large lizards

EXAMPLES of LARGE LIZARDS

That Can Make Nice Pets.

This is "Topper the 3rd," a fully-grown, male green iguana. He's in my large "walk-in" cage, since he's about 4 and 1/2 feet long, and requires a large, well-equipped habitat.

Even though cute baby green iguanas are common in pet stores, I don't recommend them to beginning reptile enthusiasts. The babies grow big, ornery, and come equipped with very sharp claws, a biting mouth, and a powerful tail to "WHIP" you with!

The females are tamer than the males, but you can't tell for sure if a baby is a male or a female. He's a "salad" eater.

Here's Topper on the sand, at the bottom of his large habitat, with a monitor lizard.

They are eyeing each other suspiciously. Male iguanas are very aggressive and bold. Monitors, scavengers by trade, are very cautious, sly, and suspicious, and are quite powerful themselves.

Huh? What's this?---must be just a branch of a tree...

But no, it's a hiding monitor!---so sneaky he's stretching himself along the branch just like he was part of it!

Monitors are a lot of fun---very agile, quick, and intelligent. But not recommended for beginners, as they can bite, have a very fast whipping tail, require larger cages when they grow up, and are messy meat eaters (probably very much like little dinosaurs, to be sure!)

Who's that peeking out of the window of the cage?

Is it the monitor lizard!???

Yes, it is!!!

We sneaked up on him while he was sneaking up on us!!

(note his sharp claws...he's a great digger...)

[Suggestions on Excellent Reptile Care] Back to REPTILE GALLERY. REPTILE Art Posters