Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering if anyone can share thier info on chucks with me. I am considering getting one at some point, and I want to know what they are like?? What kind of care do they require as opposed to my chams and leos? What do they eat? What type of enclosure? Is there a big difference in gender personalities? What is the normal price range for one?? What types are there as far as color, location, etc?? Are there any breeders out there who are reputable chuck breeders?? Do they prefer to be kept alone or with a friend?? Do they do well with other pets?? How big do they get? Are they friendly?? What are the major reasons you chose to own a chuck?? I think they are cute, and they seem like interesting lizards but please let me know your experience. Thanks!!

Caging: I've heard 60 gallons quotes as the minimum for one chuck, but the bigger the better. I currently have my pair in a 100 gallon tank and they use every inch of it. The dimensions are something like 60" by 18" by 24". I've seen some great pics of homemade cages with twice the depth. I'd really like to eventually do something like this for my guys. If you're using a glass tank, it really helps to cover the back and sides so that they feel more secure and provide lots of rocks and tight hides. My guys really like to climb too and make frequent use of the big cork tube and sand-blasted grapevine in their tank.

Lighting: I really like the mercury vapor bulbs for the chucks since they put off a lot of heat and UV. I've had better luck in terms of longevity with the Zoomed bulbs than the T-rex bulbs. But, I think T-rex did a re-design so I may try them again. I give mine a hot basking site of around 120 and two cooler ones that get around 100. The cool side is usually in the low 80s.

My wc female is a stict vegetarian while my cb male enjoys the occaisional insect. Dandelion flowers are by far the favorite food of my female. I also feed plantain, nasturtium flowers and greens, mint, dandelion greens, alfalfa, and various dark leafy salsd greens. I use the T-rex Iguana dust for a supplement, I've tried almost every brand out there and it is the only one that both of mine will take.

I've dealt with a total of 3 chucks and they have all been individuals. My current pair consists of a wc female and a cb male. The female has never warmed up to me and I've had her almost 2 years now. She usually retreats to the opposite side of the cage whenever I reach in. My cb male on the other hand will readily take food from my hand and let me pick him up. I think that background in terms of whether they are wc or captive bred and what age they were acquired makes a big difference in terms of how friendly they are. With a lot of work and patience, I've heard of some wc's taming down.

I've seen wc's selling from 60-80, and cbs from 125-150. In my opinion, if you're looking for a healthy pet, cbs are worth it. Wild caught chucks don't seem to fare well with the dealers, and I've read about fair number of sad endings on this forum.

They come in a diverse array of colors, doing a google image search or searching the KS galleries will give you an idea of what's out there.

Males are typically incompatible. My male female pair, however, actually seem to enjoy each others company. The female really mellowed when I introduced the male and her appetite improved. They're always following each other around, and when I take out the male for the occaisional educational presentation I do, the female seems lost.

Provided he tank is large enough, I've heard of them being kept successfully with collared lizards and desert iguanas. Large male chucks can reach 18".

My guys are both very inquisitive alert lizards and very personable. My male could even be called friendly. They really seem to be individuals when it comes to behavior and I never get tired of watching their antics.

I got mine primarily as educational animals and really only wanted one. I caught the female myself, but getting her established in captivity was a long uphill battle. When I caught her, I could not find any cbs available. While going through the acclimation process with her, a clutch of cbs showed up on the classifieds and I was hoping that a cb buddy would help her acclimate (it was too late in the year to release her, and I didn't think she had enough fat reserves to make it through the winter at that point, and she wasn't eating enough to maintain her weight). The cb buddy did the trick and he ended up being the education animal since she's still too high strung for meet and greets.

-Alice