How to Keep a Lizard for a Pet

Keeping a lizard as a pet is not always as easy as it looks. A lot of research must go into it, and a lot of care as well. Keeping a lizard as a pet can be fun and challenging at the same time. There are certain things you will need to know, such as, what types of food your particular lizard eats, where it should live and the correct temperatures that your lizard needs to survive.

Things You'll Need

  • Aquarium
  • Heat rock
  • Live food (insects/mice/etc.)
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Instructions

  1. How to Keep a Lizard for a Pet

    • 1

      Some lizards are herbivores and some are carnivorous. For the carnivorous types you will need to purchase live bait to feed it. Lizards need live food so they can see it move, which helps them to identify it as food. Fly larvae works for the purpose but be careful since if they are not quickly eaten they will spin cocoons and become flies, which are virtually impossible for the lizard to catch. Live crickets are a better choice as they will breed right there in the lizard's home container. Some of the larger lizards eat live mice so be forewarned when you purchase your lizard.

    • 2

      Make sure that you have something roomy enough to house the lizard, depending on its size. Many lizards are relatively small and can comfortably live in a five or ten gallon aquarium. Make sure you keep the top on it however, so the live food does not escape and make itself to home in the walls of your house. This can cause a lot of trouble for you later on, so be very careful when dealing with aquarium lids and live insects, especially the kind that can both fly and hop.

    • 3

      If your lizard is the type that will grow bigger than it is right now, you will want to do some research and find out just how big it will get before you ever buy it. Some lizards get very big and the average home will not be able to accommodate such a large specimen. You may want to consider buying only lizards that will grow just a foot or less.

    • 4

      Observe your new pet very carefully. This way you will know what its normal behavior is like so you will easily recognize any changes in that behavior. Lizards tend to remain in one position for a very long time so if your pet is acting sluggish it is not necessarily a sign of illness. Remember, lizards are cold blooded so you will need to provide your pet with a heat rock to keep it warm. Once it is plugged in you will notice that quite often your lizard will perch on it.

    • 5

      Do not feed your lizard raw meat unless you plan to stick it right in its mouth, as they will not try to eat unless their prey is moving. Live food is essential or your lizard will starve to death. Most lizards do not eat every single day either, so overfeeding can lead to problems, including insect infestation.