How to Raise Lizards? Six Species Suitable for Beginners and Feeding Tips

The lizard is an animal of the order Squamata and family Lacertidae, belonging to the cold-blooded reptiles, with a wide variety of species, mainly including terrestrial ones, as well as arboreal, semi-aquatic and burrowing ones, most of which feed on insects, with a few herbivorous species; they generally like to live underground, on the ground surface or among tall vegetation, and are more suited to living in environments with higher temperatures. So which lizard species are suitable for beginners to keep? What are the feeding tips for lizards? Let's take a look together!

I. Six lizard species suitable for beginners to keep

1. Green Iguana

The green iguana is a relatively easy-to-keep lizard species; it is not clingy, is herbivorous, arboreal, grows quickly, and likes humidity and high temperatures. Basically all vegetables, leaves and flowers of plants, and fruits can be fed to it, but attention should be paid to the diversity and nutritional value of the food, and foods with high oxalic acid content should be avoided as much as possible; at the same time, attention should also be paid to calcium and vitamin supplementation.

2. Leopard Gecko

The leopard gecko is a good-looking, small-sized lizard species with strong adaptability. It can eat most insects; wild geckos will eat beetles, centipedes, scorpions and spiders, eating anything they can swallow. Usually they can be fed mealworms, crickets, cockroaches, superworms, etc. They are relatively active from evening to night, which is suitable for feeding, and the feeding amount should be controlled.

3. Blue-tongued Skink

The blue-tongued skink looks comical, has a lively and gentle personality, a long lifespan, a blue tongue, and is easy to keep. The blue-tongued skink is an omnivorous lizard with a large appetite; generally, both plants and animals that reptiles eat are acceptable, such as crickets, mealworms, fruits and vegetables, etc. In particular, it can eat already dead insects and small mice, not necessarily live ones. Calcium needs to be supplemented regularly.

4. Veiled Chameleon

Entry-level, arboreal, with females having a shorter lifespan than males. It is an omnivorous reptile; besides insects, it can also eat plant flowers, leaves and fruits, etc.; because it does not drink "dead water," when providing water it needs to be given in the form of rain, mist or dripping water; pay attention to calcium supplementation, such as calcium powder, vitamin supplement powder, etc.

5. Bearded Dragon

The bearded dragon can be considered entry-level for keeping reptile pets. It is simple to keep, convenient to clean, has a gentle personality, and also has a relatively long lifespan. Juveniles are fed insects and green vegetables twice a day; subadults and adults can be fed insects and vegetables once a day, and the insects can be crickets, cockroaches, locusts, worms, grasshoppers, etc.

6. Canary Lizard

The Canary lizard generally likes to be active during the day; its tooth crown is wide, leaf-shaped, with serrated cutting edges; it feeds on mollusks and crustaceans. The Canary lizard is edible, can be used for leather making, is important research material in biology, and is also often kept as a pet.

II. Feeding Tips for Lizards

1. Pay attention to ventilation. It is generally recommended that keepers prepare a container with at least one side measuring 2.5 times the body length of the lizard. If a sealed glass box or tank is used, ventilation holes should be set on the side.

2. Pay attention to heating and lighting. Generally, an incandescent lamp is placed in one corner of the box, which can create an environment with a temperature gradient in the box. The temperature in the box is generally kept above 30°C. Because lizards like heat and dislike cold, high temperatures are needed to ensure their normal digestive function.

3. Let the lizards be fully exposed to ultraviolet light. This is because they need to synthesize vitamin D3 in their skin through ultraviolet irradiation, which helps promote calcium absorption and reduces the chance of death from "wasting disease" or the rickets commonly known as "soft bone disease." Therefore, letting them bask in the sun more is very helpful.

4. Feed appropriately according to different species. For species such as skinks, iguanas and water dragons that also eat plants, vegetables and fruits, etc. can be fed; small lizards can be fed crickets. If they can swallow them, newborn mice have the highest nutritional value. In addition, meat, liver, cat food, insects, earthworms, etc. can also be fed.

In summary, if you want to keep lizards, it is best to master the correct feeding techniques and management methods, and do a good job maintaining the lizards' living environment. I hope this article can help everyone.

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