FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I'm making the jump to herps. I made the decision over time, but since we've moved, we're doing a southwestern theme to the house, and want an animal that is from a desert.

Something easy, doesn't get too big (the tank is a 54 gallon corner tank from all glass), and yeah. Easy is the main thing as this will be my first attempt at herps.

So :
- Desert Dweller - preferably from north america, but if there is none, a desert dweller.
- easy to keep and maintain
- stays relatively decent sized. I'm not looking for a lizard that is going to get 2' long (not including the tail). I'd prefer something about 2' long at most.

Also want a list of what things I should get - lights heating pads. whatever! I just need it to look aesthetically pleasing when all said and one - because I will be setting it up like a desert theme.

What are the dimensions of the tank? Unless it is pretty flattened in shape, it's probably not going to be large enough for a lizard that reaches more than about 6-8" snout-to-vent length. Most smaller lizards generally don't tolerate handling very well, so you might have to make do with something that won't be touched/disturbed.

Some things that popped in my mind in terms of North American desert-dwellers were collared lizards (Crotaphytus), spiny lizards/swifts (Sceloporus), horned lizards (Phrynosoma), or desert iguanas (Phrynosoma). The collareds and the desert iguanas may get too large, however, depending on the footprint of the tank. Horned lizards will need to be fed ants and other very small insects.

If the tank is more than about 24" high, you're going to be needing some pretty large heat lamps to get the optimum basking temps (usually around 95-110 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the species), as well as some large UV lamps. They will need to be fed calcium/vitamin-dusted insects every day or every other day, and some species need fresh vegetables every day as well.

Or, just thought I'd throw the idea out there, you might consider getting a snake instead. I've found that in general, they are better starter reptiles for most people, mainly because a good portion of the population around here isn't willing to spend the amount of money necessary to set up a proper habitat for a lizard (which, in most cases, is more expensive than a habitat for a similarly-sized snake).

How secure is the lid to this tank, BTW? Most reptiles are excellent escape artists, so if it's reasonably easy for you to open the tank, it's probably going to need a new top.

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

tank dimensions : 54 Corner 38x27x22

Do you want it to be more naturalistic when set up? Larger reptiles will often knock over tank décor and uproot/crush live plants, so if you want something that looks reasonably attractive, it would probably be best to stick with smaller species. If I had a tank that size to keep lizards in, I would probably do a group of Sceloporus in it. In most areas of the country, at least one species from the genus is abundant and easy to find.

Not many people (none that I can think of, in fact) breed US-native species of this genus, however, so you're probably going to have to go out and collect your own if you want some. Over here I can legally collect up to 25 Western Fence Lizards (S. occidentalis) with just a fishing license, but I'm not sure what the laws are like in Colorado (some states prohibit collection of native reptiles altogether).

In a 54 gallon tank, you could probably keep a male and then a few females... In the wild males maintain territories shared with many females, so there shouldn't really be any problems with cohabitating them. They are also relatively calm compared to a lot of other lizards of a similar size, so they shouldn't freak out whenever they see you walk by. I've even got some of the fence lizards in my yard to take mealworms from my fingers.

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

You would probably want a leopard gecko.

They are easy, stay small and can be handled.
Foodrickets or mealworms for a base diet, and waxworms for a occasional treat.

I would use paper towel for bedding, not sand however, because there is the risk of impaction.


Decor-2 logs, and a hut.

You need a heating pad[make sure it covers half the tank at most.] UV lamps aren't really nessacary. Keep temp between 75-80. Also need a food dish, calcium dust and water dish.

Yup. I'm that crazy Twilight/animal/music girl

leopard geckos are really boring. everyone has them.

Leos are NOT boring!! They each have there own personality, are easy to keep and train, and are quite interactive. Everyone has them 'cause they are so cool. Too bad most people don't care for them properly. Maybe your just boring.

Yup. I'm that crazy Twilight/animal/music girl

That sounded a little out of line...

Denver did ask for a native, if at all possible, so leopard geckos don't really fit that criterion. Texas banded geckos are native, happen to be very similar to leopard geckos, so they would fit the bill. Various Sceloporus species would also work.

><>

Leos are NOT boring!! They each have there own personality, are easy to keep and train, and are quite interactive. Everyone has them 'cause they are so cool. Too bad most people don't care for them properly. Maybe your just boring.

my point EXACTLY. you do not TRAIN geckos. everone has them because they are easy to breed and you can hold them.

Since when does popularity determine entertainment value?

It seems rather silly to me to make such a broad generalization when it is rather easy to find people who are entertained by their gecko's natural behavior.

I'll do graffiti,
If you sing to me in French.

Lets not turn this into a slinging match...

---

Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

can i suggest Coleonyx sp? north american banded geckos.
you can get them available CB very easy, thought a lot of people use their game/hunting liscence to bag a couple near "the big bend" ? not sure how far tat is from you, i dont even know what state it's in...

Hahaha... A couple months ago when I suggested North American banded geckos to you, you said you didn't like them because they resemble Leopard Geckos and are therefore boring. Admittedly, they would be pretty boring in a 54 gallon tank, since they are almost exclusively nocturnal and would probably just hide all day.

That's why I like Sceloporus... They have a lot of charisma for lizards their size and are much more intelligent than geckos. If I walk up to a fence lizard here, they'll run away at first, but if I stick around they'll come back and start displaying with push-ups and head-bobbing to try and scare me away (sometimes doing it about a foot away). And they stay very visible during the day.

Most North American Sceloporus aren't as boldly patterned as the geckos, but they have very subtle beauty that is often difficult to appreciate in the field. The males of most species can look amazing, with iridescent green, blue, and yellow centers to the scales on their backs in addition to their bright blue bellies.

Here is a young male S. occidentalis I caught a while back... He was particularly colorful, so I'm anxious to see what he looks like once he's full-grown.

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/8995/lizard8yn7.jpg

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Hahaha... A couple months ago when I suggested North American banded geckos to you, you said you didn't like them because they resemble Leopard Geckos and are therefore boring. Admittedly, they would be pretty boring in a 54 gallon tank, since they are almost exclusively nocturnal and would probably just hide all day.


yeah yeah, they are boring, but they're still lidded geckos, and if he likes leos, coleonyx are less boring but still similar..

Natalie - I'm liking your idea of the S. occidentalis - I'm not too worried about colour more than I am about them just behaving reasonably well, and fitting in.

try a bearded dragon.. they get pretty big over time... but you could buy like 3 or 4 baby ones and raise them up int the larger tank and slowly get rid of some of them... or just upgrade!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

Natalie - I'm liking your idea of the S. occidentalis - I'm not too worried about colour more than I am about them just behaving reasonably well, and fitting in.

Heh, you'd have to be willing to drive about 500 miles to get within their range to collect some, though... Unfortunately, I couldn't find any captive breeders of this species. It's illegal to buy, sell, or breed any native reptiles in California as well (except for California Kings, Rosy Boas, and Rattlesnakes), so you'd have to find someone in the surrounding states who breeds them.

That said, you do have three species of Sceloporus native to Colorado that would work just as well... S. magister]http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Sceloporus+magister&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi[/link] (Sagebrush Lizard), [link=S. graciosus]http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&q=Sceloporus+graciosus[/link] (Desert Spiny Lizard), and [link=S. undulatus (Eastern Fence Lizard). You should check up on the legality of collecting such reptiles in the state, though, before planning a big herping trip.

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Wait, so it's not illegal to catch native herps, but it is to breed them?

Wait, what.