Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Before Florida gets a cold-weather system that kills them all off. I recently got two C. similis babies from Manny. He does a great job, with a specially made screened box, durable cloth bag, a bit of shredded paper, with LIVE LIZARD posted on the side of the box. Very professional, so I wanted to give kudos to him.

Roger

Manny has a spiny I want very much but Hub says we are not running a zoo. It is in one of the photos and has a tail about a mile long. Happy Thanksgiving
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Spinys are just children with scales and long tails.

Yep, the spouse has veto power, but it works to the good of both parties over the long haul. So like the old song goes, "enjoy the one you're with" changes to "enjoy the ig you're with".

Roger

You did not have to, but thank you. My pleasure to do exactly what I love, make others happy, and get a little $$ for it too.

Manny

Cold weather here won't kill them. They've been in S. Fla. for over 20 years and doing quite well. I know areas were you can see huge ones all day.(Mostly "similis" a few "pectinata" Thanks Ray G. HBR

20 years. That means there have been freezes in Florida that didn't reach S. FL and kill the exogenous (if that word applies) species. I guess I don't know if that's good or bad, because I just plain like lizards. I read on this site, I think, that a local native anole is declining while an introduced one is increasing in population. Win some, lose some.

Pectinata have to be my next acquision.

roger

The exotics here are not immuned but are tolerant of cold weather since each generation gets stronger as the weaker die and the stronger survive.

Years ago aprox. every 3 to 6 years South Florida would experience a freeze and large amounts of iguanas and other exotic species would die off. The survivors would live on to re-produce.

The "problem" we have with both the common Iguana, spinney-tails (Similis and Pectinata)is that they hide in structures, thick palm trees, and underground therfore they are not directly exposed to the cold weather. Only some adults and a lot of babies that have not found shelter are vonerable. In addition they have very few predetors and these animals have a high reproductive rate. This has caused a population explosion which is out of control.