Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was just looking through the alligator lizard forum and noticed that people were holding the lizard, and what seemed like letting it walk around outside of its cage! I can't do that at all with my lizard. He freaks out the second my finger goes near him. Is there a way to hold him? I'm afraid that he might jump away. My alli is a northern (or i think it is. I live in CA) and is around 2 feet long. Any help on holding tips would be great.

Northerns tend to be smaller than southerns, at 2ft I suspect you've got a southern. Is this the one that laid eggs? Because, northerns give birth to live young. To be sure, flip it over, if the lines going down the belly appear to go down the center of the scales it's a southern, if they go down the edges it's a northern.

Alligator lizards all have different personalities. It sounds like you've got a fiesty one. To tame it you'll have to work with it. I'd recommend holding it for about 15 minutes a day, and after a few weeks it should gradually start to mellow out. Be prepared to be pooped on and bitten though during your initial endeavors.

-Alice

I have no clue what you meant about the stripes down the belly. All i see are horizontal stripes going down. So i guess i have a southern alli then? I never knew northerns give birth to live young. Funny how they are both the same species but the have different reproduction methods. I guess i'll try to tame her down.

By the way, i've been trying to catch another one. I got lucky on this one because it was laying under my hose. I know they are known to be great hiders, but any clues on where they might dwel?