LIZARDS: THE PART OF TENS

(with apologies to IDG "Dummies" books for borrowing the idea off them)

If you've ever read one of the very popular computer guides, "A Dummies' Guide to...", then you'll know that at the back of each one they have the "Part of Tens", where they have several lists, not necessarily of ten items, such as "10 easy fixes for the PC" or "10 reasons to become a UNIX guru". I thought about this and decided this was a good idea to try out with lizard-keeping. So, with apologies again to Dummies' Guides and their writers everywhere, here is the Saurian Part of Tens.

10 Things to look for when considering buying a lizard

  1. What do I know about its natural habitat and what part of world it originates from?
  2. How big will it grow?
  3. How long will it live?
  4. Will I be able to supply it with the right food?
  5. Do I have room for it?
  6. Does it have a reputation for being a difficult species?
  7. Is it very rare in the wild, and if so, should I therefore leave it to someone more likely to use it in a breeding programme?
  8. Do I know a vet that is capable of dealing with reptiles?
  9. How will my "significant others" (parents, spouse, children, landlord, etc, as applicable) react to it?
  10. Can I give it the time it needs?

10 Things that Lizards Need

  1. Knowledge on their owner's part about the requirements for their species in captivity
  2. A correct-sized vivarium, erring on the side of generosity
  3. Any necessary heating equipment (in the form of a heat mat, an overhead light bulb, or both) to maintain the temperature during day and night at levels which the lizard would experience in the wild
  4. If a day species, then an ultraviolet light
  5. An on-off timer for items 3 and 4 to create day/night cycles
  6. A hiding place in the form of a hollow log, artificial cave, broken flowerpot or whatever is most suitable
  7. Substrate for the bottom of the cage, whether newspaper, sand, soil or whatever is most suitable
  8. For most species, a bowl of water [but not for some species from very dry lands!]
  9. Regular meals with the correct amount of appropriate food (live, prekilled or plant) offered
  10. Discipline on the owner's part in sticking to a regular routine of care, including cage cleaning

10 Best Beginners' Lzards

  1. Leopard gecko, Eublepharis macularis
  2. Tokay Gecko, Gekko gekko
  3. Striped Gecko, Gekko vittatus
  4. Ocellated Skink, Chalcides ocellatus
  5. Bearded Dragon, Pogona vitticeps
  6. Plated Lizard, Gerrhosaurus major
  7. Eyed Lizard, Lacerta lepida
  8. Green Lizard, Lacerta viridis
  9. Berber Skink, Eumeces schneideri

10 Truly Difficult Lizards

  1. Most chameleon species, Chameleo-, Furcifer-, Bradypodion and sp.
  2. Nile Monitor, Varanus niloticus
  3. Moloch, Molochus horridus
  4. Some Horned Toads, Phrynosoma sp.
  5. Some Day Geckos, Phelsuma sp.
  6. Caiman Lizard, Dracaena sp.
  7. Crocodile Monitor, Varanus salvadori
  8. Rhinoceros Iguanas, Cyclura sp.
  9. Cat Gecko, Aeluroscabotes felinus
  10. Bent-Toed Geckos, Cyrtodactylus sp.

10 Tameable Lizards [well, as tameable as lizards can get!]

  1. Bearded Dragons, Pogona vitticeps
  2. Plated Lizards, Gerrhosaurus major
  3. Eyed Lizards, Lacerta lepida
  4. Blue-Tongued Skinks, Tiliqua sp
  5. Green Iguanas, Iguana iguana
  6. Savannah Monitors, Varanus exanthematicus
  7. Leopard Geckos, Eublepharis macularis
  8. Scheltopusiks, Ophisaurus [Pseudopus] apoda
  9. Alligator Lizards, Gerrhonotus [Elgaria] sp
  10. Water Monitors, Varanus salvator

10 Expensive Lizards

  1. Most monitor species other than Savannahs, Niles or Water Monitors, Varanus sp
  2. Monkey-Tailed Skinks, Corucia zebrata
  3. Rhinoceros Iguanas, Cyclura sp

10 Intelligent Lizards

  1. Green Iguanas, Iguana iguana
  2. Plated Lizards, Gerrhosaurus major
  3. Bearded Dragons, Pogona vitticeps
  4. Water Monitors, Varanus salvator
  5. Monkey-Tailed Skinks, Corucia zebrata
  6. Alligator Lizards, Gerrhonotus [Elgaria] sp
  7. Collared Lizards, Crotaphytus
  8. Scheltopusiks, Ophisaurus [Pseudopus] apoda
  9. Some chameleon species, Chameleo/Furcifer sp
  10. Water Dragons, Physiognathus sp

10 Big Lizards

  1. Komodo Dragon, Varanus komodoensis
  2. Crocodile Monitor, Varanus salvadori
  3. Water Monitor, Varanus salvator
  4. Perentie, Varanus varanus
  5. Gould's Monitor, Varanus gouldi
  6. Nile Monitor, Varanus niloticus
  7. Green Iguana, Iguana iguana
  8. Rhinoceros Iguanas, Cyclura sp
  9. Tegus, Tupinambis sp
  10. Sailfin Lizard, Hydrosaurus amboinensis

10 Small Lizards

  1. Leaf Chameleons
  2. Green Anoles and relatives, Anolis sp.
  3. Virtually all Sphaerodactyline Geckos, Sphaerodactylus sp
  4. Bavayia Geckos, Bayavia sp
  5. Turkish Gecko, Hemidactylus turcicus sp
  6. Earless Lizards

10 Aggressive (or potentially aggressive) Lizards

  1. Tokay Gecko, Gekko gecko
  2. Nile Monitor, Varanus niloticus
  3. Tegus, Tupinambis sp
  4. White-Throated Monitor, Varanus albigularis
  5. Any juvenile monitor, Varanus sp, especially if wild-caught
  6. Cunningham's Skinks, Egernia cunninghami
  7. Green Iguanas, Iguana iguana
  8. Rhinoceros Iguanas, Cyclura sp
  9. Monkey-Tailed Skinks, Corucia zebrata
  10. Perentie, Varanus varanus

Back to Lizards | Back to Reptiles | Back to Herpetology | Back to Home Page