Good pet lizard?

dtknow

Arachnoking
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Any lizard that matches these traits here?

-Medium-largish(1-2 feet)

-comfortable at room temp or with minimal heating

-handleable(or at least, not flightly species)

Only thing that comes to mind myself is a leachie...which, well, is too much on the pricey side!
 

Jmugleston

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I'd say go with a bluey. Tiliqua scincoides intermedia, the northern blue tongue skink, is a great pet. (Though admittedly I'm biased). They don't get very large. My largest one is about 25". They do need a heat source but a simple lamp will do. They eat anything (rodents, veggies, fruit, bugs, dog food, etc). They are typically able to be handled and you can get some nice CB babies every spring for around 100-150 dollars. There are other species and subspecies of blueys, but the northerns are my personal favorite. Now the reason I'm biased: Here is one of my 8:



And hopefully the start of 2010's litters:

 

skippy

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alligator lizard? you can find one outdoors so heating won't be too difficult and they get 12-16 inches with their tail intact. plus, the price is right:D
 

8by8

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green water dragons are good if you hand feed them as babies. My first was a baby I hand fed and is more like a dog than a lizard IMO. Second one I got as a sub-adult that was not as socialized as the first, but calmed down in about two weeks.
 

dtknow

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J: Was seriously considering one of those actually. Seems pure Northerns are pretty tough to find nowadays. I wouldn't mind the New Guinea/Indo Gigas but they are likely not as cool tolerant.(someone near me has a baby Merauke with a regen tail that he is selling quite low) Do you brumate yours in the winter? I am in Long Beach, CA so temps here are actually pretty mild(house is in 60's during the winter, 80's in summer with little heating/cooling).

Have you heard of anyone providing a basking cage that extends to a window or even outside a bit connected to the main cage?

Skippy: Alligator lizards are way cool. I have held some temporarily and they often ate the day after we caught them. I'd rather not deal with CADFG regs however.

8by8: Seems those guys need pretty high temps/humidity/large cages.
 

Jmugleston

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J: Was seriously considering one of those actually. Seems pure Northerns are pretty tough to find nowadays. I wouldn't mind the New Guinea/Indo Gigas but they are likely not as cool tolerant.(someone near me has a baby Merauke with a regen tail that he is selling quite low) Do you brumate yours in the winter? I am in Long Beach, CA so temps here are actually pretty mild(house is in 60's during the winter, 80's in summer with little heating/cooling).

Have you heard of anyone providing a basking cage that extends to a window or even outside a bit connected to the main cage?

Skippy: Alligator lizards are way cool. I have held some temporarily and they often ate the day after we caught them. I'd rather not deal with CADFG regs however.

8by8: Seems those guys need pretty high temps/humidity/large cages.
The concept of pure when it comes to subspecies is a bit difficult, but I know what you mean. I have a few animals that are older (over 12 years) and a few that are from the zoo stock so they are as "pure" as you can find as far as I can tell. They are also a bit larger than most. Most the northerns will probably have a bit of Eastern mixed in, but that is a naturally occurring intergrade not a hybrid. There are ways to be as sure as possible that your northern is "pure", but the best way is to get them from a trusted breeder. The NG and INDO blueys are similar in care, but you want to be sure to get CB. The WC are sometimes a pain to work with. Indoor outdoor caging will work well in the summer, late Spring, and Fall. Of course you'll need to bring them in during the winter. Also, you'll need to provide cover so dogs, cats, and low flying birds don't harass (eat) your pet. Even with the access to outside, I'd still provide a basking spot so that the lizard can get warm on cooler or overcast days and also to make sure there is access to a 95-100 degree basking spot. As for brumating, I don't typically do it. I tried it this year to get my girls to cycle at the same time, but they didn't do so well and I brought them in early.
 

skippy

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no regs to deal with really. you just need to have a fishing license when you collect it. after that it's yours:D
 

lindsey crashed

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a beardie is a great first lizard, but not a minimally heated animal... they also need UV, so you are talking plenty of lighting...
 
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zonbonzovi

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JMugleston- do you know any reputable breeders of the Northerns? I know we used to have one locally here in WA, but I've since lost their info.
 

Jmugleston

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JMugleston- do you know any reputable breeders of the Northerns? I know we used to have one locally here in WA, but I've since lost their info.
Ummm.....Me. We should have some new babies within the next 3-4 months. There are a number of others though. If you want a baby, May through July is a good time to pick them up. Send me a pm and I can give you the names of some breeders I've used in the past.
 

dtknow

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Jmugleston: Some Eastern blood wouldn't bother me too much, my main iff is when they are crossed with Indonesian species(I'd imagine Indos etc. are not as temp tolerant).
 

kripp_keeper

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My crested gecko does fine at room temp. They are easy to keep, and come in a lot of different morphs. I enjoy watching him while doing maintenance on other things.
 

Jmugleston

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Jmugleston: Some Eastern blood wouldn't bother me too much, my main iff is when they are crossed with Indonesian species(I'd imagine Indos etc. are not as temp tolerant).
Oh yeah. Mine have no Indo blood at all.
 

ZergFront

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8by8: Seems those guys need pretty high temps/humidity/large cages.

Water dragons do. Without the high humidity, shedding is a pain in the butt. I loose humidity more in summer and have to warm a bath for Godzilla to loosen the old skin. Skin can stay on ends of limbs and cause them to fall off. Mine has lost much of its fingers from this. Also, calcium is a big issue as well.

They also poop often in their pond so that has to be cleaned out regularly or they can develop a respiratory infection.
 
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