Small lizard

Bearded Dragons are also known as Beardies. They make wonderful first pet lizards. They are very docile. Their comparatively small size and simple care requirements have endeared them to pet owners. There is a debate raging as to which is the best lizard pet, the Leopard Gecko or the Bearded Dragon, and both sides have enough ammunition to defend their favorite reptile.

Beardies are very active in daytime and make for great display animals. Their trusting, laid back nature, make them easy to handle. They make a great introduction to reptiles, even for those people who are afraid of snakes and lizards.

The Life span of the Beardie is around: 8-10 years. Their size ranges from 14 to 24 inches.

The minimum cage size for adults: 40 gallon tank or equivalent.

Special Care Requirements: Include daily access to special UVB lighting, controlled heating, The babies are particularly delicate even though the adults are very robust.

These lizards are inexpensive, easy to locate and they have only limited care requirements.

Being Omnivorous, they require both insects and vegetation in their diet and lots of fresh greens every day.

The most common among the many species of Blue lizards are Blue-tongued Skinks. As pets, they need only as much care as the bearded dragon. Skinks are diurnal animals. They need the complete spectrum of lamps and lighting. Both sidewise and lengthwise, you will find similarities between the beardies and the skinks. Keep the skink’s terrarium dimensions same as that of the Beardies. They are docile and tolerate regular handling well. They are omnivores. You can feed the blue tongued skink worms, vegetables and insects. The proportion is slightly different in the case of the Bearded Dragon.

Nonetheless, the skink is different in many aspects from the bearded dragon and other lizards. The skink is much quieter when compared to the bearded dragon. In the matter of docility the bearded dragon scores better. The skink consumes vegetables better at a younger age, making it easy to feed.

Advantages – The blue-tongued skink has a long life expectancy (from 18 to 20 years). This means that your initial investment will pay off eventually.

Disadvantages – The skink shows the tendency to defecate more often.

Carolina Anole is the smallest reptile in any keeper’s favorite list. Generally, they measure about 15 to 18 cms. But they need a larger terrarium than you can imagine. You should keep these reptiles in groups, generally a male with many females. This means that you will need a terrarium measuring 50x 40x 35 cms to house a small group of 4.

Carolina Anole is a docile lizard but it is very shy and they do not like people handling them. Once they get used to their terrarium they exhibit an extrovert nature. The Anole feeds on insects and even worms. Their maintenance cost in terms of feeding is quite low, since their food intake itself is minimal when compared to other lizards. They will feel totally content with a couple of crickets a day.

The uromastyxs, also called spiny-tailed lizards or the uros belong to a type of lizard can make an excellent pet. Uros are similar to the beardies in maintenance and care. These spiny-tailed lizards hail from a hot, dry environment – hotter and drier than from where the beardies come. They range in size from 10 inches to 3 feet. Being a good pet, we have included this in the list of small lizards.

Most of the Uros live in hot, dry environments. Such environments are easy to simulate in captivity, at least for North Americans. It is easier to create such dry environments than moist, tropical environs.

The euros come in a variety of colors. The genus contains 16 varied species of Uros. So you can see plenty of diversity in the range and appearance.

The Uromastyx is an omnivore which means that it will eat both vegetables / plants and insects.

Crested Gecko is fast gaining popularity in the pet business. “Cresties” need the simplest care in comparison to other lizards. They do not need any special heating or lighting care. Any temperature that is above 80F will cause them stress. We can feed them packaged and powdered fruits mixed with water. They do not need insects or complicated diets.

Cresties come in a variety of patterns and colors. The patterns vary with stripes and spots and a lot of things in between. You can easily handle them and they tame easily, However, you must remember that they are small and delicate compared to the larger ones. They tend to lose their tails accidently. While the loss of the tail causes them no harm, the tails do not grow back again.

Cresties live for about: 5-15 years’ They measure 5 to 8 inches long.

Minimum Cage size as adults: is 20 gallons tank or equivalent

Special Care Requirements: You must provide natural or artificial foliage for climbing and hiding.

Pros: They have most simple lizard care requirements; They need no supplemental heating or lighting, You can give them simple mix-with-water diet

Cons: They spend a lot of time hiding. They are nocturnal. These lizards are very delicate to handle.

These lizards can live for up to 15 years or more.

Size:

These geckos reach lengths of 8-10 inches.

Habits

These are nocturnal reptiles. They are usually docile, but shy. You should never house gecko males together.