Beginner Big lizards

[ColoradoRedTeguLover]

I was wondering what would be a good pet lizard that get pretty big. I have thought of Green iguanas or Red Iguanas I know i can care for them but Temperament wise ive read they very aggressive that being said the comments i read were from 3 years ago and might have changed. Ive thought of caiman lizard but too expensive. Ive thought of Argentine Red tegu but there diet is pretty expensive. So what would you guys reccomend maybe even get my hopes up for one of these lizards again?

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

blue tongue skinks

 

[TheTeguGurl]

Agreed

 

[Roadkill]

Iguanas are not beginner lizards. Being herbivorous, one has to pay special attention to their diet in order to avoid nutritional disorders. Balancing vegetarian needs is not easy.

 

[ColoradoRedTeguLover]

Blue tongue skink is a good lizard it's just something about them to me ..... And RoadKill I know Almost everything about a Iguana and its, the only thing that keeping me away from them is there attitude during breeding season.

 

[Roadkill]

I don't want to chastise you, but considering you started this thread with the title "Beginner Big Lizards" and then headed to iguanas, I'm not sure you really understand their needs. Many people think they do, but reading popular pet sites is not the end of the trail. Your statements on the cost of diets makes me further think this is a case of someone thinking they know a lot, when in reality they are just at the beginning. My interest here is not to make you feel insignificant or stupid, my interest is to prevent what in all likelihood could end up being yet another iguana with nutritional disease. If you've never kept an herbivore before, if you think the local grocery store will easily meet an iguanas needs, or if your focus is so strongly on "large" and not the animal's individual needs, I seriously urge you to reconsider if only for the welfare of the animal.

 

[ColoradoRedTeguLover]

It doesn't make me feel bad or stupid i understand that your dont want another Iguana that was bought then abandoned sadly enough i cant get my mom to get off The "How cheap the iguana is" There Cheap cause there hard to take care of and she wont listen, but back to the story ive been studying the iguana for 5 months now, and yes i do know they need alot more than a cage food and branches. They Need your individual help to tame them as most are wild caught and keep them healthy it's a spend 2 hours + with them a day give them a variety of leafy greens such as Mustard greens olive greens..so on. 70% greens 20% vegetables 5% fruit WITH Variety. Proper lighting and the reason people get rid of them is how fast they grow.

 

[ColoradoRedTeguLover]

And I also adore this Specimen

 

[HeatherN]

I applaud your willingness to learn about a species before keeping it. And thats why people ask questions: to learn!

I agree with other posters why a blue tongue skink is a good beginner lizard thats on the larger side. Bearded dragons also get pretty big (largest ive heard of is 2 feet long, but they can get wide). You're right when you say a lot of people get rid of iguanas. I work with rescues all the time, and they're always in bad shape from some sort of hole in their care.

I have never owned an iguana myself, but i have entertained the idea and done the research. First off is space. To give you an idea, some people give their iguanas their own room in the house. Proper lighting and diet are crucial, but you seem to understand that. The ones i've care for get a lot of skin problems from improper humidity and diet, and are prone to all sorts of diseases from being so inbred. First and foremost, i'd read some recently made care guides on reliable and knowledgable websites. I specify with those adjectives because often "care guides" will pop up on random websites with wrong info, due to iguanas being so readily available. If needed, you could even talk to a breeder or someone on here. i know plenty of people on any forum would love to tell you how much of a "terrible" person you are for considering getting one without knowing everything in the universe.

When you truly "fall in love" with an animal you're observing, i know you'd be willing to saturate yourself in facts about them and to go out of your way to help them thrive.

 

[Roadkill]

I would say that, if I were still running pet shops, and you and your mother came into my shop with the above as an example of your knowledge and dedication to the keeping of an iguana, I wouldn't sell you one. If your mother is complaining about the price of the animal in the first place, then she is certainly NOT going to invest anywhere near enough for the proper keeping of said lizard. Your breakdown of "nutrition" for the iguana is only a start - how do you propose to balance the nutrients? With herbivores, this is very much a crucial element in successfully keeping them. I appreciate your youthful exuberance for the iguana, but the fact that you've given the responses you have to the points I've made to me demonstrates that you clearly don't understand what I'm getting at, and your excitement is overriding any rationality you may have. However, I suspect all these points are still not getting anywhere with you, so I hope you're more fortunate than the majority of people I've seen in your position.

 

[ColoradoRedTeguLover]

Heather I do agree with you Iguanas are amazing animals but get large and people buy them for there sons or daughters mindlessly and basically torture the animal in a 10 gallon tank ive heard of people putting them in 5 gallon wich is cruel, and it breaks my heart to see the animals suffer but all you can do is give advice to them wich most dont listen "Cause its to expensive" The Cage i was gone build for a baby red iguana was 4 feet tall 3 feet long 2 feet wide and ive asked around they said that would last for a little. I hate when people give there iguanas meal worms and stuff you would
give to a tegu or a meat-eating lizard. Im pretty sure temps for basking should be 90-95 day then no lower than 60 or 70 at night, and UVB is needed humidity level should be 70%-80% there Amazing lizards but not for everybody. Infact im having to give away my leo's for space and time dedicated for the iguana.

 

[ColoradoRedTeguLover]

Now Im going to go for a Northern BTS but i cant find any who will reserve babies until August

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

in case you havent seen this, its the best bts caresheet on the net

http://bluetongueskinks.net/care.htm`

 

[ColoradoRedTeguLover]

yeh im on it actually

 

[mike97]

Chinese water dragons?? good alternative to iguanas but smaller and they eat insects

 

[laurarfl]

Please skip the iguana. I, too always wanted an iguana and have worked with all kinds of animals. The iguana I wanted so badly is so aggressive even after 5 yrs of work that I have to relocate him to a rescue later this year. And I'm the one person he likes! He is the alpha type male green iguana, beautifully orange, comes to me for hand feeding but will not hesitate to try to take a chomp out of anyone. He is truly a bad *** and difficult to handle.

On top of that, his medium sized cage was over $250 because they cannot live in aquariums. As an adult, the enclosure has to be hand built or a tall outdoor dog kennel bought for a few more hundred dollars. I'm fortunate that he can live outside most all year so I don't have to worry about his lighting.

 

[mike97]

the way i started out with lizards was with leopard geckos. then beardies then my chinese water dragon. im now after a blue tegu i started at 11 and im now 15

 

[laurarfl]

I think starting small and working up is the best way.

 

[Tannaros]

I think starting small and working up is the best way.

I would agree with this.

Starting smaller gives you an insight into general reptile, and more specifically, lizard behavior. Yes they are all vastly different. However, many share similar characteristics and behaviors that are common among nearly all lizards. Ex. Leopard Geckos breed mainly by the male biting the female on the tail or lower body, then continually moving upwards toward her head. This behavior is also exhibited in blue tongue skinks, tegus, collared lizards, etc. to various degrees of intensity.

 

[BatGirl1]

Yes laura, like tegus to....alligators(?) Heh heh... * one can dream * ... but yeah, i had an iguana and even at a smaller size he tail whipped me etc and i could only Imagine at full size! I had to rehome him when i had to move out of state ( i was very young) . Bearded dragons are nice and cute personality. My sister in law has a blue tongue skink she adores. Both good alternatives