Russ Case - Lizards

Karla Austin, Business Operations Manager

Nick Clemente, Special Consultant

Barbara Kimmel, Managing Editor

Jarelle S. Stein, Editor

Kendra Strey, Project Editor

Cindy Weston, Interior Design

Melanie Irwin, Design Concept

Honey Winters, Cover Design

Copyright 2006 by I-5 Press

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of I-5 Press, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Case, Russ.

Lizards / by Russ Case.

p. cm.

ISBN 1-882770-91-9

eISBN 978-1-620080-30-6

1. Lizards as pets. I. Title.

SF459.L5C37 2006

639.3'95dc22

2005036585

An Imprint of I-5 Press

A Division of I-5 Publishing, LLC

3 Burroughs

Irvine, California 92618

Printed and bound in Singapore

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Uroplatus gecko

CHAPTER 1

Reptiles as Pets

C ompared with other animals, reptiles (our scaly friendssnakes, lizards, and turtles) sometimes get a bum rap. Lots of people think reptilesespecially snakesare slimy and want to bite and squeeze people, and maybe even use their fangs to inject them with poison. So when the time comes to choose a pet, millions of people pick animals that seem friendlier.

Bearded dragon

Take dogs, for example. Dog owners can play and exercise with their pooches, brush their hair, dress them up, and perhaps even enter them in dog shows. There are special dog beaches and parks, where dog owners gather by the dozens. There you see dogs running around, playing, barking, and having a great time. Dogs are loved because they give love back. They may lick peoples faces, jump on their owners, and want to be with them all the time.

Reptiles are different. Ive never been to a snake beach or a lizard park, where people frolic and play with their scaly pets. Snakes dont jump up and down when their owners come home from school or work. Lizards and turtles dont lick your face to show how much they love you, and Ive never seen a lizard riding in a car with its head hanging out the window and tongue flapping in the breeze. This is because pet reptiles arent as interactive as are dogs and some other pets. A pet lizard or snake may not want to be handled all the time, generally wont snuggle with you, and may not respond to your affection (although many will tolerate some handlingwhen you get to chapter 6, look for the box titled Lizard Handling Hints).

Although reptiles are not usually interactive, they still can make great petsespecially for kids!

Eight Reasons Reptiles Make Great Pets

If your parents are not sure about letting a lizard into your house, ask them to think about the following points:

There are some great harmless beginner reptiles.

The risk of injury to responsible reptile keepers is much lower than it is with a dog, a cat, or even a parakeet.

Compared with other pets, reptiles are low maintenance.

Reptiles dont have to be fed every day (but they shouldnt be starved).

Their foods are readily available at pet shops and grocery stores.

Reptiles arent hairy, so they make great pets for people with allergies.

Keeping reptiles teaches young owners about caring and responsibility.

Reptiles are really cool!

People Really Like Reptiles

Reptiles have become really popular over the past several years. Go to any pet storeand youll see what I mean. For one thing, youll find many different types of herps. There are even pet stores that sell only reptiles. You wont find dogs, parakeets, tropical fish, or cats there, but you are likely to see many different types of snakes, lizards (such as iguanas and chameleons), and frogs.

In addition to seeing lots of cool reptiles at pet stores, youll find oodles of stuff to help you take care of pet herps. Lots of companies sell things that make it easy to provide pet reptiles with happy homes. These things include different types of lights, gizmos to keep your herps warm, branches for them to climb on, cages to keep them in, and bowls for their water and food (you can read more about stuff like this in chapter 4).

People have been keeping pet herps for decades, but within the last ten years the hobby has become really popular. I can tell you one reason: it is because of the movie Jurassic Park. I dont just write books about reptiles. I am also the editor of Reptiles magazine, and the fact that the magazine came out about the same time as Jurassic Park was really lucky! People saw the movie and loved it, and as a result, many wanted to learn about reptiles and how to keep them.

Whats a Herp?

Herp is a nickname for a reptile or an amphibian, and it comes from the word herpetology, which means the study of reptiles and amphibians. A scientist who studies these animals is called a herpetologist.

Something You Should Never Do

Dinosaurs are fascinating. Of course, its impossible to keep one as a pet (even if you could find one, it would be really expensive to feed it!), but many people think the next best thing to having their own little T-rex is having a pet lizard. And although its great that so many people became interested in reptiles after seeing Jurassic Park, there is a sad side to their new popularity.

After Jurassic Park, many pet herps were bought on impulse by people who didnt know how to care for them. People would (and still do) see a neat-looking lizard in a store, and they would buy it right then and there. After all, these animals are very interesting, and some are really colorful. Often, however, the animal would slowly fade away because its new owner didnt know how to take care of it. Even today, many reptiles die or end up in animal shelters because of this. That is why you should never buy a pet reptile on impulse!

This baby uromastyx lizard, though small and cute, is likely beyond the care abilities of the average beginner. Never buy a pet lizard on impulse.

If youre a smart, caring owner, youll have a lot of fun with your reptile petseven though they wont jump up and down when you come home or lick your face. Reptiles are great pets in their own right. Congratulations if youve decided you want to take a shot at keeping them. Now lets take a look at why people like lizards, the reptiles you came here to read about!

Get the Facts First!

Dont purchase any reptile until you have fully researched its housing, feeding, and care requirementsand know how big it will get!

CHAPTER 2

Why People Like Lizards

L izards are extremely popular. Of all the reptiles, they are the ones that most appear to display some personality, and people respond to that. (Snake and turtle owners may not agree with me, of course!) I think lizards pack a lot of personality into their scaly little (and sometimes big) bodies. Why is this?