, surviving predominantly on flies, the way by which the reptile-keeper feeds his pets has a bearing on the covering of the ventilators. If flies are to be put into the terrarium then the covering should be fine enough to prevent their own escape. As an alternative a good food supply might be maintained using a broader mesh where by flies, though not geckos, are able to move. If a bit of meat or ripe fruit is supplied, flies can be tempted into your terrarium and the geckos can eat their fill.

Since many geckos are arboreal the terrarium will need branches for climbing. Like many such lizards, geckos will lick up dew rather than drink, so no water container is required as long as the vivarium is sprayed every day with water from a house-plant spray. Almost all geckos are nocturnal, emerging at twilight, however the bright-green members of the genus Phelsuma, the Day Geckos from Madagascar, are fond of daylight. The nocturnal majority respond more readily if their vivarium is equipped with a blue light.

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Lizard Background Information

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Lizards vary greatly

Amphisbaenia - worm lizard

Closeup of an Amphisbaenia's head

There are more species of lizard than of snakes, and definitely the variety of forms is far greater. Lizards vary from the small Amphisbaenia, which resemble earthworms, to the massive Komodo Dragons. Neither of those is appropriate for the home vivarium, but numerous species are perfect as pets, some even being able to showing some affection. Many are easy to keep, and couple of them inspire the repugnance often related with snakes.
The possession of limbs is among the most evident distinction in between lizards and snakes, however there are some lizards – notably skinks – whose limbs are either non-existent or merely vestigial. Lizards invariably have eyelids, always absent in snakes, who have a single eye scale. To be able to move, snakes have big stomach scales across the width of their body that are connected to the ribs. Lizards have separate scales.

Venomous Lizards

There are only a couple of species of toxic lizard, unlike the hundreds of venomous snakes. They are the members with the genus Helo-derma, species horridum and suspectum. They do not have the more specialised poison glands and hollow fangs discovered in snakes, merely modified salivary glands, and poison is launched in to the mouth via a chewing movement – they don’t strike whatsoever.

Over the next few days we will be featuring different types of lizard commonly kept as pets.

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Lizards as Pets

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Why Wouldn’t You Choose Lizards as Pets?

Many people usually do not frequently consider Lizards as pets; but without a doubt this attitude is starting to evolve. Lizards may be kept as pets quite easily: lizards neither produce undue mess nor must they be taken outside for walks. Many lizards are beautiful to look at; beautiful colours and interesting features. Although perhaps not quite as warm and friendly as a dog or cat, an Iguana may be nearly as delightful. With lots that can then be discovered about the subject, the lizard owner is in an excellent place to help with making new findings and observations. The ambitious lizard owner will probably wish to breed from his or her collection: there are lots of species which have not been bred in captivity.

Things You Need to Supply to Keep Lizards as Pets:

If you are intending to keep lizards as pets, it really is particularly critical to supply a area to accommodate the lizard prior to it being either caught or bought. This groundwork is necessary because of the climate it will need, furthermore many lizards can be extremely accomplished escapers.

Lizards as Pets CageThe terrarium is actually a special enclosure for assorted varieties of small animals which require more than just a typical fish tank to live in. It is very important to make an attempt to make a microcosm of the environment that the lizard is used to in the terrarium. Some species, such as Iguana can be kept in large dog crates, or even given a room of their own – as long as the temperature is warm enough. They can even be house trained.

These are the requirements for a terrarium where you can keep lizards as pets; heat, diet regime, lighting, and space. Most of these requirements will most likely impact the final choice of lizard. The one who owns lizards as pets must be entirely satisfied that she or he can keep her / his collection of pets comfortable and fed, and provide them with sufficient light and room. A simple terrarium for one lizard, for instance, might be very easily heated utilizing a 40 watt light bulb, yet a large monitor lizard would require numerous 250 watt warm lamps to achieve an acceptable temperature (and plenty of space to heat). Some lizards could very well feast happily on worms, crickets, chopped meat and greens, though a big monitor might need considerably more. The comparison is unquestionably an extreme, nonetheless it really does emphasize the necessity for considering carefully based on the convenience of a usual source of the correct diet: a monitor lizard may readily take brown-and-white or almost black mice, but yet may seem indifferent to white mice. In almost every case their foods must be fairly recently killed; when the smell and body temperature are lacking it seems like basically an object rather than food, and may also become rejected – even by a starving lizard.

Space is essential to the healthy growth of all lizards. Some might seem to do adequately and feed with hardly enough space to turn around, however their regular rate of progress may be limited. Contrary to opinions of some people, and energetic lizards such as skinks may well damage themselves when unnaturally restricted.

An additional critical thing to think about in the choice of a lizards as pets may be the accessibility of the actual species. Reptile exports happen to be banned by both Australia and New Zealand, and several North American species are purposely protected. India, as well, has limited the export of just about all its indigenous fauna. Importing can also be restricted in fact it is smart to check out government guidelines before you make any kind of arrangements. The novice could possibly be best cautioned to buy just those specimens easily obtainable in their particular country. Many reliable pet sellers can supply lizards, though these are generally provided to order – via specialist vendors – instead of from stock. These specialist vendors will probably provide a directory of their inventory to any potential customer. Many of these listings can be extremely comprehensive, recommending the food as well as living conditions for the reptiles; and quite a few give you the creature’s Latin names.

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